Social Media Is Here

De-Coding The Best of CSUN 2012

Open publication - Free publishing - More csun

(1)          What is it?

The BEST of CSUN is an annual publication produced through the Daily Sundial at Cal State Northridge. Each February the CSUN community votes for their favorite businesses and servicesaccording to predetermined categories. Voting lasts through the month of February and the results are published both in print and online by late March.

(2)          Why does it matter?

Once the results are released, the Best of CSUN provides valuable insights to businesses about their reputation within the CSUN community. For example, winners tend to have a combination of strong branding and fan loyalty where as those who did not win might be missing something valuable to students.
To a business, winning means free exposure in the Daily Sundial through a directory  like listing giving the top three winners for each category. But that isn’t all; winners in any of the food and drink categories  will have their listings carried over into a restaurant guide published in the fall.

(3)          What's new this year?

This year featured a unique illustrated cover incorporating all the winners in a fun and unique way. The illustration gives the issue a sense of collectability and encourages people to treasure their copy . Alex Sonbalee, owner of the Thai Food Restaurant Lum-Ka-Naad, has even requested a copy of the illustration to frame and display in his restaurant! 

In addition to the  Daily Sundial's online promotion of the Best of CSUN results through their website, we've created a list of all the winners in foursquare. 

Foursquare users that check-in to businesses (or businesses nearby) that won in the Best of CSUN will see a tip from the Daily Sundial about the category that they won! Users can also follow the list and keep track of which businesses they've been to. It's kind of like a digital guide to all the best places around CSUN.

(4)          What's Next?

Winners of the Best of CSUN will soon be receiving certificates with the coveted Best of CSUN logo! Winning is a great honor so it would be beneficial tobusiness owners to display their certificates for all their customers to see. But the honor does not stop there, winners should think about how to maintain their title while others should think about how to grow their audience for the next year.

And of course the Daily Sundial is here to help; we have a fantastic staff just waiting to answer your questions and help you rise to the top, so give us a call! You can reach us at (818) 677-2998 or through our e-mail at ads@csun.edu.

CSUN Grad Fest 2012

March 7th and 8th 2012 is a special time at California State University of Northridge known as Grad Fest. During these two days students will be able to shop for their commencement items and speak to advisers about testing for Grad School. This is a big opportunity for a number of advertisers. As student's attentions are turned toward Grad Schools this is a great time for Universities to advertise their Graduate Programs. This is also a great opportunity for local businesses such as hotels and restaurants to cater to the influx of parents and family members that come into town to purchase commencement items for students.

To take advantage of this opportunity, contact a Student Representitive at the Daily Sundail by calling 818.626.2998 or by email at ads@csun.edu

App For That - Part 1. My Weekend with the iPod touch

I'm a child of the information age. I grew up with chat rooms and AOL Instant Messenger and still remember having a Cartoon Network profile page.  I remember when Myspace was cool and when everyone started switching to Facebook. I have profiles on dozens of video sharing, photo sharing and blogging sites and have over two years experience in Social Media consulting, marketing and management. I've been called a whiz kid and a social media guru ... but I still don't have a smart phone.

I know all about the phones and the apps from reading Mashable and observing my friends, but until recently I hadn't experienced them for myself. Over the weekend I checked out an ipod Touch from the office so I could learn by doing. Over the next few days I'll be blogging about my experiences in this whole new world of apps. Check back in tomorrow as  I discuss my new found addiction "Instagram."

Thanks for Reading,

Benjamin Andrews

Best of CSUN 2012

The Daily Sundial will be publishing it's 4th annual "BEST of CSUN" guide on March 22nd 2012. This special issue is a guide to the BEST businesses and services for CSUN students, voted for by CSUN students! 

This is a golden opportunity for businesses to measure student awareness and opinions. It's also a great reminder to businesses that reaching out to students is important!

Click Here to see all the Categories

Some ways you can use the BEST of CSUN Contest to your advantage:

- Share about the contest on your facebook and twitter

Students will thank you for letting them know about the opportunity to win an ipod touch and will be more likely to vote for you.

- Post flyers and signage in your store

Download our nifty "Vote for Us" flyer. Write in the category you want people to vote for you and post it. There's a QR code for smart-phone savvy users so they can scan and vote on the spot! Download Flyer

- Advertise

If you want people to vote for you, they need to know about you! The most direct and effective way to do this is with print and digital ads in the Daily Sundial. Get your name out there!

- Thank the Students if you win.

Winners will receive printed certificates that you can frame and put up in your store!

Voting starts today and continues all of February, don't delay. Call a student representative now to get started on your campaign. 818.677.2998