Kelsey Uebelhor's Blog

The 20^th annual SXSW interactive festival in downtown Austin, TX, brought in tens of thousands of people competing to maximize their brand’s visibility. From swag to branded pedi cabs to exclusive parties, people are doing whatever they can to create brand awareness and build lead generation. Who will break out of the mainstream and leave an impression on this year’s SXSW?

Here are a few noteworthy announcements:

1. Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot Industries (known for their 3-D printers) revealed the MakerBot Digitizer. This device uses lasers to scan the contours of physical objects. These...

As we continue to see shifts in the way consumers access online content, Facebook is optimizing viewers' mobile experience with its latest UI update. Facebook made an announcement on Thursday regarding one pivotal feature, the News Feed. Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook would be making a “substantial redesign” of the News Feed, starting with a new look and feel.

The News Feed provides users with the most relevant content based on algorithms. This change will not alter any of those algorithms. Instead, the redesign will focus on more visuals and bigger links to articles—making it easier to see...

Consumers continue to demand real time communications from brands, and it is important that those brands learn more about and engage with their audience. By learning about their consumers, companies are better equipped to custom tailor products and services for the price their audience wants. These real time communications have forced many companies to look more closely at their digital marketing efforts.

As traditional mass media continues to fragment and diminish, marketers are being forced to look at digital media. Technology and connectivity have made news and publications...

Well, Twitter is! Twitter is entering the ecommerce space in a bid to become the next social media shopping cart, allowing users to purchase products by tweeting a special hashtag. Joining forces with American Express, users will now be able to purchase products from Amazon, Urban Zen, Sony, and Xbox 360.

How Does it Work?

1. Sync your eligible American Express Card with Twitter
2. Tweet special #hashtags and look for a response from @AmexSync with the confirmation #hashtag
3. Tweet the confirmation #hashtag within 15 minutes of the response from @AmexSync to confirm your purchase
4. Use your synced card for a...

Amdist all the social media buzz around Facebook Graph Search, Twitter Vine, and Instagram, we can't forget the latest rebrand and launch of the new Myspace.

Several years ago, as users began to migrate to Facebook’s cleaner design, former social media king Myspace was left a virtual ghost town. But Myspace is on the move again. It has created a new design with a heavy emphasize on visual media and is now rebranding itself as a social entertainment network that allows its users to connect through music.

You may be wondering how you can utilize the new Myspace. Check out the latest preview of the...

Twitter has already created a way for consumers to communicate their thoughts to followers within seconds. Now they have progressed to allow users to share visual information and sound to their followers at the same speed. Last Thursday, Twitter launched a short video creation and sharing app called Vine.

The Vine iPhone app allows users to share 6-second video clips, and many brands have already begun to take notice. Six seconds at a time, users can get a glimpse of what’s happening in the world, including what their favorite brands are up to. So how can your business benefit from Twitter’s...

What is the photo sharing buzz that has businesses wondering if they should invest? Instagram. 

Facebook’s Instagram has recently reported powerful statistics that may peak the interest of many businesses across the globe.

The ExactTarget team invites you to participate in our #ETCafe Twitter chat every Thursday from 11am-12pm ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. This virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ExactTarget.

We are excited for this week’s #ETCafe chat with special guest, C. C. Chapman (@cc_chapman), best-selling author, content creator, keynote speaker, consultant, photographer, motivator, and founder of The Cleon Foundation. He is the co-author of Content Rules, a best seller that showcases the value of “organizations as...

Facebook is getting serious about search as CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the third pillar, Facebook Graph Search. “What is graph search? It’s not web search,” Zuckerberg shares with reporters.

Graph Search will allow you to search for people, photos, places, and interests. Based on the strength of relationships and connections, search results will be unique to you. You will be able to search by combining phrases. Zuckerberg used the example, “My friends who live in Palo Alto who like the Game of Thrones.” Graph Search will search for that set of content and display the relevant results....