Metropolis Creative on Branding and Marketing

5-Step Web Design Process

2010-02-08T23:58:00.005-05:00

I'm constantly asked what my process is for web site design. There's actually a lot of thought that should go into a new design, before the "design" actually happens. This usually involves a lot of listening to the client, and a bit of research on our own.

Brand Definition

Before starting the design, it is important that everyone on the redesign team understands your brand. Because brands evolve over time, this is also a great opportunity for self rediscovery. Brand is perception. And every outward message and image shapes perception, from your tagline to the person who answers the phone. Once you discover what your brand is the next step is to mold it into what you want it to be.

Target Audiences

An open discussion with your team of managers, marketers, and salespeople will tell us not only who you target, but by what percentages. We are interested in who your target audiences are now, but also who you would like them to be moving forward.

Content

What is a customer looking for when they come to you? Do they know what they’re looking for? Prioritize your content on the site, specifically on the home page. Different coding techniques allow you to present information in a variety of ways. Let the content define the presentation. Create a site map to clearly organize the site’s architecture and content.

Wireframes

The design process begins with a home page content map, most likely in a wireframe form. It will determine the relative importance of each element on the home page, but won’t necessarily determine the look and feel of that page. A visual hierarchy of all elements, including the navigation, will ensure ease of use. Additional wireframe templates should be created as-needed.

Design

Once the wireframes have been approved, the layout and design can commence. The designs should answer all of your requirements in a usable and visually interesting way. Every color, font, image, the layout, and each message should be used to engage your audiences so that they follow the appropriate "calls to action."

Additionally, the goal is to have your site reach out and guide a user to the content within the site, and not just be a presentation of options and information. The site’s navigation has to be intuitive and actionable, so that users can easily access the information they need.

The design won't answer your needs if you don't take the time to figure out the questions up front. On a recent call with a client, she told me they didn't know how to determine what should be on the home page. I asked her, "What do your customers ask for over the phone? Give them that on your website."

Learning to Skate

2010-01-18T12:15:00.009-05:00

I've skated all my life, but have never been particularly good or comfortable with it. This year, rather than freezing on the sidelines while watching my daughter's lesson, I decided to get on the ice too.

I'm actually in a different group from her — I'm learning hockey skating. In just ten weeks, I'm amazed at how I've progressed. I'm doing crossovers to the right and left, forwards and backwards. I can stop on a dime from my right or left side (well, a very large dime) and reverse direction quickly. And its a lot of fun.

So I wondered, why is it that after just ten 25-minute lessons, I was able to progress so quickly, when I haven't really improved over the years? The answer is in the quality and style of the instruction. The instructor never asked what we were comfortable doing, she just told us what to do next. "Skate in a circle. Now reverse direction. Now do it backwards…" We didn't need to do it well, we just needed to do it. With a little confidence and some faith that it would all work out, I did everything she asked. And after a while, it became more comfortable.

Then I made a connection to how I art-direct my designers. (You knew this would get back to graphic design, right? This is a blog about design.) I hire young, smart, and eager designers. I look for raw talent and energy, and then I dump my requests on them. It shouldn't matter if the designer is unfamiliar with the client, type of project, software environment, or other technology required to complete the project. It's all about first determining the best solution, and then figuring out how to get there.

And in my experience, we always get there. As long as the team has the confidence to learn a new program, design a web site for a new industry, or snowplow to a stop while skating backwards — there's nothing that can stop us.

PS - if anyone wants to meet me at the Daly Rink some morning, let's do it.

5 Easy and Scalable Marketing Tips for 2010

2010-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

This should be the big year where we all take a turn for the better. The ideas below are all scalable — each one could take as little as a day, or could be a long-term project. Take a moment to review your company's marketing strategy for 2010. With a little effort, you could make a big impact.

Re-assess Your Brand

Is your brand still on target? Does it resonate with prospects and your community like it did when you first created your logo, website, sales materials? Send an informal survey to colleagues, friends, family, customers, etc. Get feedback. User experience is key to good graphic design. PS. A recent analysis by Fred Reichheld, a Bain & Co. consultant and author of Loyalty Rules , found that even a 5% increase in customer retention rates results in a 25% to 95% increase in profits (depending on the business). It definitely pays off to keep customers happy enough to return.

SEO

You've heard it for years. Search Engine Optimization is the most tried and true way for constituents to find you online. It is well-known to some and downright mysterious to others. It starts with a keyword discovery process. You then apply those keywords to your website both in the copy and in code.

Metropolis Creative has successfully improved our SEO over the past year. Keywords were optimized on website, images and blog. Targeted search phrases were used in our outbound messaging (blog, twitter, and facebook) to link back to our site. With the help of good graphic design of keyword search and discover programs like Wordstream and Google Analytics, Metropolis was found at the top of most searches for our target niche.
PS Meta keywords, paid links and keyword stuffing are the practices that worked in 90's and early 2000's. Search engine algorithms are changing and if you stick to the outdated strategies, then one day your site may no longer rank in the previous postition and greatly decrease your rankings.

Landing Pages

Getting traffic to your site isn't very helpful unless you can convert those visitors into customers. Traffic is driven to your site via channels. It could be a google search term, or it could be an email that you send out. It could be a keyword linked from a blog post that was picked up by another website, or mentioned in a social media post. The point is, you control the link to your web site, so link them to a page that makes sense. Minimize distractions here. Make a simple and obvious point, and give them the tool to contact you or make that purchase. The simpler, the better. A testimonial doesn't hurt. And BTW — plug some keywords on this page too (for Google).

Test, Test, Test!

There's no excuse not to use different versions of landing pages, email campaigns, and banner ads (among other things.) Its as easy as trying two or more versions and looking at the results. Learn from your successes and start over — every time. You don't have to create two entirely different pieces, just tweak the headlines, reverse the order of the content, change the subject line. You have a golden opportunity to learn what works best every time to send a message out. Use it.

Get Social

Generation Y and Z consider e-mail passé…In 2009 Boston College stopped distributing e-mail addresses to incoming freshmen. What are you using for social media? Use it for communicating, relationship building, reach, and even SEO. Build relationships with people who share interests with you. Then those people will tell others. It's relatively easy to maintain existing relationships with occasional messages, useful resource links, and reciprocal comments. The culture of social media fosters information sharing. If you post something useful or interesting, it will be shared and re-shared. If you include keywords in your post that link back to your website, it will help your SEO standings.

Somethings don't change — they just get better. With a little work, you can take a huge step forward in improving your brand, visibility, and conversions. Post a comment or question and I'd be happy to help you get started.

Color Envy: Does Your Website Have It?

2009-12-16T09:56:00.007-05:00

Color is a powerful web design tool, and it should be harnessed wisely or your website may lose potential customers. Color can talk to your readers before your content has a chance to speak. What is it saying?

Find the meaning. Colors hold certain meanings and emotions. Look at how your culture, state, community, etc. uses and thinks of color. Use this for your own means and incorporate them through your color palette.

Use color intentionally. At first glance your webpage should convey your brand clearly and not create confusion as if you landed on your page by accident. Well-known brands use color very well, and people remember color combinations. Consciously applying color through all of your marketing campaigns can achieve similar results.

Be different. It is tough to be successful in a competitive marketplace. Color can be an effective mode of creative differentiation — think purple window cleaner in a sea of blue products.

Functionality reigns supreme. Above all, color should be functional, plain and simple. It is an important visual cue for visitors — it signifies headers and sub-headers, navigation bars, links, and more — so use it clearly. Also, be ADA compliant. Keep a high contrast between the background and foreground, limit the overlapping of red and green colors for colorblind individuals, and keep readability high.

So whenever making a web site, the goal is to create a dynamic, functional, and brand-appropriate design. What sites do you think rock at color — or should just stick to black and white?

Tickle Pink with Colorful CTA’s and You’ll Stimulate Leads

2009-09-13T14:50:00.015-04:00

Force yourself to design each and every page with one and only one primary objective.
- Seth Godin

That’s right! At a quick glance, your website visitors should know what you are selling (or service you’re providing) and take action. A call to action (CTA) is a simple and clear step to tell your web guests what they can expect and what you want them to do.

Done right, CTA’s work 24/7 and deliver leads. Every visit to your website could be a lead. Without well positioned, consistent, specific and engaging CTAs, your website could be turning away business.

Does your website have at least one call to action? If so, look to see if these points are addressed:

Why Now

Have a compelling and maybe even time sensitive reason for visitors to do more then just look at your site. Have them take action (try, buy, sign up, download, etc).

Position

Create a ‘clear and visible’ CTA. Make sure it’s not hidden behind other information that perhaps only you or your internal staff find important (a common mistake).

Consistency

Place your CTA on every page. If visitors are not convinced on the first page and are looking for more educational content, flow them to next page but keep a CTA available on all pages. This way, visitors can click when something does tickle them pink.

Color

Use consistent color on the CTA’s so that visitors identify and recognize the CTA like a stop sign on every page.

Be Specific

Tailor your CTA’s to your audience's interest. Always consider your target audience’s interests, buzz words and pain points.

Get Engaged

Use wordage that is very engaging. Action words like Try, Hear, Join, Start are short, to the point and inviting. Phrases like Click here to learn more or Contact us for more information seem long winded and very yesterday.

Examples of CTA’s that tickle me and surely stimulate business:

Strong and powerful. The white lettering and slight bevel with a shadow pops out from the rest of page.

3D-look gives the viewer the impression that they should be depressed.

Straight forward and simple black and white. Then suddenly a vibrant green attention grabber.

The sign up stands out as a result of nice breathing space and unique illustration. A fun approach.

A ‘web 2.0 badge’ in the very center of the page that surely says click now. My favorite.

Want another opinion about your CTA? Ping manager@metropoliscreative.com.

PS. So what’s the most or least compelling CTA you've seen? Do share.

Guess Who's Trying Too Hard To Be Cool?

2009-08-17T20:15:00.009-04:00

What is it with brands trying to manufacture cool these days? You couldn't exactly do it in 5th grade, why do you think you can do it now?

Recently, Pizza Hut has tried it with sort-of changing their name to "The Hut", Radioshack did the same move by sort-of rebranding to "The Shack" (I say sort-of because officially both companies denied a full name change), and Microsoft's leaked retail concept is heavily Apple store inspired.

What do all of these examples have in common? They are trying to manufacture cool. After all, when did you ever think of these brands as cool? Pizza Hut dining experience cool? Please.

We've been seeing that most of the feedback from these examples has been negative. It's easy to say they are mistakes, because its clear that the brand is trying too hard. The advertising spin and copycat models that try to cover up real problems are so transparent it hurts. Relax. You don't have to be a cutting edge company to be cool. Look at office supply company W.B. Mason. How can you do it?

1. Have Genuine Passion

No one likes a company that does something half-assed. Be passionate about what you do, even if its selling paper-clips, and do it fanatically well. Chances are, your community is just as passionate as you are.

2. Know Your Brand

Passion usually doesn't show up in companies that don't have a solid knowledge of who they are, what they do, and how they fit in to the marketplace. Pizza Hut and Radioshack both come to mind. Know exactly who you are, what you do, and own your spot with meaningful value.

3. Have Fun

I always love brands that poke a little fun at themselves, and aren't afraid to lighten up. Being cool is being relaxed and not trying too hard.

In short: Be genuine, have passion, know your brand, and don't be afraid to have fun.

PS. Have you seen the very cool offer from Metropolis to help keep your brand coolness in check? Click here.

Does Your Website Pass The 4 W Test (In 4 Seconds)?

2009-08-16T10:26:00.018-04:00

Website design is an art. Website development is technology. Often the two don't connect on a site. Great websites combine layout, imagery, and type with technology to deliver clear, concise and compelling messaging.

Stop reading for 4 seconds. Take a look a your (or any website). Put it to a test.

The 4 Second, 4 W Test:

1. Who are you? Is the logo or company name legible and prominently placed?

2. What do you do? What’s your message/tag line? Short and to the point — quicker than even an elevator pitch. Avoid marketing jargon and boil your unique value proposition down to a few engaging words.

3. Where. Hello SEO! Let search engines know where you are by listing your industry or target audience specific key words. Hint: This will also help convert viewers to buyers.

4. When should I do anything with the info I just learned? Umm, today please! Add a prominent call to action. Get started now. Contact us today. Have a rep contact me now. (Add your phone # and an email address here too!)

Time's up! Did the site pass the 4 W's, or after 4 seconds were you left wondering who, what where and when? But wait, there’s more! Did you have to wait for a huge or ugly flash animation to load, or even worse, an annoying talking website actor barking about quality, comfort and price?

Actually, your site might not be that bad after all. Website design and development were divorced before before starting the Rocky Creek ATV Trail site.

So, what sites have you seen that don't pass the 4 W test (reply via comment box below)? I could list 10 in 10 minutes. Don’t get me started.

PS. Give your site a second opinion. A Metropolis Creative designer will put your website to the 4 W Test and reply with results to see if you make the grade. Send an email with "4 W Test" in the subject line to: manager@metropoliscreative.com.

4 Ways to Increase the Time Users Spend on Your Site

2009-08-03T14:05:00.011-04:00

If you have an online business and a corresponding website, you’ve likely had to address user engagement at some point, and if you haven’t, it is time to start. While getting traffic to your site is crucial, if users don’t stick around once they arrive, they are unlikely to convert into customers or sales, so make them stay.

Here are four ways to maximize the time users spend on your site. Address these factors and you are likely to see an increase in user engagement and conversions!

1. Make your site welcoming and easy-to-use

With the number of distractions, not to mention websites, vying for users’ attention, it is important to make sure your site is welcoming and easy-to-use.

Many of us have arrived at a website and noticed it makes us feel calm and comfortable. The website is inviting in some way and makes us want to stick around and explore. Try to think of a website design that makes you feel this way and take note of the qualities that stand out on your next visit.
This ‘sticky’ quality to some websites is a big part of ease-of-use, but there are more tangible aspects of your website that contribute to a carefree user experience. Things like a speedy site load time, uncluttered and logical navigation, and reader-friendly formatting of your website copy that includes headings to break up important points in your text and bolded keywords to direct users attention will make users feel at home on your site and encourage them to spend time looking around at what you have to offer.

2. Give users clear calls to action

If you want people to stick around, tell them what to do. When a user visits your site, they need more than a quick load time and welcoming interface design. They need direction.

Use clear and prominent calls to action to tell users what to do next, whether that is to read more about your company, check out your blog, try your product, or fill out a form. Be sure your calls to action are strategically placed on your site in areas where the eye tends to gravitate. Use call to action buttons when it makes sense, and design them to grab attention without making them garish. Finally, avoid overwhelming your user with conflicting calls to action. It is okay to repeat a call to action on an individual web page and at times it makes sense to give your visitors an option, but if you give them too many, you’re taking a risk that they glaze over and move on.

3. Educate users with articles, case studies, eBooks, and white papers

Users want information. They want to be educated. If the primary goal of your site is to inform, educational content specific to your business is an obvious inclusion, but the same is useful if your goal is sales, and to get a sale you need a user to stick around.

Add value to your site by educating your users and you will not only increase the amount of time they spend on your site, you will also help build brand credibility and activate the law of reciprocity, a powerful marketing principle popularized in the milestone book, The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini.

The law of reciprocity states when you do something for or give something to someone, they are naturally inclined to repay the favor, and marketers have been employing this principle for ages. Give your user something of worth in the form of content and they will take the time to divulge it. Once they are through, they are likely to be more inclined to become a customer, request more information, or at least come back for a second visit. Either way, you win.

4. Keep your content fresh

No matter how useful your content is, it also must be fresh if you want repeat visitors and long-term user engagement. While an impressive white paper or comprehensive how-to guide will gain traction on its own via word-of-mouth draw new visitors to your site, if you want people to keep returning over time, always offer them something new.

Start a company blog and post 2-3 times per week, host a forum where experts can share industry tips and advice, or pull in RSS feeds from authoritative sites and blogs to give users a comprehensive look at the pulse of your industry. As long as your content is dynamic, engaging, entertaining, and/or useful, users will take the time to consume it, spread the word, and return for more.

Hope these tips help you improve the performance of your website. Good luck!

Amanda Moshier is the staff writer and editor at Wpromote, Inc., the #1 search marketing firm in the US as ranked by Inc. 500. For more information on PPC Management, SEO Management, or how to grow your small business online, please visit www.wpromote.com/. You can also connect with us at twitter.com/wpromote.

Designing Landing Pages that Convert

2009-07-23T08:14:00.010-04:00

In developing a landing page for an online marketing campaign, there are five key questions that you need to ask (and answer) in order to design conversion friendly landing pages:

1. Where did the traffic come from?

This one is key. You’ll definitely want to craft two different landing pages for two different channels. Think about the difference in intent between these two visitors:

Clicked a Display Ad — This visitor responded to an advertisement on a website they were visiting. While you have some idea about their interests based on where you placed your ad, you have limited visibility as to who they are or what they want. Additionally, by clicking on your ad they’re showing a degree of interest in your ad’s creative, but your offering may or may not be something they have a pressing and active need for. The lesson here is to be sure to qualify with your display creative (explain who you are and what you’re offering as best you can) and to be sure that your landing page copy speaks specifically to that offer.
Clicked on a Highly Specific PPC Ad — This visitor has a specific need or intent; you want to be sure to speak to the pain point or question revealed by their search query in creating your landing page copy.

2. What did the last place look like?

In the event that you're launching an Email, display, TV, or print campaign, be sure to maintain consistency between the creative and the landing page. If your display ad used your company logo and colors, your landing page should too. If the colors in your magazine ad are subtle and understated, make sure you do the same on the page you send those readers to. This gives people an instant sense that they're in the right place, and makes them more likely to follow through with the action they intended to take in clicking your ad or typing in the URL you gave them.

3. What was the visitor promised?

What did your campaign say the visitor would get? Was it a white paper? If so, be sure to deliver that offer front and center. This seems intuitive but often landing page designs get cluttered with stock offers, too much emphasis on company logos or the navigation from the rest of your site: your goal here is to get the visitor to the offer he or she expressed interest in as soon as possible.

4. What do they expect?

This is a sort of amalgamation of the last two questions. One of the most important things you can do in designing a landing page is to get into the visitor's head. What are the visitor's expectations? What is the environment that they came from? What expectations did your ad create? What is their typical expectation with this type of offer?

5. How can you get them to take action?

This, of course, is the most important question. Sometimes designing the most aesthetically appealing landing page isn't the most conversion-oriented option, and you may have to sacrifice form for function. Using tools like ClickTale, Crazy Egg, and others you can test, monitor and find out which landing page layouts are working (and which ones aren't).

By listening to and trying to think like your visitors and potential customers, you'll start to ask and answer the right questions, which lead to better converting landing page design.

Tom Demers is the Director of Marketing for WordStream, a software manufacturer offering Keyword Management solutions for pay-per click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO). Tom is a frequent contributor to the WordStream blog where he discusses subjects like creating landing pages that work for both PPC and SEO.

Amstel Parties With a Winning Campaign - Consistently

2009-07-12T09:23:00.012-04:00

Amstel Light kicked off their One Dam Good Bier campaign by taking adult consumers on tour to "Amstel's Amsterdam" to experience a progressive twist on the art, nightlife, music and magic from the city in which it is brewed.

Each aspect of the campaign portrays the unhampered and cool culture of "Amstel's Amsterdam," including a redesigned and viewer engaging web site, off the hook new packaging, new outdoor and print ads and a
sweepstakes that gives adult consumers the opportunity to win a trip to Amsterdam.

"We witnessed an incredible reaction to the launch of One Dam Good Bier last year as consumers made the connection between Amstel Light and Amsterdam," said Kheri Holland Tillman, vice president of marketing, Amstel Light. "The brand saw a dramatic shift in consumption as a result of One Dam Good Bier. Now, we're taking the campaign to the next level by offering memorable experiences that speak to the diverse culture and fun of Amsterdam while reinforcing Amstel Light's heritage and brewing tradition. Amstel's Amsterdam is all about enjoying One Dam Good Bier and having One Dam Good Time."

I had the pleasure of witnessing the power of this seamlessly on-target and very tight campaign first hand last week at a club in Boston. Amstel culled the strength of their entire campaign into one room. Even the band and DJ (Shiny Toy Guns and DJ Clinton Sparks) matched the campaign’s theme. Talk about having a consistent brand!

Kudos to Amstel for practicing what I preach everyday: Have a consistent brand - a theme, and use the theme in various modalities. In addition to a damn good party with a custom t-shirt, Amstel is applying their consistent campaign theme thusly:

Packaging

This summer, Amstel Light is launching new bottle graphics and new packaging that embodies the brand's roots and tradition by emphasizing that a "taste of Amsterdam is brewed in every bottle." The package
creative features images of the Amstel River and canals running through the cobblestone streets of Amsterdam, as well as a synopsis of the beer's connection to the city. The new packaging will be showcased on 6- and 12-packs. While the bottle shape and appearance remain the same, the design of the label now highlights the word "Amsterdam."

Web

Amstel Light's Web site has been redesigned to give adult consumers a chance to actually step inside "Amstel's Amsterdam." By hopping on a virtual bike and riding through the streets of Amsterdam, site visitors will have the opportunity to explore Amstel Light's take on the city's unique traditions and culture. Users will enjoy their own progressive experiences as they interact with "Amstel's Amsterdam" in unexpected ways, such as learning an authentic Dutch Roar (a traditional Dutch rallying cry), creating music by moving the mouse over a series of Amstel Light "bottles" and downloading their favorite Amsterdam-themed
art.

Advertising Campaign

The Richards Group created the brand's new print and outdoor advertising campaign by using powerful and emotional images of Amsterdam to illustrate the fun energy and spirit of Amstel Light's connection to the city. The ads feature both the picturesque imagery and the festive atmosphere that have become synonymous with the city of Amsterdam, such as scenic views of the canals and groups of revelers enjoying the nightlife.

The Amstel campaign and my party night will serve as a great example for how to use a brand/message consistently. Please add your favorite example of a consistent brand message campaign (party or not).

How We Measured the ROI of a Social Media Community

2009-07-05T09:11:00.014-04:00

In front of a crowd of about 180 Boston area professionals, Mark Wallace, VP of Social Media, Environmental Data Resources, used examples from commonground, his successful online community to prove that the ROI of an online community can be measured.

Metropolis Creative organized “Realize the ROI of a Social Media Community”, a live social media networking event at FELT Boston on June 30, 2009, to illustrate how an online community can be created, measured and used successfully to build a brand/message. “The Metropolis philosophy of approaching web and design projects from a brand building perspective mindful of target audience i.e. community was a great fit for this event...” said Michael Flint, Metropolis Founder. Additionally, Derek Showerman, Director of Social Media, Authority Domains co-sponsored the event and offered a complimentary social media assessment to all attendees.

Here is the entire slide presentation, including Mark Wallace’s 5 ROI and Reporting Tips:

ROI Of A Social Media Community 6/30/2009

The topic of social media ROI brings a general disagreement among many social media experts and upper level corporate managers. David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR and World Wide Rave, stands out from the crowd and writes “We’ve been trained that everything gets measured down to a sales lead. If that’s how you measure social media, then forget it.” But a good amount of bloggers frequently post that ROI is either tough to do or not relevant.

How are you addressing the ROI of a social media community?

Join the LinkedIn discussion here.

"Social" Isn't a Tool

2009-06-29T15:44:00.013-04:00

One question I've been asked a lot recently is "what's going to be the next Twitter?" The quick answer is, it doesn't matter. I know that sounds flip but hear me out before you think I'm just another social media basher (you'll know this is not the case if you read my blog). I say "it doesn't matter," not because I don't love Twitter and all the other social networks but because it assumes that the concept of "social" can be limited to a single tool.

To that end, comparing the phenomenon of "social" to a tool is somewhat akin to thinking that a good website is strictly about a great logo or a slick header graphic. Obviously those things help but they aren't the end all to be all. It's the concept of great usability and design coming together meeting the needs of a stated business objective that makes a site great. Oh yeah, the site damn well better meet the needs of the customer too. Otherwise, you're dead in the water.

Getting back to my rant about Twitter and why limiting "social" to the category of a "tool" is such a pet peeve of mine... Well, it's not dissimilar to thinking that the discipline of marketing could be confined to just e-mail or advertising. While some companies might concentrate their efforts on a particular tactic, most good businesses also leverage other tactics to help accomplish their goals. They also realize that at the end of the day, "marketing" isn't limited to one tool because it's a more about a philosophy and a thought process than it is a bunch of tools.

The difference between good marketing or even site design is that while "social" can be important to helping a company get in touch with its customers, it can also be a transformative power within an organization helping companies:

Share ideas — both internally and externally
Co-create with its customers
Energize its customer base by creating a launch pad for word of mouth marketing
Deepen loyalty and increase referrals by giving customers something of value

I guess the next time someone asks me what the next "Twitter" is, I'm going to tell them that it's the wheel, or the printing press. Or a turbine engine. Or the Internet. Maybe then they'll start to think about this brave new world of "social" as something more than just a tool.

So how does your company describe "social?" Let us know in the comments -- just do me a favor and don't use the "T" word.

Key to Content Marketing: Shh...

2009-06-29T06:07:00.011-04:00

How do you attract people to your website through content marketing? Listen to what is important to your audience.

Listening to customer needs and wants will give you ideas about what content you need to produce for your audience.

You can listen in a number of ways:

1. Monitor your customer service department for frequently asked questions. As the customer service department develops answers, you can re-purpose that content for your website. Text, help centers, or videos can all answer questions and attract more people to your site through content that solves problems. A customer at Exaiminer.com asked their social collaboration tool vendor, grouphub.com, if GroupHub.com provides an online survey tool as part of their services. Currently, GroupHub.com does not, but that did not stop the customer support team from taking the question and creating a FAQ answer that features a third party survey tool. GroupHub.com’s answer is a great example of a strategy of focusing on helping the customer and by doing that you will provide useful relevant content that establishes your company as a responsible brand.

2. Monitor what's being discussed by your customers out in the community. With the advent of the web, ordinary people now have the ability to create content that discusses your products and brand. Listen to what people write and record about your products and brand. You can choose to respond where customers ask questions and discuss, or follow up with content that provides answers back on your own website.

Dell monitors its community, and as a result the company is able to respond and provide content and links to existing content that solves customer problems. Check out this Dell post on the topic of driver updates for the Latitude.

3. Create places for customers to give feedback about products and your brand. Dell does this with their online forums and IdeaStorm website. The IdeaStorm website is a voter popularity website that encourages customers to contribute ideas and suggestions, which are then voted upon by the rest of the community. Dell responds with feedback and if the ideas can be implemented.

By focusing on content that answers questions and solves problems, companies are much more likely to have answers to customer questions as they arise, plus content that’s available to attract customers when they have generic questions about the industry.

John Cass is the Author of Strategies and Tools for Blogging, and the blog PR Communications.

Search Engine Marketing: Hiring Managers Rock The House in Boston

2009-06-25T15:37:00.011-04:00

The excitement felt at the SEM Community Mega-Event event, sponsored by Search Engine Strategies and Onward Search, was certainly a refreshing change from the constant hum of economic downturn news. The Wall Street Journal's report of unemployment reaching nearly 10% by 2010 was certainly not the topic of conversation at the House of Blues in Boston on Monday night. About 200 search marketing professionals mingled with their peers as they heard industry leaders and hiring professionals line up to announce that their companies are hiring search engine experts.

After a short meet and greet, it didn't take long for recruiting agents to dart forward to the front of the room, line up and get their company's pitch in. Tom Ellis from Adverplex, Inc. was one of the first up to pitch his company and service while making the bold statement: We are hiring. Need look no further than the front page of every commercial newspaper and magazine headline; the point is being made clear, social media and SEM is the new wave of marketing and human communication. After speaking with Katie Donovan, the managing director at the Sempo Institute, it is clear that SEM is the backbone of this new integration of marketing, PR, advertising, internet research and social media. Companies of all sizes are just getting started using Pay Per Click Advertising to pursue active users to follow their blog and Facebook as the ROI for social media is beginning to be realized.

Although the tremendous potential of online networking is creating a stir, one question still remains: how to increase the ROI from SEM?

What You Can Do Without Paying a Marketing Company: SEO 101

2009-06-23T15:09:00.013-04:00

Just three years ago, "Google" was added to the dictionary. The trademarked term is not defined, however, by the company bearing the name but rather the act of searching for something online using the Google search engine. This addition is just one example of how search engine use in the past decade has infiltrated most aspects of our culture. And it's not a surprise: the use of search engines has skyrocketed over the past ten years. So it's no wonder that companies are willing to pay for their page to rise to the top of a result page. A report released by eMarketer shows that paid placement on search engines and organic search engine optimization (SEO) are more effective than traditional advertising and marketing tactics and is the most cost-effective way to gain new customers. Channels of communication with consumers are evolving and growing significantly in online space, so making sure that your site shows up in a Google or Yahoo search is critical to businesses. Marketing firms have entire teams of people that work on optimizing your search engine placement, but here are a few ways to raise your SEO for those with a tight budget (we are, after all, in a recession). Many of the most-used search engines today (like Google, Yahoo, Bing, MSN, etc) are all crawler-based. They each have an algorithm that "crawl" or "spider" the web to create automatic listings. What they collect through the information provided in the title, body copy and elements of your website design is then put into the ranking algorithm that is eventually delivered to the searcher. But SEO isn't rocket science, and there are several steps you can take without having to break the bank that will bump up your rank.

Enhance Your Page Titles
One of the first things that spiders look for is page title. Make sure you have a title that is specific to your product—don't be vague or general about titling the information on your page. Having a static title on every page of your site that only includes your company name or the overall site name will undoubtedly drop your site on the search engine result page and make it harder for consumers to connect with you. Instead, include both the website title and the page title so that crawlers can pick up more information.

Only Publish Unique Content
It's hard to know exactly how many websites exist at any point in time. But netcraft, a company that surveys the web in attempt to accurately report the number of pages in existence, estimated last month that there are over 235 million websites in existence. How can you stand out competing with hundreds of millions of other sites? With the ever-increasing number of sites competing for the same audience, the way to get hits on your page will be to have content that no other site has. And because so much of search engine results are based off of the content, it is almost necessary that your content be search friendly—don't bother with Flash, Javascript or AJAX when it comes to the body copy on your page.

Think About Your Image Names
When you're designing web pages, it's easy to keep get lazy with your labeling system and save your images with nondescript titles, like "IMG_001". But making sure that your images have relevant titles will help with optimizing your placement on the result page—put yourself in the shoes of the search engine user and try to anticipate what they would search.

Utilize the Tags
This advice is for all the bloggers out there (and companies or organizations that have a blog on their site). Blog search programs, like Technorati, search tags to deliver results to those using their services, so make sure you utilize them correctly. Try to stick to a rotation of no more than 20 subjects and tag every post with no fewer than two tags. Not only will proper tagging make page navigation easier for the reader, but it can actually bring more readers to your site.

Linking
The final thing that you can easily do to better your position on a search engine result page is to make it easy for others to link back. This step can be as simple as adding a widget that allows readers to easily "link back to this article." If you really want to increase your presence online, though, it may take a bit more work. We've all heard the old saying: "It's not what you know, it's who you know." Although admittedly clich‚, this phrase is fitting: networking is a fundamental part of running a website. Try to get other bloggers in your niche to link to you and encourage your readers to submit your posts to digg or StumbleUpon.

There you have it. Five tips that you could implement by the end of today. And if it weren't obvious enough, don't forget to link back to this post.

Expose Your Brand and Reap the Benefits of Social Media

2009-06-17T11:22:00.011-04:00

It's very trendy. Companies of varying size and type are exposing their brand and messaging via social media marketing. These organizations are having cocktail parties online! They are establishing and maintaining real-time conversations with customers, colleagues, industry peers, thought leaders and management. Throughout the conversations, brand loyalty is being garnered. Messaging is being spread. Stories are being told. The exposure is immediate, smart, savvy and contagious. "Social media creates a solar system for a brand with multiple satellites of interaction channels, some large, some small." - Derek Showerman, Director of Social Media, Authority Domains.

Use your website to first explain your message/brand and then have direct links to your social media sites (i.e. Facebook, twitter, online community, etc). But be sure to keep the design of your messaging, and overall identity consistent!

Expose your brand to social media and reap these benefits:

Online conversations and increased SEO
Thought provoking and news worthy content is contagious. People tell people. Conversations will build a community of loyal followers (customers).

Immediacy
Hitting a front page of major social video, news and bookmark sites will send you large amounts of instant traffic while simultaneously building your keyword optimization.

SEO
Conversations and linking will dramatically boost your rankings in search engines.

Peer Power
Gain peer recommendations, attract influencers, comments from bloggers, etc. Initiators and influencers decidedly play an important role in decision making.

All Natural
Receive natural links without any discernible pattern! Your website will be exposed to large groups of people in a spontaneous fashion. This differs from paid advertising which can be conceived as commercial efforts.

Quite Complimentary
Social media optimization and marketing is usually community-specific. It doesn't interfere with any other methods of getting traffic to your website. It can and will fit perfectly with an advertising campaign targeting other websites or search engines.

The bottom line is social media has created a way for people and businesses to become transparent. Social media can be a great way to find and establish followers, but like in real life, friendships require time, understanding, honesty, and the occasional greeting card. Before exposing your brand via social media, step back and take a look at all of your marketing components (logo, website, calls-to-action, etc). Make sure that all of your messaging is consistent and accurate before you expose your identity. Ask for help.

In the spirit of being social, join us for a live presentation about social media communities. A complimentary and informative networking event with appetizers, drinks and even pool. June 30, 2009, FELT Boston, 6-8:30PM. Sign up here.

Avoid Website Embarrassment

2009-06-07T21:41:00.010-04:00

If you are not paying attention to your website by adding fresh content, checking links and overall functionality, or even comparing your site to the competition, your prospects are bound to click the delete button. Now that’s not only bad business, but it’s embarrassing!

All evidence I have seen during my tenure shows that customers will ruthlessly dismiss a website on which they come across out-of-date content, broken links, hard to find contact information or even worse, waiting several minutes for something too “important” to load and then having a “real actor” pop-up with an marketing message. Please don’t get me started.

Here are the most frequent causes for website embarrassment and perhaps loss of business reputation:

Slow Load Time: How annoying is it waiting for a very long and truly meaningless welcome graphic?
Advice: Avoid glitz for the sake of glitz. Flash can be effective if it delivers a meaningful image that supports your message/brand.

Spelling/Grammar: Hello spellcheck. There’s no excuse for typos or misspellings these days.
Advice: Spellcheck and then have another person proof the text.

Contact Information: I am always surprised at the number of businesses that make it impossible to find their contact information. They either don’t include it on their site or hide it in an obscure page.
Advice: Always put your full contact information on your homepage. Moreover, contact information provides great keywords for SEO.

Broken Links: "Page-not-found” is extremely embarrassing.
Advice: Assign a weekly date to check your website for broken links.

Old Content: News or blog items dated 3-6 months ago make your site look outdated and dusty.
Advice: If you can't keep up with the new content, simply remove the dates!

Did I miss anything? Got some good advice on how to avoid website embarrassment?

Does Your Brand Have the Power of a Super Villain?

2009-05-18T12:50:00.011-04:00

Everyone needs a brand. Super villains decidedly stand out as brand identity czars. Identities are created that are memorable and recognizable in various formats.

As a basic handbook, you can't beat Neil Zawacki's manual, "The Villain's Guide to Better Living." It covers such important topics as how to choose an appropriate lair, how to motivate your minions, and even resume writing tips. Aside from the obviously practical advice in this book, many of the topics help define the villain's personal brand by building on every aspect of their image.

When proper planning isn't done, you can end up more like the aptly named Mystery Men - unclear on who they are, and what they do.

Last year during the writer's strike, Joss Whedon seized the down-time (anyone have any down-time right now?) to write a personal pet-project of his own, "Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog". We see Dr. Horrible work on his evil laugh, and try to get respect from not only the evil community itself, but from his potential love-interest.

It's interesting that even though Dr. Horrible is a "bad guy", he is branded with "good guy" colors (all white). And the hero Dr. Hammer, who turns out to be arrogant and selfish, wears all black. (Other good villain colors are red, and sometimes neon green).

The design of a villain's costume, logo, and calling card must all be truly evil and impressive. Memorable icons and graphics, contrasting colors, and occasional flair are key to create a powerful brand. Additionally, allies such as business partners and organizations will help give your own brand additional power.

Help your brand to take over the world by:
1) Defining your brand identity
2) Applying your brand to your marketing strategy (evil or not)
3) Listening to your audience and respond to their reaction

PS. Who's your favorite or most feared super villain?

Are Your Branding Strategies and Website Design on the Same Page?

2009-05-14T08:48:00.015-04:00

Prospects and even current clients judge your website when making a buying decision. It could be their first impression or their information source for your news. If your website doesn’t match your brand and marketing strategy, you may be losing customers.

Put your website to a test to see if it matches your messaging. Here’s how:

Does your latest sales/marketing brochure design (or even your business card) match your website design? Are the colors the same? Are the fonts the same? How about dots versus dashes between phone numbers? Do they convey a consistent message about your company, product/services?

Ask someone who is unfamiliar with your company/product to read your homepage and reply with a quick summary of your messaging and how to contact you. Was this person able to easily identify your targeted message, reach you and receive a reply?

Ask a salesperson or company spokesperson to use your homepage and present it’s content to you as if you know nothing about the company. Does the homepage really match your elevator pitch and have a compelling call-to-action?

Make a list of 5 adjectives that describe your targeted audience. If your list includes young, hip, trendy, swank... be sure to have contempo images and slick technology like Flash animation.

In summary, everything you put in front of a customer should have a consistent message. Every ad, every brochure, your website, corporate identity elements, etc. An integrated campaign works wonders when designed professionally by a single designer or agency.

Content is king. Keeping your website updated with fresh, high-quality, informative content positions you as an expert in your field. People want to do business with experts. Moreover, keep your information current. An outdated news page makes one wonder if you are still in business. New content also provides protein for search engine spiders.

A website that is designed with all of your marketing activities in mind will reinforce trust in your capabilities, increases sales and build your brand online.

PS. Don’t have time to put your website to the test? I’ll do it for you. Send me your url.

Extreme Marketing through Social Media

2009-05-11T09:50:00.004-04:00

Everyone knows social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and blogs can drive traffic to your site and help build your brand. And nowadays, every marketing conversation has some component of social media. Last month, my team stepped away from the fodder and physically DID something - face to face.

On April 29th, Metropolis Creative engaged hundreds of marketers through social media by having an Extreme Website Makeover party . This was our most successful marketing effort to date (I founded the company in 1999). We harnessed the power of social media, partnerships, networking and free booze into one brand building and socially engaging campaign that stirred a contagious buzz (before, during and after the event). Nearly 150 marketing professionals came off-line to shake hands and interact by using more than 140 characters.

The campaign served its purpose of strengthening the Metropolis brand, engaging face to face interaction, and also was a helpful experiment in demonstrating how to plan, deliver and measure a social marketing campaign.

Social Media Reach

The campaign’s impact, influence and reach were measured by these tools:

Google Analytics: Site-side analytics measured the traffic back to Metropolis' site and the referring social media properties

WordStream: Keyword analytics and organic visits

RatePoint: Outreach to their network (and email marketing tool)

Twitter: Followers, tweets, retweets, frequency and interaction

Facebook: Extreme Website Makeover and Metropolis Creative pages (become a fan!)

SHIFT Communications: Outreach to their clients and prospects via twitter

Social Media Breakfast group and Bob Collins socialized the invite via twitter and facebook

Groupon: Email to Boston opt-in database

STUFF@Night/Boston Phoenix: Multiple emails to opt-in database

MA High Tech News, Galen Moore article

Congrats to American Public Television for being awarded the Website Makeover winner and props co-sponsors SHIFT Communications and RatePoint.

Ready for Extreme Website Makeover 2010! But how can Metropolis make it more extreme…?

Feng Shui for your Home(page)

2009-05-05T16:34:00.018-04:00

The Metropolis studio recently got some serious spring-cleaning. There were some painful divorces with historic furniture and relic printers, but on the whole, we ended up with a significantly improved space with (I’d venture to say) significantly improved Feng Shui. Feng Shui, for the skeptical or those weary of anything sounding like something your New Age aunt is into, is an ancient Chinese system of aesthetics believed to improve life quality. These days a Google search will lend you hundreds of pages of Feng Shui tips to improve your office, your garden, your apartment or your bedroom with long lists of benefits. But whether or not it holds that an octagonal mirror across from the North-facing window will bring you good fortune, maybe Feng Shui can offer some good advice for your web design.

We’ve adapted four Feng Shui principles to add some positive chi to your web site.

Feng Shui asks that one Always Be Mindful of the State of Your Home[page]. When is the last time you updated your web site? Whether a user gets to you from a blog, from Twitter or from a search engine, does the first page they land on tell your story completely? Being mindful is the first step to a Feng Shui site.

Clear clutter. The biggest take-away for modern interpretations of this ancient art is to clear out the clutter from rooms. This holds for your site: is your navigation intuitive and user-friendly? Are users overwhelmed with buttons and options, or are they drawn to relevant content? We think that sites should be clean, simple and balanced.

According to Feng Shui when you arrange your room it should be done in such a way that you can see anyone who is entering the room. So too, should your website be able to recognize any new or repeat visitors. You won’t need to set up some complex set of mirrors like a Feng Shui house; Google has great (and free!) analytic tools to tell you just who is on your site and how they got there.

Finally, images carry powerful energy in Feng Shui. Their placement and intention makes a great impact in the home. On your site, they put a face to your brand. Make sure they’re unique, representative and that they send the right message to visitors.

Feng Shui wisdom teaches us that nothing is static in the world of energy. And more than ever, we know that nothing is static in the world of web. So, when you do some spring-cleaning this May and bring in some balance and positive energy, consider doing the same for your website.

The Good, The Bad, and The Typography

2009-04-24T09:09:00.023-04:00

Any talented designer can tell you: Good, consistent typography is essential to building a strong brand. Deciding which typefaces will be used in a project is an important and long-considered choice. Typography is used to subliminally communicate ideas with the reader — the wrong type will send the wrong message. In this post, I'll be showcasing some examples of strong, communicative typography and giving tips on how to bring good type to your website and branding.

Type & message

Subtle differences between typefaces create entirely different type personalities. Type and layout can be used to convey a message to the reader, defining a brand's image. Common intentions are reliable, classy, professional, modern, quirky, or funky.

When used well, type can fill the role of an image, providing both impact and meaning. Distressed type and clashing colors portray the uncomfortable notion of war in this brochure for Emerson College as well as any photograph could, while reducing printing costs.

The Metro free commuter newspaper has good typography. They abandoned the classic news type conventions in lieu of a modern sans-serif face designed by Lucas de Groot. The Metro has a strong sense of hierarchy with an easily scannable mix of headlines, sub-headlines, pull quotes and running copy. The overall look is very cohesive, fresh, and actively engaging — well targeted for its young audience. The Metro has 20 million daily readers, making it among the most popular newspapers.

Take a look at these two logos, one for high-end dry cleaning chain Holly Cleaners, and one for a business based on cell phone texting.
Looking at the logos, what impressions do you get about the two companies? Which one is cheaper? Trendier? More classy? Which business do you think is older? What age group are they targeting?

Both brands have very well-developed graphic identities which excellently communicate their images through typography. This is great type design, and these are the questions designers ask themselves when evaluating a company's image.

Type on the web

Web typography is rapidly changing. For now, working with web type is difficult and limited to the use of very few typefaces. Interactivity and ease of use are vital to good web type. Here are some basic but important tips for functional web typography:

Use contrast. Make sure type stands out strongly against its background

Never underline text, unless it's a link. Use italics instead

Don't use more than two fonts on a page

At small sizes, use a sans-serif font

Leave plenty of space around blocks of text to minimize distractions

Above all, keep your sizes, colors, and fonts consistent across the whole site

New technologies, like sIFR and CSS 3's new @font-face property are growing in popularity and support. Soon, designers will be able to be as creative with web typography as they are with print. Until then, special care and expertise is needed to make eye-catching web type. Images with special fonts are used to simulate headlines, and stylesheets are carefully edited to control type. Different users will see the same web page differently, so any typographic design for the web must be flexible and extendable.

When a website is well designed with careful attention to the typography, it looks professional and stands out from the crowd. See this interesting resource: The Elements of Typographic Style Applied to the Web.

The Metropolis Creative team's favorite typography sites are Typographica and the type articles on Smashing Magazine.

Emergency Medical Graphic Design

2009-04-06T23:40:00.015-04:00

I used to work as an Emergency Medical Technician in Rochester, NY when I was in college. As a graphic design student, people asked what being an EMT had to do with design. At the time, I just shrugged and said that I liked doing it.

When we would arrive on the scene, calls were usually not what they seemed to be. We would sometimes get called for a broken arm, and it would be a sprained ankle — which is why EMTs are taught to determine the "Mechanism of Injury." If the sprained ankle occurred from falling down a flight of stairs, then we assumed there may be other injuries that we couldn't see. The challenge was to piece together the whole big picture — first from the patient, then from the bystanders, and then from any other clues such as medicines or other things lying around.

Sometimes, people would leave out key details because they didn't think they were important. Or sometimes they were afraid they did something wrong, and didn't want to admit to it. So it was our job to try and understand the whole situation, and the perspectives of the people involved, in order to determine the best course of action.

Most of the patients we took to the hospital didn't have money or family, and had all sorts of other issues. I had partners who would yell at the drunks and ignore the old people from the nursing homes. I figured I only had about an hour with each patient, so I'd make the best of it. I used to challenge myself with the really angry ones, to see if I could get them to smile before we got to the hospital. I would talk, ask questions, and treat each patient as if they were a relative of mine. They were, after all, someone's relative. Besides, if I treated each patient with respect and patience, it became much easier to get the information I needed to help them, and the whole experience became much more enjoyable.

So In retrospect, my work as an EMT actually helped a lot to prepare me for when I would eventually own my own graphic design studio. I still assess each new situation, gather facts, make a plan of action and then my team of designers and I go to work. I do miss the flashing lights though.

An Extreme Website Makeover Event in Boston — Move That Mouse!

2009-03-29T16:17:00.029-04:00

So what’s the connection between a website and a party? Consider your website as your brand ambassador — your host/hostess — smartly dressed but not over flashy. The overall theme is decidedly trendy but not so funky that it will become dated tomorrow. Can people find you (the host) and your location? (Note how many times this week you can’t find a phone # on a website). Then there's content, your community and the conversation. Plan ahead. Match your theme to your attendees.

Join your peers and industry leaders Wednesday, April 29th from 6:00 – 8:30 PM at 28 Degrees in Boston to see what site deserves an Extreme Website Makeover!

I promise not to shout MOVE THAT MOUSE! But, I will do a before and after presentation to show how the winning website has:

• Branding — serves as a brand ambassador — a party host per say!
• SEO features — keywords and design to attract and wow a crowd
• Call to action — lead capture tools; ways to draw an audience
• A RSVP or more info spot
• Means to get the buzz into the community

These aren't just nice things to have in a good web site design, they are required. So why do so many web sites fail? Why are so many parties boring? Because web technology, search, and social networking have rapidly changed the overall marketing and community landscape.

Keeping up with the latest technology requires constant effort. For example, when you scroll down a page, you move away from the navigation bar. To solve this usability issue on our blog, we found a nav bar that follows you down the page. Although there are multiple solutions for this, we chose one that has a smooth sliding movement — like a Travolta move (on most current browsers) and stays in a fixed position on older browsers.

"Search" is the hip party term for all things relating to Search Engine Optimization. Making your site searchable goes much deeper than just getting found. With concerted effort and smart design, you can get your company cataloged, linked to, and talked about. Searchability really is key. This can be done by carefully planning the hierarchy of content, and by using keyword-rich typography as a design element. Good design firms optimize the back-end code for search and include unique keywords on page titles. Extraneous code is separated from the main pages to allow for easier indexing of content by search engines. (See some upcoming trends on the Search Engine Journal blog.)

Social Networking blends both technology and search into an additional network of interactivity and community. (Read Bob Cargill's post: Five Important Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Use Social Media) To start with, social networking helps your company on a brand loyalty level. Customers who "belong" will not only promote your brand, but will protect it as well through blogging, comments on other blogs, and recommendations. Social networking is also viral. So the more people who are in your network, the faster (exponentially) you are able to broadcast your message. And social networking offers opt-in subscription models to ensure that people who want to hear from you never miss your message.

Usability is often overlooked in favor of fitting all the "right" content on the page. Of course you have a lot to say, but you need to show restraint in your message. Say only what you need to in order to get the desired response. Other usability factors include section titles, navigation options, and e-commerce paths. Make it easy and quick for your users. Give them a positive experience so they talk about you and come back for more. Note to self: When is our next party?

Call-to-Action — What are you trying to get your site visitor to do? Buy a product? Download a demo? Sign up for a mailing list? Call you on the phone? Whatever it is, it should be everywhere and prominent. Stay focused on the call-to-action. The purpose of your web site may not actually be to educate the user about your product, but to get them to buy it. Educate only as much as you need to achieve that goal.

You'll see what I’m talking about on April 29th. One lucky organization will be selected for a homepage redesign, social media PR makeover and email marketing offer. In front of a partying crowd of marketers, social media makers and my peers, I'll show you a quick before and after presentation. Complete with gratis martinis and tasty apps. Networking and tweeting is optional! Sign up here!

You Built It — Why Don't They Come?

2009-03-18T01:03:00.008-04:00

How do you get more traffic to your web site? Google has become very good at steering visitors to relevant content. So the real question is: how do you make your content relevant to Google? Its all about the keywords.

We just started using a web-based software product called WordStream and we think it’s pretty slick. Overall, we love the Keyword Research and Long Tail Keyword Management.

Basically, WordStream lets you create and manage a “keyword database” for paid and natural Search Engine Marketing. Discovering and organizing keywords is a crucial part of PPC and SEO, and the tool has a pretty innovative approach to both. Here’s a quick run-down of how it works:

Step 1: Create a Keyword List
First, you get keywords into the system. You can use either a traditional keyword research tool (like Google’s or WordTracker), import analytic data, or, our personal favorite, use WordStream’s log file parser to extract search history from your site’s log files.

Step 2: Organize Your List
Next the tool allows you to strategically organize the keywords very simply and easily. This is probably the most powerful feature. The software scans your keyword list and suggests keywords you should group together, based on the number of similar keywords, the amount of traffic they drive to your site, and conversion data.

Step 3: Let WordStream Suggest New Keywords
There’s also a search-focused Web analytics package. You install a snippet of Java Script on your site, and the keyword tool will record each new search query people use to reach your website, providing a constant stream (get it?) of new keywords. You can either manually review the new keywords, or let WordStream group them for you and add them to your keyword lists and paid search campaigns.

Step 4: Create and Maintain AdWords Ad Groups
WordStream has API integration, so that you can have any of those keyword groups you created dynamically managed by the software. They also offer some tools for the maintenance of all these researched and segmented keywords. You’ll be able to create filters, associate negative keywords, and prioritize workflow.

WordStream will measure the performance of not only keywords, but keyword groups and segmentations to let you know what works, where you should be spending time, and what you should do next to generate maximum returns.

We're still learning it, but so far, we really like it. Check out the free trial and judge for yourself!