Queen Bee Marketing’s Blog About Marketing, SEO, and Design.

With the iPhone being released today it’s interesting to look at what Apple has done to motivate people to sit in line for over 24 hours to get their hands on one. There are four main steps Apple took in marketing the iPhone.

1. Announce the iPhone 6 months before it’s release with minimal information about it.

2. Slowly release more detailed information to the public.

3. Create advertisements detailing the many unique features of the iPhone.

4. Let other people spread the word for you.

Apple built up suspense and anticipation for the iPhone by giving the people what they want - detailed information. They never had to use hard-sell tactics or put a lot of time and money into advertising. Because of the innovative nature of the iPhone, Apple’s loyal followers were willing to spread the word and sell the product for them. Even people who aren’t interested in Apple may be interested in new and cutting edge technology. Simply showing people what they can do with the iPhone was enough to push people to buy it.

Yesterday afternoon a huge storm rolled through and knocked out our power. After shutting all of the computers down, so as not to run on the battery back-up, we were left sitting in the dark. Here’s a list of the things we did to try to stay productive (or at least entertained).

1. Brainstorming - We still had a little natural light to see our whiteboard. We actually came up with some great ideas with the lights out. Maybe the change in atmosphere helped get the creative juices flowing.

2. Thumb Wars - Eventually things got a little silly and we had a thumb wars championship showdown. (P.S. I won!)

3. Web Design Ghost Stories - Once we settled back down it was time to break out the flashlight and tell some good ol’fashioned horror stories. “Once upon a time, before we had standards, there was a browser called Netscape 4…”

4. Pre-internet Lecture - After reminiscing about how the internet used to be, James lectured us on the time before the internet existed. “You know I can remember a time before we even had internet…”

5. Meet New Friends - At this point, Phil, who works in the office across the hall came in and accused us of not working and then joined in our conversation about what computers used to be like. “Remember those word processors with the 2 line display?”

6. E-mail withdrawal - An hour had passed, and we were all starting to get a little shaky from e-mail withdrawal. We came to the realization that we all had internet connections at home and left to finish out the day working elsewhere.

It’s inevitable that the power will go out once in a while. What are some ways you spend downtime at work?

Last week, James posted a story about his eye surgery on his personal Web site (and updated it yesterday to include a video). While it only got a total of 8 Diggs, it really took off on several other social media Web sites, including Reddit. His site received over 2,000 views in 3 days, with 10% of those viewers clicking through to Queen Bee’s site. James’ site has been a great tool for us to demonstrate the power of SEO and now the power of viral media.

For those of you we haven’t mentioned this to yet, try Googling “Indiana’s Coolest Guy.” Yep, that’s right, James is Indiana’s coolest guy. For some reason clients, friends, family, and everyone else thinks this is way cooler than if we talk about successes with our business Web site or other clients’ sites. And now with the eye surgery page taking off virally, we can also demonstrate the power of social media Web sites. It’s a great way to show that if you create interesting content, people will spread it for you.

Ever since search engines came into existence there has been a debate over whether it’s better to have a nicely designed site or to optimize for the search engines. Some see this problem as a “chicken or the egg” issue. Your site needs to look nice for your visitors, but how will your visitors find you if you don’t optimize for the search engines? Both of these factors need to be taken into consideration before starting a Web site design. Great design doesn’t mean you have to make a site completely out of Flash, and optimizing doesn’t mean keyword stuffing. Finding common ground between the two is essential at the beginning of any Web site design project. A site can look nice and professional while still giving the search engines the information they need.

The use of CSS to arrange elements on a page and to style those elements gives designers much more freedom than in the past. Text, for example, is important to the search engines. But it doesn’t have to be boring. You can play with the size, color, font, or add a background image, and search engines will still read it. If there’s a font you absolutely must use that isn’t available on the Web, then use it in an image occasionally.

One technique to work around this problem is the Phark Method. It has been debated by SEOs as to whether or not it’s ethical. Basically, you push the text off the edge of the page so that humans can see the picture and not the text. About a week ago I came across an article that discusses the search engine’s stance on this method. This technique could be used for good or evil. If you are using it to display text for screen readers that can not read text in images, and are only displaying the same text that is in the image, then you shouldn’t be penalized in any way. This could also be used to spam the site for search engine purposes, which I would definitely not recommend. Google and the other search engines are normally smart enough to know what’s spam and what isn’t.

Using all images on your site (with no text) is also not good for both your visitors or search engines. It’s okay to use some pictures, and include ALT text with them, but search engines can’t see what’s in pictures, they have to rely on your ALT text. People also need text on a page. What if someone wants to copy/paste your address or phone number but you just have it in an image? Or what if some one is browsing your site with a screen reader? Some may say, “Why not use the Phark Method for the whole site?” 1) It’s more work for you, and 2) You may be flagged by a search engine for appearing to be spam.

Flash is another common tool used by designers that causes problems for search engines. Most people love the design freedom created by using Flash. Creating your page entirely in Flash means you technically only have a one page Web site. So you will only have one page cached in the search engines, and users on your site can not bookmark or email an individual page - a product page, for example. I was formally trained in Graphic Design, not SEO, so I understand how great Flash is. But there is a right and wrong way to use it. Incorporating elements created in Flash into the individual pages on your site is a good way to add some of the cool design elements without compromising SEO.

Creating a Web site that your client and their site visitors like, while making it SEO friendly, can sometimes be difficult. Making compromises and learning ways to make both work will allow you to have your cake and eat it, too.

Online marketing has just developed in the last 10-15years. Offline marketing has existed since man began to communicate. That is quite a bit of a head start, but like most all of our world; the two are closely related and have several similar traits as well as distinct differences.

Offline marketing includes everything from print media, TV and movie, radio, in-person (events), road signs, and much more. Online marketing consists of email, video, blogs, web sites, pop ups, and more.

While brainstorming about this topic, I decided to make a list of the strengths and weaknesses of each just as should be done when preparing a marketing plan. I was a little surprised at the results:

Online Strengths:

• Much more cost effective
• Better able to hit target audience
• Cutting edge
• Unlimited range (no geographical limitations)
• “Pull” marketing
• 24 hour availability
• Constant run time- available 24/7/365 to potential clients
• Rifle approach- targeted directly towards prospective clients
• Easier to monitor effectiveness and adjust- Easy to change/adapt
• Interactive

Online Weaknesses:

• Technology expenses and changes
• Audience reach limits
• Smaller range of marketing avenues

Offline Strengths:

• Proven history - customary
• Trust factor
• Tangible

Offline Weaknesses:

• Costs-Labor intensive
• Perishable- Time sensitive run time
• Unable to modify once committed
• “Push” marketing
• Limited geographical range
• Limted time range- drive by/before thrown in trash
• Time sensitive run time
• Shotgun approach

I may be biased, but as you can see there are many more advantages to using online vs. offline marketing techniques. But, and it’s a big but; you can’t put all your eggs in one basket. To be fully effective in today’s market you must integrate your marketing strategies. For example: send a postcard and monitor you website activity to help monitor the effectiveness of the postcard. The effective integration between your marketing strategies will provide you the most effective way to reach your target customer base.

I’ve heard it time after time from people, “So, what is this blogging you’re talking about?” After which I launch in my standard response that “A blog is sort of like a journal you keep online that anyone can read and comment on.” Half the time I can see their eyes glaze over with a disinterested stare. Many people feel that blogging is reserved for the technically savvy. While doing research for many of our clients it has become apparent that most markets, especially niche markets, have very few (if any) bloggers who have established themselves as the online authority for the topic. These are spaces that they could move into and dominate. But “blogging” sounds too technical, too difficult, and too time consuming.

Using another term instead of blogging could be the answer to getting more people interested. For instance, you could refer to it as a “News” page if you see that a client’s industry is constantly changing and growing. They could post news about their company, industry, or how their industry is affecting the greater community. Another option is a “Question and Answer” page. If a business owner receives a large amount of questions from their customers they could use the blog as a way of displaying those questions and answers. This could be useful if the industry is complex and customers have a lot of common questions. Finally, simply referring to it as “Information Sharing” is more understandable than “blogging.” Using the blog to share an interesting article or to show off pictures of customers using their product is a simple way to keep the site fresh. Something similar to a tumble log might be all they need to keep the viewer’s interest.

Just about anyone in the SEO/SEM industry can describe why blogging is so beneficial to a Web site, but getting the average Web site owner past the initial confusion and hesitation can be difficult. Using common terminology and modifying the standard use of a blog can get more people interested in blogging. And by taking the individual Web site’s needs into consideration when starting a blog, and not forcing it into the standard blogging mold, it will benefit that site and it’s visitors even more.

While sifting through my feed reader this afternoon, I came across an article about a new Digg-like site for women - Sk*rt. It’s growth has skyrocketed since launching a few days ago, and they’re already working on moving to a new host. The functionality of the site is very similar to Digg. Users submit stories that fall into different categories, then other users “vote” on the stories to promote them to the homepage. This format isn’t new, but the target audience is. Many similar sites like Digg, Reddit, and Netscape have a male-oriented user base where stories about technology and politics go over well. It will be interesting to see how this site develops over time.

What other types of communities will pop up in the near future? I think as more people seek out information and entertainment online, we will see more niche communities. Chat rooms and forums have already started this process, but larger communities, like Digg, are being sought out for the ability to share information and news while being surrounded by like-minded individuals.

What does all of this mean for online marketers like myself? The ability to spread viral content will become easier. Catering only to the Digg/Reddit group will disappear and new options will open up. Being able to target content to a certain niche will help gain exposure and better traffic for a site. If there were more communities like this (and I assume there will be) great content could be developed to target that niche instead of conforming the content to fit the Digg mold. Even just having a site with a “softer” side, like Sk*rt, will help a lot of great Web sites, blogs, content, etc. become discovered and gain recognition.

What makes a decent design great? There isn’t secret design magic out there that designers sprinkle on their layouts to make them look great, it’s the designer’s attention to detail that takes a design to a new level. Everything needs to work together within the design to make it work. The following are a few areas to be aware of while you’re designing. These items mostly apply to businesses and not personal or fine art.

1. Grid - Grids keep everything aligned and in order. The viewer may never notice the grid, but they will feel comforted by the sense of organization. Create a grid and stick to it unless it makes sense conceptually to purposefully break the grid. Grids help you to design more efficiently, too. Knowing exactly how wide your text box or image should be reduces your need to guess and creates structure.

2. Color - Colors need to be chosen for a reason. Maybe they are the company’s corporate colors. If so, make sure to match them perfectly. Branding depends on consistency, and choosing colors that are similar but not quite exact could confuse viewers and weaken brand strength. If you are not using corporate colors, then colors should be consistent with the concept you’re conveying. Keep in mind that colors have different meanings between cultures. Try to avoid choosing colors (or letting your clients choose colors) on the basis of personal preference.

3. Typography - Spend some time choosing 1-2 fonts that fit with your concept. Your “go-to” font may not be the best choice. Try to steer clients away from Comic Sans and other random fonts unless it does happen to go with your concept. More than 2 (maybe 3) fonts will become confusing to the viewer. Use different weights/variations of the same font instead of choosing a different one. Using your type to create a hierarchy will also guide readers through your document. Pick one style for headings, another for sub-headings, another for body copy, etc.

The best way to make sure you’re on track with your design is to constantly ask yourself “Why?” Why did you choose this font over that one? Why did you place the logo where you did? Why did you use 2 columns of text instead of one? If you can’t answer why you did something, maybe you should rethink that element. Thinking about why you did what you did will force you to think about the details of the design.