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Archive for the ‘In The News’ Category

So, Is It OK To Sell On Social Networks?

Thursday, November 19th, 2009 by Reid Williams

Razorfish Graphs On Social Network Brand EngagementThere’s an ongoing debate here at the WELD Global Headquarters about whether people who sign up for online social networks really want to receive sales messages. We know that social media users readily interact with businesses and brands just like their friends, but do they actually buy products and services as a result of that?

This is a pretty critical question — especially if you’re in a business like ours, recommending and executing digital marketing strategies such as, say, getting a client’s organization active on Facebook and Twitter.

So, on the one hand, there’s success to be found in marketing where the crowd gathers — but not if the crowd is explicitly gathering someplace where they expect to be free from marketing messages. That’s the concern on one side of the debate, anyway.

Fortunately, there are researchers attempting to resolve this debate. What concerns me, however, and what became the impetus for this post, is the possible hyperbole used in reporting the results of this research. Anything seem odd (or just plain wrong) about these charts shown here?

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Join Us For A Webinar

Monday, November 9th, 2009 by Reid Williams

How can West Virginia companies use social media to reach more customers? Can social media help Mountain State enterprises achieve their business objectives? Is all this Facebook-and-Twitter hubbub all that it’s cracked up to be?

If you’ve asked these questions of yourself or your marketing director, then we just might have some answers for you.

We’d like to cordially invite you to a Mountain State Marketers webinar, from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16. This webinar will feature Beth Gill, marketing director for ACE Adventure Resort, and Mike Pinkerton of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System — two of West Virginia’s largest outdoor enterprises. Both will speak and answer questions about how they have used social media as part of their marketing strategy.

We’ve got about half the seats left, as there is a good bit of interest in this topic. If you have questions or would like more information on the webinar, email jeff@mythologymarketing.com or brandon@weldtheweb.com.

Thanks, and look forward to meeting everyone there.

Looking Good Or Working Well? Which Means More For A Website?

Friday, November 6th, 2009 by Reid Williams
Image by Capture Queen (TM)/Flickr Creative Commons

Image by Capture Queen (TM)/Flickr Creative Commons

Have you ever found a website that upon first impression immediately struck you as, well, beautiful, but then when you started trying to actually use it or trying to find some information within those pretty pages, your impression of the website soured?

The results of a study at the Software Usability Research Laboratory at Witchita State University indicate that type of experience isn’t really that common, after all.

In fact, it seems pretty pages go a long way to determining a person’s positive perception of a website, whether the site works well or not.

“The visual appeal of an interface appears to play a role in the user’s rating on perceived usability,” say study authors Christine Phillips and Barbara S. Chaparro.

But if we’re going to believe them, we have to see how they define what’s usable, and how they determine a website is appealing.

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Our Future Mobile World (Part II): Bar Codes

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 by Reid Williams
Photo by Chiarra Marra/Flickr Creative Commons

Photo by Chiarra Marra/Flickr Creative Commons

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been grocery shopping and while inspecting the product labels looking for information, spy the 800-number that every piece of merchandise seems to have, and I’ve wondered, “Does anyone ever call these things?”

Soon, it won’t matter. The numbers won’t really be needed.

Oh, people will still use their phones to get product information and give their feedback, but dialing will be the least of what they do. It’ll start with scanning.

And the scanning won’t be limited to items on the shelf in the grocery store. We’ll be scanning buildings, paintings in an art museum, billboards or posters for movies, and applications we haven’t even imagined yet.

These bar codes, however, will have three big differences from the bar codes you’re used to seeing:
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Random Bits — Web User Behaviors

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 by Reid Williams
Image by bixentro/Flickr Creative Commons

Image by bixentro/Flickr Creative Commons

From the electronic reams of blog posts and articles I sift through week after week looking for the next trend, the next tool that could be used to a client’s benefit, the next big idea, I end up with a lot of little scraps.

You know, the little bits of trivia that seem super-important, but then upon reflection you’re not sure how to apply them just yet?

So, here are some of them, and I share them in hopes you’ll offer some insight or significance to attach to them:

The Case For Content: Is It Finally Settled?

Monday, November 2nd, 2009 by Reid Williams
Image by swruler9824/Flickr Creative Commons

Image by swruler9824/Flickr Creative Commons

I’m not sure. Do we need any more evidence? What other statistics do we need so that we can officially and completely transform our mindset from advertising to generate clicks into conviction that storytelling creates bonding and action?

I ask because we’ve been convinced for a while here at WELD. We were pretty sure no one was clicking on banner display ads, and that the small proportion of clicks display ads do receive all come from the same people.

Numbers continue to validate our suspicions.

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