Wednesday, December 23, 2009

5 Simple Ways to Cure Social Media Overload 2010

Auer Agency | Charlotte, NC | 704.236.0568 | mariellen@aueragency.com


2010 will be the year of information overload, and managing your social media profiles by getting rid of all the junk can help you get to relevant information quicker, effectively promote your company/event, blog or brand and make social media a little less overwhelming.


1. Clean Up Your Twitter Followers
One of the pains of Twitter is the inability to mass follow or unfollow. When I first started out on Twitter I followed everyone from a local restaurant to make money quick tweeters. However, my niche on Twitter is graphic design, sports apparel and sports teams, blogs, retailers, etc. Cleaning up my followers helped me clear the clutter and focus on my niche. My favorite tool is Twitter Karma. Not only does it allows you to see who you are following and if they follow you, but it also allows you to bulk follow, bulk unfollow and bulk block.

2. Clean Up Your Facebook Groups
Do really need to be a member of “Everything Made with Bacon”? Seriously, most of these groups junk up your news feeds, send out irritating fan messages and keep you from focusing on the information you really need to see. Cleaning out your Facebook Groups is pretty simple.

3. Find Out Where You Are Online
If you’ve been online as long as I have, you know that there is no telling how many profiles you may hove out there. Finding those profiles is important to making sure you can use them effectively. There are many social media sites that I signed up for that I just forgot about. My favorite tool to see exactly where I am online is KnowEm?, a username check service that lets you know if you username is taken or available online. Not only is a great for finding out which sites you forgot about and for figuring out which sites you should reserve your username for, but you can check your username without signing up.


4. Create A List
As a graphic designer or sports apparel designer there are different types of social media that you should engage in. These include micro-blogs, blogs, forums, social bookmarking, social shopping, community and video.   To make sure your are well rounded online, make a list of sites you use regularly and which categories they fall in.  If something is missing, find our what site would be beneficial for you.

5. And finally...Make Life Easier
Instead of updating to each of your social media profiles separately, make your life easier by finding on resource that allows to to update to all of them at once. If you have a new product, article or design, going to every website can be tiresome My favorite service is Ping.fm which allows you posts to all your social networks at once. However, make sure you still engage one on one with users for brand awareness.

I just listed my favorite tools, but there are many of them out there. Let me know which ones work for you.
Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin
DIGG
FourSquared
Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon
Google Alerts
MySpace
Blogger

Call us and we can give you an initial overview and plus we offer monthly social media coaching.
 

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Performance T's for Race Day

Auer Agency | Charlotte, NC | 704.236.0568 | mariellen@aueragency.com


Performance T's for Race Day

Everyone is talking about them, but where can you find them and how do you print on them?
"Cotton is Rotten" has been the mantra for the last few years. Pro athletes, to weekend walkers are looking for their own performance team gear.  Cotton clings to you when you sweat, and therefore adds weight as you are deep into the competition. Performance apparel is made to wick away the sweat from your body, it's that easy!


Typically eveyone buys an Under Armour shirt at Dick's Sporting Goods or other major retailer and take it down the local screen printer. Did you know that defeats the whole purpose of the shirt? and you are paying twice as much for the shirt too.




The ink that is laid down on the shirt, doesn't breathe and therefore blocks the cooling technology that you originally bought the shirt for. AND you are limited to the number of colors you can print.


Ta, da daa!! Here comes performance apparel geared just for your run, walk or ride. One vendor, Vapor Apparel has partnered with Auer Agency in offering long sleeve shirts, tank tops and even hoodies. Apparel is available with either a cotton feel or 100% polyester. But what makes them different is that they are geared for high performance.


Since the printing process on these type of shirts is sublimation. The colors you can do is unlimited. You can even print a pic of someone that you are raising money for. It's been around for a few years, and the apparel available out there is unbelievable.
The ideal situation is to start with a white blank, but Vapor offers, light gray, beige, peach, blue, yellow and pink. They even have some neon shirts for people work outside all day near streets, volunteers or staff.

Of course, adidas, nike and others are creating their own performance apparel, and you can use those, but bring those shirts to us, because there is a right way and wrong way to print on them.



Give us a call we can show you some samples. You will be blown away and look good crossing the finishing line.

Happy Holidays News-Letter and What's New for 2010

Auer Agency | Charlotte, NC | 704.236.0568 | mariellen@aueragency.com  |  www.aueragency.com


Greetings!

Since you are like family, we thought we 

would send out one of those mass mailed letters describing our year and well, brag a little bit too. Because we feel like Auer Agency is just like a little child growing bigger and smarter everyday.

Auer Agency has been very busy this year. We have worked with some great companies, teams and events. Recently Kathy Hallgren joined our company. She is awesome to work with and has vast experience with sales in the sports and green energy industryWe met at Gita where we used to work together many moons ago and reconnected over the summer.




WHAT MAKES HER TICK…

Kathy has worked for 20+ years as a sales rep in the sports industry including fitness with Polar Electro, Gita Sporting Goods and recently UltraMotor E-bikes.
Family: Husband Steve, two teenage daughters and a friendly doggy.
Bearings: Born and raised in Huntington, NY.
Gifts: Enthusiasm, compassion and organization. No creative ability whatsoever…





One of our biggest clients for ’09 is a California-based photo fulfillment company that provides photo gifts such as mouse pads, coffee mugs and drum roll…..t-shirts to major retailers around the globe. They asked us to design t-shirt templates (sublimation) where the customer inserts their picture and a few weeks later you receive a custom t-shirt. We are very proud of this accomplishment and have been asked to design even more trendy templates for other major retailers.

And they are currently in over 6400 Walgreen stores (they make great xmas gifts!)

Auer Agency took the time to visit some very interesting tradeshows, which only added to our education about fashion and the cycling industry. In September, Mariellen attended MAGIC in Vegas which is one the premier fashion and manufacturing show. She was able to meet many fashion icons, sit down with manufacturers from across the globe and attend seminars about color/fabric/fashion trends and global sourcing. Importing and exporting is a reality and it also opens up the door to many possibilities for Auer Agency. We are currently working with some top manufactures in creating a new cycling apparel line, t-shirt designs for 2010 tradeshows, as well as marketing pieces.

We also attended Interbike, which is cycling’s largest tradeshow and was able to shake hands with old friends and reps from several apparel manufacturers such as Giordana, Primal Wear, Sugoi, Louis Garneau and Save our Soles among other top apparel and cycling companies.

Social Media has also been another huge push this year. Many companies are trying to figure it out how to utilize facebook, twitter, and MySpace frontier and where it all fits into the marketing plan. We offer those services as well as even blogging for you so you don’t have to. We are also introduce monthly coaching sessions so you can do it yourself and we can guide you along.
Follow us for tips and updates at www.twitter.com/aueragency and facebook.com/aueragency

NEW for 2010 Corporate + Team Apparel and Promotional Products
Auer Agency has teamed up with several brands and have it all in one website. If you need performance t’s, good ole t-shirts, hoodies, hats, water bottles or corporate gear like polos, jackets with your company name on it…. we can help. Auer Agency has it all with eco-conscious clothing to well-known brands like Adidas, Nike, Hanes, Champion, Dickies, Rossignol and Columbia. www.thecorporatechoice.com/aueragency. We can order a sample before you silk-screen, embroider and sublimate. And we are running an introductory special $50 off your order of $250 or more.

As 2009 comes to a close, we are excited about the possibilities for 2010. We are returning to our roots of working with cycling teams and shops again. We also have seen growth in collateral and logo design work as people who are laid off, go after their dreams and start their own companies. And even more exciting, in the past six months we have also seen a growth in apparel design needs and working more with the manufacturers in helping them develop new products as well as individuals who want to launch their own sports apparel line.

So here we come 2010!!

Mariellen + Kathy


Saturday, December 19, 2009

2010 New Corporate and Team Apparel offered by Auer Agency

Auer Agency | Charlotte, NC | 704.236.0568 | mariellen@aueragency.com

Auer Agency has teamed up with several brands and have it all in one website.  If you need t-shirts, hoodies, hats, or corporate gear like polos, jackets with your company name on it. We can help. All new for 2010 Auer Agency has it all with eco-conscious clothing to well-known brands like Hanes, Champion, Dickies, Rossignol and Columbia.
We can order a sample before you buy. Whether you need silk-screen, embroidery or the trendy sublimation (where you can print any colors) we have it here for you.  Check out the site for the latest and greatest in apparel trends or the old stand bys www.thecorporatechoice.com/aueragency.
With brands like
Adidas
Econscious - Eco-friendly Apparel
Anvil
Hanes
Champion
Columbia
Fruit of the Loom
Rabbit Skins
Alternative - edgy apparel for women and men
Bella - very trendy for women


As 2010 comes around, be ready with new branded apparel to wear to meetings, functions or the company's softball games. We can also design new t-shirts for your company, team or event. As well as brochures, posters and social media.

Give us a shout if you want to look good in 2010.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

24 Hours of Booty Sign-up and in new places

Auer Agency | Charlotte, NC | 704.236.0568 | mariellen@aueragency.com


We were part of 24 Hours of Booty, before most people even heard about it. We designed their t-shirts, signs and logos. Now they have grown into an "inc." We are so proud to be associated with this event and helped to earn its place in history!
If anyone needs jerseys, or shirts showing who you are riding for let us know. We can do the design and work with any vendor you want!


Here is the new sign-up info:





In 2009, 24 Hours of Booty, Inc. raised more than $1 million with events in Char lotte, NC and Columbia, MD, and to date 6,000+ riders have raised more than $3.7 million.  We are announcing today that registration for The Ninth Annual 24 Hours of Booty in Charlotte and The Second Annual 24 Hours of Booty in Columbia will officially open onMonday, Jan. 4, 2010!
Our annual charity cycling event – geared towards teams and individuals and open to participants of all ages and skill levels – is scheduled to roll on the “Booty Loop” in Myers Park, Charlotte, NC from 7 p.m. Friday, July 30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 31, 2010. Event registration will be capped at the first 1,200 registrants. Carolinas Medical Center’s Blumenthal Cancer Center is the presenting sponsor of this year’s event where participants will gather at the Queens University of Charlotte athletic fields for camping, food and fun.
In addition to the Charlotte event, 24 Hours of Booty will also host the Second An nual 24 Hours of Booty of Columbia, Md. at Gateway Business Park “Booty Loop” on Aug.28-29 and its inaugural event in Atlanta on Oct.2-3. The location is still being determined for the Atlanta event.
We hope that you will join us for the 2010 24 Hours of Booty to help us continue our mission to support the Lance Armstrong Foundation and local cancer organiza tions in our host cities.


Sincerely,



sig 2





Friday, December 4, 2009

Future Development of Lifestyle Products

Auer Agency | Charlotte, NC | 704.236.0568 | mariellen@aueragency.com



Want to discover some new innovations in the lifestyle sector?


The ID’09 exhibition in \in the Nederlands, showcased the work of \students from the Eindhoven University of Technology. Whilst the exhibition has since finished, its informative website lets you discover some amazing innovations for the entertainment, home interiors and fashion sectors, including Jukebugs by Joris Zaalberg, Flowtime by Ralph Zoontjens and The collective potential by Wouter Kersteman. I would certainly recommend looking at the site if you are interested in the future development of lifestyle products.

http://www.id09.id.tue.nl/exhibition.php#3

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Designs in Walgreens Flyer



Auer Agency | Charlotte, NC | 704.236.0568 | mariellen@aueragency.com

I wouldn't say we are famous, but our work popped up in the Sunday's Walgreens flyer finally. It's under the photo gift section and there is a coupon too!
We recently finished creating t-shirts template designs for a specific market...Soccer Mom market. Hmmm think, cool t-shirt design, with cool t-shirt with cool mom with cool kids. SNAP!! Of course, a soccer mom t-shirt that shows off her kids!!
We worked really hard to create these edgy designs. Featured is the cool Island theme with palm tree and floral background design. Run down to your nearest Walgreens to purchase your own t-shirt. They make Great Xmas gifts!!