Indianapolis (Tuesday December 20, 2011) Jen Wilfong, a 25-year veteran of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT), has joined Slingshot SEO as Vice President of Marketing.
“We are delighted to add Jen’s decades of marketing experience and success at a Fortune 100 company to the Slingshot SEO team,” said Jay Love, CEO of Slingshot SEO. “Slingshot SEO is growing rapidly as we provide our clients with digital relevance for their deserving brands. Jen’s insight and experience has made a strong team even stronger.”
Prior to joining the Indianapolis SEO firm, Wilfong spent 25 years at Caterpillar Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. She served in a variety of positions, including District Manager, Strategic Implementation Manager, Global Brand Manager and Global Customer Support Manager. During her final two years at Caterpillar, she launched Can Do Coaching & Consulting, a practice focusing on coaching and consulting entrepreneurs and women in leadership roles. She has spoken around the globe on issues of leadership and brand dominance.
Wilfong received her B.S. in Business (Marketing) from Indiana University (Bloomington) where she was a four-year letter-winner on the IU women’s basketball team (1982-86). She began her new role at Slingshot SEO on Monday, Dec. 12.
About Slingshot SEO Indianapolis-based Slingshot SEO was ranked #58 on the 2011 list of Inc’s 500 Fastest Growing Companies, and was #14 on the 2011 Tech200. Founded in 2006, Slingshot SEO provides professional SEO services to more than 150 clients across the country. The company’s results are driven by a tireless passion to make deserving brands digitally relevant. For more information about Slingshot SEO and to read customer reviews, visit http://www.slingshotseo.com. *****
The latest episode of Slingshot SEO’s SearchTV, a 30-minute rapid-fire show, provided interesting highlights of Google’s freshness update, the impact of Siri, and branded SEO. Watch as Account Executive Jim Brown and Director of Consulting Jesse Laffen discuss the latest in the ever-evolving world of search. Read more »
Indianapolis…Two of the most respected brands in online marketing, MarketingSherpa and Slingshot SEO, are hosting a free webinar to help marketers make sense of the increasingly confusing world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
While savvy and successful marketers know they need to have a strategic SEO plan, many rely on random advice which does little to further their brand’s online presence. In this webinar, MarketingSherpa and Slingshot SEO will boil down the voluminous data and provide insights into the effectiveness and degree of difficulty of popular SEO tactics, so marketers can make well-informed decisions on their SEO campaigns.
Presenters include Kaci Bower, Senior Research Analyst and Jen Doyle, Senior Research Manager at MarketingSherpa, a leading research firm specializing in tracking what works in all aspects of marketing, and Jesse Laffen, Senior SEO Consultant at Indianapolis SEO firm Slingshot SEO.
This hour-long webinar will help you learn: - How SEO can increase lead generation - Common challenges hampering SEO effectiveness - Most important goals for SEO programs - Developing a process for SEO effectiveness per SEO tactic - The role of content in SEO
The free webinar is Thursday, Dec. 15 at 1 pm Eastern. Register here.
About Slingshot SEO Founded in 2006, Slingshot SEO provides professional SEO services to more than 150 clients across the country. The company’s results are driven by a tireless passion to make its enterprise client base more digitally relevant. In May 2011, Slingshot SEO was recognized as the “IT Company of the Year” at TechPoint’s Mira Awards, the premier technology awards program in the state of Indiana. For more information about Slingshot SEO and to read customer reviews, visit http://www.slingshotseo.com.
Indianapolis (November 17) – Slingshot SEO, the company dedicated to providing digital relevance to deserving brands, has a few tips for online shoppers this holiday season.
“The Monday after Thanksgiving, dubbed ‘CyberMonday,’ has been called one of the busiest online shopping days of the year,” said Jeremy Dearringer, Chief Research Officer and co-founder of Slingshot SEO. “In 2010, there was more than $1 billion invested in online spending on that day alone. One Slingshot SEO client saw a jump of 272% in traffic on their site last year on CyberMonday, with an average client increase of 38%. Before making purchases online, there are some easy steps consumers should consider to get the right product at the best price.”
Know where to search.
Google and Bing are the two most popular search engines, but for CyberMonday, there are a host of other specialty search sites, including www.cybermonday.com and www.bestcybermondaysales.com. Yahoo.shopping.com and shopping.aol.com are also great shopping search sites for the big day.
Words are important: How to phrase what you want so you get what you want.
The more detail you can provide, the better. Google and Bing love it when you mention specific brands in your search – for example, Cyber Monday Samsung Sears. If there’s a particular online store or brand out there that you are familiar with, mention it in your query.
Why being abandoned isn’t all bad.
You’ve been eyeing an item for a month – your research is done. You are certain that you’ve found the best deal online. So why abandon your shopping cart mid-purchase? Recognizing that many purchases are abandoned at this critical phase of the selling process, many online retailers will email you a coupon (an extra 10% off, free shipping) if you abandon your shopping cart just before completing your purchase. Give it a try.
If you are a retailer looking for ways to enhance your online presence for CyberMonday, be sure to check out this Holiday SEO Checklist for a few easy steps you can still take to capture the crowd. About Slingshot SEO Indianapolis-based Slingshot SEO was ranked #58 on the 2011 list of Inc’s 500 Fastest Growing Companies, and was #14 on the 2011 Tech200. Founded in 2006, Slingshot SEO provides professional SEO services to more than 150 clients across the country. The company’s results are driven by a tireless passion to make deserving brands digitally relevant. For more information about Slingshot SEO and to read customer reviews, visit http://www.slingshotseo.com. *****
Indianapolis, November 2011- Slingshot SEO, the company dedicated to providing digital relevance to deserving brands, has opened new sales offices to better serve its growing client base of market-leading brands.
“As our reputation for quality work and campaigns continues to grow, our need to be on the ground with experienced sales professionals is likewise expanding,” said Kevin Bailey, President and co-founder of Slingshot SEO.
Justin Knarr is leading Slingshot SEO’s efforts in the Northeast as Enterprise Account Executive. Knarr has experience at IBM and several software companies and has a proven track record in client service and business development.
Brian Tomey has been hired as Enterprise Account Executive serving the Southeast. Tomey has more than 10 years of sales experience, having spent the last five years as Senior Business Development Manager at ExactTarget, the leading global provider of on-demand email marketing and interactive marketing solutions.
Leading Slingshot SEO’s Texas efforts, Patrick Davis has five years of sales expertise in online marketing services at Manticore and Apogee Search.
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Slingshot SEO now has sales offices in five states.
About Slingshot SEO Indianapolis-based Slingshot SEO was ranked #58 on the 2011 list of Inc’s 500 Fastest Growing Companies, and was #14 on the 2011 Tech200. Founded in 2006, Slingshot SEO provides professional SEO services to more than 150 clients across the country. The company’s results are driven by a tireless passion to make deserving brands digitally relevant. For more information about Slingshot SEO and to read customer reviews, visit http://www.slingshotseo.com. *****
Indianapolis (November 2, 2011) With search and social media at the forefront of online marketing, a free webinar is being hosted by two leading online marketing organizations to teach you how to keep your brand in front in this increasingly competitive environment.
Well-known social media expert Jason Falls and Erik Deckers, co-authors of No Bullshit Social Media, will share insights into the seven business drivers of social media. Search will join the mix as Jeremy Dearringer, CRO at Slingshot SEO, weighs-in on search implications of those business drivers.
What you’ll learn:
- The relationship between social media and SEO
- How your social media and SEO campaigns directly affect reputation management
- Expert advice on the 7 business drivers of social media and search
The free webinar is Monday, Nov. 7 at 1 pm Eastern. Register here >>
About Slingshot SEO Founded in 2006, Slingshot SEO provides professional SEO services to more than 150 clients across the country. The company’s results are driven by a tireless passion to make its enterprise client base more digitally relevant. In May 2011, Slingshot SEO was recognized as the “IT Company of the Year” at TechPoint’s Mira Awards, the premier technology awards program in the state of Indiana. For more information about Slingshot SEO and to read customer reviews, visit http://www.slingshotseo.com. *****
How to get more out of your email program through SEO
Indianapolis…Three of the top national companies in online marketing are hosting a free webinar to share insights and marketing strategies that have helped shape one of the country’s leading brands and powered them to the top of the Inc. 500 National Consumer Marketer list.
Angie’s List, one of the world’s largest recommendation engine for local contractors, service providers and doctors is teaming up with Slingshot SEO, the company dedicated to providing digital relevance for deserving brands, to host the webinar with ExactTarget, the leading global provider of on-demand email marketing and interactive marketing solutions. The webinar offers marketers a chance to get expert advice on combining email strategy and search engine optimization to:
Maximize the ROI of your email program
Reach new customers
Nurture leads through the sales process
The free webinar is Thursday, October 27 at 1 pm Eastern. Register here>>
About Angie’s List Angie’s List collects consumer reviews on local contractors and doctors in more than 550 service categories. Currently, more than 2 million consumers across the U.S. and Canada rely on Angie’s List to help them make the best hiring decisions. Members get unlimited access to local ratings via Internet or phone, exclusive discounts, the Angie’s List magazine and help from the Angie’s List complaint resolution service.
About ExactTarget ExactTarget is a leading global provider of on-demand email marketing and interactive marketing solutions. The company’s Interactive Marketing Hub technology provides organizations a single solution to connect with customers via email, integrated text messaging, landing pages and social media. Supported by collaborative global services teams, ExactTarget’s technology integrates with more sales and marketing information systems than any other in the industry, including Salesforce.com, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Omniture and Webtrends among many others. ExactTarget powers permission-based multichannel communications for thousands of organizations around the world including Expedia.com, Best Buy, Papa John’s, CareerBuilder.com, Gannett Co., Inc., The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The Home Depot and Wellpoint, Inc. For more information, visit www.exacttarget.com.
About Slingshot SEO Founded in 2006, Slingshot SEO provides professional SEO services to more than 150 clients across the country. The company’s results are driven by a tireless passion to make its enterprise client base more digitally relevant. In May 2011, Slingshot SEO was recognized as the “IT Company of the Year” at TechPoint’s Mira Awards, the premier technology awards program in the state of Indiana. For more information about Slingshot SEO and to read customer reviews, visit http://www.slingshotseo.com. ****
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—The company dedicated to providing digital relevance for deserving brands, Slingshot SEO reviews the recent ExactTarget Connections 2011 conference, held in Indianapolis.
The three-day event, held as an annual user conference for ExactTarget clients and partners, attracted more than 3,000 attendees and featured more than 50 breakout sessions ranging from interactive marketing best practices to case studies and advice on how to build engaging interactive campaigns across email, social media, mobile and the Web.
Slingshot SEO participated as a proud sponsor of the event. As a participant in the event lineup for the week, and presenting a case study with Angie’s List, the Slingshot staff found true value in its involvement with Connections. Slingshot SEO gave rave reviews on Connections 2011.
“Scott Dorsey and his team at ExactTarget set out to inspire, educate and entertain – and they 100% delivered on that promise,” said Aaron Aders, Slingshot SEO Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder, said.
“Nobody puts on an Internet marketing conference like ExactTarget. No contest! The Connections conference was nothing short of breathtaking and over the top both in content and entertainment,” Jeremy Dearringer, Slingshot SEO Chief Research Officer and co-founder, said.
“I found out just how valuable our partnership with ExactTarget is by virtue of the activities and contacts made at their conference,” Jay Love, Slingshot SEO CEO said. “Then to top it off, it was truly fun!”
“ExactTarget Connections 2011 was masterfully executed with keynote speakers, compelling breakouts, great company, and after hours events that kept us wanting more,” Kevin Bailey, Slingshot SEO President and co-founder, said.
Brian Tomey, Slingshot SEO Enterprise Account Executive, said, “ExactTarget’s Connections 2011 – ‘The Power of One’ – will be remembered as ONE of a kind! Remarkable brands, fantastic content, and outstanding entertainment.”
“ExactTarget greatly impressed me with their lineup of presenters, speakers and empowering leaders,” Courtney Logel, Slingshot SEO marketing associate, said. “Aron Ralston shared one of the most inspiring stories I’ve heard in a long time. His story demonstrated not only the power of one individual’s will to live, but how the power of many, and of love, can truly save a life.”
About Slingshot SEO Founded in 2006, Slingshot SEO provides professional SEO services to more than 150 clients across the country. The company’s results are driven by a tireless passion to make its enterprise client base more digitally relevant. In May 2011, Slingshot SEO was recognized as the “IT Company of the Year” at TechPoint’s Mira Awards, the premier technology awards program in the state of Indiana. For more information about Slingshot SEO and to read Slingshot SEO reviews, visit http://www.slingshotseo.com. ******
How to redirect and apply journalism skills to a growing industry
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.— Tens of thousands of newsroom jobs have been lost in the last few years as newspapers continue to struggle as a result of the economy and changes in technology.
So, where are print journalists going? Slingshot SEO knows where some of them are heading.
Indianapolis-based Slingshot SEO, a professional search engine optimization practice with more than 150 clients, has created an editorial team to ensure the quality of its online content. The team’s 18-member internal team, which consists of 11 writers and seven editors, includes six former full-time journalists.
Slingshot SEO Editor-In-Chief Shari Finnell, a former -reporter and editor for the Indianapolis Star and, most recently, Editor in Chief of Indianapolis Woman, said the transition from journalist to web content specialist was not as dramatic as some might think.
“Although the internet is an entirely new medium for many of the former journalists who have made the shift, we’re finding ourselves in familiar territory,” said Finnell, a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. “Many of the standards and ethics that ruled print are now being embraced in this industry. It’s a transition that has been in the works for the past couple of years, as Google and companies like Slingshot SEO constantly strive to raise the bar on the quality of content people are finding on the web.”
Slingshot SEO Search Media Editor Ben Shadley explained his decision to make the leap to online content development. “I left print journalism because I felt the shifting media market was trending toward fewer opportunities and less stability for those working in traditional formats,” said Shadley, a graduate of the Indiana University School of Journalism and former Editor of Outdoor Indiana magazine. “Journalism’s place and role on the web is still undefined, but I think it’s clear when you review the old business and distribution models that were prevalent only a few years ago are now obsolete in most cases. I moved on because I was interested in working in an environment at the forefront of the future of information dissemination.”
Derek Smith, former reporter at the Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune and Daily Reporter (Greenfield, Ind.), agreed that the shift to online content was both exciting and necessary.
“I observed significant changes in the newspaper industry over the years, including challenging trends in circulation and advertising. While I loved my time in news, I recognized that SEO was a hot industry where I could apply my skills in new ways,” said Smith, a Search Media Editor for Slingshot SEO.
Opportunities continue to open for those interested in making the leap Into the expanding field.
“It’s an exciting time in the industry,” Finnell concluded. “The internet is going through a major evolution and we’re on the cusp of some major developments with content. As search engines become more and more complex, quality content is increasingly rising as a factor. Because of that, journalists and authors will continue to find a place to use their talents and skills.”
About Slingshot SEO Founded in 2006, Slingshot SEO provides professional SEO services to more than 150 clients across the country. The company’s results are driven by a tireless passion to make its enterprise client base more digitally relevant. In May 2011, Slingshot SEO was recognized as the “IT Company of the Year” at TechPoint’s Mira Awards, the premier technology awards program in the state of Indiana. For more information about Slingshot SEO and to read customer reviews, visit http://www.slingshotseo.com. *****
Indianapolis (August 23, 2011) Indianapolis-based Slingshot SEO, a professional search engine optimization practice with more than 150 clients, has been named one of the country’s fastest growing private companies by Inc. magazine. This is the first year the company has qualified for the list.
Slingshot SEO was ranked No. 58 on the annual list, based on its three-year revenue growth rate of 3,596.8%. Founded in 2006 by three friends from Zionsville, the company has grown to nearly 100 employees today.
The Inc. 500 has been published every year since 1981 to rank America’s fastest growing entrepreneurial businesses.
“The team at Slingshot SEO could not be more excited about today’s announcement,” said Kevin Bailey, President and Co-Founder of Slingshot SEO said. “Inc. magazine is the definitive voice on U.S. entrepreneurship, and it is a credit to our entire team that we’ve been recognized with this honor.”
Other Indiana companies named on the 2011 Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies list include KPaul (Indianapolis, No. 91); Stonegate Mortgage (Fishers – No. 140); ChaCha (Carmel – No. 219); Livin’ Lite Recreational Vehicles (Wakarusa – No. 278); iGoDigital (Indianapolis – No. 355) and Exacq Technologies (Fishers – No. 401). The magazine also revisits Daleville’s Stoops Express, which topped the list thirty years ago.
Companies such as Microsoft, Zappos, Intuit, Jamba Juice, Zipcar, Clif Bar, Vizio, Oracle, and many other well-known names gained early exposure as members of the Inc. 500.
The 2011 Inc. 500, unveiled in the September issue of Inc. (available on newsstands August 23 to November 15 and on Inc.com), is a group of companies that are smaller but much faster-growing than last year’s crop. Aggregate revenue is $10.5 billion, with a median three-year growth of 1,275 percent. The companies on this year’s list employ more than 46,000 people and generated over 35,000 jobs in the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 500, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found on Inc.com/500.
About Slingshot SEO Founded in 2006, Slingshot SEO provides professional SEO services to more than 150 clients across the country. The company’s results are driven by a tireless passion to make its enterprise client base more digitally relevant. In May 2011, Slingshot SEO was recognized as the “IT Company of the Year” at TechPoint’s Mira Awards, the premier technology awards program in the state of Indiana. For more information about Slingshot SEO and to read customer reviews, visit http://www.slingshotseo.com.
