It is the final month of 2009 and it's not called silly season for nothing! December is filled with year-end functions, Christmas parties, celebrations and family time. 2009 has been a wonderful year for the AlterSage team and we're looking forward to a short break from the 18th of December. This is our last newsletter for 2009 and this month we look at industry events, interesting articles and client news.

Out and About

The first Silicon Cape networking event took place on 24 November at The Old Biscuit Mill. Hundreds of Silicon Cape members gathered to network and listen to Mark Levitt, CEO of Chesscube talk about building a Cape Town based online company with a worldwide user-base and revenue stream. Keep an eye on the Silicon Cape events page for future events. The new steering committee voting opened on the 1st of December and runs until the 8th.Christine is proud to be one of the 60 nominees that hopes to achieve a seat on this 10-seat committee.

Quarrelsome Quince, the seventeenth Cape Town GeekDinner, took place on 26 November at Café Max. The evening comprised networking, good food, great wine sponsored by Delheim and interesting talks. Christine talked about Donate an Hour and challenged attendees to donate one billable hour to the cause at hand, Huis Luckhoff. Please help make a difference this festive season and make a pledge through the Donate an Hour website.

Client News

In 2008 Interflora, South Africa's leading online florist, named AlterSage as their preferred online marketing partner to handle their online strategy. Last month the AlterSage team wrapped up Interflora's two year online marketing campaign comprising Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC). AlterSage developed, implemented and managed both campaigns for Interflora. Through the SEO campaign Interflora increased brand awareness and rankings for www.interflora.co.za for related keywords and key-phrases on search engines. The PPC campaign complimented the SEO campaign and drove traffic to targeted landing pages on www.interflora.co.za. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank Christine, Nicola and the AlterSage team for an excellent job done. We appreciate all the work, expertise and effort that went into the Interflora account." Desireé Seaton, Marketing Manager, Interflora African Areas

Industry News

Tips for achieving your marketing goals in 2010
2009 is drawing to a close and in terms of marketing, businesses are reflecting on the year that has past and brainstorming new plans and strategies for 2010. Marketing is an essential ingredient for ensuring the success of any business. Over the last few years the elements of the marketing mix have evolved to include not only traditional channels like print, radio and television, but also online channels like search engines, banner adverts and social media platforms. In the rest of this article we discuss a few elements that could enhance your current marketing strategy.

Interesting Reading

Three steps for effectively using social media for PR
In this article on Toprankblog.com Adam Singer looks at the intersection of social media and PR and why communications professionals should leverage digital channels.

The Last Word

Please note that even though our campaigns will continue to run over the Festive Season our offices will be closed from 18 December - 04 January. The AlterSage team would like to thank you for your support during 2009 and we wish you and your loved ones a blessed and joyous Festive Season. Travel safely and until 2010, keep well!

Season's greetings,
Christine and The Sages