Edge Media

We are looking forward to our time at NRB to meet new friends and visit with long time friends.  We are exciting about the launch of ChurchLink Communications, which will be a tremendous blessing to ministries, Christian broadcast, and churches around the world.  We will be discussing our SMS marketing software, our optimized blogging systems, and of course our leading interactive agency strategies including web design, search engine optimization, media research, media buying, and much more that integrated together have helped our clients meet and exceed their goals.  If you are going to NRB and want to schedule some time to visit, send me an e-mail!

Vickie Isaac
President/Owner
ChurchLink Communications, a division of Edge Media

About ChurchLink Communications & Edge Media: We are a leading Christian advertising agency specializing in interactive strategies and cutting edge technologies.

 


 

We are integrating optimized blogging into almost all of our integrated marketing strategies.  Our clients see tremendous results in terms of their search engine rankings and traffic, and this tool works well with traditional search engine optimization efforts. 

The benefit of the optimized blogging tool is that instead of writing one blog, the tool will optimize the blog for previously researched keywords and then multiply the one blog that was written into five, ten, etc. blogs - thereby publishing multiple blogs to the internet with the effort of one writing one blog.  The tool then pings the search engines to index the keyword optimized blog, giving us pretty rapid results for search engine rankings. 

For more info regarding optimized blogging, please feel free to call one of our marketing and advertising consultants at 602-943-2030.  We'd be happy to explain and give you quotes on this service.

About us:  Edge Media is a leading interactive agency located in Phoenix, AZ serving local and national clients.  We are a full service, including SMS marketing software, media interactive agency.

We are pleased to announce a new division of Edge Media - ChurchLink Communications!  ChurchLink Communications will offer all of the services that Edge Media offers, and make them available to churches, ministries, and Christian broadcast organizations. 

As a Christian advertising agency, we are pleased to bring a full array of marketing services to the Church, and ChurchLink Communications will quickly become a Christian interactive marketing leader.  It is our strong belief that the numerous services and technological solutions we offer will be of tremendous value to the Church, and it is our desire to help the Church maximize every communication opportunity.

With over three decades of marketing experience in the Christian marketplace, we believe our cutting edge technologies will make a dramatic difference for the clients we serve.  On the mobile advertising front, we are already serving Christian organizations like the Family Research Council and Cornerstone Festival who are utilizing our bulk SMS services.   We are excited to support these wonderful ministries with technology that increases their abiity to communicate!

For a free month's trial of ChurchLink Mobile, visit our landing page at: web.mac.com/edge.media/iWeb/ChurchLink%20Mobile/ChurchLink.html

For more about SMS marketing software, bulk SMS services, or Edge Media, a leading interactive agency, go to: www.edgemedia.biz

Edge Media is a Christian advertising agency located in Phoenix, AZ offering full service marketing solutions for local and national clients.

Edge Media has always been a Christian agency, but with the launch of our new division,  ChurchLink Communications, we have been very pleased with the response from churches, ministries, parachurch organizations, and Christian broadcast companies.  Many Christian organizations are aware of the need to integrate new marketing approaches into their strategies but are just uncertain how to begin the process.

As a Christian marketing company, we are confident that we understand the goals of our clients, and blessed that we have the resources to help them reach their goals.  Vickie Isaac, President and Owner of Edge Media, has over thirty years of ministry experience, global missionary experience, and church experience to bring to work for our clients.   There are very few Christian interactive agencies with both the ministry and marketing experience combined, and we believe that we can put this expertise to work to benefit the Church.

We have a full menu of services for our clients and are looking forward to being a blessing to our new ones. While the ChurchLink Communications site is under construction, please visit the Edge Media site for a full description of our products and services.
www.edgemedia.biz/index-2.html

ChurchLink Communications is a division of Edge Media, LLC, a full service leading interactive agency located in Phoenix, AZ.

Edge Media, a leading interactive agency located in Phoenix, AZ is pleased to announce the addition of ChurchLink Communications, a full service division of Edge Media, designed to help ministries and churches move forward to utilize all of the benefits of emerging technologies.

As a Christian interactive agency, we are confident that our clients will benefit from three decades of experience meeting the needs of Christian broadcast companies, ministries, parachurch, and church organizations. 

Product offerings for ChurchLink will include:

ChurchLink Mobile:   Subscription based, online SMS marketing software system with wonderful applications for non-profits, churches and ministries using text messaging including fundraising, action alerts, prayer alerts, devotionals, security, connecting groups within churches and ministries, text to screen, etc.  We can also connect text to Twitter!

ChurchLink Apps: We can develop apps for I-Phones & Blackberrys for non-profits, ministries, churches, political candidates, etc.

ChurchLink Mobile Web:  We can develop mobile websites  (example: ESPN tripled website traffic when they added their .mobi site!)

ChurchLink Social Media: We create social media sites and then connect them so that content automatically flows across all sites - this helps busy people communicate!

ChurchLink Blog Systems: We use blog optimization software based on keyword research, so when a blog is written, it is keyword optimized (for example 10 keywords), the system parses the blog into 10 blogs instead of one, publishes to the internet, and then pings the search engines.  This system takes up internet real estate very rapidly, and is a great tool for search engine optimization.  We can integrate this into your website and autoflow content from your social media sites as well.

ChurchLink also offers e-mail marketing, e-fundraising, pay-per-click advertising management, & search engine optimization, graphic & web design, market research & strategy, media planning and buying.

Our ChurchLink Communications site is currently under construction, so please visit the Edge Media website to gain a full understanding of the expertise of our marketing and advertising consultants, as well as the experience our Christian agency is ready to put to work for you!
www.edgemedia.biz

"ChurchLink is a wonderful source of encouragement, connection, and communication for our congregation. The system instantly transmits urgent prayer requests, allowing us to immediately pray for one another.  I also use it to send out a Scripture, word of encouragement, or prayer daily.  It is an essential communication tool for every church in today's technological age."

  ChurchLink is mobile marketing software that sends and receives text messages instantly, and has numerous applications for the church, including prayer, security, events, devotionals, intergroup communiciation, and much more.  Edge Media is waiving set up fees and offering one month's free subscription to churches to help them get started implementingthis great communication tool.  E-mail Edge Media today to take advantage of this offer! info@edgemedia.biz

Americans now use text messaging more often than phone calling, and text messages get better response than e-mail communications. As a Christian interactive advertising agency, Edge Media has long believed that the Church should take advantage of emerging technology to increase communication within the Church as well as an outreach tool.  Edge Media's advertising and marketing consultants have years of experience working with churches and ministries in Phoenix, AZ, nationally, and internationally on many levels, not just their SMS marketing software that delivers bulk SMS services.  Call or e-mail today to find out more! 

Edge Media is pleased to announce that we will provide interactive marketing services for Eric Wnuck's 2010 U.S. Congress, CD 5, AZ campaign.

Vickie Isaac, President/Owner of Edge Media states, "We believe in who Eric is and what he stands for.  His perspective as a small business owner working in the healthcare industry means that we will have someone in Congress who understands the needs of the everyday working American, who is not about politics as usual. We are pleased to be chosen to provide interactive marketing services in support of Eric's campaign and it is our intention to bring out every tool in our toolbox to help Eric win."

Eric Wnuck explains his candidacy: "Today, I am proud to be a Congressional Candidate. I am concerned with the rising costs of healthcare, the down turn of the economy, and the unhindered expanse of government. I am running for Congress because I am afraid that my son and the subsequent generations will be saddled with mounting debt. The country is headed in a dangerous direction and I will work to lessen the bureaucracy in Washington, lower taxes, and encourage the growth of business. American's have an inherent sense of entrepreneurship and we are blessed with the freedom to pursue our dreams. While we are not guaranteed happiness, every American should be guaranteed the right to pursue happiness."

About Edge Media:  Edge Media is a leading interactive agency located in Phoenix, AZ that utilizes cutting edge technologies to reach and exceed our client's goals.  As an interactive web agency, we understand the power of the online world and have harnessed its potential on behalf of our clients.  Our SMS marketing software provides an additional technological tool for our clients.  Edge Media's expert marketing and advertising consultants have over three decades of marketing experience. Edge Media can be reached at 602-943-2030 or visit our website at www.edgemedia.biz

About Eric Wnuck: Eric is a husband, a father, and a son.  He is a small business owner in the Phoenix metro area. Eric is a Republican Congressional candidate running for CD 5 in Arizona.  For more on Eric and his positions, go to www.ericwnuck.com 

94% of Americans have text enabled cell phones, 80% have their phones with them at all times, texting volume now exceeds call volume, and text messages are responded to within five minutes!  

ChurchLink Mobile, the SMS marketing software Edge Media, a Christian advertising agency, has designed to increase communication in the Church, has numerous applications.  Using the bulk SMS services application, churches and ministries can deliver thousands of messages instantly to cell phones.  This is a great tool for prayer requests, action alerts, reminders, devotionals, and more!  At our church, we use it an instant prayer chain - one member sends in a prayer request and the system immediately delivers it to all other members of the prayer chain.  Our pastor sends out weekly messages of encouragement. 

The ChurchLink Mobile SMS marketing software is accessed online similar to online banking.  Each church or ministry logs in to their own account to send out messages, plus the system can be operated by cell phone.  It is affordable, easy to use, and a wonderful tool to increase communication within the Church.   

Edge Media added Edge Mobile, our SMS marketing software, to our marketing toolbox over three years ago.  Since that time we have researched, utilized, marketed, and preached about the power of mobile marketing.  2009 seemed to be a year of inertia, with companies holding onto their budgets and unwilling to venture into new marketing territory.  I believe, and research supports my belief that 2010 will usher in the decade of mobile marketing!

Already this year we have had a significant uptick in inquiries about our bulk SMS services.  Marketers and businesses alike are recognizing the necessity of integrating mobile into their marketing strategy.  As a mobile advertising agency, we have seen very impressive results for the campaigns that we have integrated SMS into. 

I do continue to believe that the key is in the strategy.  SMS marketing software is a great tool to add to the toolbox, and a mobile website is another must for this new decade of smart phone capabilities.  My recommendation as a mobile advertising agency owner is to start with SMS as a wonderful direct response tool, measure the results, and then continue to expand into the mobile space.  Use all appropriate media interactive agency marketing and and advertsing consultants do - use the media wisely and integrate the strategy into all levels of the campaign.  2010 will be exciting and the decade a great one for this emerging marketing space!

The Mobile Marketer just published a recent interview with Disney marketers who reveal that in a recent sweepstakes more than half of their responses to their campaign came in the form of opt in text messages.  Disney also revealed their mobile marketing strategies for 2010 and the increasing emphasis of mobile marketing.  Disney is not alone.  As I predicted in a previous blog, 2010 will be the year of adoption for major brands with mobile and interactive marketing.   We recognized this potential several years ago and added mobile to our advertising agency strategies. 

As a mobile advertising agency, we have also experienced the impact of integrating bulk SMS services into our overall strategies, as people respond to a campaign using opt in text messages.  The cell phone number is then considered opted in and we are able to remarket to that cell phone as appropriate, creating a growing database that generates very positive results to our outbound text based marketing messages.  The Edge Mobile SMS marketing software is easy to use, very affordable, and is available on a subscription basis to access bulk SMS services.  Click over to our website for a complimentary one month subscription: http://www.edgemedia.biz/index-3.html

For the past three years I have been excited about mobile marketing, learning, researching, using, fine tuning, and wondering why everyone is not as excited as I am or using it as consistently as we are at Edge Media.  I believe that 2010 is the year that mobile marketing really comes of age in the United States, and I can't wait!

Why do I say this? 2009 saw brands and businesses pull the purse strings tight, hesitant to add any "experimental" marketing channel to their marketing mix.  2009 also witnessed the near death of print publications, and the shrinking revenues of radio and television, and more focus went online to social media. Mobile marketing will thrive in 2010 as phones are smarter, networks are faster, consumers are becoming more in control of messages they receive, and marketers are demanding measurable results for the dollars they spend. 

Sending SMS messages to people as a marketing channel means that a message is sent to cell phones when folks ASK to be marketed to.  This is a key to the success of mobile marketing - that it is OPT IN ONLY marketing - not spam, or unwanted marketing.  As a leading mobile marketing agency, we will NEVER send text spam, as the privacy of people's cell phones must be respected to maintain the integrity and strong marketing results that this marketing channel delivers. Our Edge Mobile SMS marketing software actually deactives a cell phone number when folks opt out of receiving SMS messages, so even if we wanted to, we couldn't spam via text!

Our SMS marketing software is easy to use, can have a campaign up and running in 48 hours, and deliver detailed reports on the success of the send.  We also offer our mobile marketing expertise to our clients, as we have learned that bulk SMS services are also only as valuable as the content they contain. Our advertising and marketing consultants have hundreds of successful campaigns under our belts, a plethora of research and best practices data at our fingertips, and we are ready to turn our clients' goals into reality into 2010, delivering great results for their mobile and integrated marketing campaigns.

2009 saw rapid change in the marketing landscape as technology continued to advance and revenue continued to fall.  Newspapers and magazines either evolved online or shuttered their doors in record numbers.  Many radio and television stations struggled to generate enough ad revenue, and networks continue to add online and mobile marketing opportunities to boost revenue streams and stay abreast of emerging technologies.  Social media emerged and marketers have struggled to understand and harness its power.  There has not been this much change in the marketing landscape of the U.S. in fifty years!

Many marketing blogs and analysts declare that 2010 is the year that marketing dies, but I believe that 2010 will be the year that a leading interactive agency can shine the brightest!  I also believe that 2010 is the year that consumers really take more control of the marketing messages they receive, and so the leading interactive agency needs to embrace emerging media and recognize the necessity of creating consistent, integrated message flow that is not just a carefully crafted, pushed out message to the consumer, but rather an ongoing conversation with the consumer that involves listening and responding.  Recognizing the interactive nature of the web is one of the keys to developing successful social media strategies, which requires a more hands on approach.  While it is true that many marketing practices will be laid to rest in 2010, it is also a year of tremendous opportunity for advertising and marketing consultants that are willing to adapt to change and engage in consumer conversations.

At Edge Media we have taken great care to integrate emerging media with standard marketing channels.  As a leading interactive agency we recognize the new media as powerful, emerging media channels that require deeper involvement with the consumer, as well as the necessity of integrating these channels into the already existing marketing mix.  We are excited about what 2010 will bring!

Marketing Sherpa recently reported that almost 23% of companies/agencies that use social media as a marketing channel have matured to the strategic phase.  According to Sherpa, many companies use social media but do not integrate research and objectives into their actions or the devices they choose.  Social media is definately a strategic marketing channel that a leading interactive agency will utilize with a well thought out plan.

Many advertising and marketing consultants are hopping on the social media bandwagon, but almost 32% are still in some sort of trial phase (Marketing Sherpa, 2009).  The other 45% are in transition - discovering more about the media and how to make it work efficiently to accomplish a goal.  Marketing Sherpa laid out an acronym - ROAD - research, objectives, actions, and devices.  An interactive web agency should lay out a ROAD map before embarking upon social media marketing.

At Edge Media our marketing and advertising consultants do their homework first. WHO is the customer?  What is already being said about the industry?  Listening is important on the social media platforms.  We research, listen, refine objections, and then create a plan that outlines the actions and which social media platforms match the research and objectives.  Only after the homework is done do we actually implement the strategy, and even after that it is tested and refined, and then results are measured and improved upon.

Advertising agencies, marketing companies, marketing and advertising consultants alike recognize the power of this emerging medium.  It has a great deal of potential if used effectively.  As a leading interactive agency in Phoenix, AZ, we will make sure your strategy is effective!  Download a short "Social Media 101" presentation and listen to the audio file on our website at www.edgemedia.biz/index-7.html

Mobile marketing in the United States is predicted to be a 2.1 billion dollar industry in 2010.  This is a 27% growth increase over 2009, which is great news for a mobile advertising agency!  As a leading mobile advertising agency, we are very excited about the growth potential, but still believe that the rules should not change despite the growth predictions.  The rules include operating with a great deal of respect for the privacy of the consumer's cell phone - never sending a text with out permission to do so.  Marketers must respect this space, or the effectiveness of mobile marketing will diminish.  It is, and should remain, permission based marketing.

Our SMS marketing software is built so that users who opt out (and they should always be given the opportunity to do so in the first message) are automatically deactivated in our system so that they cannot receive a message until they personally opt back in.  I believe this is a key to the success of our mobile advertising agency, and to the mobile advertising industry as a whole.  Regardless of the ability to deliver bulk SMS services, the ability to send in bulk should never override the respect of the single cell phone user.  I believe that all SMS marketing software should have the same safeguards built in to their bulk SMS services to preserve the mobile marketing industry integrity overall. 

Additionally, as part of mobile marketing best practices, the ability to opt out of a mobile campaign needs to be included on the first message out from the system.  Our advertising and marketing consultants craft the first message around the fact that this is a non-negotiable in the first message, despite the character limitations. 

Growth is good, and respect for the end consumer who is fueling the growth is even better! 

A leading interactive agency does not just create campaigns, but must drive ROI.
I just ran the stats for one of our clients.  After three months, we have increased web traffic 3,000%, which has translated into a 75% increase in sales!  Now that's some ROI! 

One of the primary components of interactive marketing for a B2C success story is a strategy that makes sense.  For example, here are the questions to ask:

1) What is the end goal?
2) What steps must we create to accomplish our end goal?
3) How can we make those steps easy for the consumer to take?

We actually create a "marketing path" that leads to the accomplishment of the goal.  Here are examples of issues to sort through:
1) Why are you driving traffic to your website?
2) What do you want people to do when they get there?
3) How can you make that easy?

Traffic for the sake of traffic to a website is nice, but you need traffic that CONVERTS to accomplish your objective.  Many websites are static, and even if there are good traffic numbers, the potential is not being fully utilized. 

It is the same thought process for social media.  Why do you want Facebook fans?  What will you do when you get them?  How can fans be converted to customers or clients?
We waste a lot of time and energy without strategy to drive our efforts.  Don't do it if it doesn't accomplish a goal... Every interactive web agency utilizing social media should have a strategy behind the use of social media, otherwise it is just advertising dollars burned with no ROI.  Marketing and advertising consultants are just beginning to understand how to use social media in a way that adds to the interactive marketing strategy and at the end of the day contributes to ROI.  Marketing companies in Phoenix are just starting to scratch the surface of integrating social media into the mix, as are businesses around the country and world.  A leading interactive agency will be truthful about the process, so be careful about folks who are attaching the word "expert" to an emerging marketing medium!

Be sure to listen to our social media "how to get started" audio file available at: http://www.edgemedia.biz/index-7.html

And, don't forget to join us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Edge-Media-LLC/76392313765

And, follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/EdgeMedia

I just returned from Grand Canyon West, where I have been an ELF for three days, getting ready for the Santa's at the Skywalk! promotion.  It is lots of fun, using integrated media strategies including radio contesting, social media, e-mail marketing, SMS marketing software, press releases, etc. to get the word out.  The web is very interactive, so we are focusing a great deal of our efforts on the interaction with GCW's fan base who already love the Skywalk and Grand Canyon West.   Our SMS marketing software will be used to activate our mobile subscriber database who are also already fans. 

It is important to gather data and then maximize it when you run specific promotions.  As a leading interactive agency, we make sure that we take every opportunity to gather data and then use it to its fullest potential.  Our marketing and advertising consultants are leveraging social media as well to build relationships, which is, after all, what we believe marketing should really be about, and that this philosophy sets us apart from other advertising agencies in Phoenix AZ.

The Mobile Marketing Association predicts mobile marketing to grow by 27% in 2010, to 2.1 billion dollars.  This is tremendous growth in a cautious economy where companies are still focusing on careful budgeting and cost containment strategies. 

Mobile marketers bear a significant responsibility in the advancement of the marketing medium.  Companies are looking for case studies - statistical data proving that mobile marketing is worth the investment of their marketing dollars.  It is my professional opinin that mobile marketing is extremely effective when used appropriately, and it is the strategy that determines the success or failure of this emerging marketing medium.

As a leading interactive agency, we make sure that our mobile marketing strategies are integrated carefully with other marketing channels.  Key components include being very  careful to respect the privacy of the cell phone carrier and the opt-in nature of the responses.  Our bulk SMS marketing platform actually deactivates a cell phone number in our system when a customer decides to opt out.  Targeting the appropriate demographics using text messaging is also important.  After the initial response is received, our SMS marketing software allows us to sort responses several ways to further enhance our targeted marketing approach. 

Our mobile advertising agency strategy is research driven and results oriented to make sure our clients get substantial return on their mobile marketing budget.  These results are only possible with a strategic, integrated approach like ours.

Marketers are referring to the "conversation economy", meaning that we have left behind the era of "product pushing", and must be mindful of the shift to consumer driven, consumer chosen media.  Social media offers businesses the perfect communications platform to develop consumer conversations, if the social media is "conversational". 

Monitoring conversations using keyword search on Twitter for example can help marketers understand the conversation surrounding their product or service and then engage in meaningful dialogue, responding to consumer needs instead of pushing out information.  Using the interactive nature of the web means that the consumer gives you keys to what they want, and you respond by meeting those needs. 

As an interactive web agency, we have learned the necessity of interacting!  As a leading interactive agency, we generate results for our clients by integrating a number of internet marketing strategies, including social media, search engine optimization, internet marketing, optimized blogging, SMS marketing software that delivers bulk SMS services, and standard broadcast media as well. A recent success story includes a client we have been working with for three months.  In that time period, we have used all of these components to dramatically increase website traffic (by 3000%!), and sales by 75%!  Visit our website to find out more about the services Edge Media provides at:  index-2.html 

Advertising agencies in Phoenix AZ  and around the country are battling to stay afloat.  Many have declared bankruptcy, others have let valuable marketing and advertising consultants go, but the smart agencies are redefining how they do business. 

Not only has the economy changed drastically but the landscape of marketing has been impacted dramatically by rapidly evolving technology.  The change in media, including the emergence of social media like Facebook and Twitter, as well as the brave new world of the mobile web changes the definition of media for the leading interactive agency.

It is my belief that advertising agencies that will not embrace new technology will be shuttering their doors in the next five years, because technology is redefining how people communicate with one another.  Leading interactive agencies can no longer afford to just push information out to consumers, rather they must engage in meaningful dialogue.  This is a different paradigm and it is interesting to observe how advertising agencies Phoenix AZ are making this transition.  Quite frankly any advertising agency that claims they have mastered social media is being disingenuous, because the media is emerging and marketers are still testing meaningful ways of engagement.  Granted, some have had significant success, but it is to early in the game to take the title of "expert"!

Edge Media offers SMS marketing software, interactive web services, SEO, social media, and multiple other services to make sure that we are offering our clients every availabile emerging tool that makes sense in reaching their goals.  For more information on social media, go to
www.edgemedia.biz/index-7.html