Coronavirus’ Impact on the Marketing Industry

7. Aug | by | Marketing Services, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

The impact of the Covid-19 virus has been massive and widespread. Almost every single industry that you can imagine has felt the effects that the shockwave of the Coronavirus has left in its wake, and the marketing industry is no exception. With much of the population forced to self-isolate at home, digital marketing has become even more crucial than ever before as people have become increasingly reliant on technology in order to stay in contact with one another. Marketers and brands have had to make several adjustments as a result of the pandemic, and interestingly enough, many unexpected opportunities and … Continued

Tik Tok Performance Improvement Tips:

7. Aug | by | Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

Ever since its debut in September 2016, Tik Tok has emerged as one of the fastest growing social media platforms available. Younger individuals in particular, such as members of Gen Z and Millenials have really helped to popularize the platform, creating viral trends and dances that have reached across the globe. The viral nature of Tik Tok is part of what is so enticing about it to begin with; the idea of being able to record a message or participate in a trend and have your voice heard by millions of people from all different walks of life can be … Continued

BEATSTOCK IS BACK!

19. Jul | by | Art, News, Staten Island | 0 comments

Beatstock is back! Presented by Slomin’s Shield, the event is hosted by Drita D’Avanzo from MTV’s ‘Mob Wives’ and Speedy. On Saturday July 27th at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, 103.5 KTU’s “dance music festival that started it all” makes its long awaited return with new, fresh talent. Some of the great artists set to perform include Deborah Cox, Amber, K&7 & TKA, Judy Torres, Lil Suzy, Rockell, and The Cover Girls. The Vargas Brother, Reina, Real McCoy, Color Me Badd and Joe Zangie are also scheduled to perform. There will also be an after party at the … Continued

Empire Outlets Opens in Staten Island, New York

1. Jul | by | Staten Island | 0 comments

By Ryan Gumb Shopping on Staten Island just got a whole lot more interesting and way more fun, thanks to the newly opened Empire Outlets. Located right next to the Staten Island Ferry terminal, these outdoor outlets provide Staten Islanders, and visitors, a shopping experience that they have never had access to. In fact, the Empire Outlets are not only the first outlet shopping destination on Staten Island, but also the first outlet shopping destination in New York City. This unique distinction is what makes the Empire Outlets so important to the people of Staten Island and New York City. … Continued

Social Media and its Effects on Marketing Today

21. Jun | by | Marketing Services, SMM, Social, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

By Ryan Gumb Social media has become a regular part of everyday life for countless individuals around the world. When we wake up in the morning the first thing that we do is grab our phones to check our social media accounts. In fact, for many of us, the time spent sleeping is the longest period of time we go without checking our social media accounts. It is an undeniable fact that social media has made its way into our society in a variety of different aspects. One of the greatest ways that it has impacted society can be found … Continued

Generational Marketing in 2019

18. Jun | by | Marketing Services, Social, Social Marketing Tips | 0 comments

By Ryan Gumb When developing a marketing strategy, age and generation are factors that need to be taken into account. We’ve all heard terms like “Millennials,” and “Baby Boomers,” thrown around, but what do they actually mean? And how do you figure out which generation that you’re a part of? Well, unfortunately… it’s not so simple. There is a lot of debate over the exact point of time in which one generation transitions into another. However, our behavior and media habits can give us a clearer explanation about which age bracket we truly belong in. Baby Boomers (1946-1964) Unlike the … Continued

Shelter Plan Lacks Common Sense (commentary)

15. Feb | by | Staten Island | 1 comments

Last month, the mayor announced that he was funding a 200-bed homeless shelter for women and children at 44 Victory Blvd., in Tompkinsville, several hundred feet away from an existing homeless shelter for women and children run by Project Hospitality. The site is one of the most valuable pieces of property in the area because it is zoned for a mixed-use tower that can add residents and income to a neighborhood that is the focus of revitalization efforts. As is its practice, the city is offering the property owner, Freehold S L Limited, a long-term lease well above market rate … Continued

Has the Fourth Estate Elevated Itself to Ruling Class?

29. Oct | by | Politics, Social Distribution | 0 comments

For 25 years I have made my living in public relations. Over the years I have established relationships with members of the New York City Press Corps who have allowed me to pitch story ideas. The stories that get picked up must pass intense scrutiny by reporters and editors who look for facts to back up my claims – that’s because the New York City Press Corps consists of the savviest people the “fourth estate” has ever known – upholding their responsibility to report the unbiased truth to the masses at all times. Hundreds of years ago, the press was … Continued

How to Be a Better Client and Maximize Your Marketing Efforts

4. Apr | by | Marketing Services, SMM, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

Some industries are labeled with a bad reputation no matter how trustworthy the individual business entity is. Auto body shops and marketers are two such industries.  So what happens when a well-known marketing agency teams up with Staten Island’s only environmentally friendly auto body shop to increase business? This week’s Vonsense podcast, “How to be a better client” can answer that question. This week the Von Agency team spoke with Barry Crupi, Co-owner and operator of Barry’s Auto Body to get his opinion about why his various marketing campaigns have been successful. The first point that Barry brought up was … Continued

The Benefits of Hiring a Professional Graphic Designer

29. Mar | by | Uncategorized, Web Services | 0 comments

As the senior creative designer at The Von Agency, part of my job is to use digital illustration to create materials that provide information about a company. This can be done with company logos, web design, flyers, brochures, stationary, signage, business cards, mailers and more. Creative Designers usually work collaboratively with researchers in order to achieve an understanding of industry trends. Strong problem solving, decision making and organizational skills are vital to us because our job requires us to meet with clients to discuss business objectives, estimate the amount of time required to complete the work, develop design briefs, and … Continued

Why the unraveling of American society will be traced back to “Sanctuary Cities and States”

29. Mar | by | Politics | 0 comments

Governors and Mayors across the country are proudly declaring that they are offering sanctuary to illegal immigrants living within their governing district. Instead of being criticized for their unabashed defiance of federal immigration laws these executives are being celebrated by their citizens, encouraging them to take their defiance one step further. Recently, California State Senator Kevin deLeon announced that he has appointed Lizbeth Mateo to serve on a committee that advises the California Student Aid Commission. Mateo is a Mexican-born attorney and immigrant rights activist who came to the U.S. with her parents at age 14. She is an undocumented … Continued

What is “fake news” and has it crept into mainstream media reporting?

14. Mar | by | Politics | 0 comments

What is “fake news” and has it crept into mainstream media reporting? “Fake News” has been around since the advent of the internet. The short definition is a sensational headline presented by professional looking websites designed to get people to click so ads can be delivered – also known as “click bait”. The American public didn’t pay much attention to “fake news” until the 2016 Presidential Elections when then candidate Donald Trump accused mainstream media of creating “fake news” to increase ratings. Almost immediately upon its utterance, “fake news” became an American household phrase – often used by conservative minded … Continued

Hyp-OSCAR-isy Why the Oscars’ #MeToo message failed

5. Mar | by | Marketing Services, Music | 0 comments

Hyp-OSCAR-isy Why the Oscars’ #MeToo message failed Any thinking human being would recognize the hypocrisy perpetrated on the public by those who produced and directed the 90th anniversary Oscars show.  For those who would prefer that other do their thinking for them, I will explain. The overt message the Oscar committee decided to send to the viewers was complete and utter support for the #MeToo movement. However, the message they actually sent was, “Do what I say, not what I do.”  Here’s why: They chose the wrong host! If they really wanted to send a message that they supported the #MeToo … Continued

Why and How to Launch a Podcast

26. Feb | by | Marketing Services, SMM, Social | 0 comments

Convenience. In this fast-moving, digital age, convenience is key – that’s why, after losing a ton of holiday sales to Amazon, Toys ‘R’ Us has decided to close an additional 200 stores. After all, shopping online from your living room couch is far more convenient than driving to the store, finding a parking spot, searching a 20,000 square-foot-building for the item you want to buy, then standing in a long line of frustrated parents and screaming children waiting to pay.  Even utilitarian tasks, such as checking the weather and turning on the lights, are being simplified with products like the Amazon Echo … Continued

Blurred Lines: Why Social Media Marketing Just Got Tougher

12. Feb | by | Marketing Services, SMM, Social, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

By Joseph Corrado Quadara If you’re an avid social media user (like 80% of the U.S population) you’ve probably noticed the frequent updates that take place on your favorite platforms. These changes happen so often that users are left confused and frustrated. Seems counter-intuitive since the purpose of the platform is to provide a positive user experience.  It seems like social media companies are spiraling deeper and deeper into a game of Monkey in the Middle. On one side are the billions of loyal users essential to a company’s success. On the other side are the millions of businesses/advertisers who … Continued

By the Numbers – Why a Female, Cuban/Greek Can Become New York City’s Next Mayor

27. May | by | Politics | 0 comments

By Leticia Remauro As a former Republican County Chairman and a political operative, I have a certain affection for numbers – especially when they are in the form of demographics, voting trends, polling data and political analysis.  To me, and others like me, those numbers are the basis for every political campaign.  I used those numbers when, in February 2015, I predicted that Trump would likely be the Republican nominee even though I was supporting someone else, and again on November 8th 2016 when I appeared on PIX11 morning show declaring that Trump would beat Clinton in Florida and win … Continued

The Millennials Are Coming! The Millenials Are Coming! You Better Go Live to Get Their Attention!

22. Dec | by | Marketing Services, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

By Leticia Remauro The world of marketing is changing because the largest generation inhabiting the Earth – the Millennials – are starting to call the shots. If you haven’t noticed, Millennials look at marketing differently than the generations before them.  For Millennials, the phrase “bigger and better” means that the product is wasteful, and “new and improved” means you didn’t get it right the first time.  “Crazy Eddie” type commercials are a turn off to Millennials who prefer their marketing to be engaging rather than loud and over the top. Millennials are the most educated generation so if you want … Continued

10 unique ways to celebrate the holidays in New York City

28. Nov | by | Art, Travel | 0 comments

There is no place better than New York City to celebrate the holidays.  Visiting Rockefeller Center to see “The Tree”, window shopping along 5th Avenue and catching the Radio City Christmas Spectacular are the “traditional” ways to celebrate the holidays in the “Big Apple”, but if you are like us, you probably did all those things more than once. If you are looking for unique ways to celebrate the holidays in New York City, try one of these 10 free, or low cost events we pulled together for you and fall in love with New York City all over again. … Continued

How PC Caused a Huge Upset in DC

13. Nov | by | Op-Ed, Politics | 0 comments

By Leticia Remauro On November 8, 2016, pollsters, newscasters, the Hollywood elite and big city dwellers were all dealt a shocking blow when Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States of America. I watched the returns in my home, surrounded by my family who had spent the last 18 months glued to the television following the campaign on 24 hour news shows such as CNN and Fox & Friends.  In the 23 years I have spent in politics, never has my family been this interested in an election. What made this election different from elections … Continued

Campaign 2016 – Comey, Commies, the KKK and Wikileaks – how the 24 hour news cycle has affected the 2016 Presidential Election

7. Nov | by | Politics | 0 comments

Some would say that the Presidential Election of 2016 has been one of the most contentious cycles in our nation’s history, and they may be right.  Not because of the animosity between the candidates but because of the way in which Americans are receiving information about the candidates and who is voting for whom. A look back in time shows that the 1876 election of Rutherford B. Hayes as the 18th President of the United States was likely the most bizarre and divisive election because the Presidency was decided in a backroom deal in the Wormley Hotel rather than at … Continued

Social Media 101 for Old Schoolers

20. Oct | by | Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

For the older crowd, which is pretty much anyone born before 1990, social media may seem bizarre to them. Growing up, the older crowd didn’t have five hundred friends. They had a few friends because quality beats quantity any day.  The best moments of their youth were captured in photographs or permanently stored in their memories, not uploaded onto Instagram for everyone to “like.” Though we advance to new levels in technology, we seem to lose something very human along the way. But there’s no use crying over spilled milk. Social media has heavily integrated itself into everyone’s lives. Grandparents use it … Continued

What Makes a Quality Website?

20. Oct | by | SEO, Web Development | 0 comments

A High Quality Website is Made Of… When you hear the term “high quality” attached to an item, you probably think it took time and loads of benjamins for that item to be high quality. That may be the case for diamonds, Bentleys, and a good meal. But when it comes to a website, it’s easier than you think and much cheaper than you imagine. This will come to you as a surprise, but you don’t have to spend a lot to get a lot. In reality, a high quality website can be cost free assuming you are a type … Continued

The Necessity of Professional Photography

5. Jan | by | Marketing Services, Social Marketing Tips, Staten Island | 0 comments

Professional photography is a necessity that all businesses must invest in. The power of professional photography should never be underestimated or undervalued. It has immense value in attracting potential customers to your products or services. I’ll use food photography as it is the best example to show the importance of professional photography. Consider the fast food that you may have eaten at McDonald’s, at Burger King or at any fast food establishment. Order any burger from these establishments and it’s very likely that you’ll receive something that does not really look appetizing because the patty may be lopsided, the lettuce is half … Continued

Marketing Budget: How To Determine Your Monthly Marketing Spend

13. Nov | by | Marketing Services, Op-Ed, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

If you are not devoting any money towards advertising, you may as well pick a day to close your business. All successful, long operating businesses have one thing in common: a marketing budget. Many business owners underestimate the importance of marketing and view it as wasted money or an unneeded expense. This is extremely far from the truth and a very short sighted way of thinking. There are a variety of factors that go into what your marketing budget should be: your industry, your company size, your competition, growth stage, and location. All of these are main factors and one … Continued

Success With Google AdWords in Staten Island

23. Oct | by | Google Business Services, Marketing Services, Web Services | 0 comments

Success With AdWords Struggling with ideas on how to promote your business on a limited budget? Don’t worry, we are too! But after reading this we hope to provide a solution for any size business and budget. You probably know what AdWords are, without knowing it. Every time you do a web search the search engine you’re using will populate the top and sides of the search results with banner advertisements. These advertisements are created via Google AdWords. Google allows you to advertise products and services you are selling or promoting on your website through Google AdWords. Why is this … Continued

Google Business View: Why You Need It

18. Sep | by | Google Business Services, Web Development, Web Services | 0 comments

Google Business View: Why Your Business Needs It As a marketing company, we have to occasionally market our own business. It’s an ongoing exercise and we use our successful efforts as case studies for existing and potential clients. What better way to give you an example by talking about Google Business View and the why you need this service for your company. Google Business View isn’t some kind of crazy voodoo magic, but after reading it’s description you may think that. So basically Google trained and certified (not everyone is qualified to do this) photographers come to your business location … Continued

How to Choose the Right Marketing Firm

17. Sep | by | Marketing Services, Op-Ed, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing, Web Services | 0 comments

There may come a time when your company will grow beyond its own marketing capabilities and when that time arrives, you will need to hire a marketing firm. However, the idea of hiring a marketing firm is easier said than done. Not every marketing firm may fit your business goals and company needs. So where do you start? Start by establishing how you will evaluate different firms so you can avoid wasting time exploring options that turn out to be unfruitful in your key decision making. Below are key factors that you should take in account when considering a marketing … Continued

The Times Have Changed: Social Media and Relationships

8. Apr | by | Op-Ed, SEO, SMM, Social | 0 comments

You had friends, but now you have Facebook friends and real friends. Couples used to chat during dinner, but now they scroll through Tumblr while waiting for the food to arrive. You used to experience accidents and embarrassing moments once, but now your friends have taken to Instagram with #epicfail for the world to see your least delightful moments. And there was a time when friends roamed around the neighborhood and played games, but now most of us spend our free time visiting websites like Buzzfeed and read articles about how things were in the 1990s. Damn. Things have changed … Continued

SEO Myth: Filling my website with loads of content will prove my SEO effort

11. Dec | by | SEO, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

Filling your website with loads of trustworthy, relevant and high-quality content will improve your SEO efforts. Writing for the sake of filling will likely damage your website’s credibility. One of Panda’s functions is to reward websites with high-quality content a higher search engine ranking and to punish websites with low-quality content a lower search engine ranking. High-quality content is professionally written and structured, meaning that the content is void of grammar and spelling mistakes, the information is trustworthy, and the content is relevant to the topic. The phrase “quality over quantity” is your mantra for best SEO content writing practices.

SEO Myth: The practice of spamming the search engines can deliver a big payout

11. Dec | by | SEO, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

You have more to lose and nearly nothing to gain if you practice spamming search engines. Search engines nowadays are remarkable intelligent as they can detect and fight spam manipulation. Google’s Panda is a perfect example of this remarkable intelligence. Since the launch of Google’s Panda, this sophisticate program has mercilessly crushed spam and low-quality websites on a scale unimaginable. If you think you can beat the machine and the corporation that backs it, good luck.

SEO Myth: Keyword stuffing is how search engines will find my website

11. Dec | by | SEO, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

Since the launch of Google’s Penguin algorithm update, the practice of over-optimization violates Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. Websites that practice over-optimization are penalized; this penalty results in a loss of credibility as a website and a decrease in search engine ranking. Any written content should have 2-3% keywords, so a 100 word article should only contain 2-3 keywords.

SEO Myth: Meta tags are important to the SEO process

11. Dec | by | SEO, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

SEO actually does not care for meta tags. SEO is interested in the title tag and the meta description tag. A title tag is the main text that describes an online document. The title tag is a vital element to SEO because it appears in three important places: browsers, search engine results page, and external websites. A meta description tag is a 150 character snippet of a page, article, post, etc. Placing significant and relevant keywords into the title tag and the meta description tag will greatly improve your SEO efforts.

How to Avoid and Resolve SEO Penalties

10. Dec | by | SEO, SMM, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

The launch of Google’s Penguin and Panda algorithm update has made Google the search-engine law enforcement and in turn, has changed the overall focus of website development and maintenance, and social media marketing (or SMM). Penguin was designed to decrease the search engine rankings of websites that violated Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and Panda was designed to decrease the search engine rankings of low-quality websites. Thanks to Penguin and Panda, websites with a high search engine ranking possess valuable content, is intuitive, is user-friendly, and is original. Websites that do not abide to Penguin and Panda guidelines can potentially face one … Continued

Top 10 SEO Content Writing Rules

10. Dec | by | SEO | 0 comments

Content is everything – Well written, high-quality content will provide you with more SEO benefits than you can imagine. Since the launch of Google’s Panda, websites with trustworthy, original, and high-quality content are rewarded with higher search engine rankings and websites with unspecific, crummy, low-quality content are punished with lower search engine rankings. Have fun, but stay on topic – Let your readers know who you are by adding some personality to your writing. Writing should always be fun and engaging for the writer and the reader. However, always keep in mind that you must stay on topic. Avoid unrelated … Continued

Social Media Marketing Tips: Measure your results

9. Dec | by | SMM, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

If you don’t measure your results you will never learn what or when to post , you will never see if your social campaigns are working. Tracking is paramount, Google analytic will provide you with a good starting point and it is free; if your not able to setup Google analytic or get a professional too do it for you you can always fall back on the social networks , most of them provide a way for you to see tracking information , one example of this is Facebook Incites.. study your audience behaviors , get to know their habits … Continued

Social Media Marketing Tip: Engaging Promotions and Contest

9. Dec | by | SMM, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

The best way to reward your loyal social media followers and to obtain a new audience is promotions and contests. You can run specials and promotions that offer cash prizes or free products and services for the users that shares your content the most (Leader-board Contests) or offer a prize for the most likes obtained in a specific period of time. There are endless possibilities for social contest and promotions use them to your advantage.

Social Media Marketing Tip: Build social post around your business / holiday schedule

9. Dec | by | SMM, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

Don’t forget to schedule post for the holidays and for your company milestones. If you own a gym , make sure your class schedule is part of your post rotation, if your a restaurant owner make sure to post your daily specials in the morning, if your selling a product make sure to send your specials out via social media. Information is king, provide it for your members and they will engage with you more often and visit your page more frequently.

Social Media Marketing Tip: Timing is Everything

9. Dec | by | SMM, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

As in life so goes social media, timing is everything. Analyze your businesses social media pages to learn when your audience is most active and then plan your posting schedule around your audience not your convenience. Knowing the best time to make a post is as important as the content that is in it.  There are many analysis tools that can help you make this decision like; Google Analytic , Facebook Incites and a myriad of others.  It is your objective to get the most eyes as possible to see your content , time it right and you will.

Social Media Marketing Tip: Don’t Be Pushy

9. Dec | by | SMM, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments
Users are more social media savvy then ever before, they don't want push marketing. Provide them with solid information about your product or services , tell your story in a natural organic way and let them decide to engage you. If you believe in your product or service and you get that information across in your content, your audience will believe in it as well.

Social Media Marketing Tip: SMM is a Marathon Not a Sprint

9. Dec | by | SMM, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

Any company  who promises you a ton of likes or fans quickly is LYING to you. There are no shortcuts to social media marketing, its a slow moving strategy with a huge long term payback.  Once you have a captive social media audience built you will reap the benefits of social marketing; Re-Marketing. Take your time and provide your audience with useful content they want to share and your audience will build slow and steady and they will be an audience that is interested in your business or market.

Social Media Marketing Tip: Create a main content repository

9. Dec | by | SMM, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

Make a home base for your content, the best place for a home base is a blog if your site doesn’t have a blog , add one as soon as possible. If your going to market to social media you should send them back to your website to visit and learn more about your company and possibly capture them as a lead via a call to action form or contest.

Social Media Marketing Tip: Know What Social Media Marketing Means

9. Dec | by | SEO, SMM, Social Marketing Tips | 0 comments

Social Media marketing isn’t just posting to Facebook , Twitter or LinkedIn; social media websites allow you to communicate directly with your clients on a wide variety of platforms. It is a representation of your brand and should be treated as such, use high quality content when posting to your social media sites, use high quality photos – treat every social communication as if it were a face to face encounter and treat your social media sites as if they were your store front, neat clean and a good representation of your brand.

SEO Enhanced Social Marketing. The Way Of The Future.

8. Dec | by | SEO, SMM, Social Distribution, Social Marketing Tips, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing | 0 comments

Social Media Marketing has become one of the strongest avenues for businesses to showcase their products and services to a vast marketplace. If done correctly, this form of marketing can be more cost effective than traditional methods that companies have become accustom to (for example, print ads).  The most important factor to having a superior, traffic driven social network comes from engaging content. Your postings in each social network should engage your followers on a daily basis. Postings without engagement is essentially useless as these posts do nothing more than flood the feed.