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Odessa Brewfest 2014

Web Design and Marketing: The Historic Odessa Brewfest

The first annual Historic Odessa Brewfest, held Sept. 6, 2014, was a huge success. Over 1400 visitors enjoyed gourmet food and spirits, local artisan crafts, historical demonstrations and award-winning ales, stouts, lagers, cider and Belgian brews from 47 craft brewers.

Sisyphus Boosts Facebook

Lessons Learned From Boosting Facebook Posts

Ever thought about promoting a post on Facebook? We’ve been dipping our toe in that water lately, and getting familiar with the quirks of the process. 

Viral Headlines Mob

Five Viral Headline Do’s and Don’ts

As recounted in last week’s blog, we tried a little experiment in writing viral headlines — choosing three different versions of a headline and promoting them on Facebook to see which got the most response. Businesses that rely on Facebook clicks do this kind of testing all the time, and on a much bigger scale. 

Viral Headlines

We Created Three Viral Headlines, and Frankly, We Were Surprised So Many Women Liked #2

The New Yorker magazine published a fascinating article last month about Emerson Spartz, the 27-year old Chicagoan who has made millions repackaging content to gain clicks on Facebook using viral headlines. 

Seoptimer: Building an Online Audience

To Build an Online Audience, Set a Low Bar

We all know how difficult it can be to get people to find and view a website, Twitter feed, YouTube channel or Facebook page. Posting to social media can feel like a drop in a bucket (reservoir, really) unless you can create the mojo that makes a bit of content go viral—and anyone who’s tried knows what a challenge that can be.

Pinterest Logo

Quick Tips for Marketing on Pinterest

We all know about promoting posts on Facebook and Twitter. Ever wonder why Pinterest hasn’t gotten in on this game? Turns out, they plan to launch a new Promoted Pins service soon (you can sign up ahead of time to get priority access when it's launched).

In the meantime, here’s a few tips to enhance marketing efforts on Pinterest.

Twitter Logo

Seasons Tweetings! Some Good Holiday Tweets From Brands

What makes a good marketing message on Twitter during the holiday season? Like any marketing effort, it's important to be mindful of public sentiment and simple good taste when promoting yourself on Twitter. 

URugby Hashtag

The Fickle Hashtag: Best Practices for Use

The hashtag — what we used to call a pound sign — is the trickster of the social media world. It’s supposed to bring order to chaos by providing a handy way for people to connect on a particular theme or subject, and it does—most of the time. But the hashtag can also unexpectedly be a source of chaos and confusion. 

Mark Zuckerberg

Holiday Promotion, Zuckerberg Style

With the holidays fast approaching, Facebook has some posting advice for businesses. 

Google Responsive Design Icons

Perfecting Responsive Design on Mobile—and Beyond

Here at 4x3, we’re always looking for ways to do things better. The conversation today revolved around making e-newsletters more responsive. Since so many people open emails on their phones, it makes sense to set best practices for design and content that optimizes the reading experience.