The search arena is never-ending project for marketers, requiring ongoing attention to detail and analysis. (Illustration by Danard Vincente/Flickr Creative Commons)
Just about everybody that follows the web biz knows that Google serves the lion’s share of search queries. But how well do you know the breakdown of the rest of the search market?
Frankly, I was surprised by last month’s figures. I wonder if you wouldn’t be, too.
Here’s a fun test: Based on the May 2009 figures from comScore, see if you can put the following websites in order, from largest to smallest, on the number of search queries each handled for the month.
They are, in no particular order, Craigslist, Google, YouTube, Yahoo, Microsoft Live, AOL, eBay, Facebook, and Amazon.
One goal every person on the WELD team shares is to maintain a healthy balance between work and play.
We’ve each taken the hard road in life, trying to turn what we’re good at and passionate about — the active, outdoor lifestyle, communication and technology — into a successful business.
The WELD team recently wrapped up a web build and content production for a client in economic development — The Woodlands — and it does a good job of reminding us why we chase that dream here in Southern West Virginia.
What is an 'agency' — the pedal or the power to push? (photo by thanker212/Flickr Creative Commons)
WELD is by no means an “advertising agency” in the traditional sense. We do strive, however, to redefine what it means to be an “agency.”
What’s the definition of an agency?
Historically, we’re talking about the one-stop-shop for advertising and marketing, an organization capable of media buys (think TV spots and billboards), market strategy and campaign planning, and producing the creative content and/or orchestrating that work among specialty shops.
But little guys like us, we can’t do all that.
We’re probably best categorized along the lines of one of those boutiques, given our specialization in the digital space.
Some people have asked about the “superhero” who appears in the banner graphic that greets you on this website. Should we reveal his secret identity?
First, we hope you’ll indulge us in a quick fairytale to elucidate the images:
There once was an ambitious young man who decided he wanted to go to the moon.
Looking off into the distance, he set his sights on his goal. He calculated the number of steps it would take, the supplies he would need to get there and the obstacles that might get in his way.
Perhaps most important of all, he determined the critical test that would tell him when he had arrived.
He had been told that, with anything worth doing, begin with the end in mind and decide, before your first move, how you will measure completion and success.
The young man, now with plans in hand, set to work building the bridge to his objective. Read the rest of this entry »
Attention is a trade. What are you offering in return? (Photo by Stephen Poff/Flickr Creative Commons)
There are lots of “economies” people keep talking about — the “new” economy, the Internet economy, the “knowledge” economy, and so on. But with marketing, there’s only one that matters.
It’s the attention economy.
We’re all bombarded by messages, all day. Our problem is not a shortage of information, but our ability to filter it.
There’s a limit to our attention span and the energy it takes to focus. That scarcity puts a premium on a marketer’s ability to engage and captivate an audience.
What we forget is that attention is a trade-off, and the audience only gives when they get something back.
Answering the question of “What’s in it for me?” - subtly or directly - is paramount if you are to transact.
So, when WELD produces content, these are the 10 reasons we consider and ask ourselves, “Why would anyone pay any attention to this?” Read the rest of this entry »
Digital marketing presents great opportunity for the budget-challenged organization. (photo by Jeff Keen/Flickr Creative Commons)
Stop beating your consumers over the head with a dead fish to get their attention. Digital marketing tools talk to the people that are listening and offer unmatched measurability and market analysis.
In today’s economic environment, everybody is feeling the pinch.
Businesses large and small are taking a critical look at ways to cut spending while maintaining market performance.
Just like President Obama’s goal of taking a scalpel to the government budget, you are likely taking a more critical look at your own budget.
Companies are downsizing, cutting out day-to-day business costs, identifying and suspending business service subscriptions no one in the office uses anymore, eliminating employee perks, and even getting rid of Bob from Accounting.
Many companies are ditching the scalpel and grabbing a chainsaw.
WELDer Keith Doherty relaxes on a bike team training ride.
Part of what we call the WELDlife is balancing your quality time in and out of the office. Put another way, one of the reasons we choose to live here in the New River Gorgeof West Virginia is because we play as hard as we work.
It won’t surprise you, then, to learn how proud we are of Team WELD-NRB.
Team WELD-NRB is a grassroots cycling team. The idea is pretty simple: WELDers and the staff at New River Bike and Tour Companyrounded up riders young and old to represent our area in mountain biking and road races around the Mountain State.
The team hopes to raise awareness of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle that includes outdoor activities, not to mention how West Virginia provides unbelievable terrain for those who love travel-by-pedal-power.
At WELD, we want the world to be a healthier, happier place. We honestly believe our work can help accomplish that goal, and it’s important for us to walk the talk when we’re outside the workplace.
So we bike.
If you’re into cycling, the team’s website also includes gear reviews of all the stuff they’re trying out. (And it works for some of them — we’ve already had a first-place finish!)
Does your office have an extracurricular club? How do you explore your community after you punch out for the day?
He’s going on 40 years old. He’ll tell you he’s the least athletic person around. He answers the phone all day at work, taking reservations.
But Scott P. is quickly becoming the rising star at his company.
It’s because he’s a blogger.
Scott works for ACE Adventure Resort, West Virginia’s largest outfitter. Each year, the company takes tens of thousands of people whitewater rafting, rock climbing, ATVing, fishing and other tours with all sorts of outdoor activities.
WELD trained 10 of their employees, from diverse departments, to contribute and publish regularly on the blog we built for ACE’s website.
You’d expect the raft guides — known for their colorful personalities, adventurous lives and gift for gab — to be highly successful bloggers.
But Scott is a stand-out, not because his stories make people laugh (and they do), but because he converts them into customers. Read the rest of this entry »
Forget that your email marketing is an exchange, not just a nudge toward a transaction, and it will doom any effort at digital marketing.
For e-newsletters to work, they better be a fair trade.
Take a hypothetical subscriber, for example. I will opt in to your email messaging if I believe there’s value in it for me. Every time I see your business in my inbox, the subject line should remind me why I continue to subscribe. Read the rest of this entry »
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