Developing a web presence is a big priority for many of our clients in Orlando and around the country. Consequently, over  the last year at Appleton Creative we’ve seen a growing percentage of interactive and web oriented projects. Perhaps more important is the role of business cards in today’s virtual market.

So in this modern age of interactive address books, iPhones and Blackberrys, has the business card gone the way of the dinosaur? Do business cards still serve a purpose?

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Why Page Load Speed May be More Important Than You Think

When working with our web clients, we often talk about load speed up front, at Appleton Creative. Recent reports seem to show that Google may be adding page-loading speed to their ranking algorithm in the not too distant future. This could allow sites with fast loading speeds to gain a ranking advantage over those that load more slowly if this is added to the Google mix. Why are page loading speeds important and how can they be speeded up?

At Appleton Creative, we always know visitors to web pages have notoriously short attention spans and are hard to please. A slow to load page is likely to see them go elsewhere unless they are desperate to see what’s on the page. Few are ever that desperate. It doesn’t really matter how fantastic a page looks when it is loaded up; it doesn’t matter how great the content is. If the visitor leaves before it downloads, then it has no value whatsoever to the webmaster.

This is also all about visitor value which means a lot to Google and which should, therefore, mean a lot to webmasters. A website that adds something of value to a user is perceived by Google as being better than one that doesn’t. This manifests itself in many different ways. A fast to load page, for example, delivers something good to the visitor; a slow page may soon be seen as a negative.

Given that page loading times may shortly have an impact on ranking, it may be worthwhile for webmasters to look at their own times and to assess how their sites work. The easiest way to do this is to try to look at the site from a visitor’s perspective. Getting other people to take a look around it and to give you their points of view may also be valuable.

A lot of sites load slowly because they are badly designed or rely too heavily on pulling together disparate technology and design elements that work against each other. This is often done with the aim of impressing a visitor from a graphics perspective but it could have the opposite effect if it makes a page download time take more than a few seconds.

One quick way to alleviate problems here is to look at your page size. Large pages that are full of images, tables and technical ‘bells and whistles’ can often take a frustratingly long time to download. Given that the average web visitor is unlikely to wait for results for more than 5-10 seconds, this could be a major issue that needs improvement.

Many of our Appleton designers will, for example, alter the size and format of their images to speed things up. Using fewer graphics and images on a page and optimising them may also help. Having the same image appear on different pages may potentially speed things up as once they are loaded and cached for the first time, they’ll be in place for future page downloads and visits.

The clients’ hosting service may also play a part. Using free or low cost hosting may look like a good solution to start with, but if the service cannot deliver a robust and speedy solution then this could have a negative effect on your site and its download times, even if it should technically work just fine.

Those who need a little extra technical help or in-depth analysis can also call on monitoring programs and tools that can help them assess loading speeds and potential areas of slow-down. Google, for example, has a Firefox add-on called Page Speed which may be useful. The company also produces an extension for Chrome users, Speed Tracer, that may give some good analysis. Firefox users can also take a look at Yahoo’s YSlow if they prefer.

Achieving fast page load times shouldn’t just be important because Google may be making it more important in the future. In the great scheme of things this may become just one more factor within the huge Google algorithm and may, therefore, not have too negative an impact. But, keeping visitors on your site and making them want to return is important so any webmaster with a slow to load site should be looking for ways to speed things up.

If your web site has long load times, or maybe just needs a refresh, please feel free to call the team at Appleton Creative. www.appletoncreative.com

        

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APPLETON CREATIVE KICKS OFF 2010 CREW ORLANDO PARTNERSHIP
Redesigned Website Offers Members Expanded Features, Fresh Look

(ORLANDO, February 3, 2010) In its role as the 2010 Marketing and Technology Partner of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Orlando, Appleton Creative has redesigned the organization’s website, www.creworlando.org, which now features a contemporary look and new usability features.

“CREW Orlando’s membership has grown progressively more web savvy,” said Diana La Rue, president of Appleton Creative. “Our redesign reflects this sophistication with advanced features, interactivity, and useful tools.”
New website elements include an events gallery, an exportable monthly calendar, membership demographics, board listings, a newsroom, and expanded “members only” features.
Appleton Creative is an award winning boutique advertising agency located in downtown Orlando. Since 1987 the firm has been known for its holistic, strategic approach to advertising. Appleton is the only area firm offering a professional video department, social media expertise, and full service web, print and branding ~ all in house.
CREW Orlando is a business development organization representing key decision makers in nearly every discipline of commercial real estate. The organization was formed in 1987 and is part of CREW Network, an international organization comprised of more than 8,000 members in 67 chapters.

        

Four Essential Elements of an Effective Content Marketing Campaign

A lot of online marketers are using content to market their products and services. From article directories to corporate websites, the internet is packed with opportunities to use content as a marketing tool. Still, despite the frequency and quantity of article marketing content, few marketers truly understand how to use content effectively for product marketing. At Appleton Creative, our in-house web gurus and creative pioneers love to help clients get results with content marketing.

It is not just about writing content and slapping a link on, unfortunately. While a lot of people look at content marketing as a fool-proof strategy, the reality is quite different. Content marketing is a strategy that fools a lot of people every year. Some of the top pay-per-click marketers and pop-up masters fall apart when it comes to contextual content marketing.

Marketing products using content is a multi-faceted operation. From keyword research to ultimate execution, smart marketers assign their content marketing operations as much effort as they do their dedicated SEO and pay-per-click campaigns. From the ground up, we at Appleton Creative know you need four elements in your content marketing campaigns:

1) Bulletproof Keyword Research

Content marketing campaigns are effectively restricted and simplified SEO campaigns. While relying on the same principles of keywords, frequency, and backlinks, articles typically operate on a slightly less dynamic field than a full SEO campaign. Article directories generally have authority status from the get-go, and marketers don’t need to worry about pagerank the same way that they would with a full SEO campaign.

Still, it is absolutely essential to research keywords in the same way that you would an SEO campaign. Look at the big winner keywords in your field, and incorporate them and natural secondary keywords into your content.

2) Catchy Titles

Newspapers are continually researching new methods to get people to pick the paper up from a shelf and buy it. They have tried full color front page photographs, in-depth field reports and stories, and even bundling the newspaper with secondary papers and free content.

None of them worked well. What worked effectively was more simple: catchy titles and shocking headlines. The ‘tabloid effect,’ as it’s sometimes known, should be a major driving force behind your articles. Do not just stick with titles that incorporate keywords; use titles that draw attention.

3) Product-Related Content

Content means nothing if it is not somehow linked to the product you are trying to sell. Readers do not feel like buying diet pills after they have read an article on home cleaning products, do they? When you are writing content for your marketing campaigns, keep it valid and related to what you are trying to sell. Drift too far from the topic and you risk losing sales, missing out on customers, and wasting time.

4) A Perfect Resource Box

Your resource box is your content marketing calling card, and it needs to be both effective and memorable. Treat your resource box for what it is — a lucrative SEO asset — and use it to advertise your products with relevant keywords and sales text. Do not sell right there in the resource box — that is what your product page is for — but do use it as an asset. With the right combination of great article content and conversion-ready resource box links, you could have a winning article on your hands.

To begin today on your content marketing strategy, feel free to reach out to the Appleton Creative crew. www.appletoncreative.com

        

Appleton Creative has a new favorite toy; called Google TV ads. We love it. We love to talk about it, play with it, and introduce clients to it. Google TV ads is just one way we can help you reach your target audience within your budget.

How Is This Possible?

The budget for creating a Google TV ad campaign is determined by the user. The application allows you to set a daily budget and a CPM bid. At that point, you are competing in an auction for TV spots. This format allows equal consideration for all and you only pay for the impressions you get to your spot. Technology and data from the remote control clicks of the 4+ million Dish network subscribers is analyzed and translated into valuable info to get you results.

As far out as 2 weeks, Google sends spiders through the programming line up to match what suits your needs. You are able to control appropriate programming, time of day and networks based on targeting tools much the same as you use Google as a search tool. This proves to be effective in targeting and using the Google Sample size to your advantage. Some commonly used networks used for this media are Oxygen, MSNBC, Spike, and Chiller.

How Effective Is This?

Much like Google’s other tracking tools, you can pull reports within your account to see how your campaign is faring. Some of the options are;
The history of what was aired
Demographic Info
Retained audience data
Total impressions

Why Google TV?

Easy
Affordable
Real Time Analytics
Buy as little as 24 hours ahead of time

Appleton Creative can work with you today to shoot, edit, and create a Google TV Ads Campaign all in one place. Please see our video portfolio at www.appletoncreeative.com

        

When we at Appleton Creative learned that projections show nearly half of all web users will be viewing the web only on their mobile phones by June of 2010, we were intrigued, then sprung to action. So many of our clients needed updated web sites and here was another angle where we could help maintain their brand.

Mobile web surfing must meet users’ needs quickly. Long load times and bulky graphics will often work against your site being viewed on phones. Some sites however, or portions of sites, will always still be viewed on computers. Typical items that ARE viewed on phones are directions, phone numbers, entertainment sites, and usable applications.

Appleton Creative offers many solutions to make your site better than your competition and suitable for phones, too! Check out our site on your phone @ www.appletoncreative.com

        

Perhaps you are preparing to hit ‘send’ on your holiday E-Blast today. Newsletters are a great tool in connecting to your target audience. Appleton Creative works with a variety of clients and newsletters so we get a lot of similar questions when it comes to the actual sending.

Appleton Creative On Assuring the Delivery of Your Message
If your e-blast doesn’t get delivered to the recipient’s inbox, the chance of it actually being read jumps down significantly.
Pushing through today’s spam filters requires a delicate mix of good technology and email history. Most email service providers are set up with what you need. The greater challenge is often getting through the filters that reside on the recipient’s desktop or those who are using the highest level of security settings. When asking recipients to opt in, you can also make a point to have them add you as an approved sender, to help with this.

Appleton Creative on The Timing of Your E-blast
When you send your newsletter, time wise, can greatly affect your results. Appleton Creative can help you reach the most amount of readers with timing your message. The blast should be sent at regular intervals and delivered at an appropriate day/time, such as weekdays and during business hours.

Appleton Creative’s Two Best Tips That Will Increase Readership;
1.) The From Line
The from line of your newsletter should clearly state the sender and be simply recognizable to the recipient. It is widely studied and found that when viewing their inbox, readers immediately begin by looking at the from line; being open and grabbing readers within that portion has been shown to sharply help your open rates.
At Appleton, we also recommend each message actually have two entries in your from line—the display or familiar from address and the actual from address if you are sending from a box other than your own.

2.) The Subject Line
Your subject line should be fetching, benefit based and specifically describe the content of your email newsletter. The main message in the subject line should appear first; keep in mind subject lines are often truncated in inboxes or nowadays on mobiles. When creating your subject lines, clients should be sure they don’t come across spam-like by avoiding exaggerated claims and verbiage favored by junk emailers.

        

The Appleton Creative Crew was delighted as punch and pleased as pie when this client testimonial jewel rolled in. Happy Holidays to all! We appreciate you, too!

Team AC,

You continually make us look good,
Like nobody else ever could,

Emails are returned in a flash,
Changes are made in a dash,

There’s never a worry about it getting done,
As you always find a way to make it fun,

Thank you all for what you do,
Without you we wouldn’t have a clue!

Thank you all for your hard work, it is much appreciated!!

Chris

Chris Eckert
Referral Relations Manager
Pasadena Villa Network of Services

        

Paxton Cain, daughter of our Lead Designer Stephanie, and lead graphics department gofor girl cutiepie, will be heading to the Pop Warner National Cheer and Dance Championships next Monday at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.

Let’s give a hand and our support to these dedicated girls and their parents. The path to nationals is paved with hard work, tears, a few broken bones, and loads of smiles.

Paxton, your Appleton Creative Family couldn’t be prouder! We also want to shout out to Stephanie for creating the winning dance mix.

http://www.popwarner.com/superbowl/CheerChampionships.asp

Gimme a P! Gimme an AXTON! What's that spell? Awesome.