Anthology Creative Feeds By: Category: Marketing

3 Tips On How To Use QR Codes Effectively

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Last spring, my wife, Rachael, and I were at the local home improvement store shopping for some flowers. As we were browsing, a particular set of flowers caught my eye because of what was printed on the label - each one contained a QR Code. I thought this was brilliant. Most flower labels normally contain information about the care of the plant - the amount of sunlight is required, how often to water it, etc. This is the information that I had expected to see when I scanned the QR Code on the label… perhaps supplemented with a nice photo of the flower. However, I was disappointed to only be directed to the company's homepage. This company missed the opportunity to utilize the QR Code in a creative and useful way. This was a classic case of use before understanding. Consider these guidelines when using QR Codes for marketing purposes: 1. Always extend context. If the QR Code is printed on a flower label, give the user information about that flower. If it is printed along with a product in a catalog, link to the actual product page so the user can learn more about the product or make a purchase. Do not simply link to your homepage. 2. Consider providing a mobile site. It can be assumed that users will be scanning your QR Codes on mobile devices. Nothing can kill a mobile user experience more than to serve up a site that is not optimized for mobile devices. Do not take the user to a page that was created using Flash. 3. Understand your market. QR Codes are new and they are still considered on the fringe of interactive media. The people that will recognize a QR Code and understand how to use it are more tech savvy than your ordinary John Doe. Thus, the QR Code should serve as an auxiliary feature, and not the main content. Do not create a marketing piece that only contains a title and a QR Code (unless it is intended for use at a conference for New Media professionals). QR Codes are trendy, but do not make a mistake of integrating a trendy interactive technology without some strategy to drive it. Always understand how to use a technology before you put it into practice.

Active vs. Passive Business Sites

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0500

So you’ve got a company, and you’ve got a website. Unless you’re a web-based company you probably hope that people will find your site either by advertising or search engines directing them to your site and that the site visit will lead to business for your company. This describes the standard passive web site. It sits there and waits for someone to visit it, hoping to help in the process if it can. An active site offers something to visitors. It doesn’t stay the same all the time and is updated to encourage regular visits. It supplies information that may be helpful to visitors. These updates don’t have to be drastic or even design changes. Blogging, social media integration, photo galleries of projects that your company is involved in, or even links to stories from your industry create change and can help drive users back to your site for return visits. Updating your site (if you even have the ability) in simple ways to provide tools, information or updates to your current or potential clients is a great way to turn your web site from a passive tool in your marketing, into an active one. Having a site that is a destination as opposed to a stop-through can give your business a leg up in becoming the expert that your clients are looking for and the name that they will remember.

You may know what SEO is, but do you know what SSA is...?

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0500

You may know what SEO is, but do you know what SSA is...? ... and why it matters to you and your website? With SEO, you’re learning from the web queries that direct users to your site. What users type into Google, Bing, or other search engines to get to your website. But what about once they are there? Does your website have a search box? Do you know what users are entering in that field? Would you even know what to do with that information if you had it? Users of our websites give us massive amounts of information; What pages they go to most often, are they linked in to a page other than the homepage, what is most important to your website visitors, what would they like to see more of (less of), and are there pages that never get seen... and why not? Knowing how and why users get to your site is only half of the battle. Putting together, or updating, a site that meets the needs of the users of the site can be the difference in having a site that people go to, and a site that people use. If you view your website as a tool, is it a tool that your target audience wants to use?

The Rise of the Recommendation Web

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The web is an organism. It is constantly evolving. It is constantly morphing and changing its shape. It is continually adapting to current trends, new information, and progressive innovation. In it’s infantry, it was the static web. Then, it became the dynamic web and we began to interact. About ten years ago, it morphed again - this time into the social web. In this era, we have seen the rise and fall of sites like Friendster and MySpace, we have seen services like Facebook and Twitter grow from experiments into online empires. And, we started to see the first glimpses of the recommendation web with sites like Digg and Reddit. We are now fully entering into the era of the recommendation web - where virtually everything can be viewed, consumed, or purchased can also have a recommendation attached. This begins to shift how we find new information, how we search on the web, and how our decisions are influenced - decisions that we previously were forced to make alone. So, where does this take us? Facebook and Google each have launched their own “recommendation networks.” Facebook has the now-iconic “Like” button, and Google recently launched +1.These giants will begin to take a stronghold onto the recommendation web. Facebook will utilize it to connect people further and increase revenue by serving up increasingly targeted ads. Google will utilize it to organize and catalog information on the web and respond to requests accordingly. Both will leverage our existing social networks and what those people recommend to gain insight into our potential likes, dislikes, and behavior. With the recommendation web, search engine optimization (SEO) as we know it today will be flipped on its head. It will become more important for companies and products to receive recommendations online than it will be to write strategic copy containing certain buzzwords. Search results will be heavily influenced by our social recommendations, and thus, will be catered to fit each individual. It makes sense that this is the next logical step in the evolution of the web. Companies and organizations should recognize this early and adapt accordingly so they are not left behind in the new era of the web.

How Searchable are you?

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Last week an attorney friend of mine asked me if we could build him his own site outside of his firm’s using his name as the website domain. He wasn’t attempting to separate himself from his colleagues, he just wanted search engines that might be looking for him, as opposed to the firm, to be able to more easily find him. My advice was that not only should he do it, but each of the other partners in the firm should do the same thing. A simple landing page with personal contact info as well as links to the company or organization main page and social media links are an easy way to make your organization as a whole more visible online and can lend a more prestigious appearance and a larger footprint in web search results. Also, individuals who may know your public faces of the company or front line employees but not the organization its self can more easily find more information quickly. These sites can be easily expanded for blogging purposes or as online destinations to send clients for specific services. The more links that feed back to your organization via web search, the better results you'll have being found online.

When Opportunity Strikes, Will You Be Prepared?

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Over the last two months, millions of Americans were captivated by a sport that most of us hadn’t given a single thought to since a penalty kick 12 years ago. The US Women’s soccer team began winning their games. Winning wasn’t exactly unexpected, but how they won drew the attention of the American public unlike any women’s sport has ever done. Capped by the last minute, short-handed goal against Brazil in the Quarter Finals, America was hooked and the US Women’s soccer team became “our girls.” Twitter exploded setting a new record for tweets per second, and viewership grew exponentially for the teams next two games of the World Cup. Although the team didn’t bring home the cup, America was interested and Women’s soccer in America’s brief window of opportunity to take advantage had begun. Three days later a record crowd showed up in Rochester New York for a Women’s Professional Soccer match that was supposed to involve several of the heroes of the World Cup team. Only one problem, none of those players actually played in that game. ...Two weeks later most Americans can no longer name any of the members of that team. When the right client or company hears about your organization, are you prepared for them to find you online? Are you proud of what they will find there? Or, by the time you get ready to take advantage of the new found notoriety have they moved on to the organization that was prepared? Having a web presence that makes you easily found online and represents your company well, once found, can mean the difference in a new client or a new skeptic. Are you prepared to be found... or forgotten?

What Is Strategy Really Worth?

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

One of the things we practice at Anthology on a daily basis is strategy. Every decision that we make is intentionally executed to help our clients meet their goals. Websites are no longer just websites; they are marketing tools. Designs are no longer just designs; they are a conduit for effective communication. It never ceases to amaze me how some companies and organizations think that having a website that was created using a “Website Wizard” will suffice for an online presence. Even when these groups hire a web company, many times, they go for the cheapest option and end up with a horrible template-based design with a logo thrown in the header. These solutions, though cheap, lack the thought and strategy that are crucial to a successful website. When planning, designing, building, and implementing websites we usually ask two questions with every decision we make: 1. Why are we doing this? 2. What is best for the user and the client’s goals? The answer to the first question, “Why are we doing this?” forces us to make intentional decisions to benefit the project as a whole. Many times, this also cuts out much of the “fat” that tends to weigh down many websites. If there is no point in having it, we remove it. The second question, “What is best for the user and the client’s goals?” forces us to act in the best interest of the user and the client. This question arises frequently when we discuss how an interface should flow or what elements we can utilize to strategically draw the users’ attention. The result is an extremely usable website that meets the client’s goals. However, strategy usually comes at a price. Cheaper solutions that are not driven by strategy are not the best fit for a successful web presence. Everything, from the navigation scheme to the design, needs to be done in an intentional manner to optimize impact and to make your website work for you. Otherwise, it is just wasted web space.

Forget The Competition, They Are Worthless To You

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0500

There is a skewed philosophy in the marketing world today – that in order to beat your competition, you must know your competition inside and out. However, this philosophy tends to yield mediocrity, not innovation. I keep running across phone manufacturers that are promoting their upcoming “iPhone killers.” And with each one, I have the same reaction: “really?!” (in a slightly skeptical and sarcastic tone). The problem with these new phones is that the manufacturers are focusing too much on the competition. It is apparent that they began the initiative by analyzing everything about the iPhone and then building a device that mimics it, but with more features. In contrast, I imagine the development of the iPhone was much different, and it probably started with one question: how can we make the best phone in the world? Sure, I bet they studied other devices, but probably for insight on what they did not want to do as opposed to stealing features. These are two entirely different mindsets. One says, “How innovative can we be?” and the other says, “How can we beat product X?” If you practice the first philosophy, you are really limitless in what you can produce, and you customers will respond positively. However, the second philosophy can only position you in relation to whatever product you are trying to beat. At the end of the day, you just look like a copycat. Now, is it possible for a company to produce an “iPhone killer?” Sure it is. But it will happen by innovating, not trying to mimic the iPhone. Are you paying too much attention to your competition, or are you simply producing the best work possible with excellence? Put some blinders on and do what you do best.

Cabin Experience Followup

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500

I posted earlier this week about our cabin vacation to Gatlinburg, TN and the lessons of how your brand and the customer experience is one in the same. A comment left on that entry was an example of the very concept I was trying to convey. After reading about our horrible experience, my sister, Bethany, commented with links to a fantastic cabin her and her husband had rented:

Sorry you place wasn’t all you hoped for Next time, try Mountain Laurel Chalets. http://www.mtnlaurelchalets.com/chalet_index.html We have used them more than once and have never been less than pleased. Here is the cabin we stayed at last Christmas. http://secure.instantsoftwareonline.com/StayUSA/Property.aspx?coid=0210&propid=SCHONBLICK Bethany

She had a great experience and it turned her into an evangelist. This is what every company should strive for - having the customer evangelize on your behalf. This penetrates through the influence layer since the marketing is coming from someone within their circle of influence, not outside it. Thanks for making my point, Bethany.

Warner Bros. Records Nashville MySpace Layout

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Anthology Creative just revamped Warner Bros. Records Nashville's MySpace page with a layout design based on their newly-relaunched wbrnashville.com. If you have a MySpace profile - whether you are a band, a music label, or a business - branding it with a custom layout can create better brand awareness - and let's face it... the default MySpace design is not much to look at.

So Why Blog?

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0600

So, now that I have started a blog (for real this time, I promise), why is it worth it? Why should I blog? My reasons come down to these three things: 1. Content Is a Promotion Strategy Time to promote - There is no denying that in this new blog/podcast/online video age, content can serve as promotion for just about anything - and for much less than one would spend on newspaper ads, billboards, chess tournament sponsorships, etc. There is absolutely no reason for a company to not be constantly producing content, even if it is micro-content such as tweets. 2. I Need to Give Back Time to get all sentimental - I would honestly not be where I am today if it were not for the tools, articles, tutorials, etc. that I have found on the internet (thank you, Google). And frankly, until now, I have pretty much been a take-take-take type of information consumer. It is time for me to start producing content for other people that are just as curious as I have been and are looking for new information, interesting approaches to problems, and the like. 3. Blogging Pushes Me Further Time to be effective - In order to blog effectively, I will need to research. I will need to keep up with what is going on in new media and the internet world. Blogging about these topics will more-or-less force me to become an expert in these topics and to stay relevant. But, don't get me wrong - you do not need to do these things in order to start a blog - I just feel that I need to stay on top of these things in order to blog effectively. If you wish to follow this blog and all its goodness, make sure you subscribe via RSS (imagine a little orange icon here).