Below is a link to video, where Erin shares her thoughts on what’s to come!

Erin Griffith\’s top four social media trends to watch in 2012

http://www.adweek.com/video/technology/business-social-christmas-presentiments-137116?auto

While your at it, feel free to tweet, post or comment at us with your predictions!

Happy Holidays to you and yours! Cheers!

Congratulations to Omni clients Brickform and Solomon Colors for their recognition for E-Stain as one of the top products of 2010 by the readers of Concrete Contractor magazine!  Here is the full announcement:

“Every year, we run hundreds of products in Concrete Contractor,” said Editor Rebecca Wasieleski. “This special recognition goes to the products that have drawn the most interest from the 29,000 concrete contractors that subscribe to our magazine.”

The Top Products of 2010 will be featured in the August/September 2010 issue of Concrete Contractor and also in a special online gallery.

The Lumpkin Family Foundation is an east central Illinois foundation providing support through grants to nonprofit organizations working towards innovation and long-term improvements in the environment, health, education and the arts.  The organization is focused on the special needs of small and rural communities to leverage additional resources and enhance local philanthropy.

The Lumpkin Family Foundation has also created an online community space and virtual resource center connecting the good work that nonprofits do in east central Illinois with the Good Works Connect website.

Omni looks forward to working closely with this impressive organization so fully dedicated to building on their legacy of community involvement.

At Omni, we like to refer to clients’ marketing programs as their ‘tool box’. There are many tools you can use, but just as you would not use a hammer when a screwdriver is needed, neither do all marketing tools work for all clients or all situation.

You have to determine what each tool is used for and what result you want from it. And you have to understand how the tools work – there is passive marketing and aggressive marketing. Some marketing simply creates under the radar buzz (a poster in your store’s window), some marketing efforts shout at you (TV or Radio Ads), some just want to be friends (Facebook).

Know what you want to achieve, what is possible with the media you have chosen to deliver the message, and how you want your target audience to react. But then there is that measurement issue… senior decision makers want to know if the dollars going out translate into dollars coming in to the company – ROI.

With a specific time-sensitive event, such as a clearance sale this weekend only, you can measure the effectiveness of your advertising by how many people visit your store and asking them how they heard about the sale. That is an easy way to measure, although not 100% accurate – many times it is the layering effect of multiple media channels and the one that is recalled may just have been the last one seen. Most marketers would cringe to hear the reason a customer came in was because of the giant inflatable monster at the store entrance!

But social media is different. First you have to accept social media is not a direct means to simply sell – it is designed to create a conversation and become a brand builder for your organization. It is an ideal way to show your service to customers. Ultimately, those actions will reap benefits, much like the top-notch greeter or receptionist who makes every visitor feel like royalty. Those are marketing moments you can build on that are part of the toolbox, but they are not the only tool.

Social media is not the same as traditional forms of marketing; the process for engagement and contact is different. But, it still is highly valuable in how it can develop new opportunities and new loyal customers, it just takes time.

If you use social media with the expectation of making a sale or generating a qualified direct lead, it can seem counter-productive. However, if you understand how to fold social media into a marketing toolbox and use this tool for the specific purpose of creating a connection with your customers, it will build your foundation and your brand.

W. Allan Shears: Electrically Powered Pill Crusher
Jardogs, LLCC: Patient Kiosk
Dr. Schneider and Dr. Hwang: Wikiphen
Dr. Om Jha: STUC-OM
Jack Milbourn: Tru-Balance

These five finalists will present their innovative ideas for healthcare improvement at the final competition on June 9, 2010 to be held at 4:30 p.m. at the LLCC Capital City Training Center. The event is open to the public. A winner will be selected and will receive a cash prize of $15,000. The runner-up will receive an $8,000 cash prize and the remaining finalists will each receive $1,000.

For more information visit the Project Innovation website at http://www.sangamonprojectinnovation.com/press/Media%20Release_Finalists.pdf.

Moore worked previously as the Marketing and Promotions Director at Capitol Radio Group and holds a bachelor degree in communications from the University of Illinois at Springfield. She serves as an ambassador for the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and also as a board member for the Kidzeum of Health and Science. Moore loves to cook, travel and spend free time with her animal shelter rescue dog Woody.