Outreach New Media Blog

Shopping around Twitter this Christmas

Alex Murashko — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:17:00 GMT

Online shopping sites are hoping that new marketing campaigns which include Twitter for the first time prove fruitful this Christmas season.

While being dubbed as the first ‘Twitter Christmas’ by social media watchers, online shopping sites such as MyConsumerGuide.com approach this year’s foray into holiday tweets as an experiment.

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Alex Murashko, phone: (949) 547-0907 e-mail: alexander@outreachnewmedia

Like many businesses still gauging the impact of including Twitter in the promotional budget mix, MyConsumerGuide.com is putting in an extra effort to let Twitter users know of the real bargains to be found through the company’s affiliate associations, which include major stores and brands.

“We’re calling this ‘the Twitter Experiment,’” said Alex Murashko, the site’s social media manager. “We’ve had success growing our Twitter followers over the last few months and now we want to see how many followers and users take advantage of the incredible offers we tweet up every day.”

From blue jeans to Frosty the Snowman LED ornaments, @MyConsumerGuide tweets news and links of sales, coupon codes, and limited-time deals. Tweeps (Twitter users) are given access to offers from the online stores of retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Radio Shack, Best Buy, and many more.

The ‘experiment’ has been going on since a week before the Thanksgiving holiday and Murashko said he is pleased. “Our traffic has significantly increased because of our Twitter campaign and we are hoping that the final holiday season tally will include high sales. There’s still plenty of online Christmas shopping days left.”

Other affiliate site owners and retailers are eager to join the Twitter mix of casual posters and serious sales tweeple. In a recent NY Times article, several company heads chimed in on the phenomena, including one from Toys ‘R’ Us.

“It’s one of the greatest emerging communication channels out there,” said Greg Ahearn, senior vice president of marketing and e-commerce for Toys ‘R’ Us. “This is a way people can stay connected with the brand in a way they’ve never been able to before.”

MyConsumerGuide.com plans to expand its Twitter campaign to include a new blog site. The blog will give the company’s followers and shoppers a more accessible way of discovering product bargains and reviews.

Outreach New Media Getting Social in San Clemente

Alex Murashko — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:02:00 GMT

San Clemente, Calif -- For social media and public relations manager Alex Murashko, the Internet sites Twitter and Facebook are about more than sharing things such as what you had for lunch or all-things mundane. Getting social on the Web could mean a boost in the local economy, Murashko said.

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Alex Murashko E-mail: alexander@outreachnewmedia.com

Murashko launched Outreach New Media earlier this year with the intent of helping businesses not only survive, but thrive during these tough economic times. His main goal is to show others that publicizing a service or business is no longer about simply running an ad in the Pennysaver. "You must spend some of those advertising dollars on social media," he said.

"If you are spending 'x' amount of dollars on print, radio, or TV advertising, it's time to consider putting some of that money into social media," Murashko said. "Even if you are not spending any money at all on advertising and just relying on word-of-mouth, I have news for you: word-of-mouth these days means being on Twitter and Facebook ... at least for starters."

Murashko was recently able to refer a couple vacationing in San Clemente to the city's Pier Shack & Grill by responding to their message on Twitter. The husband's "tweet" stated that they were looking for an affordable place to eat in town. Murashko "tweeted" the recommendation. The next day, the couple tweeted a beautiful photo (TwitPic) of the snack shop located at the end of the pier with the message, "Thanks for the tip. We really enjoyed the fish and chips."

Outreach New Media works with businesses and non-profit groups of all kinds to get their message out by the various new media outlets and venues. "It's not about simply sending out a press release to your local paper and expecting results," Murashko said. "Those days are over."

"I've read an article from a prominent business publication that said social media will be the bridge out of the current recession. I believe that assessment is not too far off. Social media will certainly play a large part in making the difference for many businesses trying to make it in this tough climate," he said.

Murashko is a former Los Angeles Times community news reporter and Press-Enterprise Riverside education reporter. He worked for six years writing advertising copy for an online shopping site. Murashko has been helping others get their message out for more than 16 years.

Web site: OutreachNewMedia.com Twitter: @OutreachNuMedia

Monday news conference: Prayer battle in Lodi

Alex Murashko — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:31:00 GMT

Lodi Battleground: It's Certainly OK to Pray in Jesus' Name
'Pray in Jesus' Name' chaplain and California pro-family leader to hold Monday news conference in Lodi

Lodi, California -- Religious freedom leaders will speak out Monday in Lodi to explain why clergy praying in Jesus' name at city council meetings is good, proper, and completely constitutional.

The news conference will be Monday, August 3 at 2:00 p.m., outside Carnegie Forum, 305 W. Pine Street in Lodi, California.

At Monday's news conference, former Navy chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt of the nationwide Pray In Jesus Name Project will display more than 5,000 petitions urging the Lodi City Council to again permit public prayers in Jesus' name.

Also speaking will be Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, a statewide pro-family leadership organization, who will explain how both the United States Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court protect the religious freedom of clergy who are invited to pray at government meetings.

Monday's news conference precedes Wednesday's "Stand Up For Jesus" rally to be held at 6:00 p.m., prior to the Lodi City Council meeting. In May, after an atheist group complained, the Lodi council prohibited praying in Jesus' name for clergy giving invocations at council meetings. This summer, the city council is expected to establish a new policy that's either for or against allowing prayers in Jesus' name.

For more information and news coverage: http://capwiz.com/legislativecenter/utr/0/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fprayinjesusname.org%2Fblog_post%2Fshow%2F39.

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SaveCalifornia.com is a leading West Coast nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing children and families. We stand for marriage and family, parental rights, the sanctity of human life, religious freedom, financial freedom, and back-to-basics education.

SaveCalifornia.com
Randy Thomasson, President
P.O. Box 511, Sacramento, CA 95812
(916) 265-5650
www.savecalifornia.com
www.saveamerica.com

Welcome

Alex Murashko — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:41:21 GMT

Welcome to my blog. Please check back soon for new entries.