Tonight was a wonderful event held at Bar Louie in Ann Arbor. My friend Shannon Paul called a Detroit Tweetup which is a group of people who know eachother through Twitter and who organize to meet up via Twitter. This Tweetup had a large turnout. I brought the family with me to the event, which was fun and helped combine family and work on a Sunday networking event.

A few friends I ran into at the event tonight: Shannon Paul who handles social media marketing for the Detroit Red Wings. Betsy Weber who is the evangelist for the cool Lansing company Tech Smith and their product Camtasia. Shawn Smith, my friend from MLive and his wonderful business partner Nikki. I also touched base with friends Damian and Hajj.

Ann Arbor, MI December 16, 2008 – Ingenex , a Michigan-based digital marketing firm, was hired to build business social networking profiles for several individuals and their companies, as part of it’s new service and web site http://socialharbor.com .

Social Harbor is a service that builds business social networking profiles for companies and their employees . All Social Harbor profiles are optimized for Google and Yahoo! search engines, and help the companies present a professional image online.

Ingenex takes the hard work out of building and updating your online profiles, and works to teach companies how to use social networks (like Linkedin with over 30 million users) to grow their business.
Everyone from insurance agents to tax consultants and lawyers are using Social Harbor to increase online business development and business social networking.

Lynn Raade , an independent State Farm insurance agent , enlisted the help of Social Harbor to maintain new client growth during Michigan’s rough economic state.

Karen Ryan owns and operates Tax Saving Solutions, LLC , and is using Social Harbor to spread her name and business across the internet in a credible and professional manner.

Karen Stewart is an independent lawyer looking to grow her Stewart Law Office . Social Harbor is a cost-effective, turnkey marketing solution perfect for establishing and promoting a professional online presence to grow business.

These are just a few highlights of the growing community over at Social Harbor. Not sure if it’s right for you? See how they can help your company .

So you’re already on Linkedin? Great! Already one step ahead of most people out in the business world. Keep the ball rolling with Linkedin Companies.

Linkedin has recently introduced yet another aspect to their industry leading Business Social Network, the ability to add, join, and maintain a Company page/profile.

Login to your Linkedin account, and you’ll notice at the top of the page a blue header titled Companies. If you follow that link you are brought to a page where you can search for companies who are on Linkedin. Search by industry, name of company, or simply browse by related industries Linkedin has automatically pulled for you. You can even see which companies are on Linkedin that are in Your Network (bottom right box).

Don’t see your company on there? Add it! Just click the yellow “Add a Company” box, and Linkedin will walk you through the quick process. You will create a company page, which is really just a cut-and-dry profile, providing basic information for people to read about your company. Now all of your colleagues can be registered as part of that company (provided they have a valid company email address to confirm).

This is just one more important way to expand your personal, and corporate, reach within Business Social Networking.

Having trouble getting on Linkedin? Or do you already understand the extreme importance of Business Social Networking and want to expand your online presence? Social Harbor is a great cost-effective marketing tool already being utilized to optimize business social networking for professionals in every industry. They can get your name spread across the search engines using business social networks to establish a credible professional presence for you and your company online.

You can view the Ingenex Digital Marketing company page on Linkedin.

On Monday, November 3, 2008 I had the honor of speaking at the WR 03 Performance Group conference in Chicago, IL. This group is made up of successful women who run auto dealerships around the country. The meeting is organized by ADP, and focuses on growing business for these auto dealerships.

My talk was focused on “How Digital Marketing Impacts Your Dealership”

Learn to use digital media to grow your auto dealership business. Derek Mehraban, CEO of Ingenex Digital Marketing will discuss search engine optimization, internet marketing, social media marketing and other essential techniques to drive traffic to your web site and build community among your customers. Mehraban has over 15 years of advertising and marketing experience and has worked with brands such as Chevy, Pontiac, Cadillac, ACDelco and more. After this session you will have a greater understanding of how you can impact your business through digital media.

The dealerships who attended gained valueable insights into how to grow their business online, and improve their search engine rankings. The following dealerships were in attendance:

Marty’s GMC in Kingston Massachusettes

Vandermeer Chevy & Buick in Wisonsin

Don Ledford Automotive in Tennessee

John Miskimins Motors

John Bowman Chevy in Clarkston, Michigan

Bennett Motors in Montana

And special thanks to Debbie Crispin of Bill Crispin Chevrolet in Saline, Michigan who invited me to speak at this event. Thanks Debbie!

LA2M - Lunch Ann Arbor Marketing has weekly marketing programs on a variety of topics. The programs are led by marketing professionals from Ann Arbor. Please join us on Facebook as well.

LA2M, Lunch Ann Arbor Marketing announces an extended speaker schedule for October, November and December 2008.

The success of LA2M’s new format has prompted organizers to run a second series of marketing lunchtime topics. LA2M is a weekly meeting of marketing professionals from both digital and traditional backgrounds. Founded in January 2008, LA2M meets every Wednesday from 11:45 – 1:00 PM.

Each week an LA2M expert speaks on a topic for 10-15 minutes, followed by discussion and sometimes, healthy, debate. Speakers cover topics ranging from traditional marketing to new and emerging marketing concepts and technologies. Handouts are available to attendees and the popularity of the event is growing.

Venue: LA2M is held at Pizza Pino, 221 W. Liberty.

Speaker List:
Oct 15 – Web Design, Declan O’Neill, 352 Media

Oct 22 – Market Research 1-2-3, Dee Davey, Creative Ideas Marketing

Oct 29 – Flash, Andy Ross, Web and Print Design Services

Nov 5 – Naming Your Brand, Scott Hauman, Q LTD

Nov 12 – Ethnic Marketing, Jinny Bromberg, Bromberg & Associates

Nov 19 – Corporate Marketing Tips, Dave Kamm, Marketing Professional

Nov 26 – OFF

Dec 3 – Web Site Design and Your Company, Ross Johnson, 3.7 Designs

Dec 10 – Digital Marketing Experience, Ingenex Eco-Friendly Intern Team

Dec 17 - Making Your Messages Sticky, Beth Stoner, Delta Possibilities

Dec 24 – OFF

Dec 31 - OFF

Please note: The group will be taking a break during Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Derek Mehraban, CEO of Ann Arbor, Michigan based Ingenex Digital Marketing is scheduled to speak at Promotions Commons. This endowed seminar series at Michigan State University was started by John Aldinger. Promotions Commons provides students in Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing, a unique opportunity to hear from leaders in a variety of communications-related disciplines.

Derek will speak to over one hundred MSU students about “5 Ways Digital Marketing Can Build Your Personal Brand” on Wednesday, October 8 at 4:30pm, in the Communication Arts and Sciences building at Michigan State University.

Derek will lend insight gained through several years in the marketing and advertising industry. Mehraban and Ingenex use a variety of Digital techniques to help companies and individuals grow their business. One new way that has everyone excited is Social Harbor, a turnkey solution for companies and individuals to use Social Media to grow their business. They build credible professional profiles for those looking to promote a presence on the web.

This specific Promotions Commons seminar at MSU is a perfect compliment to an internship that Derek started this past summer. The Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship is a terrific way for students interested in marketing to learn the digital route in which everything is headed. Mehraban has a lot to share, and the more places he can get his message across, the better for all of the marketing world.

With gas prices soaring, it’s no wonder that many are seeking ways to cut commuting costs. Luckily for students and recent graduates interested in digital marketing, Ingenex Digital Marketing, located in Ann Arbor, MI, has tailored an internship to fit their specific needs.
Ingenex eco-friendly interns are learning digital marketing while working to expand the internship for 2009. “Our goal is to make the Eco-Friendly Internship accessible to more students and more universities via new technology.” Says Ingenex CEO Derek Mehraban. “We are looking for university partners right now, and we are starting with the Michigan State University Advertising program.”

Ingenex specializes in all aspects of online marketing including search engine optimization and web site design.

Meet the Fall 2008 Eco-Friendly Team:

Jennifer Harrison is currently a fourth year advertising student at Michigan State University, with a specialization in Public Relations and an additional major in Mandarin Chinese.

Katie Hyzy recently received a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Denison University in Ohio. Over the summer, she completed a Marketing and P.R. Internship at Chicago-based start up company Green Market Fundraising.

Amanda Marandola is an advertising sophomore at Michigan State University. She is extremely interested in the fields of advertising and marketing, and she would like to specialize in Public Relations.

Pedro Martin is a recent MBA International Business graduate of EMU. With a background in Marketing and Management, he hopes to achieve a position that will allow him to employ his marketing skills in an international business setting.

Nick Meador finished the masters of journalism program at MSU this summer, while participating in an editorial internship at Traverse Magazine. He’s seeking a career combining writing/editing, web design/development, and digital marketing.

The Ingenex eco-friendly digital marketing internship is the first of its kind.  The growing demand for digital skills in corporate America is undeniable. Ingenex interns are preparing to be leaders in the digital economy and the eco-friendly future of our country. Learn more about the Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship or find out about Michigan Marketing.