The last month was quite an exciting one in the online industry. Amongst other things Facebook announced that all users would be able to choose a personalised 'vanity' URL (www.facebook.com/username) for their profile from the 13th of June. If you haven't claimed your personal Facebook URL yet, click here to enhance your personal brand! Earlier this week Facebook changed the rules for Facebook Fan Pages, instead of having to have 1000 fans before a brand could claim it's vanity URL, the number of fans was brought down to 100. We claimed http://www.facebook.com/altersage, please join the group if you're not a fan yet.

What We're Up To

We attended the PR Net event where Dave Duarte and Rob Stokes discussed how agencies should explicate social media to their clients. Dave described social media as "farming, not hunting", and we couldn't agree more. Social media marketing requires a continuous effort that will reap results in the long term. PR Net takes place monthly in both Cape Town and Johannesburg. To receive notifications of upcoming PR Net events register on their website.

On 4 July we attended Alt.conference in Cape Town where thought leaders in the social media industry got together to share insights and discuss various topics related to social media. Read more on our blog about the conference.

Out and About

We're attending the Obstreperous Olive GeekDinner on 29 July and unfortunately there are no more seats available. Keep an eye on the GeekDinner wiki for details on the GeekDinner in September.

New Clients

AlterSage rejuvenates Plastiq

Plastiq, a credit card comparison service offering products from Nedbank and American Express, tasked AlterSage with creating an online presence for their new website. AlterSage, a specialist online marketing agency renowned for their result-oriented strategies, have created and will implement and manage a SEO campaign for Plastiq. The SEO campaign will form the basis of the campaign with the long-term purpose of increasing targeted traffic and card applications to the site, insuring a great presence with AlterSage.

Industry News

Advertising through PPC: Make cost-per-click and conversion rates work for you
Businesses in all sectors are feeling the pinch of the current recession, and very often the first thing to the get chop is the marketing budget. Many companies are wising up to the opportunities available online - and this has been reflected by a marked increase in online ad spend year on year. Read more.

Google Adwords Trademark Policy
For years advertisers have not been permitted to make use of trademarked terms in their keyword bidding or advert copy. This resulted in sometimes not being able to drive traffic to well-known products sold via their websites. Now a further 190 countries have been extended right to make use of trademarked terms in their bidding structure. Read more.

What is this Twitter thing?
In essence, Twitter is a micro-blogging tool where you can answer the question "What are you doing?" in 140 characters or less. Read more.

The Last Word

If you have any queries or comments, feel free to contact us or send us a tweet @altersage. Until August, keep well!

See the possibilities,
Christine and the Sages