Above the fold: a rule to be broken

Since the earliest days of the newspaper industry, the front page of the paper was laid out to get the top stories above the fold. Inside the paper, was a similar situation. Savvy ad execs like Don Draper knew that if a quarter page ad fell in the middle of that crease, readership would plummet. The fold could make you or break you. These days, this line of thinking has carried over into the Internet. There remains an abiding notion that an optimum website design lives above the fold (the depth of your browser window.) But even this is starting to change.

Why Businesses Should Consider Using a Content Management System in 2010

A Content Management System (CMS) is used for creating and managing the content on a website. A CMS offers people who know little about HTML with a set of tools that makes editing a website as easy as editing a Microsoft Word document.

Agency Creative designed and developed a website for Equest that featured a Content Management System. We will use their site as an example to show you why a CMS website was beneficial for Equest and why it can also be beneficial for your business.

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A Content Management System website would allow for you to have less dependence on your developer when it comes to quick edits.

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With time, comes change. Websites should not ignore this rule. With a CMS website, businesses have the power to constantly tweak their website’s content to reflect trends that are always changing.

Let’s examine a brief scenario involving the Equest “About Us” page.



Lets say Equest notices numerous comments on their Facebook fan page about one of their newer services. Naturally, Equest decides it would benefit users if they mentioned this service on their "About Us" page. All they’d need to do is

1. Log in to their CMS with their chosen username and password


2. Find the page (under articles for the CMS system)


3. Add the new content using the built-in WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor.


4. Click Save

After those four steps, their “About Us” page would be updated.

Here is the system at a closer look.



On the left side of the page is the WYSIWYG editor. Here users can change the content, upload photos, create links and much more. On the right, there are options to change the Meta description and keywords for search engine optimization purposes.

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Conclusion

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We wanted to give Equest a well-branded site that gave them the ability to make quick edits. The CMS solution was perfect for them. In fact, it is perfect for any business that needs complete control over the speed and implementation of website content editing.

If your industry demands websites with up-to-minute information or you are constantly going to your developer to make edits to your website, a Content Management System is an efficient solution.

If you are interested in learning more about a CMS website for your business, you should contact us at info@agencycreative.com or call us at 972-488-1660. You can also look over two more CMS websites we developed for another client below.

http://www.financialfreedomofamerica.com/

http://www.firstfinancialfreedommortgage.com/

dPi re-energizes its brand

dPi has just named Agency Creative as agency of record. Based in Dallas, dPi is a leading provider of energy and home phone services to the growing pre-paid market. No contracts, no deposit, no I.D. are required to switch on your electricity or home phone. Just pay up front. It’s that easy. But reaching this “pay as you go” market is no easy task. They are a very diverse and mobile group. Consequently, it’s our job to break through language barriers, culture barriers and connect with the dPi customer. We do everything from TV to social media marketing. And it all has to be done in multiple languages for multiple audiences, not to mention multiple channel partners. Everything has to build the brand, as well as build demand. And, at the end of the day, we do it. We do it well. And we do it at a breakneck speed. After all, this is retail.

Holiday Cyber Shopping

Black Friday’s results were an encouragement to American retailers. Sales grew a whopping .05%. Okay, strike “whopping.” Still, considering the poor state of the economy, not too shabby. But the real news is what happened online. There, sales were up 11%. That’s a hefty $595 million. Pretty “whopping.”

Rather than queuing up in your long johns in some frosty parking lot waiting for Walmart’s doors to open, the smart customers pointed and clicked through their Christmas lists. They filled up their cyber shopping carts and checked out without standing in a single line. Plus, they did this all in the toasty comfort of their own homes.

Forecasters believe that Black Friday is just the tip of the iceberg. Trends indicate that online shopping begins to go through the roof on the Monday following Thanksgiving weekend. These emerging trends in holiday shopping reveal how consumers are deepening their love affair with the Internet. Now is the time for marketers to put their brand where the customers are lining up: the Web. You don’t have to have an e-commerce site to see results. Look at social media. A recent survey indicates that Facebook, Twitter and customer reviews are some of the most effective tactics for mobilizing consumers to talk up products (Etailing survey of 117 companies, September 2009). Leveraging social media can improve your organic rankings on search engines, populate the Internet with positive product reviews and even raise the click-through rates of your online banner ads.

Today, having a marketing plan that wisely utilizes the Web is essential in both building your brand and building demand. Marketers who embrace this trend will reap the dividends. Those who don’t will be, like that midnight line in the Walmart parking lot, left out in the cold.

Making that sensory emotional connection.

A couple months ago, on a warm Saturday evening, I was sitting on the patio at Stan’s Blue Note in Dallas with some friends. While I was somewhat paying attention to the conversation, as I was updating my Facebook status, I heard a familiar song come over the bar stereo. “Like a rock, I was strong as I could be…” If you’re like me, and not familiar with the man behind the music (Bob Seger, I looked him up on Google), you might have another way of connecting with this song…through those long-running Chevrolet truck commercials.

One thing a lot of great brands have in common is their ability to connect emotionally with consumers via the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. In the case of my encounter with Mr. Seger, sound is all I needed to remind me that Chevy trucks are built like a rock and can withstand extensive mileage, weather and wear and tear for many years. This is great example of a brand that drove home a strong selling point with a catchy classic that mirrored its most important product attribute.

And when fighting a consumer’s mind for recall and recognition, especially these days with so much traditional and digital clutter, you have to tap into a consumer’s senses and connect with them on a personal level. Whether you do it through an exciting TV spot, a catchy radio tune or a compelling logo that shapes your brand around a their brain, your consumer will remember you.

One of the more common, widely exposed senses is sight. And a good example of brand consistently triggering your eyeballs is McDonalds. You’ll find nothing new here that’ll tell you why McDonalds is number one in the fast food category. And why they’ll most likely stay number one for a while. When you’re driving in your car and you see the Golden Arches in sight, a quarter mile down the road amongst a handful of other fast food joints, odds are your mind will gravitate towards this iconic sign. That’s because you probably don’t need to see the name of the restaurant to know that McDonalds will satisfy your craving for short-term, inexpensive happiness. At least you know what makes me happy.

While the two aforementioned senses ruled consumer advertising for nearly a century and a half, according to world renowned branding guru Martin Lindstrom, author of “Brand Sense – Build Powerful Brands through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound” (2005), the other untapped senses must be tapped in order to make an effective sensory connection.

Starbucks is a great example of a brand that tied smell with its most obvious product: coffee. It wasn’t until 2008 when Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz reinstated the idea of freshly ground coffee beans at Starbucks locations. The thought was to bring back that rich, coffee aroma to trigger that powerful emotion in Starbucks customers. One whiff of this successful smell would leave a mental note in customers’ minds as to where they needed to pick up their next cup of Joe.

At Agency Creative, we really get to know our clients’ brands and help them make that emotional connection with their consumers. We dig deep to understand what makes their brand unique and special, and discover how we can expose their greatest qualities.

Will Google Wave be the final death nail of e-mail?

Since May of this year, Google Wave has been highly anticipated by the Internet community. It’s Google’s newest project that they are slowly releasing to the public. On September 30th, the beta version of Google Wave was launched and access was given to a select few 100,000 people for testing.

It has been referred to as a game-changer for communication and even the death of e-mail. So how is Google Wave going to back these statements up? With key features that make Google Wave much cleaner, more efficient and just more fun than e-mail. Let’s take a look below.

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How is it different from e-mail?

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Google Waves are messages between two or more people online. Google claims that the idea of e-mail came more than 40 years ago. So, with the help of the two brothers who invented Google Maps, the Google team sat down and recreated an online messaging tool that is more efficient and also comes with all the bells and whistles of Web 2.0.

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Features

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1. Real-Time Updates. Updates to Waves will be real-time. Real-time means the days of clicking “send” after you type your message are over. With Google Wave your text will simply appear to all recipients as you type it. So if you and your co-worker have a Wave open at the same time, his or her words appear as they type them. After your co-worker is done typing, there will be no need to click a send button because the message will already be visible to you. (For those of you concerned about your case of chronic impulse typing, real-time updates can be disabled.)

2. Web site and Blog Embedding. Your wave can also function as a dynamic part of your blog or Web site. If you choose, you can embed your Wave onto your blog or Web site so you or all of the people included in the Wave can update your blog or Web site in real-time with ease.

3. Wiki Functionality. You may not know this, but before it became today’s go-to encyclopedia, Wikis were primarily used internally among employees of companies for editing documents. Google Wave is bringing this technology into homes and offices with easy accessibility. Imagine being able to have four co-workers attached to a Wave with the ability to all read a document and make changes as necessary without having to print it out and send it through the office.

Random Fact: Before Facebook went international they used a Wiki-type service to have the social network translated in numerous languages. They put out a request to bilingual users of the English site and asked them to comb through the content and translate it into whatever language they knew other than English. The plan worked and they had their site translated cost-free by users of Facebook.

4. Gadgets within Google Waves. Much like blogs and Web sites today, you will be able to have gadgets functioning within your Wave. One of the gadgets that has been shown off is a translation tool. It works like this: you are talking to someone from Russia and neither one of you are fluent in the other’s native tongue. As you both start the Wave with each other you also enable the translation gadget. As you type to your recipient the gadget takes the message in real-time and translates it for you. This in turn creates a seamless conversation between two people who do not speak the same language.

5. Message rewind. If you are invited to a Wave a week after it was started you will probably have a few questions as far as what chronological order messages were typed. This will not be much of a problem. First off, these messages will probably look something like your Facebook wall today. Someone posts a message, and someone else can leave a comment under that message. If that is not enough for you, you can rewind the message back to the beginning so you can watch what order each addition was added.

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How can you get a Google Wave account?

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Right now the only way you can get an account is if someone you know has one already and they nominate you to be an early user. If you do not know anyone with an account, then you have to wait for the full release, which is unknown at this time.

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Learn more about Google Wave

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Short illustration video that briefly describes Google Wave. (2:15)

Google’s short video on Google Wave (7:52)

Google’s long video on Google Wave (1:20:11)

7 Ways to Build Your Brand using Twitter

Let’s get one thing straight. Twitter is not some trendy, high-tech way for teenage girls to pass notes during biology class. It is a foundational marketing tool that can seriously improve your organic ranking on search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. If your brand isn’t taking advantage of Twitter, be forewarned, you will soon be left behind. Here are the basics of making Twitter work for your business:

1. Choose a strong Username.
Choose a one word Twitter username that is relevant to your company and is easy to remember. Your user name becomes part of your Twitter URL, e.g. http://www.twitter.com/Jackbox. This creates a static URL for future search indexing.

2. Pick a good Account Name.
Your account name is what appears in your profile, next to your icon/image. This can be different than your Twitter username. Jack in the Box uses simply Jack Box for their account name. You will want to choose an account name that promotes your company or brand.

3. Promote it like a wild man.
Once your account is set up, start building your list of followers. A good way to do this is to prominently display your Twitter URL on your Web site and Facebook page. Along with the Twitter icon, have a blurb encouraging users to “follow” your brand on Twitter.

4. 26 characters. One plot.
The first 26 characters of each tweet are important for SEO. They determine what appears in the tweet title tag and hence what shows up as a search result on most search engines.

5. Keywords are key.
Wherever possible, start your tweet with a keyword phrase to theme the message, e.g. Energy Saving tip of the day.

6. Make it easy to re-tweet.
By limiting the number of characters in your tweets to about 120, your followers can easily add RT @YourUserName in front of the tweet and pass it on.

7. Link, link, link.
Whenever possible, insert links in your tweets to direct users to content on your website. Twitter is a significant traffic driver for blogs and websites. To keep the character count down, use a URL shortener like Is.gd or Bit.ly. In some cases, Twitter automatically shortens your URLs using bit.ly.

You can View Agency Creative's Twitter at twitter.com/AgencyCreative

Related Article:

Is Social Media Marketing Right For My Business

Agency Creative helps Tyler Technologies, Inc. unveil integrated branding initiative

Tyler Technologies came to us with a problem. They are the nation’s leading software provider exclusively serving the public sector, but name and brand awareness for Tyler was low. Tyler had grown through a series of strategic acquisitions, but customers were more familiar with the product names than the name of the parent company. That’s when Agency Creative was called to action. We conducted quantitative research with Tyler’s customers and prospects. We flew around the country and sat down with the key players of Tyler’s various divisions. Then, in a few months time, our partnership resulted in a new mark, full-blown brand architecture and integrated campaign that has help put Tyler out in front, without overshadowing the equity of their acquired entities. The new brand was initially previewed last month in Denver at the 2009 Courts Technology Conference with a 40’x40’ exhibit featuring multiple creative elements developed by Agency Creative. In addition to eye-catching booth graphics, the display featured the company’s new positioning line “Empowering people who serve the public” and a three-minute video developed by the agency. “Agency Creative has provided tremendous counsel, creative strength, insights and patience throughout this process,” said Tyler’s Vice President of Marketing Samantha Crosby. “Their partnership and focus on Tyler as a valued client were essential to the success of our new brand.”

Is Social Media Marketing Right For My Business?

When radio stations first went on the air, people were introduced to a new media for their entertainment, such as movies, magazines, television and the Internet. It did not take long for companies to realize the potential of what is now called “traditional media marketing” to generate brand exposure. For at least half of the past decade, people have been using social networking sites and reading blogs for entertainment. Recently, companies started realizing the unique potential of advertising in social media. In fact, not too long ago, “social media marketing” became a coined phrase according to Google Trends. In 2009, the phrase’s popularity has already grown 4 times faster than it did all of last year. There is something different about social media marketing though; communicating through social media is extremely cost-efficient and the process involves far fewer steps than other forms of advertising. Both a commercial on television and a blog written by your company have the potential to reach audiences globally at the same time.

At the speed that social media marketing is becoming a social norm for companies, in the near future, it will be common for most companies to be involved in some sort of social media. Today, if a company is operating without an e-mail address or a Web site, they seem out of touch. Soon we can expect the same for companies who choose not to participate in social media.

There are many pros and cons to social media. The following is a list of pros and cons to help your company determine if social media is right for you.

The pros

• Social media marketing helps improve the relevancy and organic search engine results of your company’s brand.
  
• Your company can reach target audiences that traditional marketing cannot.
  
• Social media marketing has become one of the simplest ways to humanize your company, while at the same time generating brand loyalty.
  
• Creates customer interaction, making it easier to tailor your products and services to your customers by listening to their needs and concerns.
  
• Offers another way to learn more about your target audience and gain new target audience prospects.
  
• Social media marketing is extremely cost-efficient (even when outsourced to a marketing agency) when compared to traditional media marketing.
  
• Adds transparency to your company, offering consumers an open perspective of your business (very important to Generation Y which is being called the “most transparent generation to date.” You can read more in our Gen Y article).
  

The Cons

• Social Media Marketing demands commitment; once you have an audience, it is up to you to cultivate them and keep them interested.
  
• With the aspect of transparency, anything you publish is open to the public.
  
• Without the ability to repress reader’s comments you are open for potential scrutiny.
  
• ROI is delayed most of the time. Social media is viral, but it still takes time. This is something that should be thought of as a long term marketing effort when deciding if your company should engage in social media.
  

With all of that being said, simply publishing a Facebook Fan Page and posting a few random tweets about your company isn’t going to get your company the viral exposure for which you’d hope. Before beginning your social media marketing campaign, you need to formulate a plan, choose your target audience, decide what each social network will address and set your goals.

One of your goals should be to spread knowledge about your company and your industry, the kind of knowledge that your followers will feel inclined to spread to their friends.

For examples of social media efforts you can view Agency Creative’s social media links below:

http://www.facebook.com/AgencyCreative
http://www.twitter.com/AgencyCreative

Related Article:
Understand the Gen Y Audience

Targeting Consumers with Content Marketing

In today’s busy world, Internet-savvy consumers are on the hunt for relevant content at fast speeds. Most consumers begin their online search for your products and services long before they ever know anything about your company. So how do you make your company stand out online? Content. It’s time to become a content marketing expert.

Content marketing is the art of understanding what “content” the consumer wants or needs to know. When you impart that information to the consumer, you instantly become the consumer’s friend. You begin to form a relationship with them. You become a trusted resource that they will, in turn, pass on to their friends and colleagues.

So you understand it is important for your business to have relevant content, now what? It’s time to develop a content marketing plan. First, make a commitment. Understand that great, high-quality content takes time, effort and expertise. Second, think about your target audience and the type of consumer you are seeking. Third, determine the wants and needs of the consumer. And fourth, put your plan into motion by creating a content marketing schedule. Set your plan for at least six months out of when and where content will be generated and posted. You may want to consider hiring a media and marketing strategist to create a strategic content marketing schedule. Sound like a plan?

Creating a content marketing plan can be challenging, but Agency Creative can help you define and create a strategic content marketing plan for your company. Check back in a few weeks for my newest blog on content marketing tips.

Give your Web site a Face-lift

Sure, any Web site can benefit from a little tinkering. A total makeover might not hurt, right? But many companies could literally use a “face” lift. Recent studies in eye tracking show that people spend more time with Web sites that feature a human face. It is basic human nature. Someone walks into your office, you look them in the eye. You instantly assess their mood and respond accordingly. If the person looks ticked, you get your back up. If they are smiling, you smile back. One way or another, you immediately connect. Well, it turns out, this basic human instinct is something we carry into surfing the Web. In fact, eye-tracking studies indicate that when we look at a Web page we look right away for whatever human face is on the page. The second thing we notice? Whatever the face is turned toward. Humanity in a Web site isn’t just eye candy. It actually makes the site more effective. This is just one more way you can increase Web usability and make your site stickier.

Above is a site and branding campaign we developed for our client Allied Affiliated Funding.

Marketing in the Blink of an Eye

It’s the two-second rule. In the first few seconds of looking at a billboard, web banner or magazine ad, most consumers have already formed an opinion. Malcolm Gladwell explores this phenomenon in his best-selling book Blink. He calls this the “decisive glance.” Cops do it, art dealers do it and so do you. Today, it seems, marketing is more like speed-dating than going steady. Consumers are moving at a breakneck speed. They are juggling smart phones, steering wheels and piping-hot cappuccinos. Our TV sets have remote controls and DVR. You have to be ready to grab the viewer in exactly an instant. At Agency Creative, we know how to make brands stand out. We make sure that your message is translated into a quick, powerful impression that customers can consume in a quick slurp or a full-throated gobble. It’s what we do. And we would like to do it for you. This second. Contact us at info@agencycreative.com.

Understand the Gen Y Audience

There is a buzzing “Buzz Word” in the workplace; Gen Y. Companies want to know who they are, what’s so special about them, and how they market to them?

Who is Gen Y?
Generation Y are also known as Millennial or Echo Boomers. Their birthdates range from late 70s to early 90s and there are over 75 million living in the US. Raised by Baby Boomers, they were brought up to believe they can do anything and be anything they want.

Everything about Gen Y has been shaped by opportunity and destruction. Technology has given them the greatest opportunity for advancement, while every year their lives are shaped by a worldly disaster. From the Gulf War, Columbine Shooting, 9-11, Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina to Desert Storm in Afghanistan, Gen Y has been affected. Yet, they are striving to be the most optimistic and creative generation.

What is so special about Gen Y?
Gen Y is the fastest growing segment in the workforce today. They have high expectations not only of themselves, but of their co-workers and boss. They are hard workers, but a generation of multi-taskers, who can be working on a project, talking on the phone, updating their Twitter, Blog and their Facebook all at the same time.

Gen Y lives by a work-life balance, which isn’t just a trend, but their mantra. They aren’t looking for just a JOB, they are looking for JOY. It’s important to them to have joy while on the job. More than half of Gen Y workers prefer a job with volunteer opportunities, according to the Deloitte Survey. A place of work that donates, has a significant cause, or has a volunteer program is more likely to have Gen Y happiness than no Gen Y at all.

How do I market to Gen Y?
The Gen Y community has grown up learning, “Don’t trust advertisers.” Less than half get their information and news from television or radio – both traditional media forms of advertising. Most of the Gen Y community gets their information and news from one another. They text, IM, watch YouTube of each other, Twitter and they Google everything. They speak to each other about their likes and dislikes then blog about it at the end of the day.

There are 6 major rules to consider when marketing to Gen Y.
1. Create a good quality product
2. Provide it at a good value
3. Have fast service
4. Allow them to have an “experience”
5. Make sure it’s hip
6. Most importantly, be authentic

Authenticity is the most important rule when marketing to the Gen Y community. To earn their respect and get them talking to their friends about your product or brand, you have to be authentic. They know real when they see it.

A couple of important things to remember when learning about Gen Y and how to market to them is: listen, hang out, experience their life on their terms and most importantly respect them. They are the most transparent generation to date and Social Networking is the key to successful marketing with Gen Y.

Facebook and Twitter are two of the most popular social networking sites to immediately get connected to the Gen Y audience. Check out Agency Creative’s Facebook and Twitter to begin your connection:

http://www.facebok.com/AgencyCreative
http://twitter.com/AgencyCreative

The Twittering/Facebooking of America

I'm paid to be clever. That's how I feed my family. So why squander my wit on Twitter? Why give up the groceries for free on Facebook? I do it to stay connected with old friends. So a guy I haven't seen in five years--who now lives in Ohio--can tell me I made him laugh. But the pressure is incredible. Artie Megibben is... what? I can't just say, "I'm ordering a coffee at Starbucks." After all, I'm a Creative Director. I have to say something cute. Right? And so I do. But I don't get a nickel for it--just friends who I make smile.

Of course, there are other reasons some one might send a tweet or update a Facebook wall. It can actually improve the organic rankings of your company's Web site. How awesome is that? I know! You see, we have special knowledge of cool stuff like that at Agency Creative. We are into Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and Web 2.0. We know how to raise your rankings with Google and Yahoo. We know how to sneak hardworking keywords into your Web content and how to streamline your nav menu to make it more intuitive. It's sort of secret Ninja knowledge that we would love to share with you face-to-face. Or Facebook-to-Facebook. Whatever works for you. Now, excuse me while I think of something clever to tweet.

3 Must-Have Tools for Performing Effective Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO, is the process of doing everything you can to make sure your Web site ranks well organically on search engines in hopes of efficiently capturing site traffic among qualified online users.

We have taken the three most important tools related to SEO and compiled a short and powerful list for anyone who is interested in SEO.

1. Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide

The Google guide won’t teach you how to trick Google into ranking your Web site first, but it will tell you the do’s and don’ts when it comes to optimizing your site for Google.

Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide (PDF Download)

2. Web Site Grader

This toolbar lets you check page rank, domain age, Meta data, links on social bookmaking sites and many more tools.

Web Site Grader

3. Search Engine Ranking Tool

Mikes-Marketing-Tools.com published this free tool to quickly and easily check the rankings for a key phrase with a domain name across multiple search engines in seconds.

Free Search Engine Rankings Check in Seconds

These tools are a great start for building a Web site that utilizes Search Engine Optimization, but that is only half of the work. The other half of the work is knowing how to properly construct a Web site using relevant keywords, Meta data, content, and link building. When developing content it is important to be strategic if you want your Web site to be search engine friendly.

Tyler Technologies Partners Up With Agency Creative

We are happy to announce that we have just been named agency of record for Plano-based Tyler Technologies. Tyler Technologies is a publicly traded company that provides software & services to more than 7,000 local government offices throughout all 50 states, the US Virgin Islands, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom.

“Agency Creative clearly demonstrated their experience, strong creative and keen strategic branding insights. They fully understood the daunting scope of our needs and our unique opportunity to grow this brand. Add to that instant sense of chemistry, and we knew we had found true marketing partners,” confided Samantha Crosby, Senior Director of Marketing, Tyler Technologies.

“Agency Creative is thrilled to be part of the Tyler Technologies team,” said Agency Creative President, Mark Wyatt. “We look forward to advancing the power of this already significant brand.”

Agency Creative is a full-service strategic branding agency that specializes in helping companies deal with the challenges and obstacles that are associated with brand transition. If your brand is in transition, call us at 972.488.1660. It’s what we do.

Agency Creative launches new branding campaign for Allied Affiliated Funding

Allied Affiliated Funding, formerly known as Allied Capital Partners, is a nationwide leader in commercial finance specializing in accounts receivable factoring - also known as invoice factoring. Allied selected us in late 2008 as their agency of record.

"The Agency Creative team has been an absolute delight to work with on the re-branding of our company. Their professionalism, strategic guidance, creativity and keen attention to detail is refreshing. I have been very pleased with the exceptional work and service we have received, and I am glad to have found such a reliable and innovative agency partner," stated Karen Tramel, Director of Marketing.

On April 21, we launched the Allied's new strategic brand positioning and branding campaign. Read the full story and see the creative.

Smart Marketing During Lean Times

Our current economic environment has many clients pulling back their advertising budgets. So knowing where to place the advertising dollars when times are lean is extremely critical. One of the most effective and least costly marketing tools is search engine marketing (SEM). Of course, it performs better when your web site is optimized with relevant content, keywords, meta data, etc. Our clients typically obtain 35 to 50 percent more leads/success through their SEM program over other individual tactics within their marketing mix. To top it off, it is easy to track and identify the ROI. There are no guarantees in garnering the top organic listing(s), but an online pay-per-click ad campaign will provide first-page exposure while increasing organic listings. Some industries perform much better than others, so I recommend at least a three-month SEM program to see if it can be a top perfomer for your company.