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are the practices that worked in 90's and early 2000's. Search engine algorithms are changing and if you stick to the outdated strategies, then one day your site may no longer rank in the previous postition and greatly decrease your rankings.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.

Labels: boston web design, brand identity, brand process, call to action, conversion optimization, landing page design, search engine optimization, SEO

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.

Labels: big brands, brand credibility, brand identity, branding stretegies

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.

Labels: brand identity, brand process, logo design, metropolis creative, SEO, Web design, web development, website usability

Acronyms are infinitely useful as conversational and online shorthand, especially when working with unwieldy terms like search engine optimization. SEO is just so much easier to say and type. The problem with acronyms is that the original meaning can easily be lost, creating a significant communication problem, potentially ambiguous branding that can lead to a loss of revenue.

As a marketer, I find myself particularly sensitive to the art of branding. I’m often amazed by large companies with huge amounts of resource at their disposal that go on to launch a lukewarm, unfocused campaign.

Last week I bought a new Volkswagen CC. Know what the acronym means? No? Neither did the dealership sales representative. He told me to Google it. The acronym’s definition wasn’t even listed on the gorgeous saddle-stitched 4 color gloss brochure.

Frustrated, I called another dealership and learned that CC means comfort coupe. But I didn’t stop there. I emailed VW customer service and inquired into their secretive approach to acronyms. I received this reply:

“Here at Volkswagen, we would like to assure you that
it was not our intention to exclude the meaning for the
acronym CC. We apologize for any inconvenience this
may have caused.”

Fine, but wait, doesn’t coupe refer to a 2 door car? The CC has 4 doors.

You’d think that with all the time and energy VW put into the production of their new flagship, they could have at least taken the time to brand the thing in a way that didn’t cause confusion.

When you buy an orange, you don’t want an apple…I’m just praying that VW’s oversight stopped with the acronym, and that this car isn’t a lemon.

Got a bad branding example? Do share.

Labels: acronym, bad branding, brand identity, Branding

We attended the Harvard Business School Marketing Conference last week, where the topic for 2008 was the Consumer Revolution. Each presentation and discussion focused on different marketing plans and methods companies have implemented with the consumer revolution—the realization that brands no longer drive consumers' habits, but that consumers drive each and every brand, determining their level of success.

The key note speakers were excellent, and both brought many examples of how they involve their consumers in developing brand marketing. Mark Addicks, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at General Mills, began his presentation by pointing out that General Mills is a terrible brand name (the truth, but not an expected confession from a company executive). Luckily for General Mills, they have become a 'house of brands', many of which are strong, recognizable, and have relatable, fun characters. He emphasized that in order to build a strong brand, you need strong leadership, leverage in the market place, and marketing scale. So, what points were most relevant to Metropolis and the work we do? Lately, we have been thinking of bigger and better—what we can do to emphasize to our clients how they can constantly make improvements using our services as well as new technology. First, Mark pointed out that package design is important to a brand. Though we don't do a large amount of package design for products, we are strong in the business of web design and print materials. These are part of a brand's "package" when you look at the larger picture, and should be carefully considered. Second, Mark showed multiple examples of how blogs can be a powerful tool when building a brand. Many companies have yet to realize the ability online blogging communities have when influencing consumers and the purchasing choices they make. The most prominent theme that Mark spoke about was that a company should always remember there is a bigger idea—every small thing they do should contribute not only to that single campaign, but to the overall brand and what it stands for.

An example of paying attention to the big picture is this Pillsbury commercial. Pillsbury is a brand that makes baked goods. But what they really want to convey is that the Pillsbury helps keep your family close and hold your household together. In a time of economic uncertainty, when people are pinching pennies, Pillsbury is conveyed as a brand your family can rely on.


Jaya Kumar, Chief Marketing Officer for Frito-Lay North America, shared his company's marketing practices and successes. Lately, Frito-Lay has been all about having their customers drive their marketing—they have asked for submissions of television commercials from all interested customers. You can go on their web site and vote for your favorite ad, and the best one wins $1,000,000. Aside from the commercial that wins, Frito-Lay can also use any of the other commercials they like that are submitted. Having customers create the content is a true example of the one idea that Jaya pushed throughout his presentation—that a brand will become stronger if the consumer can engage with it and take an active role in forming the brand and what it stands for. An effective way to keep customers engaged, as Jaya pointed out, is to constantly update your web site, and make sure its interactive.

Listening to two panel discussions also provided some interesting insights. The first was on "Marketing Your Socially Responsible Initiative." Key points included: it is important to keep your cause separate from your brand; when all factors are equal, consumers will be tipped to choose sustainable products, and; consumers are going to begin to hold retailers accountable, so it would be in big industry's favor to make green decisions. The Dove Real Beauty campaign was discussed as a cause campaign that is run by a brand, but is handled separately. The product marketing shows that by buying Dove, you contribute to their cause, but the cause marketing emphasizes the purpose and progress of the campaign.


The second panel topic was "Inside the Mind of the Consumer: Uncovering Insights through Market Research." Key points included: everything is going to have to be personalized and customized for customers to want your product, and; it is extremely beneficial to consider consumers insights when designing packaging, campaigns, collateral, etc.

So, what did I take away from this conference? Consumers are really too smart for all of the advertising sludge they are exposed to everyday, and frankly, most of them are sick of it. Consumers have the money that power the brands, and these brands have finally come to realize that their ideas, wants, needs, and opinions are the most important considerations in product design and implementation. Brands that embrace this are and will continue to be more successful for a long time to come. And on a smaller scale, here at Metropolis, we need to continue to encourage our clients to be in a constant state of reevaluating their brand and the materials they use to market themselves. It will make them more successful, keep us on top of our game, and bring us interesting work.

Labels: brand identity, consumer revolution, harvard marketing club conference