October 2011

Use Web Analytics to Become a Top Notch Marketer

in Internet Marketing  by iqmadmin 0 comments

All online and offline marketing campaigns should be tracked and measured. Let’s say you just wrote a blurb that promoted your website and there was an increase to that specific page. Without marking this blurb as a campaign within your analytics, what would you attribute the increase in traffic to? IN addition, having clear tracking for offline marketing, like trade shows, is an important way to compare the results of your entire marketing strategy.

Measure Traffic Sources. Find out how your visitors are finding you. Finding out which sources are driving the most traffic to the website will allow you to determine how well the search engines index the content on your website. You can also get the information to know if social media is actually working and which email campaigns are driving traffic. With the sources data, you can drill down further to strategize on what types of calls-to-action you place on specific pages.

Measure Conversion Rates. Getting visitors to the  website is the first step; getting them to convert into a lead or business is the next. Offering compelling content and clear calls to action will help to convert more of this traffic into leads for the business. Variant or A/B testing with landing pages and calls-to-action allow you to test which are converting at a higher average. Determine which keywords are giving you the best top, middle, and bottom of the funnel leads.

Ensure the data is clear. Focus on one metric. For example, if you notice an increase in traffic one week, can you tell what the cause of this increase was? You may notice there was a large increase of traffic from the blog; then, after drilling down further, you find that it was a specific article. This shows you that this specific content is compelling to your audience, and it would be a great idea to create more content on this topic.

Close the Loop. Most marketers are concerned about their marketing ROI and knowing where to devote more time, energy, and resources are important. Closed loop marketing finds out which campaigns are driving the most traffic, leads, and most importantly, customers. You want to devote your valued resources to marketing campaigns that are driving actual customers and business.

Proper web analytics can help you attract and retain customers and to increase the dollar volume each one spends.

The Effects of Media on Children, Parents, and Educators

in Social Media  by iqmadmin 0 comments

Technological innovation has altered the childhood experiences many mothers and fathers and school teachers remember. Today’s youth are “digital natives.” Maturing in a world loaded with technologies, digital natives develop an instinct for tech culture and mastering new games and applications.

“Digital immigrants”—an expression that can be used to identify anyone that can recall growing up without computer systems or cell phones—often come to feel challenged by today’s current tech-savvy youngsters and struggle to stay abreast of a changing tech landscape.

But we’re still the adults here.

Parents and educators continue to be vital in directing the present generation in their technology use. Monitoring activities, coaching them in social etiquette, and having good old conversations with them about their actions online, are an important part of our job as adults, both at home and in the school room.

What today’s current parents and educators may be lacking in tech experience, they have in life experience. Applying conventional life skills, social manners, and basic safety practices to online activities is essential to assist today’s young adults in turning out to be sensible digital citizens.

[On that note, have a happy and safe Halloween!]

Music Production & Editing at iQuarius

in Audio & Video / Internet Marketing  by iqmadmin 0 comments

Grammy nomination? Check. Multiple major label experience? Check. An arsenal of recording and post-processing instruments at our disposal? Check. The skills and artistry to use it all? Check!

Your audio is safe with us.

Music Production & Editing

Music production and editing affect the structure of a composition — melodies and harmonies, beats, chord progressions, etc., and the engineering — sound levels, equalization, etc. All stages require musical skill, performance experience, and thorough technical knowledge.

And it’s just as much about style as it is about technique.

Our audio department is made up of award winners and engineers with many years of experience, who also happen to be working artists — exactly who you want to be working on your material.

Mobile Media and Apple Are Bigger Than You Think

in Internet Marketing  by iqmadmin 0 comments

New Cisco reports show that global mobile data use almost tripled between 2009 and 2010. It’s been tripling every year for the last few years, with video taking up an increasing amount of traffic. By the end of this year, it’s predicted that more than half of all mobile traffic will be video. 

By 2015, it’s estimated that more people will access the internet through their phones than through their computers. As a matter of fact, a lot of this increased traffic will come from people who don’t even have electricity at home!

Of course, much of this is due to an explosive increase in smartphone sales over the past few years. And it’s not surprising that Apple’s iOS and Android devices are the leaders. But did you know, iPhone users are more likely to:

  • Pay for digital content
  • Use their phones to make mobile payments
  • Watch more video

Apple’s Net Worth in Perspective

Apple is worth more than $340 billion dollars. Buzzfeed helps put that in perspective for us with a list of surprising things that don’t amount to Apple’s net worth.

  1.  ALL the illegal drugs in the world (worth about $321 billion)
  2.  The entire economy of the wealthy, millionaire-filled country of Singapore ($318 billion)
  3.  The Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Stephen King, and Twilight franchises combined ($49 billion)
  4.  All the farm-rich land in Iowa and South Dakota, at a price of $4200 per acre
  5.  10 years of silver production
  6. The economic cost of obesity in the U.S. ($300 billion)
  7.  The GDP of Denmark, ranked 5th in the world for GDP per capita ($337 billion)
  8. 45 days’ worth of global oil consumption, roughly $7 billion a day
  9. The combined GDP of Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon
  10. The Great Wall of China , at $.52 a brick

 

As a business, mobile-optimizing your website is an absolute necessity to get and stay in the game. And mobile media development  is a great place to focus on to draw people in.  Mobile media — consumable content accessible on cell phones — introduces consumers to your content and your business quickly and effectively, and on an emotional level.

Mobile Apps for Digital Marketing: 10 Things You MUST Know

in Internet Marketing  by iqmadmin 0 comments

1. Only do apps when you need more

Compared to browsing, mobile apps offer a richer level of user interaction allowing more complex graphics, media, and information to be presented. They also provide a more robust and secure environment for user engagement. But, if you can deliver what you are trying to achieve through a browser you will be able to reach far more consumers. –Jeremy Copp, CEO, Rapid Mobile Media

2. Tell people about your app

Don’t just rely on app stores, you can distribute apps via mobile sites, operators, and through multiple ad placements and formats for maximum impact and reach. –Theo Theodorou, EMEA Sales Manager, Mobile Advertising, Microsoft Advertising

3. Think further than the iPhone

The iPhone offers fantastic functionality for developers and users alike, and apps developed for the platform are eminently PR-able, and are often shared virally. It has a fast growing user base, and reaches relatively wealthy 25-44 year olds who actively use mobile media very well; but also developing a Java version, optimised to work over a wide range of handsets including BlackBerry will give you a far greater potential reach. –Mark Angell, Business Development Director, Marvellous

4. Get the balance right

There are 2 fundamental balances to achieve. Firstly, business objectives vs user needs: For the application to be effective, the business needs must carefully consider the user as well as commercial objectives. Secondly, the three E’s (Engagement, Entertainment, and Effectiveness): Functional apps often outlast the usage of entertainment-based apps. –Paul Taylor, Strategist & Planner, COI

5. Know the average app user

There are 8.7 million people who have used a downloaded app in the UK which is 18% of mobile users. 60% of these users are playing games that they have downloaded. The median age of an apps user is 32 years old and 43% are female. 36% of app users own smartphones compared to 15% of the total market. –Alistair Hill, Analyst and Mobile Products, Europe, comScore

6. Brand-building vs sales

Free applications get the most downloads, where as paid-for applications generate revenue. Knowing whether you are branding or selling is a key point when launching your first application. –Ross Butler, Creative, Parrott and Miller

7. Product longevity is essential

Every service needs a roadmap, no matter how basic. Customers will quickly get bored with a uni-functional app which has no new features or capability added over time. By adding functionality as time goes on you can create brand advocacy. –Christian Harris, CEO, Gorilla Box

8. Send them in the right direction

Ads in existing applications are a great place to advertise, but make sure that the destination site is optimised for mobile. If you don’t then you risk low conversion and a poor perception of your brand. –Jonathan Abraham, Brand Sales Director, AdMob

9. Test, test, and test again

If a customer can access it on their handset it needs to work. If it doesn’t it will do more damage than good to your brand. Invite feedback and always read customer reviews (don’t just ask friends to write them!) to ensure you’re meeting the needs of your consumer. –Oliver Newton, Head of Emerging Platforms, i-level

10. Be on brand

Just like with any form of communication ensure that your app is ‘on brand.’ Tone of voice, brand values, message, production values, and brand fit are essential in making a great brand app. –Kieron Matthews, Marketing Director, IAB

IABUK.

5G Mobile Internet on the Horizon?

in Internet Marketing  by iqmadmin 0 comments

Mobile Internet is the biggest thing to come along since, well, cell phones and the Internet. Now, before 4G internet is even mainstream, the possibilities of 4.5G and 5G are on the horizon.

Researchers at Rice University have made a breakthrough that could allow wireless companies to double throughput in their networks without adding a single cell phone tower or overhauling existing phone hardware.

“Full duplex” wireless would enable phones and tablets to  “talk” and “listen” on the same frequency, something that requires two frequencies today. In 2010, professor of electrical and computer engineering Ashutosh Sabharwal along with Melissa Duarte and Chris Dick published the first paper showing that full-duplex wireless was possible. That set the worldwide wireless community off on a race to see if it could be implemented on real networks. This summer, Sabharwal and Guarav Patel demonstrated in real-time that it could be done. They set new performance records while they did it, producing signal quality at least 10 times better than any previously published result. All they did was add an extra antenna and pulled a few computing tricks.

All this could mean new wireless standards allowing carriers to upgrade to 5G in just a few years.

“Our solution requires minimal new hardware, both for mobile devices and for networks, which is why we’ve attracted the attention of just about every wireless company in the world,” said Sabharwal.

Sprint Unveils Their First $100 4G Android Phone: The Samsung Conquer 4G

in Audio & Video / Internet Marketing / Social Media  by iqmadmin 0 comments

Mobile media development — which includes apps, video, audio, and other interactive media for Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS, etc. — and SMS marketing are more than just taking off, they’re launching full-out assaults from all sides. The next big weapon to be unleashed is the availability of 4G-capable phones, able to handle more intensive media, at lower and lower prices.

At the end of August Sprint unveiled its 25th 4G-capable phone, but the Samsung Conquer 4G is the first of its kind with its starting price of just under $100 with a new 2-year contract. Sprint’s other 4G-capable phones start at the $200 mark.

The phone runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread out of the box, and its low-res front-facing shooter clocks in at 1.3 megapixels. This is where the specs start reflecting the lower price: the processor is a single-core 1GHz and the 3.5-inch touchscreen resolution only stands at 320×480, though many recent reviews point out that it’s plenty bright enough to read clearly. Other specs include 3.2 rear-facing shooter (with flash and zoom in tow) and Sprint ID. So the Samsung Conquer is no beast by any means, but the draw of 4G for that kind of price will no doubt be huge for consumers. For media producers and marketers, this means a growing audience of users increasingly ready to consume bigger, better, brighter media from them.

 

Millionaires Prefer Facebook

in Social Media  by iqmadmin 0 comments

A new study shows that 46% of online users with investable assets of $1 million or more are members of Facebook, up from 26% a year ago. The survey, by Spectrem Group, showed that millionaire’s use of Twitter has declined, from 5% to 3%.

They also remained fairly cool to LinkedIn. Only 19% of millionaires used LinkedIn – unchanged from a year ago.

Plenty of earlier studies have shown that more than half of millionaires are on Facebook – even if they rarely have time to actually use it. But the Twitter and LinkedIn numbers are somewhat surprising, given that both would seem to appeal to a more business-minded, time-pressed elite.

Apparently not.  One reason may be that Twitter is a more open network, which makes it more difficult for control-freak millionaires to manage who follows them. On Facebook, you can more easily manage access to information.

Another is that Twitter is largely a broadcast tool, while Facebook is more of a network builder. The rich value personal networks more than online megaphones.

But age also plays a role. According to the study, among those with $5 million or more in investable assets, the boomers are slightly more likely to use Facebook than the youngest investors — 56% vs. 50%, respectively. (Warren Buffett is an exception, of course).  Twitter was generally more popular with the younger-millionaire crowd.

They also are split on where they get their financial news. Millionaires younger than 55 years old are at least twice as likely as those ages 55-64 to get their information from social media than from traditional media outlets.

Thankfully, blogs remain popular among all millionaires. Nearly one-third of investors worth $5 million or more say they either read or would read blogs by trusted financial advisers.

Bing: 4 Reasons You Want Links

in Internet Marketing / Social Media  by iqmadmin 0 comments

Bing’s Duane Forrester has posted about how Bing evaluates content quality and how it looks at links. He says you want links for a few reasons:

  1. Because they alert us to your website when it’s new or has new content
  2. Because they are a vote of confidence in your site – quality websites tend to link to other quality websites
  3. Because those links can send you direct traffic
  4. Because, over time, they can help establish a footprint that points to your authority on a topic (think guest blogging)

The main point is pretty much: Links are not everything when it comes to ranking in search engines. Nothing new there. Still, it never hurts to listen to the policies as they’re explained by the search engines themselves.

Duane Forrester says: You love links. We love links. Build for the right reasons.

How Many Links Do You Need?

On how many links you need, Forrester says, “Not as many as you may think. Again, as with so many other areas of search optimization, there’s no exact number here.  On popular phrases with lots of query volume, to rank well will require more links from trusted, quality websites to boost your rankings.  Less popular phrases can often require many less links pointed at your site to see the same lift in rankings.  This is where a targeted link building approach can pay off for you.”

The take-aways of the post, Forrester says, are: Don’t buy links, great content builds links, prove to users you’re a trusted authority (and links will follow), and social media can help grow links.

mashable

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