Nothing beats using all forms of communication at your disposal when it comes to marketing and advertising. And mobile marketing is a great option to add to your array of reaching out to others this year.

Millions text daily, and many marketers are finding their bottom lines increasing through the use of this simple, yet highly effective, form of communication.

And, of course, marketing is not the sole purpose to texting. For example, the use of short codes can also be applied to any arena. Imagine how highly effective it becomes when schools and colleges use this lightening fast way of passing important messages! Student-teacher interactions happen at almost the speed of light! Class canceled? Voila you know! Campus security issues, again in a flash you are notified! Assignments altered? Due dates delayed? Again, using 8444.com, you (the student) are informed in a snap.

Actually, I am going through their site, and quite frankly there are just so many ways to use their service – too many in fact to list them all (hence for more about short codes, click that link). Their list of applications and vertical markets is quite extensive! And, with your own creativity and imagination, this large list has plenty of room to grow!

So is 2010 the year you incorporate mobile marketing? There’s just one way to find out. Find out if your mobile phone carrier includes the 8444.com service. You’ll find a comprehensive list (current as of December 1, 2009) here at 84444 Supported Carriers.

Pull out all the stops! Use all available methods of communication at (literally) your fingertips, and see what an exciting year this one becomes for you, your family, and your business online!

Okay, so maybe I’m a tad behind the times (I’ve been really busy, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it), but it wasn’t until today while reading Mighty Oak Marketing’s latest ezine issue that I heard about the upcoming “Google Wave.”

It’s not available, yet, but according to the preview site (which says very little but has this cool video shown below), they are looking to pull together a massive amount of social media marketing and collaboration tools. Just the thing for Google fans in particular, and (perhaps?) marketers.

Here’s an excerpt from Google (also compliments of Mighty Oak Marketing so I didn’t have to dig around myself), that may or may not explain what you have to look forward to: (more…)

Whenever we run across a website that can help bring business owners and freelancers together, we love calling that web site to your attention.

Today we’ll be telling you a bit about Mavenlink online.

From the “how do I make money online” standpoint, if you’re a professional with a service to offer, this web site is right up your alley. Signing up is free, and from there the sky’s the limit.

As a freelancing “maven” you’ll be able to:

o Market your services
o Find challenging and rewarding projects
o Work online efficiently (all projects are completed online)
o Get compensated (make money!) in a reliable and secure way.

As a Maven, after creating your free account, you browse opportunities and select projects you are qualified, professionally, to complete. Mavenlink even goes a step further and lets you tell them what sort of projects you have a particular talent for… how cool is that!

Businesses also create their initial account for free. Then you can go hunting for the perfect person to complete the task you need to get done.

Client benefits include:

o Accessibility to qualified candidates for your project
o Affordability
o Efficiency
o Flexibility

From the business owner’s side of the equation, Mavenlink makes it easy for you to save time and money locating the perfect freelancer for your needs. Also, it’s a great way to keep your business overhead costs down – outsourcing helps eliminate “cumbersome administrative overhead,” freeing up your staff and/or yourself to handle the tasks you need to concentrate on.

Browsing their Projects section should give both sides the opportunity to see “how much to charge” and “how much will I make.” In fact, we are totally impressed that their value-for-value exchange is very apparent using the Mavenlink system. (You’ll have to visit Mavenlink’s projects page to fully appreciate this statement, it’s much more clear cut then their competitors – we like that!)

Need to advertise your skills and make money? Mavenlink is for you!

Need to find a professional? Again, the best of both worlds can be found at Mavenlink – bringing skilled freelancing individuals and businesses together.

I promise this will be a marketing post, but I’m going to use a few real life – non-marketing examples – to make my point.

Having never heard of Susan Boyle before my father sent me an email of her YouTube audition, I never dreamed I’d get this wrapped up in a show that isn’t even based where I live (the U.S.). I know there are millions of American Idol fans out there, but I’ve just never gotten into the whole AI thing. Frankly, it is the (American) judging team that turns me off, particularly Simon Crowell (when he’s in the United States). However, in Britain on BGT, Simon turns into a completely different person. He’s insightful, helpful, and a nice guy… go figure.

But this isn’t about Simon, this is about fame coming too fast, cold feet, internet marketing (yes I promised), and examples of what happens when you don’t really think things through. (more…)

If you missed this earlier post about Susan Boyle then I’d say you’ve been living under a rock, but I’d mean it kindly. Susan has the entire world on the edge of its collective seat, and last night was her second chance to shine on Britain’s Got Talent.

If you haven’t heard her sing yet, start by listening to her audition first.

That one they didn’t enable embedding, so you will have to head to YouTube, but do it’s really worth it. Even if you’ve heard her already, hearing it again will just make your heart sing.

And last night, while I agree that someone (I hear coaches from Britain’s Got Talent?) tried to influence the way she does her thing, it only took a stanza for her to get back inside herself, dig deep, and pull out what we all were waiting so breathlessly to hear… SUSAN singing.

To rate Susan’s second time on the show you’ll have to click the link to get over to YouTube.

In the meantime, they have let people have access to this second round, so for your viewing pleasure on this wonderful Memorial Day, we present the talented Susan Boyle singing “Memory” from the musical Cats.

THE EMBEDDED VIDEO USED TO SIT HERE – they disabled the streaming so just use the link above (the voting one) to get to Susan Boyle’s semi-final video.

Before you leave – or better yet look around for marketing and advertising helps, tips, and how to’s on this blog – there is a reason (besides her voice) that Susan is bringing so much hope to so many. And a reason as to why this post is up today.

With the world in the shape its in, yes the entire world, don’t we all appreciate a moment, that little ray of sunshine that says everything is going to be okay?

Susan Boyle is also a living example that you should pursue your dreams be they online or offline without hesitation. It took her 47 almost 48 years to get where she is right now.

Those online thinking it will be or should be a breeze to riches, think again. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens overnight. Nothing happens without putting in the time, putting forth tremendous effort over and above anyone else in your chosen niche or product promotion.

For those looking to make a living online, use Susan Boyle as your example. Remember to stay the course, remain true to yourself and your goals, and work you arse off to get what you want… success!

Happy Memorial Day to those in the U.S. and a wonderful upcoming week to all!