Welcome to “The Pond,” the whimsical domain of Mike Frey, the Chief Visionary Officer of Paradux Media Group. In his blog, “Beyond the Pond,” Mike extends a warm welcome to fellow enthusiasts, offering a unique blend of musings that reflect his diverse interests and, undoubtedly, captivate yours.

As the Chief Visionary Officer, Mike Frey brings a wealth of experience and a distinctive perspective to his blog. A brief introduction by Mike himself sets the tone—a friendly greeting inviting readers to dive into a space where curiosity, passion, and a touch of humor converge. “Beyond the Pond” is more than a blog; it’s a portal into the mind of a visionary who explores topics that resonate with him, hoping to strike a chord with his audience.

Expect an engaging journey through the realms of Media, Ducks, and Golf—themes that may seem disparate at first but come together seamlessly in Mike’s narrative. The blog is a canvas where each post paints a vivid picture of his interests, and the casual yet insightful tone creates an inviting atmosphere. Whether you share a love for media intricacies, have a soft spot for ducks, or enjoy the laid-back elegance of golf, “Beyond the Pond” promises something for everyone.

Mike’s writing style is a reflection of authenticity, offering readers an unfiltered glimpse into his thoughts and the stories that pique his curiosity. This blog is a testament to the idea that, in the world of Mike Frey, there’s always something interesting just beyond the pond. So, whether you’re a media aficionado, a duck enthusiast, a golf aficionado, or simply someone seeking a refreshing perspective, step into “Beyond the Pond” and let Mike guide you through a delightful exploration of his captivating world.

Always Be Willing To Learn: Continuous Learning in SEO

Life is all about learning; if you are not learning, you are not living. Paradux Media Group has grown immensely over the past 18 months, consistently adding new features and departments so our clients can have an all-in-one advertising agency. With the explosion of social media and all the other existing marketing possibilities, it has…

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Website Consolidation for Improved SEO: A Strategy for Business Owners

It might look a little different than before, but rest assured, it’s still the same Paradux Media Group, you know. We recently decided to consolidate multiple websites, bringing all our content and blogs “in-house” under one roof. This change wasn’t just about making things look neater—it was about solving a problem many businesses face: fragmented…

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Buy Local …Ramblings and Thoughts

There have been numerous ‘buy local’ campaigns over the past few years. Many of these campaigns have been economic-driven, as people have seen many long-standing local businesses disappear due to the economy. Project 3/50 has used social media well to spread its philosophy of shopping locally. Last year, American Express had a great social media campaign…

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Let Us Not Forget What Social Media Is About: The Benefits of Social Media Engagement

While many of us in the agency and media business write and try to calculate a business’s ROI in social media, let’s not forget the real benefits of social media and just how kind and generous people and companies can be. Our business page posted the best thing about social media on social media day. …

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Twitter Rules? Let’s Not and Say We Did! A 2024 Perspective on X (Formerly Known as Twitter)

Why must we attach so many rules and expectations to how we communicate on social media? Every day, there seem to be new guidelines on how we should engage on X (formerly known as Twitter). But how boring would that be if we all followed the same rules and posted in the same way? Isn’t…

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Facebook ‘Likes’ Harder To Come By

Facebook ‘Likes’ aren’t as easy to come by as they were two years ago. When a few businesses were taking the plunge, it seemed that all you had to do was pop a Facebook page and get hundreds of ‘Likes’ immediately, which was pretty easy for a local business. I was less selective about what…

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No Tiger Means Twitter Stream Instead of Talking Heads

It is the eve of the US Open. As a society, we seem to have a fascination with knocking people off their pedestals, gawking at a car accident, and seeing a train wreck, precisely what the US Open tends to do. Men who make the game look easy week in and week out will be…

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Putting and Advertising Both Can Drive You Nuts

Many life comparisons can be drawn to golf; advertising is one. I am happy with most of my golf game; my ball striking has never been better, and lessons from our pro certainly helped with that. Last year, I began to lose confidence in my putter. It started with the club championship last fall and…

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The Groupon Effect

While there is plenty of debate over Groupon, this blog will not deal with “Does it train consumers only to buy things at 50% off?” but instead talk about one particular client we have who recently did a Groupon and their results. While many Groupons you see are for sexy businesses (your favorite places to…

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Finally A Birdie For The PGA With Social Media

For 13 years, the PGA Tour was a bit like the Facebook of sports. Not because it was innovative or cutting-edge—hell, it wouldn’t even allow you to enter with your cell phone to one of its events—but because it had Tiger Woods, who for the most part of those 13 years was about as powerful and…

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Local Newspaper vs Social Media

To communicate effectively, we must realize that we all perceive the world differently and use this understanding to guide our communication with others. Well, that just wouldn’t be a fair fight now, would it? It would fall under the proverbial saying, “Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight. ” This is part three of…

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Television vs Social Media

In part one of my comparisons of traditional media marketing comparisons, we looked at Radio vs. Twitter. In Part Two, we’re going to compare Television and YouTube.  As a business owner and marketer, I believe that Television is best known for making stars and imagination; television is best used in your marketing plan to create…

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Radio vs Social Media

The title is a little misleading, as it’s not pitting one against the other as much as trying to point out more similarities. Many small business owners invest in radio every month. These same business owners scratch their heads and wonder what or how social media fits into their marketing plans. So, for those business…

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Talking to No One

I’ll always be a softy for radio. I spent too many years in the industry for it not to be in my blood. I sometimes wish it would go away; it reminds me of that old football injury that makes it hard to move in the morning, but you wouldn’t trade the pain for the…

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Can We Teach an Old Media New Tricks?

It seems that traditional media has learned a little over the past 15 years with the announcement that The Washington Post Company has officially launched its full-service Facebook marketing and advertising agency, SocialCode. The agency will offer page management, app development, social commerce, fan monetization, message testing, and advertising through Facebook’s ads, but it is…

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Facebook Friends Come In All Shapes and Sizes

Everybody has a different need and use for facebook.  We have friends who look at Facebook as a place to contribute, me being one of those.  I rarely go two days in a row without making a post, and depending on what’s happening will generally make one to three posts in any given day. We…

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Sorry Old Friends I’ve become a Facebook Snob

What’s happened to our friends who aren’t on Facebook?  I often wonder, and it seems as though I’ve just lost track of them.  It used to be that we would keep in contact with our Rolodex of friends through our Rolodex.  Call, catch up, sometimes the calls would be too frequent and others not frequent…

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Social Media Lessons from the BCS

Social media seemed to be the most dominant presence during the BCS National Championship weekend. If you’re still wondering or questioning whether your business should be involved in social media, you weren’t in Phoenix this weekend. I was a lucky Duck fan to have enjoyed the experience of attending the BCS National Championship, which in…

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My BCS Experience

Our flight was from Sacramento which meant the trip began with a 4 ½ hour haul down I-5 Saturday morning. Tim and I were ready, a dream come true to watch the Ducks in the BCS Title game. The 4 ½ hours just flew by; we were in Sacramento in what seemed to be a…

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