Friday, January 27, 2012
CMA's blog has moved!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Introducing a Series of Helpful Hints for Marketing Success!
In celebration of CMA’s 25th anniversary in 2012, we will be bringing you weekly posts with a “how to” theme to help pass on the knowledge that has kept our clients thriving for 25 years. You’ll hear from a variety of staff members – each are experts in their own fields. We hope you enjoy our new initiative to bring you the most useful information to aid in your success in 2012.
How to Turn Your Website into a Lead Generator
With Matt Kulcsar, Interactive Art Designer
A corporate website needs to be more than just a static, marketing piece. Your website should be a dynamic lead generation tool. If your website is not powering your growth or reinforcing your brand than its time to consider a website refresh to maximize your online presence. Keep these simple tips in mind when you look to enhance your website in 2012:
Be precise. Pretty much every website has standard analytics built-in but few users are tapping into the data to help take them to the next level. Make sure you log in regularly to see what’s working and what isn’t so you can take action. The design of your website should be flexible so you can easily make adjustments based on the insights from your review of the sites stats. Content management systems are usually the most cost-effective platforms that allow for on the fly updating.
Be engaging. Get to know your target audience better by finding out what means the most to them. Incorporating an interactive survey or problem/solution component into your website will give you valuable insights into your customers needs and also help them find the content they are looking for on your site. Be careful and don’t overwhelm your audience. Engagement doesn’t mean unnecessary bells and whistles with no real purpose. Interactivity is the key to connecting to your audience and drawing them into your site.
Be clear. You won’t be able to convert a website visitor to a qualified lead if they don’t stay on your site for very long. You have maybe ten seconds to grab a visitor’s attention and draw them in to your website. One step towards keeping traffic on your site is to make it easy for them to find what they need. Navigation needs to be straightforward, intuitive and descriptive. Using non-traditional navigation through the use of imagery and other techniques can guide users smoothly through your site to a conversion.
Be relevant. Content is still king as long as it speaks to your target audience and it’s optimized for search engine performance. Here’s where the analytics come in again. Study up to see which pages have high traffic and which pages are low performers. Evaluate if the content needs to be enhanced or are you getting a message from your customers about what they are really interested in.
Be analytical. In real estate the key is “Location! Location! Location!” but the mantra online is “Data! Data! Data!”. The common thread that runs through all of these topics is analysis of your data. You need to have the right tools in place and the right people who can interpret and implement needed action. Site traffic has to be understood on the granular level in order to understand the finicky patterns of today’s web users.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Most Viewed Blogs of 2011
Since 2012 is almost here, let's take a look back and reflect on the top 10 most viewed blog topics from 2011. What was your favorite?
Thursday, December 22, 2011
What’s on Your Marketing List for 2012?
As the song goes, Santa makes his list and checks it twice. With 2012 just about a week away, it’s not too late to make your marketing “list “for next year. For many businesses, it seems long-term planning has been sidelined by a focus on short-term success and survival. While we all have to do what we can to survive, a sensible marketing plan with real goals and objectives will help make sure you don’t end up with a lump of coal under the tree next year.
A few key questions to ask as you finalize your 2012 plan:
- Are there changes in the marketplace or other environmental factors that may affect how you do business now or in the future?
- Have your target audiences or competitors changed or will they change in the future?
- Have your key success factors changed due to the current marketplace?
- Are existing strategies working or do you need to develop new ones?
- Should your key messages to targets change?
Even the naughtiest kid knows putting together a ridiculously long list of gifts isn’t going to get him what he wants. Treat your marketing plan the same way. It can help to spend sometime thinking about your dream wish list, but don’t get stuck there. Ultimately, your marketing plan needs to be based on sound strategy, measurable goals and a realistic budget.
Here’s to staying off the naughty list in 2012!
Friday, December 16, 2011
CMA's Matt Kulcsar to Moderate Panel on Technology in Interactive Design
Formerly the creative director at Razorfish, Crooks has over 20 years of experience in the design field and has created several notable fully integrated consumer and BtoB interactive media campaigns, including those of Nestle, Dove, Sallie Mae, Neiman Marcus and General Motors. He will discuss how creatives need to be free to think and have access to the information that drives original thoughts. Attendees will learn to embrace new technologies that are catalysts for ideas, not simply an electronic box of tools. Crooks will focus on the convergence of the physical and digital—the space in which ideas can percolate and where information, observations and insights are the coin of the realm.
McLaughlin has executed countless online marketing initiatives with organizations large and small, from Fortune 500 to non-profits, across a broad array of industries. A champion of the emerging role of the marketing technologist, Ed has a professional passion for the business-changing potential of open source software, distributed workforce models and cloud computing. McLaughlin will focus on the concept of the “Distributed Agency,” meaning a shift from physical environments to digital environments and leveraging software-as-a-service, cloud computing, and the collaborative tools and ethos of the open source movement.
Kulcsar of CMA has over 13 years of professional experience in website design and development. He has developed web content, managed websites, e-blasts, single-page websites and interactive displays also has expertise in combining SEO and SEM strategies with social media.
The cost to attend is $25 members, $35 non-members, and includes catering by Christopher’s Personal Chef Service. The meeting will be held at D&R Greenway, Johnson Education Center, RWJ Auditorium, One Preservation Place, Princeton, NJ 08540. For directions, go to www.drgreenway.org/directions.htm. To register, visit www.njcama.org. For more information about this event, contact programs@njcama.org and for membership information, contact membership@njcama.org.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Drum roll please...It's CMA's Signature Holiday Card!
Once again, the laughter poured out 191 Clarksville Road this year in preparation for our signature holiday card. Join us as we look forward to a year full of celebration, as 2012 is our 25th anniversary year!
Happy Holidays from CMA! Check out the digital version of the card here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
