out of the blue

Ahh….it’s that time of year again. Nope, it’s not tax season, not Christmas, not the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, but rather the end of football season. I’ve been informed it’s not officially the end until the “All Star” Game, but I still feel a small tinge (ok, fine, maybe a LOT) of excitement when the Super Bowl is finally over. This year, I went and saw “Revolutionary Road” during the game much to the relief of my liver. Anyway. The point of all this babble? The one good thing that football/the Super bowl does have to offer? Commercials. You love them, I love them, we all love them. So, for a nice little break from your monotonous workday- here’s a link to the 10 best and 10 worst commercials of 2009. My personal favorite- The Mr. Potato Head commercial. I actually emitted an “LOL” upon viewing it. So without further delay-

FoxSports.com 10 best/10 worst Super Bowl Commercials 2009

First, let me state the obvious. A website, no matter how beautiful and elaborately designed, doesn’t do anyone one bit of good if no one visits. Next point: With the millions of websites out there (it’s not 1996 anymore people) it’s not easy to make people visit YOUR site. It is tough! So before (or after for you unfortunate souls who didn’t consider this matter before you launched your “awesome” site) you launch your number one site selling the fruit of your loins, you should consider how you’re going to be found in Google. Yes, that’s right, I said Google. Google is the number one site for people who don’t know where they’re headed. But YOU need to know where your site is on Google in order to hope to make back at least a few of those dollars you sank into your website (so it’s not all in vain).

Ok, so let me start by saying that I am not the expert on how to be found in search engines. DPro Marketing (my employer) contains many folk with SEO (you’ll learn later) knowledge, but I am a novice. This makes me the perfect author of this article. This, folks, is SEO vs. PPC for dummies. Written by a novice. Makes sense, right?

Key Words to Know:

Organic/natural SEO: This is the term used to describe the rise of your website in search engines. SEO stands for search engine optimization. Still with me? Hang in there! Basically, Organic SEO as I understand it is your website showing up sooner on search results naturally. That is, versus paying for your website link to show up on the side. Organic/natural SEO is a good thing.

PPC: PPC stands for PPC. This is when you pay for your website to show up on people’s screens when he or she types in certain keywords (of your choosing). So you will rise in the search engines, but not naturally (now you’re getting it…)

SO WHAT?:

So why do you care about this? Well, you obviously want to be in the top of search results if you actually want people to visit your website. So the question is, how do you want to go about being found? PPC can get pricey and tricky, but it does yield guaranteed results (guaranteed in the fact that people will see your link, not that they will buy from you). Organic SEO is harder to achieve, but with inbound links and updating your site frequently to contain more keywords, you can do so. It seems that to achieve Organic SEO, it would be optimal to consult someone who actually knows what they’re doing, but go ahead and knock yourself out if you think you’re that awesome.

Either way, it is important to know the difference between these two search terms, both as a consumer and as a company. Whichever route you decide to take ( I feel as though I would recommend a combination of both), make sure your website is up to par so that when people actually get to the website (however they may get there) they are impressed and want to learn more.

That’s all my wisdom for the day. Surf on people, surf on.

Source: “Organic SEO vs. PPC?” by Kara Ratcliff

 Ahhh…Happy New Year.  I can’t say I’m too sad to see oh eight leaving us, especially with  the continuous decline in the economy (to top it off, I’m in Michigan), and I think we’re all looking forward to oh nine.  A new president will be entering the office and it feels like a fresh start for everyone.  That’s the hope anyway.  Of course, nothing comes easy and the same is going to go for your business.  In order for your business to thrive (or in some cases even just survive) in ‘09, you’re most likely going to need to switch up your marketing techniques.  You’re playing to a different crowd now that everyone is holding onto their money with the death grip.  In order to get your potential customer to part with their hard-earned cash, you’re going to have to make them want it….bad.  It goes without saying that the main place you’re going to need to worry about your marketing techniques is the internet.  So, without further delay, here is an article useful to what will be known as the hardships of ‘09.  Read it, learn it, own it, do it.  And good luck!!
20 Internet Marketing Trends of 2009

One of the most important yet overlooked aspects of marketing is the wording.  What you write does matter.  For many people, how their product/website looks is focused on and perfected to the tee, but when it comes to what their site actually says, it is just quickly slapped together.  This can, and most likely, will hurt your business. Sure, visually your website/brochure needs to draw your customer in, but your words are what actually keeps the customer’s attention.  Some pointers to keep in mind when writing: 

*Avoid the passive voice.  If you don’t remember active vs. passive voice from your days in elementary school- here’s a quick refresher.  In an active voice sentence, the subject is performing an action.  Example:  The dog ate my homework.  On the other hand, in a passive voice sentence, the receiver of the action in an active voice sentence will now become the sentence.  Therefore, the dog ate my homework will become: The homework was eaten (by my dog).  As you can see, the excitement of the passive voice sentence does not even compare to the active voice.  There are times, however, when passive voice is necessary-perhaps when you are trying to deflect blame, because in a passive voice sentence the agent of the action is not a necessity as in active.  Overall, just avoid being passive, ok?

*Vary your sentence structure/words.  No one likes to see the same thing over and over and over and over and over (Ok, you get it) again.  Vary your sentence structure, sentence length, and the words you use.  If you use the phrase “for example” in one paragraph, try “to illustrate” in the next.  Thesauruses are your friend- use them!

*Don’t get too hung up on grammar but know the basics.  The rules of grammar are constantly changing mostly because of the presence of the web.  The internet, instant messaging, emailing, and texting are changing the rules of grammar.  It IS acceptable to use LOL in the right context or the proper medium.  You probably shouldn’t use it in a brochure, but in a blog, it’s perfectly acceptable.  Don’t sweat the small stuff, but do learn the basics.  Example:  their vs. they’re, you’re vs. your, etc.  These will save your life and your business.  If I’m reading  even a blog and someone uses you’re as a possessive, I laugh at them.  Yes, that’s right. I’m that mean.  I can’t even take them seriously after reading that.  Learn the basics but know there are exceptions to the rules with the internet/text/email.

*Avoid the ordinary.  I recently read a story online about a homeless man who had a sign that read “Help me. I’m blind.”   A marketing lady took a marker and changed the sign to read “It’s autumn and I can’t see the leaves change color, please help.”  He made a lot more money panhandling.  So, even though you’re probably not a panhandler on the streets, you are a panhandler in the business world- plan accordingly.

Hope these help- just remember writing is important and to state the obvious:  spellcheck!

An important aspect of web marketing that is oftentimes overlooked is the choice of your domain name. While this choice initially seems like one that can be easily checked off the “To Do” list, it is, in fact, as important as naming your child. Your website, your company, your product, and you are going to carry this name with you for a good portion of your life (well, at least for the duration of the website’s life). Your domain name will not only affect how people view your product/company, it will also affect how many people actually visit your site (aka translating to your revenue)! Some important tips to keep in mind when sweating over your domain name (because now you’re aware that you should have at least one bead of sweat dripping off your forehead):

*Describe your product. Your domain name should be a simple, yet descriptive title of your product. Example: say you sell customized dollhouses. Your domain name should not be dollhouses.com, but rather customizeddollhouses.com. The reason for this is two-fold. One: This will make your website go to the top of search engine results, and two: those chumps sitting at their computer staring at the screen just typing in domain names blindly will have a better chance of finding you (come on, admit it, you’ve been known to do this-why do you think bored.com was such a success?).

*Leave out those quirky gimmicks! Sure, it’s cute when write your girlfriends that you are saving “All of my luv 4U,” but that’s not going to cut it when people are searching for your type. You need to be aware of any gimmicks you may be using-accurate spelling is usually best, although there are exceptions to this rule. Know your audience.

*Be aware of common misspellings. Even the word “misspell” is misspelled constantly (oh, the irony of it all). Therefore, when choosing your domain name, you need to choose words that the average Joe knows how to spell. This, many times, means leaving out those words such as receive (which is still the hardest word for me).

*Keep it a .com. This one is obvious enough- people always type .com first. This is going to be your ideal address.

*Short & Sweet. Enough said.

*Don’t be a thief! Sure, you might think it’s a great idea to steal a major company’s .com address, but in the end it could bite you in the ass. If I typed in Starbuckscoffee.com and get your jank coffee, I’m instantly turned off and in search for the real Starbucks. Think it through.

Once you do come up with the ideal .com name, SNATCH it up! Go to godaddy.com, check it’s availability, and purchase it!

It almost seems ironic to blog about blogging, but in today’s internet-crazed, social media driven marketing society, it’s also necessary. What began as a Livejournal.com craze evolved into the money-making, marketing ploy of the decade. Blogging is not only a way to vent your feelings and make yourself feel increasingly important, but it is now a marketing tool that can win the hearts of potential advertisers (thus increasing the dough in your pocket) and increase your customer base. If you are considering beginning a blog website for your company, here are some things to keep in mind.

Blogging is an important tool, but it should not replace good old-fashioned marketing. Just because you have a blog up on the internet where you impart all of your knowledge does not mean that you should neglect your company’s main page. Keeping BOTH up to date will prove to your customers that you know how to keep your personal and professional life separate. Sure blogging in the name of your company can be considered “professional” but at the same time, it does not carry with it the weight of professionalism that a good sturdy informative website does. It’s kind of like this: if your .com shows your customer what great work you do and represents you as a business, your blog could be considered to show your customer that you do have some experience (and thus knowledge) in your field, and also show them that you are a human, not a machine. Blogging can almost be considered a small peek into your personal life, therefore earning the trust of your customer and “friending” them.

As for the content of your blogs, it does matter what you’re babbling about. Of course, relevancy is key in blogging, but so is originality. With the ENDLESS amounts of blogs out there, people want to read something new (obviously). Be sure to put your voice into your piece too- your website is for the professional, no-nonsense and (oftentimes) boring information. Have a little fun, go a little wild, throw in some passion! This is probably one of your only forums where you can just be yourself-but also keep it real. Don’t try and make yourself seem like a genius on topics you aren’t really knowledgeable about. Say what you know, give people links to what you don’t know, and just have a good time.

One last thing to keep in mind before setting off into the sunset holding your blog’s hand- while blogging is increasingly important in marketing today, it’s also not that serious. If you have a bad day and write a bad blog, make up for it the next day. Life will go on.

Blog on reader…blog on!

After spending countless hours on social media websites such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Imeem, Plaxo (believe me, the list goes on and on), I consider myself to be somewhat of an expert in the field. Okay, maybe not an expert expert, but at least a novice expert if that makes sense. I not only use these sites for my own personal pleasure and interest, but I also help set them up and “farm” them for bands and companies. After working at this tediously for a few months, I can personally offer some tips for what is becoming an increasingly important way to get yourself “known” on the web. If you want to be somebody (and who doesn’t??), you need to have a Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., profile. When a younger crowd goes to find out about a company or person, guaranteed one of the first places they’ll check is Facebook or MySpace. Google is still a possibility of course, but you’ll get extra traffic if you’re in the hot spots of the web.

Setting up these sites are simple enough- next to the log on button is always a question posed for the viewer, “Not a member? Sign up!” It’s that easy! After entering some standard information about your likes/dislikes and personal data, add a picture (one where you don’t have broccoli stuck in your teeth) and you’re ready to go! While nearly all social media sites are free to join, many do have a VIP upgrade feature (for a price, of course). This is not necessary, especially at the beginning. Wait until you see if a site is working for you before you put your green into it. Some other things to remember when gaining “friends” on the sites:

        ● Personalize, personalize, personalize! You do not want to be known as that creepy spammer trying to          befriend everyone on the internet. One way of going about gaining massive amounts of friends without coming off as a “bot” (software that automatically adds friends) is to let your potential friends know your intentions. Be genuine! If you’re a singer and have a great song you think someone would enjoy, let them know. Nine times out of ten, they’ll accept your friend request and listen to your music. Also, if they write on your wall, Hey I like your music, THANK THEM. Manners go a long way in the real world, and the same works for the web! Commenting on other walls goes a long way, you’d be surprised. If you are an actual person working the site instead of a bot, people will recognize and respond in a positive manner. They’ll be interested to learn who you are.

● There is a time to be choosy. Sure it is nice when people ask you to be their friend, but there is a time to be choosy about the friends you accept and the groups that you join. At first, you don’t really want to be turning people down, but the time will come when you notice that JoeGreen has 25,0000 friends and loves Hard Rock. You play classical music. Check into the situation. Maybe Joe does have a genuine interest in your music, but chances are he’s a bot that is asking everyone for friends. The friends you accept reflect what your plans for social networking are to others. If you really want to find people who enjoy your music or company, but you accept all offers that come to your table, others could view you negatively. There are, however, some sites this is acceptable on, so just know your audience and your purpose.

●Patience is a virtue. It takes time to get friends, just like in real life. Sadly enough, you do not become top of the MySpace charts overnight. You have to work to earn your friends. Farming (the term I use which is basically updating, adding friends, and commenting on other’s profiles) is key to your success. You have to be patient in your endeavors. If you build it, they will come, but only after some time has passed. In the same way, you need to be patient in learning which sites work for you and which sites don’t. If a site isn’t working for you, let it go- there are TONS out there. Patience is key in learning the sites and making friends, thus gaining popularity in the world of web.

Overall, social media networking is a key marketing tool in today’s society and one that does not come easy. It takes practice just like anything else, but it will be crucial in gaining popularity on the web, as well as in “the real world” (although I argue there’s a thin line between the web and the real world today). It’s definitely worth trying, this “free” advertising is beneficial both to your company, and hey, you might just make a real friend or two out of it.

 As mentioned before, part of the genius of Victoria’s Secret marketing and advertising lies within its subtlety.  Consumers don’t always initially realize they are being advertised to, and therefore are more likely to buy from the company.  This week, however, when I was researching the latest trends in marketing, I came across a website that begs the question, Can you ever be too subtle in your marketing campaign?.  As of right now, I am still undecided as to the exact answer to the question, but I’d like to share a few thoughts.

After reading Chris Reidy’s article, “Nuance Website May Leave You Tongue-tied” in the Boston Globe, I was curious to check out a website recently launched by Mullen ad agency for Nuance Communications, Inc.  Nuance Communications is creator of the DragonNaturallySpeaking products, a line of programs that afford you the convenience of putting away your writing instruments and your typing fingers- basically talk to type programs where the program magically knows what you are saying and the words appear on your computer screen, in your email, etc.  Mullen has created frozenpole.com, a website so seemingly-pointless, you don’t even realize you’re being advertised to.  But will it work?

Frozenpole.com is simple.  Basically, you upload a picture of your face, pick an outfit for your little skier to wear and then attach yourself to a place in a ski resort that has metal.  Once attached to something metal, you can pick a holiday greeting and customize it.  Your skier will then “say” your greeting as though his or her tongue is attached to a pole.  You can send this animation greeting to anyone via email.  It sounds bizarre, I know- you really have to check it out yourself to understand what it is.  The only hints of this frozenpole.com being an advertisement come with the tiny little icon that says “DragonNaturallySpeaking” on the bottom left hand corner of the animation or in the email that your recipient receives with the link to the animation.   You can click on this icon and it will take you to the company’s website. That’s it!  There is no other way to know why this website is up- it could be some creepy old man in a basement with too much time on his hands.  

The pro of frozenpole.com or subtle advertising is that you keep your consumer entertained.  Even while I write this article, I am tempted to run home, upload a picture of my face, and send it to all my friends.  I really just might do this too.  I, the consumer, am endlessly entertained by frozenpole.com.  If I were in the market to buy talk to type software, I just might consider DragonNaturallySpeaking.  I’m not, however, and I can tell you what- I would still compare prices and if someone boring offered me the same program for less, I would use it.

So, that leads me to the obvious con of subtle advertising-inability to reach an audience that cares.  With frozenpole.com, you’re probably going to get a bunch of kids who don’t have any interest in your product going to make skiers with tongue-tied greetings. It will snowball (hah, pun intended) and soon more and more kids will receive this message and pass it on to more and more kids who don’t care.

Of course, I have to look at the fact that this website has already drawn nation-wide attention. So companies/individuals who are interested in talk to type software have inadvertently just been advertised to.  So maybe it is working?

Overall, it’s best to consider your budget when thinking of taking subtlety to the extreme when marketing your product.  If you have money to blow-go for it! Otherwise, I‘d recommend being a little more straightforward in advertising your product. Sure it’s good to be subtle, but the consumer needs to know why a website is up. It’s nice to make life fun for people- but do it for yourself too- by putting a little extra green in your pocket. 

Sources: http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2008/12/nuance_website.html

              www.frozenpole.com

            In today’s world, you can’t open or look at anything without being advertised to, even if in a subtle manner.  Even when you are walking down a crowded street, people wearing shirts with their favorite brand names on them are advertising to you.  Web pages are of course no exception.  The biggest and most popular of web pages (think Google) have advertising on their pages.  This is what makes the world go round:  advertising which equals money, money, money.  Therefore, when designing your webpage, it is extremely important not to overlook integration of ad space.  Even if your company does not currently have plans to put ads on your page, it is very possible that if your site gets a lot of traffic (as we all hope), you will be offered lucrative opportunities to advertise that you can’t (and won’t want to) refuse.

            Most web designers today have the experience and know-how when designing web sites to keep space available for future ad integration.  If this important aspect is overlooked during the design process, you are going to encounter problems when trying to integrate that much needed ad space in the future.  Adding ad space in the future will skew the rest of your site, causing it to be one of those sites that everyone immediately “X” es out of.  Believe me, in this case, your ad sponsorship won’t last for long in this case.

            There are some important factors to keep in mind when it comes to designing a website that has ad integration capabilities.  The first, of course, is placement.  You will need to maintain a delicate balance of ad space versus site content.  Obviously, you will need to make your ad in a desired location so that a company actually wants to buy the space, but you certainly don’t want it to overpower the content of your site.  A site is no good if all you can see is a giant cell phone, without being able to read any of the text regarding your bookstore’s great annual sale.

            Which leads to another important point…make sure that once you do have the privilege (yes, I meant to use this word) of integrating ads on to your page, to make them relevant to your viewer.  Sure, nothing can match exactly, but if I’m a dog lover and go to doglover.com and see an ad for a kitty litter box, it’s going to piss me off.  I’m not going to go back to doglover.com because they haven’t, in my eyes, stayed loyal to dogs.  Therefore, remember, your number one priority always lies with your potential customer!  Ads are indeed important to the success of your business and site, but you can’t have a business without a potential consumer.  Remember your audience.  DO NOT offend them.

            Other important things to consider when putting up ads besides placement and relevance are things such as color and the reputation of the company you are advertising for.  These may seem like obvious things, but remember all of the times you’ve gone to a site only to be blinded by a neon yellow box with a porn star in the middle (while you’re on a children’s site?)?   Again, do not sacrifice the reputation of your website for money.  In the end, you will lose money, and it won’t be worth it.

            Lastly, it is important to address the reluctance of many website designers/owners to put ads up on their website.  Many people consider themselves sell-outs if they put up an ad on their website.  I beg to differ.  As a consumer, I am usually impressed by the ads on a website. They actually, to me, seem to make the website seem more credible.  Granted, it has to be a reputable company and a relevant ad, but if a company I know and respect is advertising on a website that I am visiting, I am more likely to think, “Hmmm…must be a good site if they can get so-and-so to advertise on their page.”  Admit it-you’ve thought it too!

            In closing, ads can be your friend, rather than your foe as long as you anticipate them during the initial web design.  In addition, not only will they bring in extra cash from the ads themselves, but also can add to the credibility of your company.  If you can find a way to advertise on your site, do it. Just do it right!

Source:  Snell, Steven.  “Online Advertising and it’s Impact on Web Design.” 

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/12/03/online-advertising-and-its-impact-on-web-design/

Ahhhh….it’s that time of the year again….snow falling, Christmas music on the radio, women parading down a catwalk in sexy underwear….wait-what?! (For all you men out there, wipe that drool). Yes, we’re not talking about the coming of Christ, but rather the annual sex parade of the Victoria’s Secret models. I gotta hand it to Vicky- she knows how to market her bloomers. In an economy that’s rapidly declining, women and men everywhere are still running to Victoria’s Secrets in groves with hopes of discovering the secret.

This is the genius of advertising and marketing. Taking a product and making it appealing not only to your customer, but also your customer’s partner in good times and bad. Women want to be sexy so they’ll buy the product, and men want their women to be sexy, so they’ll also buy the product. Everyone wants to be and see sexy no matter what the economy. Pure genius. I don’t see any guys in line at the store in the Hanes section, unless they’re buying for Grandma Ruth.

Not only is Victoria’s Secret at a place where their product can literally sell itself, they also get paid to advertise. Take the fashion show that airs tonight. People on Ebay were paying thousands of dollars just to attend this event. Of course, it is a star-studded event and Usher will be performing, but when you stop and think about it- I’m sure Vicky is actually profiting off of this event. Not only are her sales on all these panties and bras going to sky-rocket, but the events coming alongside this event are never-ending. Parties, parties, parties. Charitybuzz.com was selling two tickets to the show and an after-party for an estimated cost of $25,000. It’s jaw-dropping.

So, I guess what we should learn from Vicky seems easy. Take your product and make it appeal to ANYONE no matter age, sex, or whom it truly is intended for. I’d be willing to bet that thousands of men have bras in their closet just because they had to buy something from that catalog-and no, they don’t have girlfriends. Also, if you can figure out a way to get other people to do your advertising for free (or even for a profit), go for it! YouTube is teeming with “sneak peek” videos for the show tonight.

Of course, this is all easier said to done, but with this extreme example of genius marketing, we can really learn a lot. I’m impressed. Girl power! Way to go Vicky! I need to learn your secret….

Oh, and for the curious: I’ll go ahead and play into the free advertising:

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show airs tonight 10/9c on CBS.

Happy Viewing.