Carolyn Hasenfratz's Blog

In my last blog post I described how I was planning a multi-channel campaign using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, printed materials, QR codes, a mobile-optimized web site, my e-newsletter and postcards. I am using Google campaign tagging along with short urls to see which channels are the most effective.

To make use of Google Campaign tagging, first create a Google Analytics account for yourself if you don't already have one and put the Google Analytics code on your web pages.  Your webmaster can help you add the Google Analytics code if you need assistance.

Next, add a question mark to the end of any urls you want to track and add tags for "campaign", "medium" and "source" as in this example. There are five available codes but you can do a lot with just these three. (If the question mark does not work, try an & sign instead, that worked for me on one type of url.) The bold part is the campaign code added to the original url.

http://www.example.com/?utm_campaign=spring&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter1

campaign - is what you select as the identifier for the whole campaign. For example for my clearance sale I picked "clearance2013".

source - is where the traffic is coming from.

medium - is what type of media was used, for example two urls could be on the same web site but one is a banner and one is a link so I could use "banner" for one and "link" for the other.

Here are what two of my urls look like that are for the clearance sale campaign, coming from the web site www.sell66stuff.com but one is a banner and one is a link. The bold part is the campaign code added to the original url:

http://carolynsstampstore.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=48&utm_campaign=clearance2013&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=sell66stuff

http://carolynsstampstore.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=48&utm_campaign=clearance2013&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sell66stuff

For more help with Google Custom Campaigns, see the Google documentation.

Long urls such as those are fine for situations where the end user cannot see them, but for a printed advertisement or a social media post that is too long and confusing. You can use a url shortening service, such as the one offered by MobExMe^TM - QR Code Generator and URL Shortener, to generate one of the above urls into something like this: http://mobex.me/clearweb.

Once your campaign is underway, you can check Google Analytics to review and analyze detailed tracking data. Log into Google Analytics then go to "Traffic Sources", "Sources", then "Campaigns". You will see a graph of visits with a list of your campaigns below it. Click on the name of the campagin to see more detailed information. All of the parts of my campaign are not yet built but some parts are working already and have left a record in my stats:

This information will be very valuable to me the next time I plan a multi-channel marketing campaign!

My ecommerce web site, Carolyn's Stamp Store, is a real business but it also functions as a laboratory for testing out techniques and strategies to employ on behalf of our clients. I am currently running a Spring Clearance Sale campaign. I would like to share with you some ideas on how to plan your own multi-channel marketing campaign.

1. The first step in my planning process was to decide what the purpose of the campaign is - in my case, to let people know about my clearance sale and to recruit signups for my free e-newsletter.


2. Next I made a list of all the media, channels and tools that I wanted to utilize in the campaign. My list includes:
   • Carolyn's Stamp Store web site
   • Google Analytics campaign tags
   • Banner ads displayed on other web sites
   • Facebook
   • Twitter
   • Pinterest
   • Packing slips that go in outgoing orders
   • QR codes
   • Mobile optimized web site
   • E-newsletter
   • Postcards


3. As I brainstormed about how I was going to use all the channels and tools and how they would integrate with each other, I made a list of tasks I would need to complete for the campaign. I put the jobs in the order in which they would need to be executed. The list is too long to reproduce in full here, but here are a few examples to get you thinking of your own campaign ideas:
   • Design banner ads for web sites and e-newsletter
   • Create new mobile-optimized web site that includes space for advertising current promotions and e-newsletter signup form
   • Reprogram existing QR code already on printed materials and aim it at new mobile-optimized web site
   • Promote ad and links to clearance section on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest
   • Design postcard
   • Prepare mailing list and print mailing labels


4. With the use of a number of media in one project, it's important to get an idea of which strategies brought the best results so that your next campaign can focus on the most effective channels. Before beginning work, my last step in the planning process was to create a series of Google Analytics campaign codes and short urls designed to let me know how my campaign is progressing. In my next article I'll describe the process in detail to give you ideas for how you can use campaign tagging in your multi-channel marketing efforts.

Last week I subscribed to the newsletter of a non-profit organization and was very pleased with the welcome email that arrived in my inbox. I thought it did a good job of addressing concerns that people are likely to have when they provide their email address to someone.

• "Why am I getting this email?" - covered
• "What will I receive?" - covered
• "Will you sell my email address?" - covered
• "Will I be able to unsubscribe if I change my mind?" - covered
• "Who are you and how do I contact you?" - covered

I decided to create a new welcome email for our newsletter subscriber list that addresses those same concerns. Here is a screen shot to show you how it turned out.

In addition to making subscribers feel good about signing up for our newsletter, they will also get a look at what our email header graphic looks like when the act of subscribing is still fresh in their minds - hopefully this will increase open rates for our e-newsletter in the future.

A welcome email is also a good opportunity to deliver a special message or offer to your subscribers to thank them for their interest in what you have to say.

There are many benefits to a good welcome email - we recommend setting up a welcome email for all your subscriber lists.

I've noticed that when I immerse myself in creative projects for several days in a row, ideas come so fast that I have a hard time writing them all down much less executing them. But if I go a few days without anything creative happening, it's a lot harder to get ideas to come to me. If I'm having a dry spell, I have to go through some extra effort to get the creativity back. If you find yourself in a similar state, here are some techniques that are helpful to me.

1. Talk radio helps me concentrate when I'm doing something boring and repetitive, but if I'm working on ideas then I have to turn on instrumental music. Techno and classical are the most effective for me.

2. Being well-rested, well-fed, well-hydrated and in an environment with a comfortable temperature keeps me from being distracted by physical complaints.

3. If I start thinking about a project then do something that's kind of automatic such as chores, showering or driving, good ideas will often come to me because I'm not trying too hard. It's amazing how the subconscious will continue to work on a problem even after the conscious mind has taken a break. For example, in 2010 I attended a Route 66 festival where a vendor told me he had need of information on future exhibit opportunities. While driving home I made plans for a new web site - www.sell66stuff.com.

4. Physical exercise is excellent for getting the brain to work at peak level.

5. If there is no creative client work to do at the moment, I'll often give myself an assignment. There is almost  always self-promotional work that needs to be done and if I can't think of any I can always make up a project just for fun or something designed to practice a new technique.

6. Modern technology provides a lot of good ways to record ideas or inspirations quickly - for example I can take voice notes on my smartphone or use Pinterest to quickly make links to interesting things I see online. I also make heavy use of a low-tech way of recording inspirational images. I keep several three-ring binders for different areas in which I do creative work, for example, Jewelry, Rubber Stamps, Paper Crafts and Ceramics. I also have one called Design Inspiration for graphic design samples that I like and sample color schemes. I fill these binders with blank sheets of paper that I've put holes in with a three-hole punch and add some folder inserts. When I'm finished with magazines, catalogs or paper samples, I cut out things I like and tape them in to make a scrapbook. I can make impromptu sketches or notes on parts of the paper that are not covered with images. Sometimes I even include fabric swatches and ceramic glaze test tiles. When I was in college a design teacher had us do a similar exercise to help us develop our own style and taste. I've continued to do this ever since because if I'm stuck for an idea and I start looking through my idea book, I will inevitably come up with something. The finished product usually does not resemble the catalyst image or images in any way.

7. A variation on the scrapbook idea is to create an idea bulletin board in your creative space, or put shadow boxes on the wall with interesting collections in them.

8. I get the best ideas when my workspace is not too cluttered. If I have time, a good cleaning and organizing session is often the first step.

9. When I was in college, I studied glassblowing. We were provided with clear glass plus a small selection of colors such as white, purple, green and blue that were relatively cheap to mix up. If we wanted to use other colors we could choose to buy our own glass rods of color. Most of us, including me could not afford to do that, but one student in particular had a large collection. He was pretty enamored of them. One of the other students joked that he probably took them to bed with him at night. I do understand about getting excited about your art supplies. Once when a friend visited my studio he said "I think you have everything that Michael's sells in here." I don't have THAT much but I do love art and craft supplies and I do have a lot! If nothing else will work, looking at my art supplies will usually get me excited to start a new project. Color is a particular trigger - sometimes I can feel my heart rate go up by looking at a bunch of colored pencils, or my box of embroidery thread or some jars of beads...

Creativity is a mysterious process isn't it? It's difficult to force on demand, but if you create the right conditions it will flourish! Favorable conditions for you might not be the same as for me. Pay attention to what sparks your creative sessions and you can make your own list of creative catalysts to get you through those dry spells.

While browsing through some recent news articles about how people use the Internet, I learned some interesting things. One study by the Pew Research Center has found that half of all adults in the U.S. now use social network applications. Another study by Wistia indicates that 64% of workers in the U.S. find video content compelling enough that they can't resist watching it at work - 42% even report watching it on their mobile devices in the bathroom! I shudder to think of what the implications are for productivity in the workplace at a time when we badly need to be stronger economically - but that's not the most interesting aspect of the findings to me.

Obviously many people find video content to be very compelling. Why is that so? The Wistia study shows that the #1 reason people are so drawn to video content is that it's easy to share - not what I would have guessed, but when you put that statistic together with the fact that half of all adults in the U.S. are involved with social media, it makes sense. The applications delivering the videos, such as Brainshark or YouTube, have built-in sharing capabilities that are very easy to use and the heavy involvement in social network applications means that there are lots of people available to share favorite content with.

If you own a web site, what does this information mean to you? I think you should add some video content to your multi channel marketing mix if it's appropriate - Webinar Resources can help you create, propagate and promote multimedia through many channels including mobile devices if you need guidance. I also think it's a good idea to make the other content on your web site easy to share. Stay tuned for Part II where I'll show you some examples of how to add social sharing capabilities to your web pages.

I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to fix things unless they are broken, which is a characteristic sometimes at odds with my job which includes staying abreast of the latest communications technology. I was content with my circa 2004 cell phone until I got an iPhone last year - now I don't know how I got along without it! I usually don't take it to bed with me like some people do, but I prefer to have it close by at most other times.

When I exhibited recently at the 2011 International Route 66 Festival in Amarillo, TX, I was demonstrating some of the marketing potential of mobile devices while promoting our new web site, sell66stuff.com. I invited visitors to the booth to pick up a prize card which I would scan with a 2-D barcode reading application installed on the iPhone. I then showed them the phone's screen which revealed which prize they won. Several visitors to my booth commented on the small white square sticking up out of the top of the iPhone - it was a device that scans credit cards to receive payment, adding cash register to the phone's many other functions. I got into a conversation with a couple of guys about how useful a smartphone is while traveling. For example before even arriving at the festival I had already used it for:

• Getting directions
• Recording voice notes
• Checking Facebook
• Reading email
• Taking photos
• Texting
• And yes, even making phone calls!

My intention in writing about this conversation is not to sell iPhones or other smartphones, although I think I inadvertently sold a few at the festival! Rather it is to make you aware that because of it's utility many people are carrying a smartphone, which is a small computer, around with them. Studies show that currently around 1/3 of consumers in the US are voluntarily (and often passionately) making these small computers intimate parts of their lives. This means if you have products you want to market, you aren't limited to reaching potential customers electronically at their desk, you can reach them almost anywhere. Webinar Resources can help you deliver the right content to the right audience at the right time through the right channel - including the mobile channel. Find out how we do it at What We Do.

Normandy, Missouri - June 20, 2011 - Webinar Resources is proud to announce the launch of a new web site, Sell66Stuff.com. The web site is designed to help businesses market their products along historic Route 66. Listings in the directory for retailers, wholesalers and event promoters who want to sell products on Route 66 are free of charge, and can include a photo and a link back to the business web site. Paid ad space is also available on Sell66Stuff.com.

Carolyn Hasenfratz, Creative Director of Webinar Resources and a fan of Route 66 for a dozen years now, thought of the idea for Sell66Stuff.com while exhibiting Route 66 themed rubber stamps at the 2010 International Route 66 Festival that took place in June of that year in Quawpaw, Oklahoma. "Another vendor asked me if I could recommend other upcoming events with opportunities for selling Route 66-related merchandise," says Carolyn. "I knew there were many calendars available online for events on Route 66, but none that were designed specifically to make it easy for vendors to find suitable exhibition opportunities that attract Route 66 enthusiasts and those who enjoy historic highways, Americana and car culture. On the drive home, I thought about creating such an events directory and adding to it a section for retailers and a section for wholesalers so that anyone trying to sell products on Route 66 can find the right outlets for their merchandise. Many retailers on Route 66 report that one-third to one-half of their customers are from outside the United States. That creates a great opportunity for business people in our country to expose their products to a wider audience."

Sell66Stuff.com is also designed to help stores find interesting merchandise to help diversify and differentiate their offerings. "I've been told that travelers on Route 66 have complained about seeing the same merchandise in the same several stores they initially encounter, and that causes them to stop less frequently as they proceed down the road. That is very unfortunate, because Route 66 is a magnet for creative people. There are entrepreneurs, artists and craftspeople busy creating unique merchandise that could find more buyers if it was available in the right places."

Because they often contain gift shops, lodging and dining establishments are encouraged to join the directory. The inclusion of restaurants opens up opportunities to those who sell food and drink, not just special Route 66 themed products, but any food and drink that restaurants need for the tourists who stop in. Also, "Even though they don't always sell "Stuff", I'm allowing performing artists to participate, because so many of the dining and drinking establishments that are good candidates for the directory also hire live entertainment," says Carolyn.

"Route 66 means a lot of different things to different people - one of the roles Route 66 has played from its birth is to be a road of commerce. In that tradition one of the goals of Sell66Stuff.com is to make a contribution to the overall economic health of the Route 66 corridor." An ardent preservationist, Carolyn hopes that leveraging the economic potential of Route 66 will ensure that more historic sites will remain for future tourists to enjoy. "One of the things that makes me saddest is waste," Carolyn says. "If preservation projects languish because of lack of money or are never started in the first place because people aren't aware of the potential a historic site has, that is a waste and a loss for all of us."

From in-store displays to magazine ads to packages of organic spinach, these funny-looking squares are becoming more and more common in our environment. A QR ("quick response") Code or Tag is a square 2D barcode that you can scan with your smartphone's camera with the help of a QR Code Reader app to immediately launch mobile links to a variety of media on your mobile phone's web browser. Said another way, QR Codes are a simple way to connect the offline world with the online world.

At Webinar Resources we've been busy putting this technology to use for ourselves and our clients. For example, I recently included a QR code on a print ad that I designed for the Route 66 Association of Missouri. The association does not yet have any special mobile-optimized content, so for now the url points to the web site.  Most existing web sites are viewable on a smartphone, even if they are not optimized especially for mobile viewing. The url is designed so I can change the location and mobile media without changing the QR code, so if there is ever any mobile content in the future that we wish to link this ad to, it will not become obsolete. Shelf-life is an important consideration with printed materials, since they are not as easy, quick, or cheap to change as an electronic document.

QR Codes can make up another part of your multi-channel marketing strategy and can be effective lead generation tools.

Do you want to learn more about QR codes and download a reader for your mobile device? See our QR Code guide.

A new survey of 20,000 adults by BIGresearch shows that 13.2% own a BlackBerry device, 11.3% own an iPhone, 9.3% own a device running Android and 5.2% own an iPad. Among other things, these devices enable consumers to browse the web, view multimedia content, scan bar codes and QR codes, compare prices at the point of sale, download coupons and share information with their social networks. These are all intriguing possibilities for a business to explore as part of the multi channel marketing mix. But are the number of users of smartphones and tablet computers large enough to make the effort to cater to them worthwhile? At first glance those don't sound like terribly high percentages of users.

There is other data in the survey to consider. Perhaps not surprisingly, mobile device users are more likely than the general population to shop online. They are more inclined to research products online before making a purchase. And according to Gary Drenik, president and CEO of BIGresearch, "...mobile device owners are more likely than average consumers to give and seek advice on products and services."

The findings of this research lead me to conclude that campaigns designed to woo mobile users are likely to have a very good return on investment, and therefore are very much worth the effort! For example I've recently made a mobile-optimized version of my design portfolio. At Webinar Resources, we are developing a line of mobile-ready applications to support lead generation, multimedia content delivery, personalization and cross-channel communication. Here are a couple of examples of our mobile mix Mobile Replay and url shortener and QR code generator. We invite you to keep in touch with us via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or our newsletter to stay updated about our latest mobile offerings.

Your customer acquisition efforts may not be performing to their full potential if social media is not part of your multi channel mix!  A great many companies and organizations both small and large have a social media presence now, but there are still some of you out there who are not on board yet. Here are some reasons why I think you should consider getting involved now.

Social media is definitely a good broadcasting tool. It's also a good listening tool. If you want to know what people are really interested in, you have to pay attention to what they're talking about and sharing in social media as well as other channels. If I'm stuck for ideas on what to write about in this blog for example, sometimes I'll check what the hot topics are for Webinar Resources Twitter followers. It's also good to know what people are saying about your company specifically. If negative information is being spread, you want to know as soon as possible so you can begin damage control before the bad publicity gets too entrenched. Also, as individual potential customers prefer different channels of communication, it never hurts to give them as many options to interact with you as possible.

Sharing and retweeting are key activities enjoyed by social media users. Create something cool and you could mobilize a willing army of people helping to get your message out.  For example we recently increased our Facebook fans with a Valentine QR Gram. Participants were invited to become a fan of Webinar Resources by requesting a QR code linked to a QR Gram (four selections of music genres) that they could share on their Facebook page.   Once posted on the requestor's Facebook site, friends could scan the QR code and play a musical, mobile QR Gram.

You can participate in social media for no cost other than your time. Take the opportunity to use your creativity and not your big budget (which you might not have) to create a campaign that could go viral and get you lots of exposure.

I've been a passionate advocate of and participant in content marketing for many years, but I know why it can seem like a  daunting strategy to a small businesses. You the small business owner already have a lot of hats to wear - now you have to be a publisher too? Here are some reasons why you might consider doing just that.

Large companies have an advantage in many areas of advertising, such as television, print, and big trade shows because those channels require significant investments of money. However in many ways, small businesses can compete with big ones when it comes to content marketing. How is this possible?

I watched the Compendium webinar replay "Content & Social Search Strategies" and learned some very interesting things. For one thing, to get the most out of content marketing, you have to get your SEO, Social, Content, Email Marketing and PR people to communicate with each other. In many large companies this does not happen. But in a small business, these people may be on the same team or may even be the same person, so it's much easier to come up with a strategy that makes sense and can be implemented quickly.

Many companies spend more on distributing their content than they do on creating content. This is not necessary because of all the free or low-cost online options available. Distribute your content via blog and social media in your multi channel mix and cut distribution costs drastically. Put your resources into creating good content instead - if you publish it in the right places, people will find it.

That is where search comes in. A lot of money is spent on pay-per-click advertising. Well, if you don't have a lot of money to spend on PPC, take heart - according to the webinar replay, 88% of clicks are on organic search results, and organic search results are very dependent on content. And when potential customers search, it's usually for a product, not for a retailer. Why not let the big companies create demand for a product with expensive ads and then win the sale yourself by winning the search? Yes it's very difficult to rank high on short search terms but guess what? Long search terms that are very much in your reach have the best results anyway - the more specific the search, the better the conversion rate. It's nice to be the one with the advantage in the customer acquisition process now and then, isn't it?

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iStockphoto is a stock photo resource that I use frequently. When you complete a design that uses images from the iStockphoto collection, you are eligible to submit it to the Design Spotlight. The image I made to illustrate the concept of creating a webinar replay that can be viewed on a mobile device has been accepted into the Design Spotlight.

Mobile replays can be a great tool in your multi-channel marketing mix. Not only do they allow webinars to be viewed at the convenience of your audience, they have the built-in capability to go viral on social network applications. By including a guestbook, you can capture viewer information for effective lead generation.

Utilizing tools like iStockphoto gives you another source of valuable content that you can post and share with the community.  We continue to "fuel the conversation" at Webinar Resources with unique content creation, delivery and tracking solutions and services that drive customer aquisition.

Social media continues to gain in popularity. It is said that the decision businesses face about whether to add social media to their multi channel marketing now is like the decision to get a web site was ten years ago. You may have heard in the news recently that Facebook has overtaken Google as the most popular web site in the US. At the interactive marketing conference I attended last week, Connect10ns, Twitter COO Dick Costolo impressed us all with this statistic - every day Twitter adds 380,000 new users! Some corporations now employ dedicated social media staff - McDonald's has 9 workers just to handle customer relations on Twitter.

During the conference we learned about a community-centered online apparel store called Threadless. Members of the Threadless community submit t-shirt designs online which are then put to a public vote. Some of the designs are selected for printing and sold through an online store. Creators of the winning designs receive a prize of cash and store credit. Threadless was described as "being social before there was social media". I was reminded of another example of social media behavior from my own past before there were social network applications or even general access to the World Wide Web - Mail Art.

Mail Art began in the DADA era of the early 20th century and had a resurgence in popularity in the 1960s and beyond. It's not easy to describe but I would place it in the the conceptual art category. Mail Artists exchange art with each other on a one-to-one basis through the postal system, and also create collaborative works of art by mailing in pieces to a central aggregator, passing around pieces to each other that are added to in turn, or sending pieces in to group shows. Participants in shows and projects would usually receive something in return for their participation, such as a catalog, a printed collage, a special rubber stamp, or a commemorative "faux postage" or "artistamp" stamp sheet. For example some old Mail Art stamps of mine were featured in a artistamp show in Budapest, Hungary a few years ago and I received an exhibition poster by mail.

One of the things that makes Mail Art conceptual is the fact that it's not supposed to be sold, it's supposed to be exchanged, and participants in shows and projects do not pay a fee to take part, nor do they have to be professional artists with art world credentials. Some participate with the idea of transforming the art world, but whether that goal is important or not one of the payoffs for participating is the community aspect - it is a way of making "pen pals" all over the world, of being a part of shows in places thousands of miles away and collaborating with artists you'll never meet in person. It's common for Mail Artists to alter works created by others and pass them on - this is very reminiscent of today's digital content creators who "remix" YouTube videos, graphics, fonts and other electronic assets. In the pre-Internet days communities would form around major and minor photocopied 'zines that could be ordered by mail or picked up in shops that sell small press and "underground" publications. Now we are familiar with communities forming around web sites, on Facebook, and even with conversations guided by Twitter hash tags.

With the rise of the World Wide Web, my participation in Mail Art dropped off because my desire for community building, creative expression and collaboration with people in far-flung areas of the world has been satisfied in other ways, although other Mail Artists have embraced the web as a way to leverage their activities. Perhaps social media has had the spectacular successes that it has because social media applications cater to needs that are built deep into human nature. A recurring theme throughout the Connect10ns conference was the natural desire of your customers to express themselves and tell their story - your marketing efforts will be more successful if you provide your audience with an outlet to satisfy that urge.

The 2003 book "The Substance of Style" by Virginia Postrel presents a lot of interesting points about aesthetics in our time and makes the case that our current culture places even more importance on the outward design of things as opposed to just the function than ever before. Design can steer you toward a certain product and can add to ones enjoyment of the item once the decision to purchase has been made. I know one reason why I'm holding on to my cell phone from 2004 when phones are available now that do many more things - I like the way it looks and I like the weight and the way it feels in my hand better than newer phones.

If Postrel is correct, the increased importance of aesthetics to us means that the bar has been raised about what we expect as consumers. Good design is no longer only for the affluent. Have you noticed how even discount brands are giving themselves makeovers? Last September I was in a McDonald's restaurant in Amarillo, Texas where I actually took pictures of the interior because I liked the design so much - there was light wood, metal, abstract art and Eames-designed wallpaper and upholstery patterns! Target has been noticed and praised for the sophisticated design of it's products and advertising for many years now - I noticed my local Wal-Mart is not only starting to carry products with a similar look, the store is also in the middle of remodel with a redesign of the facade to give it a more sophisticated, asymmetrical appearance. It's no longer enough to offer low-priced goods and put them in a plain big box.

Well-designed business identity pieces and multi channel marketing pieces such as web sites, letterhead, logos, emails, webinar replays, on demand presentations and the like used to be something that lifted a business above the competition. Now good, sophisticated design is a basic necessity if you want to even swim in the same pool as your competitors. Here is a great quote from "The Substance of Style" - "The notion now that a corporation of any size would have the CFO's wife design the annual report is ludicrous... But they did in the sixties." Your products might be just as good or better than your competitors, but consumers won't know it unless their first impression of you is as good or better than your competitors. It may not be right, but it's part of human nature, and ignoring it is risky!

I've previously written a blog series on how to get the most out of your online content in which I focused mainly on technology and social media and how it can help leverage your content to a larger audience. You can also get more exposure for your content by thinking strategically about social network applications.

We all know about the social media applications that are meant for a general audience such as Facebook and Twitter. If you have a wide variety of hobbies and interests as I do, you may be aware that many web sites that cater to a niche audience engage in community building by incorporating social network applications into their web sites such as personal blogs.

I supply blog posts and articles for several web sites, a magazine, and two e-newsletters. When I'm deciding on what topic to write about, I often will choose subject matter that is appropriate for more than one channel. Here is an example: I recently joined Weight Watchers. The Weight Watchers web site includes an online community and each member gets a blog for sharing his or her thoughts on food, health, fitness and other suitable topics. I have been writing a blog series for the Route 66 Association of Missouri called Fit and Healthy on Route 66 in which I describe my experiences on hiking and biking trails on or near historic Route 66. It seems logical that Weight Watchers members might also want to read these, so I've been posting excerpts from my articles on my Weight Watchers blog with a link back to the full article on the Route 66 Association of Missouri blog site. With very little extra effort, I've gained another link which is always valuable, and increased the potential audience for my content.

Whatever it is you're trying to accomplish online, whether it's personal, business-related or both, growing your audience will help you reach your goals, so use your multi channel mix to seize opportunities to do so whenever you can.

Several years ago I started a web site called John's Modern Cabins News as a personal project. The purpose of this site is to help along historic preservation efforts on Route 66, on of my personal passions. To that end, the site contains preservation news, suggested actions, a directory of promotional resources, and a free directory for historic businesses on Route 66 to help them get more exposure and thus stay vital and open.

I've recently relaunched the site because I have added an online form provided by Webinar Resources to make it easier for business owners to send me their information if they want to be in the directory. To promote the relaunch one of the things I'm doing is sending postcards to businesses that I think would be appropriate for inclusion. For some of the businesses I've have to search online for their street address - while doing that I noticed something interesting.

Quite a few of the businesses I searched for have web sites, but their web sites did not always come up first in the search results. In many cases review web sites such as Trip Advisor were the first result shown. Why would review web sites be first in the search results over the businesses' own web site?

One possible reason is that the nature of review sites is that they have a lot of content that is frequently updated. Search engines are known to favor such sites. Also, the more incoming links a site has, the more search engines will like it. A high profile site such as Trip Advisor is likely to have a lot of incoming links, so in order for a site to rank above it, a number of incoming links are needed to stay competitive. You don't necessarily need more links than Trip Advisor, but you need enough for your incoming links plus other factors such as your title tags and site content to lift your site above the review sites.

Why is this important? Well, some of the reviews I read of the businesses I was searching for were not favorable. If someone reads a negative review before they even get to see your web site, that is bad news. There is no guarantee that the reviews are fair either. I read some reviews of businesses that I've patronized myself that in no way reflect my own experience.

Because you can't control what other people say about you, you have to take charge of your own online reputation. Search for your own business name if you haven't for awhile to see what people are saying about you. Be visible in as many channels as possible by strategically planning your multi channel mix. Make use of social network applications in addition to your own web site. Take advantage of every free link you can get. Push those review sites farther down the page so that people can at least get a good first impression of you before they read something negative!

We at Webinar Resources would like to extend our congratulations to UncoverMe Naturals upon the completion of their new eCommerce site. UncoverMe Naturals sells cosmetics, soaps and personal care products that are free from preservatives, dyes and harmful chemicals. Webinar Resources was hired to bring to completion a web site which had been started by another firm. The client provided beautiful product photography which made the site a joy to work on and produced a very attractive finished result. The site is based on the WordPress platform, reflecting the trend I've seen over the last several years of clients wanting to build their web sites on platforms that contain a content management system so that they can take more control over their web site updates. We wish UncoverMe Naturals much success!
See the completed site at: www.uncovermenaturals.com/

When our team at Webinar Resources created the personalized interactive web presentation  "Santa and the Lost Dog", we used lots of stock images along with pictures of Mark's dog Bella to help illustrate the story. Our source for many of the stock images was istockphoto.com. When you complete a design that uses images from istockphoto.com, you have the option of submitting your completed project to the Designer Spotlight. We are happy to announce that the Christmas story photo book "Santa and the Lost Dog" was accepted into the Designer Spotlight in the web category.

If you would like to view my entire portfolio of accepted completed designs and available stock images, see my istockphoto.com portfolio.

Multi channel marketing is more important than ever before. Your audience is becoming increasingly segmented, and you have to open up more channels in order to be where the action is. Do you remember when just having a web site set you apart from the competition? Adding Facebook or Twitter to your multi channel mix used to be a cutting edge move - now social media applications have become so entrenched that Tweets like this one I saw this morning are possible - "Websites vs Facebook Pages: which URL should you promote?"

Social media applications, email accounts, blogs, web sites, shopping carts, payment gateways, CMSs, CRMs - all of these channels need feeding with new content and/or monitoring to make sure you are engaging with your audience and taking advantage of opportunities. You don't want an important email to languish in a little-used account, a sold merchandise item to go unshipped, a new lead ignored, or a question posted to a blog or Facebook page to go unanswered. How does one remember to check up on all these channels?

Most of the time when your applications need attention, you will get an alert email, but you can't count on getting all the emails you should. Email delivery is a real problem these days, even delivery of emails that you have made it very clear are wanted. To help me keep track of what I need to check on every day, I have made an html page and links to all of my email accounts, shopping carts, payment gateways, and social media applications. There is a shortcut to it on my desktop so it's always handy.

Here at Webinar Resources, I've made a similar page in a password protected area that our whole team can refer to for similar information, plus links to other things we need such as individual contact information, login pages for various hosted services that we use, and links to information important to our collective knowledge. It's a great convenience and time-saver. If you don't have such a resource for yourself, I recommend you make one or ask your web developer to create an admin page tailored to your needs.