Splash Omnimedia Blog:

It seems like just yesterday that people were using beepers and carrying around mobile phones that couldn’t fit in a pocket.  Fast forward to 2012 and there are a plethora of applications and uses for smart-phones both for individuals and businesses alike. 

 

When 83% of adults own cell phones and 35% of those are smart phones, you can’t afford to ignore mobile marketing.  So what ways can you capitalize on these new mobile marketing trends in order to reach your local customers? 

Mobile Websites

Having an online presence is a necessity for all businesses in the 21^st century, but is that enough?  For an effective marketing strategy, your business needs to have a presence wherever your target market can be found, and that includes mobile.  Mobile websites are easier to read on smart phones than traditional websites and can include targeted information that mobile users are looking for like your contact information, specials and promotions, and a list of your products/services.

Mobile Search and Organic Traffic

When potential customers search on mobile phones, they are much more likely to be searching for local businesses and events than on a desktop.  Over 40% of mobile searches are local versus 20% on desktop computers.  If your target market is segmented by location, then you need a mobile search optimization strategy in place so that your customers find you and not a competitor.

Mobile Advertising

Online advertising has been around since the beginning of the internet, but was changed forever with the introduction of search advertising products like Google’s AdWords and Microsoft’s AdCenter.  Mobile advertising is a growing industry that has reached over $2.5 billion a year and continues to rise as smart phones become more accessible and affordable to all. 

Mobile Applications

For some businesses, creating a mobile application for the Android, Blackberry, or Apple markets could contribute to your overall branding and marketing strategy.  For example, Moes has a great application for smart-phones that allows you to place orders ahead of time and pick them up with ease. 

 

Navigating the sea of marketing can be overwhelming for a small business owner who already has to wear many hats to stay afloat. Contact the Splash marketing team for a free proposal and we will be happy to talk with you about your business objectives and how we can help you meet them.

There are three elements that create a website; Body, Style, and Behavior. Body can be broken down as the basic code that is used to create the framework of the site. HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) is the coding language that is used to write the body of the sites. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is used as the coding language for the styling of the website creation process. CSS controls the way that elements look and act within entire website. Behavior can be explained on how the user interacts with elements of the site and how the elements intern react with the user. There are multiple coding languages that can be used to control the behavior of a site; some examples are JavaScript, Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), PHP (Personal Home Page), and multiple others.

What, exactly, makes a good logo? With hundreds of thousands of logos out there, designers and non-designers alike have this same question. I have taken three examples of strong, memorable logos here and hope to briefly explain at least why they are successful.

 

First, let's take the FedEx logo. Designed by Lindon Leader of Landor Associates, it is instantly recognizable from great distance. Its claim to fame though, is the "hidden arrow" between the "E" and the "x" (once you notice it, it'll be all you see). It is a great example of effective, subliminal imagery.

 

The Coca-Cola logo is arguably the best example of cursive lettering (in a sea of tacky, poorly designed cursive fonts). Note how the logo isn't just "typed out". The baseline of "Cola" is lower than "Coca". Iconic, American -- it's everything Coke markets itself to be.

 

Finally, the logo created by superstar designer Saul Bass, AT&T. Sure, its undergone minor updates through the years, but the core design has not changed. That's the hallmark of a strong design. Few brands have been able to undergo updates and maintain their mark (think BP's shield to starburst, or the recent Comedy Central rebrand).

So there are some examples of logos done right. Do you have a favorite logo? Share in the comments.

 

If you are looking for the perfect logo design for your business, contact Splash Omnimedia today for a free proposal.

In traditional marketing there are two main focuses – tailoring your products and message to your target market and promoting that message.  On-page optimization is where you design your message around your target market and off-page optimization is where you promote that message.

Generally speaking, SEO can be compared to a car when it comes to on and off page optimization.  On page optimization is like the engine and off-page is like the fuel.  If you have an extremely efficient engine (on-page) then you need less fuel (off-page) to reach your destination.

 

On-Page

On page techniques include everything from the coding of the website to the keywords that are used on the page itself.  Here are a few techniques used for on-page optimization:

 

• Optimizing page titles, heading tags, URLs, and sometimes domain names.
• Optimizing web copy with keywords and correct formatting.
• Image optimization – reducing the image file size without sacrificing quality.  It is also important to use the right keywords in the alt tags and the file names.
• Video optimization – reducing the video size and incorporating the right keywords in the code.
• Internal linking – linking from your web pages to other pages within your site to maximize pagerank flow and spreading link juice.
• Including the address and contact information on every page of your website.

 

Off-page

Off page techniques includes all kinds of tactics that take place outside of the code and text on your website.  Here are a few techniques used for off-page optimization:

 

• Linkbuilding – building relevant and powerful links from other sites and directories to your website.
• Guest blogging – networking in the blogosphere with similar companies or related industries.  This is good for link building, referral traffic, and building trust as a thought leader.
• Citation building – similar to link building but with a local focus.
• Directory submissions – including your website on relevant directories for both referral traffic and SEO.
• CRM – here is where SEO and SMM overlap.  Customer relationship management is an important part of general branding but is also good for SEO if you can achieve many positive reviews on sites like yelp, YP.com, and more.
• Off-site content marketing – using websites like prweb.com, ezinearticles.com, squidoo, and others to promote your content to generate links, referral traffic, and once again establishing trust as a thought leader.

These are just a few of the techniques and strategies used for on-page and off-page optimization. There are many more that all contribute to the overall performance of your SEO campaign.  Contact us today for a free marketing proposal on how we can help improve your bottom line.

Effective marketing encompasses a wide variety of strategies, including online marketing, social media, and advertising.  However, without a solid branding strategy most marketing efforts will fall flat. A branding strategy will provide a foundation for a successful marketing campaign, giving it direction and substance, so that the marketing message hits the target audience.

 

Branding is the whole message prospects and customers receive about your business. It’s the conveyed personality, mission statement, graphics and logos, slogans, customer service style and employee perceptions all rolled up into one. Anything your business does or creates ties into branding.

 

When it comes to standing out among your competitors, few things are as important as a branding strategy. A cohesive brand that you consistently weave throughout all of your business messages and practices positions you in the mind of customers and prospects. When they see a certain image, hear a certain message or even see a certain combination of colors, your company should come to mind. This is branding strategy at its finest.

 

Contact us today for a free marketing proposal on how we can help improve your bottom line. 

There are so many different synonyms and buzzwords in online marketing that knowing what is what can be difficult.  This glossary is designed for the layperson who is considering an investment in online marketing.

 

• Search Engine Marketing – Also known as SEM, search engine marketing is the broad category of gaining exposure and traffic through search engines with advertisements and organic search.
• Search Engine Optimization – Also known as SEO, search engine optimization is a part of SEM that focuses on generating local and organic traffic as opposed to paid traffic.
• Pay Per Click – Also known as PPC, pay per click advertising is a type of SEM that focuses on paying for advertising space on search engines based on target keywords.
• Keywords - Sounds simple enough, but keywords in online marketing refer to the words that people use to search for products, services, and answers.
• Social Media Marketing – Also known as SMM, social media marketing is leveraging social platforms like facebook, digg, twitter, linkedin, and many others to promote brand awareness and improve customer relationships.
• Viral Marketing – Viral marketing has always existed as word of mouth marketing but has taken on a new face with the rise of the internet.  The internet and social media specifically have provided great platforms to spread word of mouth like never before.
• Inbound Marketing – Inbound marketing is another term for online marketing that is used to differentiate between traditional tactics like direct mail and contemporary tactics like SMM, SEO, and PPC.  The main difference is that instead of ‘pushing’ your message onto potential customers, inbound marketing focuses on showing up exactly where customers are already looking for your type of business.
• Content Marketing – Content marketing refers to creating useful infographics, white papers, blogs, and other types of content in order to establish your company as a “thought-leader” in your industry.
• Linkbuilding – Linkbuilding is one of the most important factors that search engines consider when ranking a website.  It is the act of creating a network of links online from reputable and relevant sites in your industry to boost search engine rankings.
• Linkbaiting – Linkbaiting is kind of a hybrid between linkbuilding and content marketing.  It is the practice of creating content or resources that other people will link to.  Great content, with the right promotion, can generate a ton of links and boost search engine rankings.
• SERPs – SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page and is used commonly to determine the success of an SEO campaign.

While this is not an exhaustive list of online marketing terms, it is a good start to get an idea of the many tactics and strategies used to promote a business online.  Contact us today for a free marketing proposal on how we can help improve your bottom line. 

HVAC marketing has become a necessity for companies trying to get a step ahead of the competition. There are many HVAC companies all competing for the same jobs. And with a slow economy, consumers just don’t have the money to spend to replace air conditioning and heating units. There is too much competition and not enough work. HVAC marketing can help you increase your exposure and help you increase your sales. If you are not effectively marketing your HVAC business, you are missing a golden opportunity to increase your market. There are plenty of ways to increase your HVAC marketing.

 

Online marketing has become essential to business owners who want to increase their profits. By creating a website for your business and developing an online presence you are greatly expanding your audience. Consumers today go online to search for whatever product or service they are in need of. If their air conditioning unit stops working, they will search online for an HVAC company. If your HVAC marketing doesn’t include an online presence, those consumers won’t find you. They will, however, find your competition.

 

The use of mobile marketing has been rapidly increasing. Consumers are using their cell phones and other mobile devices more and more. With mobile marketing, you can send a valuable coupon directly to the consumer’s cell phone. Make sure that your website is mobile phone and mobile device friendly. If your website is not mobile phone friendly, the website will appear disfigured in the mobile device, and important information may not be readable.

 

Social media sites are also a great new tool for HVAC marketing. Create a Fan page on Facebook and add informative videos about HVAC services onto YouTube. Blogging has also become an excellent and effective form of HVAC marketing. Write a blog about the things that bring value to your customers. A good blog post can be about how to winterize their homes and include suggestions to have their furnace check-up done before the cold arrives.

 

Yes, traditional HVAC marketing is still valuable. Yellowpages, coupon mailings, magazine, newspaper and billboard advertising are still effective. You do still need to have an online HVAC marketing strategy to go along with the traditional HVAC marketing to help increase your business.

 

By creating a successful HVAC marketing plan that includes creating an online presence, you will see your HVAC business grow.   Contact us today for a free marketing proposal on how we can help improve your bottom line. 

Many online marketing and SEO agencies will have you believe that offline or traditional marketing is dead, and that you should focus all of you efforts and budget online.  This is just simply not true.  While online marketing is a core distribution channel that should not be ignored, the strategic implementation of both methods creates powerful synergy.  

The focus has shifted is all, making online marketing more and more relevant to modern businesses.  Here are a few ways that you can integrate your off-line and on-line marketing efforts for maximum exposure and interaction:

1. Use QR codes on print materials – A quick response (QR) code is a small crypted box with a pattern that regular smart phone cameras can scan.  These are great to put on business cards, brochures, or even on the packaging of your products.  Depending on the placement and the goals of the code, you can link to a youtube video, automatically add a contact to your phone, or link to a landing page with special coupons or deals.  With tools like google analytics, QR codes give you a way to track the effectiveness of print advertising more efficiently.  


2. Turn off-line traffic into on-line traffic – Websites offer a low stress way for potential customers to learn more about your company and the products that you offer without having to deal with pushy salespeople.  Make sure that your website is on everything that your brand name is on.  That way, customers can always find your website and visit it on their own time when they are ready to take the next step through the buying cycle.


3. Keyword research – There are two great ways that keyword research for SEO and PPC can improve your offline marketing efforts; by giving you an idea of how consumers define your niche and by showing you how often certain products and services are searched for online.  With this valuable intel, you can improve your print copy and find better metrics to determine seasonal products based on search volume statistics throughout the year.


4. Competitive research – If you are effectively marketing your business online, then you have gathered all kinds of juicy competitive data.  This data is largely used to improve and tweak your online efforts, but it can also be used in creative ways to improve offline methods.  The website acts as a one stop shop for all of the information you could need about a competitor like products offered, pricing, positioning, and even what markets they are trying to target.

So how can a company balance the various marketing tactics in a way that is both complimentary and budget friendly?  Contact Splash Omnimedia today for a free consultation and proposal that will focus on maximizing your return on investment through the strategic implementation of the right marketing channels for your business.  Contact us today for a free marketing proposal on how we can help improve your bottom line. 

We've all seen lorem ipsum (known to many as "Greek text") used as a placeholder on all kinds of "works in progress" -- websites, print ads, brochures, etc. And while it's merely an excerpt from a passage of Latin literature, the designers working on new packaging for Chipotle recently found a way to have some fun with it.

 

On one side of their new bags is simply some text pumping the Chipotle bag, but on the opposite side there's lorem ipsum. This little surprise garnered Chipotle buzz on the internet as many speculated whether or not this was an intentional, playful design decision, or rather a giant oversight before printing.

 

We'll never know for sure if it was a goof or a clever design stunt. Either way, it goes to show how a seemingly small element of an overall brand can generate a lot of talk. Sometimes making "unsafe" design decisions can prove beneficial and serve as the catalyst you need to drive more traffic to your business. With the prevalence of social media today, everything can be shared with the click of a button, and you can bet those lorem ipsum bags got captured with many a smart phone before even leaving the store. 

 

Contact us today for a free marketing proposal on how we can help improve your bottom line. 

 

What is a Favicon?

 

A favicon is the little icon in the left most corner of your tabs in your browser. What is the purpose of a favicon you ask? That’s a really good question, there are a couple of reasons to have a favicon for your site.

• Branding – A customer will remember the branding of the favicon for your website.
• It helps with when a customer bookmarks your site on there browser. With out a favicon your site becomes another random link in a see of bookmarks and tabs.  With a favicon your site is easily distinguishable, which means more customers return to your site.

 

Contact us today for a free marketing proposal on how we can help improve your bottom line.