Lake Ozark, Missouri:

Dream Local Digital Founder and Client Success Officer, Shannon Kinney will be the the featured speaker at this year’s conference. Presenting at two sessions, Shannon will cover industry trends in media consumption, discussing how social media is impacting media organizations and their advertisers, and specific ways to incorporate these trends into day-to-day operations. She will also provide a training session focused on specific tactics for success in the social media space, covering best practices and examples from local businesses. For more information on this conference, click here.

“The focus of this year’s conference is very timely as many publishers are seeking ways to better grow their audiences and serve advertisers utilizing social media. I’m excited to work with them to discuss trends and opportunities for the industry, then roll our sleeves up and learn how to make it happen.” – Shannon Kinney, Founder and Client Success Officer, Dream Local Digital

Dream Local Digital works in partnership with publishers, media companies, and advertising agencies, providing strategies for transitioning into an increasingly digital market. Seminars such as these offer terrific insight into the world of social media, and have received rave reviews from publishers and businesses alike nationwide. Find out more about Dream Local Digital’s media partnership program here.

If you are interested in having Shannon speak to your group, email your request to dream@dreamlocal.com.

About Dream Local Digital:

Dream Local Digital is a marketing agency specializing in interactive media, marketing, SEO and social media. Dream Local Digital works with media companies, ad agencies, and directly with small to medium-sized businesses on all aspects of their online marketing plans, from website development to social media and e-mail marketing. Dream Local Digital’s expertise includes more than 20 years in media, 15 years in Internet product development and marketing, small business ownership, newspaper publishing, and more than seven years of consulting experience for companies large and small all over the world.

About Missouri Press Association:

The Missouri Press Association was founded on May 16, 1867, by Missouri editors and publishers to server its member newspapers. The “grandfather” of the Missouri press today is the daily Hannibal Courier-Post, which evolved from the Missouri Courier established in 1832 at Palmyra. The oldest continuous weekly newspaper in the state operating under the same name is the Liberty Tribune, founded in 1846.

For more information about Dream Local Digital, visit our website, send us an e-mail, or contact the main office at 207.593.7665. To stay in touch, follow us on Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Presented with Local Media Association, this webinar will provide actionable information that attendees can use to develop a social media program that can be presented to SMBs in local markets.

This event is free for Local Media Association Members ($79 for non-members) and $39 for Media Association Partners. Register here!

About Local Media Association:

Local Media Association is the only non-profit, professional trade association specifically serving the suburban and community newspaper industry. Local Media Association’s membership is comprised of over 2,000 newspapers in the US and Canada. Many of Local Media Association’s valuable membership benefits and services are available exclusively to our members for free or at deeply discounted “Member Rates.”

About Dream Local Digital:

Dream Local Digital is a marketing agency specializing in interactive media, marketing, SEO and social media. Dream Local Digital works with media companies, ad agencies, and directly with small to medium-sized businesses on all aspects of their online marketing plans, from website development to social media and e-mail marketing. Dream Local Digital’s expertise includes more than 20 years in media, 15 years in Internet product development and marketing, small business ownership, newspaper publishing, and more than seven years of consulting experience for companies large and small all over the world. If you are interested in having Shannon speak to your group, email us at dream@dreamlocal.com.

About 360 Media Alliance:

We’re dedicated to serving those companies seeking a fresh and realistic approach to the local media landscape.  It’s time to clean house.  Start with a clean slate.  It’s sink or swim time or to borrow an old cliche, time to walk the walk in lieu of talking the talk.  That’s why there’s never been a better time to join forces with over 850, forward-thinking media executives leading the charge into the vast new frontier. Join the 360 Media Alliance conversation. Learn. Share. Succeed. For more information: http://360mediaalliance.com/about-us/

“We are excited to add Brian to the team, as he brings an intense drive to learn social media marketing techniques and help small businesses succeed online” said Shannon Kinney, Founder and Client Success Officer of Dream Local Digital, “Brian will be representing our company in Portland and keeping up with industry trends on behalf of all our clients.”

“I’m psyched to have the opportunity to join the Dream Local team! There is a ton of talent working for them and we all bring great and different ideas to the company. I’m really looking forward to learning new and exciting marketing strategies and to help other companies get developed through social media,” says Brian.

Brian is working in Portland, Maine and serving clients worldwide.

·   Are you familiar with all of the new social marketing tools available to you and your advertisers?

·   Have you made social marketing a part of each sales presentation you deliver?

The fact is, technology is moving faster than anyone can keep up with and often it’s our customers who discover new and creative ways of working with social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram and more. This session will provide real life examples of how these platforms and applications are being used successfully by media companies and their advertisers to increase their overall marketing impact.

About Local Media Association:

Local Media Association is the only non-profit, professional trade association specifically serving the suburban and community newspaper industry. Local Media Association’s membership is comprised of over 2,000 newspapers in the US and Canada. Many of Local Media Association’s valuable membership benefits and services are available exclusively to our members for free or at deeply discounted “Member Rates.” Local Media Association represents and supports the suburban and community newspaper industry through leadership, education, promotion, research and the advancement of high standards. For more information: http://localmedia.org/

About Dream Local Digital:
Dream Local Digital, LTD: is a digital marketing agency serving small-medium sized business and non-profit clients nationwide providing social media and online marketing services founded by Shannon Kinney. Since their inception in 2009, the goal has been to help these businesses succeed in their online and Social Media marketing efforts and help save them time while they run their business. The company has been recognized by the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce with their Innovation in Business Award, and has offices in Rockland and Bangor Maine, and nationwide through partnerships with media companies, entrepreneurs, and advertising agencies. For more information on Dream Local Digital, visit our website, Facebook, and blog. If you are interested in having Shannon speak to your group, email dream@dreamlocal.com

Our internship program takes individuals of any age and background who have a strong passion for online marketing, writing, search engine optimization and marketing.  Our program has been very successful in the past and acts as a feeder program for employees.  Over 20% of current team members started as interns and many of our past interns have gone on to larger companies in their field of study. If you are interested in our internship program, visit dreamlocal.com/internships.

“Interns are an extremely valuable resource at Dream Local Digital” said Alyssa Rolerson, Project Manager and Research Manager, “I look forward to helping each new intern learn online marketing techniques and experience working in a startup, I sincerely hope that we’ll get some new full time team members out of this new intern group.”

Ali Cornforth is a Maine native, having lived, worked, and studied in The Pine Tree State. She is a 2008 graduate of Medomak Valley High School and has recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English/Creative Writing from Bates College. Ali is excited for the opportunity to use her writing skills in helping market local industries through Dream Local Digital’s objectives. She has a broad range of interests and work experience; all centered around helping others accomplish their goals. She spends her time coaching a middle school girls’ basketball team and substitute teaching at local districts. A life-long athlete and learner, Ali is a team player with a particular passion for a good book and good meal.

Jessica Gadbois is a Massachusetts native currently in her junior year at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI. She is working toward a Bachelor of Business Administration, concentrating on Management and minoring in Psychology. Jessica is excited to use her knowledge of communication and interpersonal interaction to add to the toolbox of Dream Local’s competencies. With a modest background in marketing research, she hopes to be able to help solve organizational problems and come up with innovative initiatives for social media marketing. As a life-long resident of Cape Cod, Jessica is happiest when at the beach and while spending time close to nature.

Corissa Poley has now been in Portland, Maine for over a year. She has settled well into what she believes to be the best state in the U.S. and brings her drive and can-do attitude from the busy pace of her former residence in the NY/NJ Area. Over the last few years, her career has gone from nerdy out of necessity to nerdy out of love. Her professional experience at the Portland Public Library, in green construction publishing, at Apple Inc., and with the Information Technology Group at University of Nebraska-Lincoln give her a diverse outlook and an open, creative mind. She coded her first website from scratch in the late 90’s, and since then she hasn’t been able to shut up on the Internet. Her experience with social media and writing copy for websites or articles for publication bring her to Dream Local Digital to learn more about applying that knowledge to marketing on the web. She was raised frequently hearing that knowledge is power, something she wishes to implement in her own life and for her clients and peers.

Bette Ha was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and considered herself a city girl before attending Colby College. After spending almost three years in Maine, she loves the people, the scenery, and the easy-going lifestyle of New England. Her favorite aspect would be the beautiful fall foliage! Bette is a junior pursuing a double major in East Asian Studies and Anthropology and seeks to develop strong analytical and research skills both in her studies and during her internship with Dream Local. She has worked extensively with individuals of all ages in English language classes and she is also an avid social media user. Bette is thrilled to be working with Dream Local to market and research local businesses, as well as develop her research methods, and she hopes to learn more about this industry and line of work!

Alexis Priestly was born and raised in Maine, Alexis graduated from Jonesport-Beals High School in 2008, and recently received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Maine. During her time at UMaine, she served as the president of a service-learning organization, where one of her tasks was to coordinate projects with local businesses and non-profits. This experience left her with a healthy appreciation for the contributions that local businesses make to communities. She is excited to put her writing skills to work for Dream Local Digital’s clients. In her spare time, she likes to read, cook, write about food, and restore vintage typewriters.

Tom Ianello is currently a Digital Media Technology student at Great Bay Community College with a concentration in Digital Communications. He is also a freelance content writer for Demand Studios, focusing mostly on technology-related articles. Prior to this, he worked in a variety of fields, from computer repair and sales to operating machinery in an industrial environment. He has over a decade of experience with the web and social media, as well as experience with graphic design and digital photography. A 2004 graduate of Medomak Valley High School, Tom lives on the New Hampshire seacoast right now, but still feels a strong connection with his hometown of Union and the surrounding area. He is thrilled to be interning for Dream Local and hopes to gain some valuable insight into the social media industry that will help him in his quest towards a career in web design.

Eva Hopkins, a Maine island native, grew up on North Haven in Penobscot Bay. After spending nearly two decades in Maine, she moved to New York State to study dance at Alfred University, and Communication & Rhetoric at Syracuse University. While in Syracuse, Eva served as President of the Tau Alpha chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, a nationally recognized communication honors society. She also spent time as a preschool teacher’s assistant.  Eva recently returned to Rockland, Maine and is looking forward to expanding her knowledge of social media and marketing at Dream Local.

Brittny Gross was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but came to Maine 14 years ago. She graduated from Medomak Valley High School in 2008 and recently received her Bachelor of Science in Game Art and Animation at Champlain College. Brittny She is a dedicated artist, with oil painting being her passion. She was involved in game creation with several independent developers and has been an Enforcer at PAX East in Boston. She has been to 9 countries on 4 continents and spends many evenings translating Japanese texts into her native English. Brittny has always enjoyed interacting with others and creating spaces for others to interact with. Her past and artistic mind gives her a unique perspective on businesses and people.

Ben Angulo is a long-term resident of Mid-Coast Maine.  After graduation from Georges Valley High School he served in the US Submarine Force as a computer technician.  This initiated his connection with computer technology and eventually the Internet and social media.  After graduating from Bates College he pursued a career in the mental health field, from which developed his passion for teaching.  Ben received his Masters of Education from Johnson State College.  He has taught in Maine and internationally at Colegio Los Nogales in Bogotá, Colombia, where he incorporated the use of computer technology and the Internet.  Ben’s current projects include directing a social media-driven volunteer effort to help an indigenous community living in the Amazon, attaining a computer technology teaching endorsement, and finishing a course of study at the University of Maine in Applied Science with a minor in Business Administration.  In his free time Ben likes to hike, read, and collect rocks and minerals.  Ben is very excited about the opportunity to share his abilities as an intern at Dream Local Digital.

Amanda Ring-Rissler is a recent transplant to Midcoast Maine after four post-college years living and working aboard large private yachts.   Her maritime career stemmed from a life aboard her families sailboat and off the grid island house in Great Abaco, Bahamas.  She graduated from Saint Louis University in 2008 with a B.A. in Political Science where she gained significant leadership, management, public speaking and writing experience serving as Editor-in-Chief for One World, a social justice publication and student organization.  She now works as a client program manager and blogger for Worden Associates, Inc., a communication and consulting firm in Camden, ME with a focus on sustainability.   Amanda joins Dream Local as an intern hoping to learn new strategies in online marketing, increase her understanding of Maine business markets, and develop skills that will allow her to work remotely and live near or on the water.

About Dream Local Digital:

Dream Local Digital, LTD: is a digital marketing agency serving small-medium sized business and non-profit clients nationwide providing social media and online marketing services founded by Shannon Kinney. Since their inception in 2009, the goal has been to help these businesses succeed in their online and Social Media marketing efforts and help save them time while they run their business. The company has been recognized by the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce with their Innovation in Business Award, and has offices in Rockland and Bangor Maine, and nationwide through partnerships with media companies, entrepreneurs, and advertising agencies. For more information on Dream Local Digital, visit our website, Facebook, and blog.

We have three types of positions available, these are non-paid or spot paid depending on position, but all come with full training, contacts, and references to help you build your skills and experience. We have interns of ALL AGES, if you’re not a student, don’t be shy!

·        Strategy/Social Media/Marketing: Interested in helping develop social media and marketing strategies and tactics for our clients. These positions are hands-on and also involve client interaction (marketing skills, experience and understanding of social media,internet research skills, strong word/excel/ppt skills, business sense, good communication skills)

·        SEO: Any applicant passionate about learning about search engine optimization, Google AdWords management, etc. Need basic – intermediate understanding of the subject

·        Writing: Any applicant interested in PR, marketing writing, journalism, blogging. Interest in social media (with some experience with it) required.

What we look for in an intern: strong research and/or developing skills, good sense of marketing, passionate about learning and/or our clients and making them successful, solid computer skills, go getter and self-sufficient. Good at all office products and very internet savvy. Interest in and experience with social media at any level a strong plus.

Location: Office is in Thomaston, some work can be done remotely and with flexible schedules once the intern has been trained.

To learn more about our company: visit  Facebook.com/dreamlocal

To apply: send your resume, interest level, availability (one day a week is fine, but the more the better in terms of experience), and position(s) interested in to info@dreamlocal.com

Great question, Stacey. The new Facebook Timeline design offers a fantastic opportunity to give your business page strong branding and a visual experience. To find the right photo you’re looking for three main qualities:

• Layout: The image should be horizontal / panoramic in nature to use the space well
• Compelling: The image should be strong and speak to a viewer quickly
• Represent your brand: What does this image say about your brand? About the experience your business represents?

What does Facebook think? They definitely designed the page for photographs. Some pages, like Dream Local’s, utilize the space for branding because there is no photograph that can illustrate our brand or speak for it. Facebook has also issued aguideline indicating that you should leave your phone number and contact information out of the image, and rather use the “info” tab for that. Personally, I think that’s a lofty goal. Small businesses need the opportunity to market themselves, and in many cases having the phone number quickly accessible is also what a consumer would prefer. So we would recommend including your phone number or web site address subtly if that is important to your business.

Dream Local Digital Recommendations: For our clients, we will be custom designing cover photos based on their business goals. In some cases, we will use a photograph – for many businesses an image can speak volumes about their brand, product, or work. For others, we’ll combine a designed image and a photograph. In all we will include key messaging, a tagline or contact information. The idea is to understand that this is a strong visual treatment and use it well to attract your fans to learn more about your business, while offering some flavor as well!

A final thought: Don’t be afraid of change. Use this space and change it up until you find what works best for you and your business.

Need help migrating your business page to Timeline? We can help.

Have a question? If you have any more questions you would like to see addressed here, send them to info@dreamlocal.com

Now that business pages are switching to timeline it is important to know what you need to do in order to have a good looking, great functioning business page.

Here Are 7 Things You Must Know:

Landing Pages

With the migration of Timeline for business pages, you will no longer be able to use customized default-landing pages for users that aren’t yet fans. This means that users will be automatically directed to your wall. This may change the way you promote your business page.

Page Customization

For those of you that have custom tabs on your existing business pages, those tabs will move from the left hand side to under the cover photo.  The custom tab opens into a white space with no advertising but that may change as Timeline progresses.

Cover Photo

At the very top of your business page timeline is the Cover photo area. This image is the first and largest image that will appear on your business page and is a great opportunity for branding, promotions or call-to-action statements. Make sure you take advantage of the cover photo area and not just leave it blank. Think of the cover photo as the billboard for your business page.

Profile Picture

Along with the addition of the Cover Photo, Facebook changed the dimensions of the profile picture to be smaller and perfectly square. Timeline will automatically change your current business page profile picture but if the image isn’t square some cropping will occur. Make sure you either alter your current profile picture or create a new profile picture so it will show they way you want it to. After all, first impressions are everything.

Upload Company History
Timeline’s most crucial feature is the ability to add moments from the past, starting at the business creation. Filling in and adding pictures, videos and stories from your business’s past will give users a better representation of your business. Truth and transparency are key factors in social media, adding in business history to your business page timeline will make a big difference.

Post Pinning
Facebook added a new feature along with Timeline that allows businesses to “Pin” a post to the top of the timeline. The pin feature is great for special announcements, promotions or call to actions. The pinned post will stay at the top of a timeline until removed by a page administrator or after seven days.

Stay Cool
It may seem like a serious overhaul but the change from the current design to the new timeline style will allow for more customization, better connectivity and some branding opportunities not previously possible. It may mean dedicating time to getting use to the new setup but in the end it is a positive change for businesses utilizing Facebook.

Does the migration to Timeline seem daunting? Feel free to contact us at Dream Local with any questions. Visit our Facebook page or send us an email.

For more information on Facebook Timeline, here are some great articles:

Facebook Brand Timelines: Big Changes You Need to Know

20 Facebook Brand Page Cover Photos to Inspire Your Brand

The implications for small- and medium-sized businesses aren’t obvious, but we’ll get back to that in a minute.

A full list of available apps (I still want to write “applications” instead of “apps”), is on Facebook along with a couple of helpful videos that explain what these apps do. I recommend watching the videos because even I have a hard time wrapping my brain around these things.

If you’re a regular Facebook user, you’ve probably already seen a few of the original apps built for Facebook’s Open Graph platform. The Spotify app tells your friends what songs your listening to, and the Washington Post Social Reader app tells your friends what you’ve been reading in the Post.

The new apps include entertainment and games (Rotten Tomatoes, Words with Friends, Bubble Island), travel (Trip Advisor, Gogobot, Where I’ve Been), shopping (Livingsocial, eBay, Fab.com, Pinterest), food (Foodspotting, Urbanspoon) and many others (Ticketmaster, Autotrader, Foursquare).

Based on what I’ve read and watched today, here are a few examples of how these things will work. A fitness app will track your daily run route and distance and automatically update your Facebook timeline. The Ticketmaster app will not only let people know when you’ve bought concert tickets, it will also review your likes and what you listen to on Spotify (for example) and recommend nearby performances of your favorite musicians. (Here’s a review of the Ticketmaster app on TechCrunch.) The Autotrader app posts a photo or photos of the next car you’re planning to buy.

So what does this all mean for businesses on Facebook? It might not mean anything, depending on your business. But if you run a restaurant, you might want to encourage customers to take pictures of your food using Foodspotting and the new Foodspotting app. Foodspotting is a location-based mobile app that encourages users to take photos of food they’re enjoying or that they’d like to enjoy (how much is that triple chocolate cream-filled cupcake in the window?). So when you’re in Boston and looking for some good food, you can search through Foodspotting to find delicious-looking food and the restaurants that serve it.

With the new Foodspotting app on Facebook, photos of food will start moving through the tickers, news feeds and timelines of potential customers who use Facebook. If you’re a restaurateur, wouldn’t you want photos of your food turning up in those Facebook feeds?

That’s just one quickly conceived example of an online marketing opportunity created by the new timeline apps. There are sure to be others. We’ll keep thinking about it, and if you’ve got some ideas, share them!