Mediaboss Marketing

NEW YORK, April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --A new survey report released today, Ditch Digital Dabbling: How Small Businesses and Nonprofits Can Master Online Marketing, revealed the "magic number" of hours required to make social media marketing a success. According to the report, it takes a minimum of 25 hours per week to see worthwhile results from social media efforts insight that has long eluded small businesses and nonprofits struggling to find the right market mix in today's digital economy. Now available at http://www.DitchDigitalDabbling.com, the report aggregates responses from small businesses and nonprofits in many sectors including women-owned, minority-owned, and socially responsible.

A joint research project by Message Medium and Ventureneer, the Ditch Digital Dabbling survey definitively outlines the online marketing tactics that work best and highlights new revelations, including the fact that "Power Users" rate only 5 social media tools as very effective.

"While many small businesses and nonprofits market online, very few have a firm grasp of the strategies, tactics, and tools to do it well in spite of the overload of how-to information," explained Message Medium president Maisha Walker. "Rather than adding to the noise, we wanted to share real-world insights and success stories, gleaned from their peers who were facing similar challenges."

By showing which online marketing and social media strategies have and haven't worked, the survey results act as a research-driven road-map to saving small businesses time and money when putting together their own marketing plans.

"The survey confirms that you can't get the best results from online marketing programs unless you know how to effectively measure whether you're achieving your goals or not," commented Ventureneer president Geri Stengel. "While we found that a majority of companies attempt to measure performance, they don't understand what actually works. The concept of trying, measuring, and tweaking -- almost in real time -- is new, but it's as critical to effectiveness as is time spent."

The Ditch Digital Dabbling Executive Summary is available for free download, in addition to the comprehensive report with in-depth case studies, detailed survey figures, and more, visit http://www.DitchDigitalDabbling.com.

About Message Medium

Message Medium helps new brands to harness the power of the Internet through renowned training & classes, cutting edge research, designing profitable Web sites, and launching successful Internet marketing campaigns. Agency founder and president Maisha Walker is a Columnist for Inc. magazine and frequent speaker on Internet marketing strategy.

About Ventureneer

Ventureneer is a media, marketing, and research company that helps corporations build meaningful relationships with small businesses. We create content-marketing -- research, social media, articles, in-person events, case studies, e-newsletters, webinars, microsites, white papers, etc. -- for corporations, taking their small business and nonprofit customers from brand awareness to brand evangelists.

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2012 "Ditch Digital Dabbling" Survey Reveals the Most Effective Online Marketing Tools and Strategies for Small ...

Swiss finance firm Digital Capital emerged earlier this year, co-founded by Todd Tribell and Stew Kosoy. While Tribell has no previous experience in the games business, Kosoy has plenty, most recently working at ISM where he handled the Digital Illusions deal with EA for Battlefield 1942 (which eventually lead to EA's acquisition of DICE). Previously he has worked for MGM Interactive, GT Interactive and Sega America.

While there are multiple new and emerging channels for developers to get access to funding, Digital Capital's model is clear - if it likes your project it's looking to fund it to completion, from concept to the final product. It may be somewhat secretive about the amount of funding it has, but it has already invested on one business, bank-rolling Powerhead Games' Jason Schrieber and his new digital outfit based in Ireland.

Here, in an exclusive interview with GamesIndustry International, Kosoy and Tribell discuss how the business operates, what it's looking for from iOS to PC projects, how it differs from other VC companies and what exactly developers can expect from a partnership.

Q: The way I understand it is Digital Capital represents a group of people with money to invest in video games, but can you break it down a little more for us?

Todd Tribell: We have access to a number of very high wealth individuals and it's our sort of starter base, if you will. The way the process works is they don't know anything about this business, this is not what they do, and even some things that get pitched to them they're not interest because it's so far from what they know. You know, one guy likes Barbie, another guy likes GI Joe, and they're not willing to cross-pollinate. So cars or golf, bowling, whatever it is that people like, we just tend to go to this group of people and say "you like his and she likes that." We try to tailor it as much as possible. I know Stew loves tanks, so if I had something for tanks I'd call up Stew and say "Stew, I've got something you might find interesting." And of course we do a whole lot of preparation for them on the financial side, on the monetisation side, and so forth and so on, so it involves a good amount of research.

Stew Kosoy: Basically we are more than investors and we're more than matchmakers. We take 25 years plus years of triple-A experience, find partners who have the ability to deliver and partners that we feel are valid, put together a plan that covers the cost of development, the cost of marketing, the cost of support, run numbers, see if it's viable. If it's viable we either have our own money or we have access to money and we put together a partnership where we all participate. The development creative people, us, and the investor.

We're very reticent to get involved with any inventory situation, it's really digital distribution. We don't need bricks and mortar, it's very heavy and it costs

Stew Kosoy

Q: So what attracts your investors to the games business? What do they see that they want to invest in?

Todd Tribell: I think for each individual it's a different attraction. Our model allows us to bring people into the business with the security, as he said, that we're actively involved, we're active participants in what we do, of having someone they respect or trust look into managing that investment.

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Digital Capital: Mind on the Money

by Kate McDowell

The staff at Fairbairn Private Bank in the Isle of Man, Jersey and London have been busy raising money for four good causes.

Through a wide range of fundraising schemes, including a monthly staff draw, themed social events, book sales, cake sales and dress down days, a total of 7,542 has been raised. The money has been split equally between the four charities: Isle of Man Hospice Care, Macmillan Cancer Support (IOM), The Jersey Womens Refuge and Friends of Chernobyls Children.

While the former three charities do an outstanding job in supporting the local communities in the Isle of Man and Jersey, the latter charity provides assistance further afield, raising funds to bring children aged between six and thirteen from orphanages or disadvantaged homes in Belarus to the United Kingdom for a month every year.

Julie Moore, Sharon Connor, Linda Quirk and Kirstine McDaid from Fairbairn Private Bank presented the cheques to the charities on behalf of all the staff.

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If you'd like to send any information or news releases to us then please feel free to do so and we would be more than happy to consider sharing your news with the Isle of Man!

Send your Isle of Man news to:webmaster@manx.net

Manx Telecom Ltd 2012

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Fairbairn Private Bank staff raise over £7,500 for charity

by Kim Etherton

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall unveiled a plaque marking the start of the 3m regeneration of the Isle of Man Food Park in Peel during their visit to the Island on 26th April 2012. The plaque is located on the wall of the old pump house and there are striking new signs on the Park entrance walls to mark the change from Mill Road Yard to the Isle of Man Food Park.

The first phase of the four year regeneration project is now underway and includes the erection of a security fence and gates and the restoration of the old pump house at the entrance to the Park. This building will be known as The Hub and will provide facilities for the businesses located in the Food Park including meeting and training rooms.

During phase 2, major infrastructure improvements will be made including new drainage, new power supplies, the installation of fibre optic cables to improve IT connections and the installation of mains gas. The first three new manufacturing units will be occupied, creating new employment opportunities. The final phase will see other new units becoming available and the further creation of jobs, currently estimated at 150 posts.

The 3m project is funded by Government but there will be in the region of a further 3million private investment from the companies who are building units on the sites made available to them as part of this regeneration project.

DEFA Minister, Phil Gawne MHK commented the visit of Their Royal Highnesses to the Isle of Man Food Park has provided a great boost to this important and exciting project and marks the start of its implementation. The Prince of Wales has a keen personal interest in sustainability, and was very interested to hear more about our fisheries work including the bye-laws which aim to protect our Queenies from unsustainable fishing, the Marine Stewardship Council accreditation of Isle of Man Queenies and the Sea Fish Responsible Fishing Scheme. An industry which supports 400 jobs currently, aims to create more jobs, generates a turnover of 12 million and is embracing sustainable working practices is very good news indeed. It is something of which the Isle of Man can be very proud.

Laurence Skelly, Member of the Department of Economic Development said: this important project is a good example of what can be achieved when government departments, DED and DEFA, work together and in partnership with the private sector. The Isle of Man Food Park will give a boost to our valuable seafood industry but hopefully will attract other local food processors to Peel. Through innovation and market focus, more new jobs will be created, benefitting the Islands economy.

Barry Horne, Chairman of the Isle of Man Scallop Processors Association said: this is a tremendous day for the Isle of Man Food Park, marking the start of the regeneration of our yards. We have great plans to build stronger businesses here by opening up new markets and the regeneration project has a vital role to play in these plans.

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It is something of which the Isle of Man can be very proud.

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IOM Food Park Regeneration project launched by Royal visitors

Air operator Loganair which recently launched flights to Exeter and Manchester from Norwich has announced extra flights to the Isle of Man following strong passenger demand

Monday, April 30, 2012 5:22 PM

Air bosses have added flights to a new Norwich/Isle of Man route following strong advance ticket sales.

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The new route East Anglias first ever direct link to the Isle of Man will take to the skies on Saturday, May 26 until September 8.

However, a surge in ticket uptake for the service from leisure and business passengers has led to operator Loganair, whose subsidiary Suckling Airways is running the service under a franchise agreement with Flybe to add two flights for the successive Saturdays up to September 22.

The new non-stop service will operate on Saturdays, leaving Norwich at 3.10pm with return flights leaving the Isle of Man at 4.50pm.

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Strong sales fuels extra Isle of Man flights