Sharing Statistics- Email still big, but Facebook is growing
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Tuesday, 24 February 09 - 03:15 PM (GMT -06:00) By Michael Daehn in Marketing 2.0- New Media |
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ShareThis, a company that has a handy widget for sharing content, just published their stats for what platforms people are using. Facebook is growing, but Email is still the big hitter in this game.
New Article- Tweet Ideas: The Marketer's Guide to Twitter
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Monday, 23 February 09 - 09:28 PM (GMT -06:00) By Michael Daehn in Marketing 2.0- New Media |
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Just finished this article about marketing on Twitter. You can read it in this cool viewer from Scribd.
Tweet Ideas: the Marketer's Guide to Twitter DaehnKey User Experience Question: What Do You Expect To Happen?
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Thursday, 05 February 09 - 01:30 PM (GMT -06:00) By Michael Daehn in Marketing 2.0- New Media |
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When testing web designs on users the most important question is "what did you expect to happen?" Whether they click on a link, mouse over a picture, or select an icon the best result is for the site to behave the way they expected.
When blue words don't link, icons change into a new shape, or pictures go blank it is confusing to site visitors. When in doubt, ask users what they expected to happen.
Do you test your web designs? What kind of questions do you ask?
Don't Innovate on Navigation
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Wednesday, 04 February 09 - 09:29 AM (GMT -06:00) By Michael Daehn in Marketing 2.0- New Media |
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How easy is it to navigate your site?
Don't Fight Web Conventions
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Tuesday, 03 February 09 - 12:13 PM (GMT -06:00) By Michael Daehn in Marketing 2.0- New Media |
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Therefore, people learn to use and navigate sites based on their experience elsewhere. For that reason it makes sense to stick with what people are used to. If you do dare to try something new, make sure it is a definite improvement and easy to understand or your visitors will get frustrated.
Does your website follow standard practices?
How to Keep Your Website on Top: The Website Creation Continuum
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Tuesday, 06 January 09 - 01:13 PM (GMT -06:00) By Michael Daehn in Marketing 2.0- New Media |
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Great websites are continually honed to better serve your audience
Start by doing your research.
- Personas- develop a picture of the ideal visitor for your site
- Education- know everything you can about your market and the best web tools to reach them
- Surveys- not sure what your audience wants? Ask them
- Testing- perform user tests early and often- the more you test the better your final site will be
Your initial research will help you define your initial target audience. To connect with your target audience you will need:
- SEO- Good search engine optimization assures you that when people are typing in the name of your product or service they will find you easily
- UX- A well designed user experience makes sure that once they find your site, they can find what they came for quickly and easily
- Conversion- If you put in the hard work for the steps above, it will pay off with more conversions to sales, customers and supporters
How do you know this is working? Measurement. Check your search results, refine your UX through testing and surveys and look at the bottom line- are you making any revenue? Don't forget to use these measurements to refine your target audience further.
How much effort do you put into your web marketing? Do you set it and forget it?
Dr. Googlelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Google
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Tuesday, 16 December 08 - 09:39 AM (GMT -06:00) By Michael Daehn in Marketing 2.0- New Media |
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I used to look for alternatives, but I've learned to embrace the power and beauty that is Google
It is useless to resist, Google is best. I now look to use all Google products all the time. Here are a few reasons why I decided to join the Googleplex:
Search
Who ya gonna call? It may be Ghostbusters, but you're gonna use Google to find the number. Google's core competency, search, is stronger than ever.
When people talk about search engine optimization (SEO) they really mean they are making their site Google friendly. Google has created an entire industry devoted to being Google friendly.
Cash Machine
Money for you, money for me, money for Google. Sure They're making a boatload of cash, but can you say they don't deserve it? Their model for internet advertising and tracking clicks is not only revolutionary, but a good idea too.
The cool thing is that Google shares the wealth. They allow any Joe to grab his share by posting Google ads on their site. Before you knew it 17 year old kids started making $100K a month by putting Google ads on their gadget blogs (allegedly).
Apps
Gmail, Google Docs, Google Maps, and the list goes on. I've tried out lots of different web gadgets and apps, but I keep coming back to Google. Sure their stuff may not always be as flashy as some of the start-up companies, but it tends to work and I feel confident they aren't going out of business or losing my data any time soon.
Gmail was the tipping point for me. I've had a Gmail account for years, but rarely used it. A few months ago I grew tired of the snail like pace my PC would take on every time I booted Outlook. I decided to import all of my email accounts into Gmail instead. It was really easy and didn't cost a penny. I also have access to my accounts no matter where I login from or what machine I am using.
Free
Well kind of. You don't pay any fees to use Google apps, but you will have ads everywhere. Google is amassing an enormous database of information on you and every other web user, but you don't have to pay money. It's OK with me as long as they use the data to target me with useful and informational promotions.
Not Evil
Google's motto is "don't be evil." As long as this holds true using Google for all of my computing needs is a real bargain. I pray they stay that way.
Why do you love Google?
5 Reasons Why Twitter Will Survive
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Tuesday, 10 June 08 - 08:39 PM (GMT -06:00) By Michael Daehn in Marketing 2.0- New Media |
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Some are skeptical, but I think Twitter will be around for a while
If you aren't on Twitter it is hard to explain. It really needs to be experienced. If you are on Twitter I'm sure you have asked yourself how a site that is so simple and yet is constantly down due to technical difficulties can survive. Here's 5 reasons why Twitter will survive.
1. It's not so stupid after all
When I first heard about Twitter I thought it was pretty stupid. Why would anyone want to blog in short sentences. Then a friend recommended it and I read this article in Wired. I finally gave it a try and got hooked. As the Wired article postulates, it gives you a sense of what is happening in the lives of those around you. It's also a great way to look back at what you really do all day which can be good or bad.
2. Early platform
The Twitter developers had a hunch it was not stupid when they created it. Since they were probably the only ones, they had the market to themselves. First to market is a fantastic competitive advantage since it literally can not be copied without the aid of time travel.
3. Number of users
Lots of people using your stuff means lots of other people wanting or needing to use it to connect to them. Twitter has lots of users.
4. Backbone
Because Twitter lacks some features, many third party apps developed to sync with it. Today there are tons of social platforms like Facebook that sync with Twitter. Twitter has become the glue that links these different sites and keeps your status updated across them all. Kind of like Tolkien's One Ring.
5. Familiarity
Ya it's not fancy and breaks down a lot- kind of like your first car, but that is part of the endearing quality of Twitter. It has a bit of the underdog story going for it. Plus, people love to complain and lots of down time makes for great tweets about the lack of service when it comes back up. Humans are funny that way.
Eventually Twitter will work out its technical difficulties and be a reliable communications hub. It will probably get bought by Microsoft or Google and become a mainstay on the web. I think we will miss these days. I can't help but think this is the golden age of Twitter. Tweet on.
Are you on Twitter? What do you think?
Marketing 2.0 Goes To Space
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Wednesday, 12 March 08 - 07:21 PM (GMT -06:00) By Michael Daehn in Marketing 2.0- New Media |
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Well at least maybe my book will make it there
I met Chris at the STL Travel show. She's not really an astronaut, but she wears this outfit at shows to get people's attention and promote the science center in Huntsville, AL. I thought it was a cool idea.
Walking around the booths at the travel show I felt awkward. I wanted to take a gander and use my marketing eye to look for ideas or improvements. After a few minutes I really just wanted to get out of there.
I saw lots of people walking around with bags full of brochures and give aways, but I wonder how effective that is for the vendors. Do people really go home and read all that stuff? When I have collected those bags they usually sit on my office floor for a few months and then I throw them away. This time I resisted the urge to get a bag full of stuff.
That might explain my feeling weird. It seems strange to make eye contact with a vendor, but not stop and grab some stuff. Maybe the bags are a way to politely check out the booth and not be rude.
One thing is for sure, it sure was fun to get my picture taken with someone dressed as an astronaut. I think Chris is on to something...
What is the best trade show booth you have ever seen? What things do you do to attract people when you have a booth?
STL Travel Show Audience: Marketing 2.0 Speech
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Saturday, 08 March 08 - 09:09 PM (GMT -06:00) By Michael Daehn in Marketing 2.0- New Media |
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See how easy it is to post images on your blog?
How could you add pictures or videos of customers to enhance your blog/website?
... More items are available in our News Archive
