A Checklist to Build the Perfect Website

Take a good look at your car. ‘So what?’ you’re thinking. ‘It’s just a car.’ Well, according to some estimates, the average car is made up of 30,000 parts. You don’t think about all the gears and pipes and turbo air intakes hidden within each model, because engineers have put it together so seamlessly that it just looks like one unit to you — a singular “car.” The same goes for any decent website, which is composed of hundreds of decisions stitched into one integrated layout. The better it’s been built, the simpler it looks.

Don’t be fooled though—building the perfect website requires crossing off a lengthy checklist of to-do’s. Every web design agency has their own schedule of planning and executing a site build, but here’s one we suggest you follow.

Set a Budget

How much does a website cost? How long is a piece of string? A freelance designer can make a DIY brochure site to showcase their portfolio and get everything they need out of it. Whereas a business that wants to track a donation form, build a member login portal, catalog an interactive shopping matrix — yeah, you should probably opt for the DIFM (do-it-for-me) route and benefit from a web development company’s expertise. Added functionality always costs more, so determine which site features you need and how many you’re able to pay for.

Register a Domain Name

Whether you’re going with a free Wix template or shelling out $100,000+ for a site, no one will be able to appreciate it if you don’t claim a domain name, which is basically your address on the internet and costs around $10–20. Check out Domain.com or GoDaddy to see if the domain you want is available, but don’t be surprised if it’s not. (After all, the internet is a star cluster of two billion websites — 400 million of which are active, but who’s counting?) So if the domain you want is taken, ask the web design agency you hired which name they recommend. Tempting as it is to get creative or quirky here, you’ll want your URL to be as similar as possible to the name of your business so prospective customers can find you.

Value the UX

One reason to hire a web design agency is that they’re staffed with UX (or “user experience”) designers. These talented folks are digital artists who keep the experience of their audience top of mind as they create a website design, which should incorporate a color palette and a copy .doc into modules that solve a different problem on each page. The “Donate” page drives visitors to, well, donate. The “About Us” page tells the company story. The “Become a Member” page touts the perks of membership. If all that sounds intuitive, that’s because the UX designer has made the ride feel effortless, so your visitors further your business goals with each click they make on your site.

Make Your Content King

Web copy needs to get to the point. Sure, you want your writing to lure visitors in, but don’t wax poetic. Front-load your copy with the most relevant info about your business: email, address, a few lines about what you do. Use the same tack with social posts and paid advertising — content that people like to snack on and that directs traffic back to your site. With a blog or a newsletter, consistency is key. Publish on the reg to drum up an audience. Optimize it with keywords, and then link out to related blogs and articles. All those strategies impart upon your work enough authority to make it rank higher in Google searches. (Because, really, when was the last time you clicked past the first page of a Google search?)

Ship It!

At long last, the site is finished. Oh, happy day. You’ve bought your domain. You’ve designed your layouts. You’re excited about revving up your content initiative. You’ve been working on this thing for months and you’re ready for it to be over. We understand — but we insist you do some last-minute QC. Proof the copy, triple-check that the links work, write metadata into the CMS, and set up 301 redirects to steer visitors familiar with your old site toward your new site. 

One final thing: Plug in Google Analytics to track how many people are viewing your domain, where they’re coming from, and how long they’re staying. (These insights give you a bird’s-eye perspective of your web performance.) Take a breather. And then take the wheel: Hit launch, post about it on Facebook, and congratulate yourself on assembling a sleek and sexy site.

How to Build Landing Pages that Convert

Not all landing pages are created equal. “Static page,” “destination page,” “lead capture page,” “single property page” — these are all names for the coveted landing page, which is a web page generally set up to promote an offer. The goal of said landing page is to lure visitors into the tractor-beam of your marketing strategy: First you get them in the sales funnel, then you guide them through the suite of services your business provides. Simple enough.

Except here’s the rub: Prospective clients can crash-land on a landing page and not “convert” — that is, act on the deal being advertised. The average conversion rate on a landing page is 2.35%. The top quarter of companies enjoy conversion rates north of 5%, while a rate higher than 11% is bragging rights. So how do you build landing pages that convert in the 5–11%+ range? That question has befuddled many a marketer and agency, but here are a few tips we’ve learned along the way.

Be Transparent

“Get them in the nose!” That’s an old newspaperman’s line about blasting the reader with the most important information in the first few sentences, and the same advice applies to landing pages. Figure out your core message and slap it in the header so your audience knows what the landing page wants them to do. Enter a raffle to win a truck, buy an all-inclusive trip to Kauai, take a virtual tour of a senior living community — whatever the conversion is, hone in on it and make it clear why your visitors are here in the first place. 

Show, Don’t Tell

Whatever you’re selling, show it. If you’re a vineyard, don’t just bullet out the perks of being a member. Include pictures of bottles of cab sauv and pebbled courtyards where you can get pleasantly snockered on those bottles. Feature testimonials from happy customers — but make sure they’re real (people catch on). Add in case studies, which fulfill much the same purpose. And, of course, you must connect with users on an emotional level. “Buy an all-inclusive trip to Kauai” is clear, but an effective landing page design will embed videos of waterfalls pouring through rainforest canopies or work in descriptions of whales singing beneath the waves.

Up Your CTA Game

Another reason you should remove clutter from landing pages is to make sure your CTA is easy to find. Place the CTA above the fold so your audience doesn’t have to unfurl the Dead Sea Scrolls just to get to it. Copywriters, this is not your moment to be clever. Visitors with vision impairments may be clicking around your site with a Screen Reader, which translates on-screen copy into speech. So to make CTAs accessible, keep them informative. 

What’s an accessible way to ask a visitor to subscribe to your newsletter? Something like “Subscribe to my newsletter.” If that sounds humdrum, that’s the point: Avoid addy-style puns that confuse the purpose of the page. And include no more than one or two CTAs. Remember, simplicity means sales.

Boost Your Cred

Landing pages often have forms that ask for a visitor’s name, email, and even credit card information. The more security you can provide, the more likely strangers will cough up the most important data in their lives. Especially if you’re a known quantity, trot out that logo — the Starbucks mermaid, for instance, will stamp considerable trustworthiness onto any landing page (a Starbucks landing page, of course). A data security badge also conveys that you’re legit. And go over your spelling with holy fervor. Nothing kills your cred quite like janky grammar.

Monitor and Optimize

The best landing pages buoy up to the top of Google searches because they’re optimized. To boost your page ranking, incorporate keywords into the headlines and body copy and the metadata in the back-end. Run A/B testing to gauge what’s working and what’s not. Let’s say Option A is performing at a conversion rate of 1%. Embed a new video (or shorten it if it’s over three minutes), swap out the headlines, mix and match the brand colors, and — boom! — you’ve got Option B, which now sports a conversion rate of 10%. Whatever the numbers are, keep tweaking the layout and settings till those numbers trend up, up, up.

Finally, consider adding in additional links or related content that redirect your audience to your larger website or blog. Connecting all your channels lets users extend their journey and find more information about what you do and how to contact you in case they want you to create a landing page for them that’s a cut above the rest.

How Leading Branding Agencies Create a Consistent Brand Identity – Plus, The Top 25 Branding Agencies, According to DesignRush

NEW YORK (PRWEB) FEBRUARY 21, 2019

A consistent brand presentation across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23 percent.

However, a brand has many visual and emotional components. Therefore, crafting a consistent identity can be difficult for businesses.

DesignRush.com, a B2B marketplace connecting brands with agencies, discovered how the best branding and rebranding agencies build unified brand identities across many channels. These strategies help growing companies capture consumers, increase awareness and recognition, and ultimately improve revenue.

The top 5 ways that branding agencies create a successful brand identity are:

1. Create A Brand Strategy

About one-third of consumers have a specific brand in mind when they begin shopping.

By creating a brand strategy before beginning the actual branding process, experts can pinpoint valuable audiences and ensure that the brand becomes recognizable and trustworthy to them. This will empower consumers to have that brand in mind when they set out to make a purchase.

Building a brand strategy includes tasks such as:

  • Conducting market research
  • Defining the target demographic
  • Determining goals
  • Writing the mission and core values of the brand
  • Creating a brand book that outlines brand guidelines
  • And more!

2. Design A Logo

Studies show that color improves brand recognition by up to 80 percent – and when coupled with a strategic logo, this visual moniker can be the key to brand visibility.

Thus, branding agencies often design a logo that aesthetically embodies a brand’s products, services, mission and values early on in the branding process. Although a logo is not the only branding element, it is often the most highly-recognized.

Successful logos have a few key design qualities. They are often:

  • Simple and scalable
  • Modern yet timeless
  • Responsive for all digital screen sizes
  • Memorable and have strong brand relevance

3. Name The Brand, Products & Services

Although brains process visuals up to 60,000 times faster than words, every brand, product and service needs to be named in accordance with the overarching brand identity.

Successful brand or product names should be:

  • Short or simple
  • Related to the key mission of the brand
  • Easy to pronounce

4. Brand The Website

Strong branding on multiple platforms can improve brand visibility by up to 4 times – but a website is perhaps the most important platform.

The best branding agencies take the time to properly brand professional websites. Well-branded sites typically have:

  • The logo in the top-left corner of all web pages, which leads back to the homepage
  • Large, easily readable font
  • A consistent color scheme that matches other visual collateral
  • Intuitive navigation
  • Strategic landing pages that match brand goals
  • And more!

5. Roll Out The Identity On Other Platforms

There are a near-infinite number of digital platforms and interfaces that businesses must brand in order to properly present themselves to their target audience.

Therefore, they must also roll out the brand on other channels, including:

  • Social media
  • Marketing campaigns
  • Graphic and print designs
  • Packaging designs
  • Email newsletters
  • Video marketing campaigns and commercials
  • Advertisements
  • And more!

“Branding is perhaps the most important thing a growing business could do to achieve long-term success,” says DesignRush Founder and Executive Director Gabriel Shaoolian. “You never know where consumers may see your brand or what emotional connections they could develop and when. Therefore, brands need to take the time to build a truly unified persona for their brand and distribute that on each and every possible medium.”

DesignRush’s Agency Listing section features the top local and global branding companies. Some of the top branding agencies from around the world include:

1. Art Fresh Inc.

Art Fresh is an award-winning full-service branding studio, focusing on marketing strategy, brand design, marketing communications, building brands and managing them effectively. They provide premium-quality creative design that includes logo design and corporate identity, print advertisements, label and packaging design, brochure design, responsive web design, and various other promotional services to help businesses capture a strong position in the market.

Visit Art Fresh online at https://www.art-fresh.ca/

2. Baldwin&

Baldwin& is a full-service e-commerce agency with offices in Ghent, Belgium, and Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Brands that are looking for a professional partner to help them develop, design and promote their webshop can tell Baldwin& what they’re after and the agency will make it happen, from A to Z.

Visit Baldwin& online at: http://www.baldwinand.com/

3. Brands to life

Brands to life® is a Melbourne-based branding agency working with local, national and international brands. Their branding, advertising, and digital thinking have launched brands, intensified engagement, gotten more bums on seats, achieved more clicks and bigger donations, increased awareness and boosted sales. They breathe new life into brands to create, refresh or re-position them. Brands to life finds simple truths and creates authentic brand stories and unique, memorable identities.

Visit Brands to life online at: https://www.brandstolife.com.au/

4. Bulldog Studio

Bulldog Studio has a team of graphic designers that develops print projects, branding and packaging projects. Their added value is tangible because they have direct feedback from their clients throughout every step of the process.

Visit Bulldog Studio online at: http://bulldogstudio.es/

5. Catchword

Catchword is a dedicated brand name development firm that has been them industry-leading product, service and company names since 1998. Clients hire and rehire Catchword because they view naming not just as a creative exercise but as a critical component of brand value. Sure, they come up with cool names (some would say super cool), but not before Catchword has a profound understanding of each client’s business and branding objectives.

Visit Catchword online at: https://catchwordbranding.com/

6. Cleverbird Creative

Cleverbird Creative is an 85+ time award-winning web design and digital branding firm based in Chicago. They create beautiful and effective websites for startups, Fortune 500 companies – and everyone in between. Cleverbird Creative marries performance and beauty, with most of their sites not only winning design awards but also seeing an increase in sales, leads, and traffic by an average of 450 percent.

Visit Cleverbird Creative online at: http://cleverbirds.com/

7. ElephantMark

ElephantMark is a full-service website design and branding agency located in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. They build brands from the ground up by creating unique brand experiences and brand strategies. ElephantMark crafts unique brand strategies and helps small and large businesses alike to reach new audiences. A typical scope of work could include a brand audit, brand naming, brand identity design, a brand strategy manual, a website, signage design, advertising campaigns, and more.

Visit ElephantMark online at: https://www.elephantmark.com/

8. Erretres, The Strategic Design Company

Erretres, The Strategic Design Company, is a branding and digital consultancy firm based in Madrid and working internationally in Europe, America, and Asia. Their work is characterized by human-centered and technology-infused design solutions, as well as business innovation and strategy. They are specialists in the simplification of complex problems in order to create identities which bring value to brands and end users. Erretres teams up with their clients at all stages of the process, offering methods and solutions tailored to the particular needs of each project. They are unique, offering both branding and digital international expertise.

Visit Erretre, The Strategic Design Company, online at:  http://www.erretres.com/

9. GKV

GKV is celebrating over 35 years of creating advertising, direct marketing, branding, digital and social media campaigns on behalf of their clients. GKV’s success is rooted in their ability to create and execute breakthrough strategies for companies and organizations that are out-spent in their categories. GKV and its clients succeed by challenging the category status quo. On the clients’ behalf, they have created advertising initiatives that have succeeded consistently in the marketplace and in industry award competitions by demonstrating thought leadership, emotional power, and confidence.

Visit GKV online at: https://gkv.com/

10. Jacob Tyler Brand & Digital Agency

Jacob Tyler Brand & Digital Agency is an integrated brand experience agency. They deliver creative experiences and marketing strategies that amplify each brand’s reach, breed customer loyalty, and drive business growth. Everyone thinks they are innovative. Everyone thinks they offer solutions. But Jacob Tyler Brand & Digital Agency helps brands to kick clichés to the curb and focus on exactly what they want to solve for their specific audience — and after over 18 years in business, they’re really great at it.

Visit Jacob Tyler Brand & Digital Agency online at: https://www.jacobtyler.com/

11. KRV Guru

KRV Guru is comprised of a young, energetic, creative and passionate “MARTECH” team who loves what they do and – most importantly – who they work for: Brands. They are known as passionate and crazy marketers in search of innovation. KRV Guru believes that “Marketing is Mathematics” and that they know the right formula to get an answer.

Visit KRV Guru online at: https://www.krvguru.com/

12. Launch Digital

Launch Digital is a creative design and marketing agency working with clients of all sizes and in all sectors. They understand that every brand and project has different values and audiences. Launch Digital has a very powerful in-house creative team with young, fresh designers led by strong marketing directors and management. Their talent and experience produce creativity that is capable of delivering impressive design work for all business types. Launch Digital looks at all of their client’s entire marketing efforts, suggesting amendments and implementing changes with the goal of growing brands, products, services, and market share to give a great return on investment and ultimately increase profit for their clients.

Visit Launch Digital online at: https://www.launchscotland.com/

13. Massive Media Inc.

Massive Media is a branding and experience design agency for companies with ambition. They partner with solution-focused organizations to achieve clarity, effective messaging and the technologies needed to thrive in the wild. Whether the end product is a revised brand, a digital advertising campaign or a new website, Massive Media’s approach centers on deep cultural insights, clear strategic direction and the power of human expression.

Visit Massive Media online at: https://engagemassive.com/

14. MESH

MESH exists to create connections and loyalty to brands. They are an independent award-winning creative and strategic agency with over 15 years of success. MESH works with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to startups, all of whom are ready to grow and transform their brand. MESH has proven expertise in brand building, strategic account leadership, advertising, creative services, public relations, and traditional and digital media. MESH has provided professional and creative solutions to clients in a wide variety of industries, including Visit Baton Rouge, Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation, Mississippi Aquarium, and more.

Visit MESH online at: https://www.meshbr.com/

15. Milestone Creative Ltd.

Milestone is an independent creative agency that builds close, long-term relationships with clients to grow stronger brands. They believe in the benefits of applying creativity to business. It’s why Milestone started back in 1995 and it continues to be their driving force. From ownable branding to using digital channels more effectively, it’s the creative spark that makes strategy come alive. They develop compelling propositions, competitive positioning, and memorable creatives to help brands make a deeper, lasting connection with customers. Milestone Creative enjoys working with a broad base of clients from both the B2B and B2C sectors. They can provide strategic brand consultancy, integrated marketing campaigns, packaging design, and more.

Visit Milestone Creative online at: https://www.milestonecreative.co.uk/

16. Murmur Creative

Murmur Creative is branding, packaging, and web agency that specializes in the food and beverage industries. Murmur’s goal is always to elevate the businesses and organizations they work with and enrich communities through their work and their relationships. Murmur Creative loves working with like-minded organizations that believe in a holistic approach to branding and design. They are strategists. They are partners. And they are dreamers.

Visit Murmur Creative online at: https://murmurcreative.com/

17. Namestorm

Namestorm has been in the market of business naming consulting since 2005. They have advised startups, medium-sized companies, and well-known companies on their name search and helped them create or find their desired name. Namestorm specializes in naming. This means that they do not offer a wide range of services but are exclusively devoted to professional naming. However, they do branch out. For example, they founded NameRobot, a portal with many unique tools for do-it-yourself naming. With more innovations and cooperations in the field of naming, they continue to strengthen their leading position in their area of expertise.

Visit Namestorm online at: https://www.techliance.com/

18. Nuu

Nuu is a hub for strategy, design, and innovation. Their people lead the charge — a team of strategic thinkers who conceptualize and create in combinations of design, code, culture and unique brand stories. Each of their clients has something to share. Nuu finds it and gives them what they need to tell the world.

Visit Nuu online at: https://nuu.co/

19. Percept Brand Design

Percept is a design agency in Sydney. They specialize in branding, packaging design, print communications, advertising, website, and digital design.

Visit Percept Brand Design online at: http://percept.com.au/

20. Slice Design

Based in London, UK, Slice Design is a branding and packaging design agency that has helped consumer brands grow and get noticed since 2004. They like to think of themselves as a challenger to the larger agencies. As the name suggests, Slice Design cuts through jargon with their flexible, no-nonsense approach and down-to-earth attitude. From their studio in London, Slice Design works for clients around the world, including big household names and small startups, challengers and leaders. Whether a big brand re-design or simple packaging update, Slice Design is proud to remain flexible, refreshingly honest and wholly independent.

Visit Slice Design online at: http://www.slicedesign.co.uk/

21. South Made

As digital marketing evolves, so does South Made. What started as a boutique web design firm has grown into the one-stop shop that is now South Made Marketing. Collectively, they have a background in business management, web design, graphic design, photography, creative writing, social media, sales and marketing. South Made builds brands digitally through marketing, web design, graphic design, branding, strategy, social media, SEO, pay-per-click advertising, videography, photography, consulting, and more.

Visit South Made online at: https://southmade.com/

22. Startling Brands

Startling Brands is an agency full of branding and marketing specialists that work globally with industry-leading, innovative, purposeful companies and institutions. They provide a full range of integrated strategy, brand consulting, creative, marketing and strategy development services to help their clients to create, grow and manage their brands.

Visit Startling Brands online at: http://www.startlingbrands.com/

23. Streng Agency

Streng Agency is not a typical advertising agency. For that matter, Streng is not a typical business. This is due in part to their approach to solving everyday problems as creatively as possible. That includes every decision they make. Streng Agency is contemporary and state-of-the-art in its office space as well as their approach to work. They have made it their ongoing practice to not only hire the best creative professionals that ensure experienced leadership but also individuals that are driven by finding new, provocative ways to change markets. Streng has been providing award-winning customer-generating marketing for over 30 years. During that time, they have developed a wide range of capabilities, specializing in advertising and marketing, strategy, branding, design, web development, digital marketing, and a totally integrated approach to all of these services and marketing tactics under one roof.

Visit Streng Agency online at: https://strengagency.com/

24. Tridimage

Tridimage is a leading 3D branding, graphic design and structural packaging agency in Latin America. Tridimage has creative headquarters in Buenos Aires and has account managers in Mexico, Ecuador, and Guatemala. Tridimage’s reputation attracts the attention of both established and emerging companies operating in Latin America, the U.S., and Europe. Tridimage has worked in more than 30 countries in the world, carrying out more than 7000 projects. Tridimage’s designs have won six Pentawards, three Vertex Awards, and even more accolades.

Visit Tridimage online at: https://www.tridimage.com/

25. Wegacha

Wegacha adheres to the saying “We get it.” They understand that many brands and businesses have imaginations that run wild. And they know that a good business takes time to grow. Luckily, Wegacha is ready to help brands build great things. They are thinkers, dreamers, doers, storytellers and hackers with a cause that will guide clients through this new journey into the digital world.

Visit Wegacha online at: https://wegacha.com/

Brands can view the best branding firms by rates, expertise, experience, case studies, reviews and more on DesignRush. Users can easily filter to compare branding agencies and find the top branding experts to position their business for long-term success.

About DesignRush: DesignRush.com is B2B marketplace connecting brands with agencies.

DesignRush features the top agencies around the world, including the best Branding Companies, Digital Agencies, Logo Design, Digital Marketing, Website Design, eCommerce Web Design Companies, and more.

San Diego Branding Agency by Jacob Tyler

Want to Make Your Social Marketing Stand Out? Read This.

You know what we dislike more than anything at Jacob Tyler? Boring social media marketing. OK, well, any boring marketing and advertising, but we’re talking about social media today.

Just take a look around. Boring work is everywhere. Now look at the social media marketing landscape and it’s multiplied by a million. Why is that? It’s because social media is ubiquitous and has a low barrier to entry that anyone can now become a “marketer” there. But great marketing isn’t created with an Instagram account and an iPhone X alone. It’s so much more than that. And so the result is there is an insane amount boring marketing messages online.

And although it gives us an edge, we’d much rather see great work that inspires and makes us think, “Damn, we should’ve thought of that!” We believe that great work begets great work.

That’s why we’re sharing our tried-and-true three point method (with a bonus tip at the end) for creating standout marketing for social media. Pay attention, because each bullet builds on the previous.

First, Set Objectives Before Literally Anything Else

Making an impact in the news feed doesn’t mean much if you don’t eventually make an impact on the bottom line. So you need to have a marketing objective in place that leads to tangible business outcomes. This objective is the north star that guides your strategy which then drives your tactics. If you don’t know exactly what your objective is you won’t be working with intention and purpose — and you won’t stand out to your target audience!

Here’s an example,  “Our objective is to create mass awareness for [company/brand/product] among Gen-X dads in the Ohio metropolitan market.”

Is the objective bland? Yeah, usually it is, but that’s OK because it’s 100% necessary.

Next, Know Your Audience Like They’re Family

If you’re in marketing and not clearly defining your audience, go ahead and just flush your cash down the toilet (better yet, call us). After objectives, audience is everything. You need to know who you’re talking to, why they’d care about what you have to offer, what drives them, how old they are, where they live, and so on. This is going to be very important as you continue forward because you need to know who you want your customers to be.

Here’s an example building on our objective from the previous paragraph: “Our audience are Gen-X dads in Ohio who are urban dwelling professionals with a household income of $100K+. They are weekend gym warriors who are looking for a way to maximize their workout efforts. They care about what they put into their body and want to get the most out of their adult lives.”

When you clearly define your audience you can target them with a message that resonates.

And Make Great Creative Like Your Job Depends On It (Because It Might)

Speaking of a message that resonates. You know what you want to do (objective), and you know who you want to go after (audience). It’s time for the holy grail of advertising, marketing, and communications: the creative. The words and imagery you use are the differentiator in this game. Great creative builds a bridge between your audience and your brand, and by that it helps you achieve your objectives. But it has must be memorable. If you follow this framework your marketing content will sing in a way that grabs attention and makes the intended audience think, “Just take my money already!”

Real quick though, we know we said it like it was easy, but great creative is hard. It take a lot of time and effort and a scrupulous eye for detail.

BONUS TIP!

We find that although a lot of folks know the above points, they still don’t put the effort in to doing it really well. Bummer for them. But guess what: even if they do know that stuff and even if they put it into place every time, 99% of them don’t have this capability in their social media marketing tool belt.

What’s the secret weapon? BE INSANELY NIMBLE.

That’s right. This is social media, not print advertising, TV commercials, or billboards. You’re not locked into anything for a month at a time. You have the ability to look at what’s working and double down. You can look at what’s not working and cut it. And you can do it quickly. Because time moves crazy fast online. Sudden opportunity? Take advantage. Relevant trending topics? Capitalize on it. Analyze often and optimize when you need to. It’s the only way to make sure you’re never doing boring work.

Final Thoughts

We’ve pretty much just helped you develop a framework for a social media marketing strategy that can actually work. From here you’ll just need to plug in some tactical pieces (easier said than done, we know) and get down to business. Standing out on social is hard. It takes time and effort. But use the above to guide you and we’re certain you’ll be on the right track in no time.

Hey, it’s worked for us.

Why “Stories” Will Dominate Social Media in 2019

With the announcement of YouTube Stories, Facebook’s recent shift in getting more users to view its own somewhat neglected Stories feature, and Instagram’s scandalously effective move of completely ripping off Snapchat’s Stories experience blow-for-blow, — which started this all, by the way — we thought we’d take a step back to look at why we believe Stories blew up in 2018 and why they’ll dominate social media in 2019.

Why Stories Blew Up in 2018

It didn’t start in 2018, but because of Instagram’s Stories rollout in the second half of 2017 this was the year Stories moved into the larger cultural conversation. It’s not hard to understand why things turned out this way. Snapchat’s ephemeral proto-Stories appeal was in full swing a few years ago, but it really only worked on a large scale with Gen Z and the younger half of Millennial users. Older people liked it, too, but found Snapchat’s interface to be confusing, so they opted to stay in familiar territory with Facebook and Instagram. Instagram got the clue and rolled out its Stories in 2017 to instant success. And since using the platform was easy, it became nearly everyone’s favorite new social media tool at a rapid clip.

Why People Adopted Stories So Eagerly

It’s simple when you think about it. The feed is “permanent,” Stories are momentary. People wanted a way to share more moments without it being something that can always be referenced or scanned the way the feed photos are (real talk: everyone creeps on someone else’s feed when they first meet). Which makes sense when you consider how curating the perfect photos, day after day, that portray the perfect life can be too arduous for even the most seasoned selfie taker. Moreover, it’s not real. People are starting to realize that what’s in the feed is not the full, well, story. Stories pull back the curtain on a person’s real life and the real moments. The times that don’t need to be soaked in filters or angular poses or like-inducing locales. Stories are the antidote to the inauthentic social persona.

Why Stories Will Dominate Social in 2019

First keep in mind what we just mentioned. But just as important is the emphasis that the social platforms themselves are putting on this media type now and doubly so in 2019. With an over-saturated ad inventory and a keen habit for putting ads anywhere users are known to hang out, you can bet that algorithms will change, platform layouts will change, and features will change. And it’s all to put Stories at the forefront. Because the more people view Stories, the more money the platforms can potentially bring in. Think about how it happened in the exact same way with social video a few years back. Plus, there’s a reason every platform is going down the same exact path (we’re waiting on you, Twitter). Because no matter where they are offered, people really, really love to tell their own stories — almost as much as they love watching other people’s Stories. So if one platform doesn’t offer the medium, another will. With the war for attention in full swing, Stories are now social media table stacks.

That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it.

That was fun. We didn’t touch on brands, businesses, and other types of organizations here, but if you want to talk about how Stories can help you tell your story, just pick up the phone or drop us an email. We’re masters of the brand narrative in all its forms.

What Is Tik Tok and Why Is Everybody Talking About It?

Heard about Tik Tok? It’s the new hot social platform. Marketers, brands, and agencies of all stripes are keeping a close eye on this new Vine-esque social media app. Save time and read this article to get the quick download. Here’s what you need to know.

What is Tik Tok? Imagine Vine with built-in soundtrack options and the interactive stickers and themes of Snapchat and Instagram. The company merged with lip-syncing app Musical.ly in August 2018.

User base: 500 million worldwide

Full screen mobile experience: Yes.

Desktop version: No.

Video length(s): You pick, either 15 or 60 seconds.

Supports hashtags: You bet.

Engagement: Comes in the form of likes, comments, share, and even duets (you’ll need to research that one on your own).

Cross-posting enabled: Yes, for Twitter.

Live broadcasting: Yes, upon having 1000 followers.

Video filters: Yes

Sweet overlay effects: Yes, plenty.

Right now there are no ad units available for brands to use but there are plenty of brands and agencies activating influencer campaigns on Tik Tok. So that’s worth considering if you have a need to reach this young and engaged audience. What’s more is that there are some cool integrations with Jimmy Fallon and the NBA. No doubt that as this channel picks up steam we’ll see more advertising opportunities.

Thanks for hanging with us today. Now get out there and get lip syncing.

What Is Tik Tok and Why Is Everybody Talking About It?

Should You Use Twitter for Business?

Aside from Snapchat, Twitter is often the hardest nut for the marketer/brand/business to crack. What are you supposed to say and who are you saying it to? Do hashtags matter and if so which one’s do you use? How come no one is following you?

We empathize. Listen, Twitter is freakin’ tough. A lot of people who run brands and businesses are told they should be there but they’re not told why. It doesn’t have to be this way. Fact is, sometimes Twitter’s right for your business and sometimes it’s wrong. We can’t breakdown everything here, but we can help you get started.

Hopefully this blog will help you decipher where you should be.

What’s #Trending on Twitter?

Before we get into whether you should use it, you should know three key things about the platform.

  1. How many people are using Twitter? 100 million people every day. (Click that link to get more great stats), 63% of which are 18-45 years old.
  2. What’s currently happening with Twitter? A lot, actually. Its founder is considering adding an edit feature. Politics as usual are well, pretty standard here and they can be pretty extreme. And the change to 280 characters didn’t make the platform implode.
  3. Is Twitter even relevant anymore? That depends on who you ask. Short answer: yes.  But, if Statista is to be believed (they are), then a stall-out in user growth over the last two years is certainly something to watch. But … it’s still the platform for breaking news and trends — a critical element for 21st century media consumption and culture.

Who’s Using Twitter, Really?

Jump on the platform and it becomes clear that Twitter’s upper strata is formed by media outlets, celebrities, influencers, and sports figures. Why? Because they have something to say that people care about. Of course, us regular people are having conversations there, too, and the big dogs wouldn’t be there without us. But the fact of the matter is that if you use Twitter you should have something to say about something that matters. Also, you should have someone to say it to. Essentially, don’t be noise. Be a voice that stands for something. Even if that voice is about something mundane like B2C siding and roofing sales. Trolling people, trashing brands, and getting people riled up with controversial statements doesn’t count, btw. Please, don’t go that route. People who do that are barely people.

Just Tell Me If I Should Use It or Not!

Jeez, ok. We’re getting to it. Here’s how we break it down — on a high level — for our clients.

  1. Who’s the audience you want to reach and are they on Twitter? If they are, then proceed.
  2. Ok, are you willing to put 3 times as much (or more) effort into this platform as your are on your other social channels? You are? Great. Because that’s a must for Twitter. It’s user base is smaller than IG, Facebook, and Snapchat. It’s more work to consume content for the users compared with the other platforms. And it’s filled with noise you have to break through to be relevant. OK, continue please.
  3. Do you think people will be seeking you out on Twitter for customer service? This is huge because it adds another complicated layer to your social media ecosystem. We’re advocates for top-notch customer service, so if this a yes for you, you’ll need to make sure you do it right by putting framework into place that gives customers what they’re looking for.

OK, so now we’re getting somewhere. We can’t actually tell you if you should use it. You need to consider the questions above and think long and hard about how Twitter fits into your marketing mix. Should you choose to use it though, this would be the point where you start figuring out what your audience values and what you can deliver, which is the critical piece. Then, when you get to this point you can start putting your Twitter strategy together.

Oh, and by the way, you can totally consider Twitter as a straight up ad platform if you want. It’s OK to do that. This is advertising, after all. Sometimes we should just accept that it is what it is.

We should reiterate that this is a super basic outline. Like all social channels, Twitter is complex and no two brands or strategies are alike. But if you wanna talk more about it, we’d be happy to. Feel free to tweet at us @JTCG (Jacob Tyler Creative Group, if you’re wondering). Or, just go old school and give us a call.

Two-Minute Read: Search, Contextual, and Behavioral Digital Ad Targeting Explained

Another quick one for you today, folks. This time we’re covering the ever-confusing, always-misused-in-meetings definitions of the most commonly used digital ad targeting terminology.

Prepare to be the voice of clarity in your organization.

Search

You search for something you want to know about in your browser. Then, based on those keyed-in search terms, an advertiser tries to reach you with ads on a website because they believe your search terms indicate an interest in their product offering. Because words are often ambiguous and context often isn’t part of the equation, search targeting effectiveness can be highly unpredictable. It can work well if done right.

Contextual

You know when you’re on a website reading about say … golf clubs …  and you see an ad on the right side of that same website for the newest Titleist golf ball? That’s contextual targeting. The website and the advertiser know that if you’re reading about golf or golf clubs that you’re likely interested in a related product such as the latest advancement in golf ball technology. This works well because context, sweet, context.

Behavioral

Similarly, behavioral targeting serves up contextually relevant ad content, but this time it’s not based on the site being browsed by the viewer in the present moment. Rather, it’s based on the viewer’s web behavior, tracked with third-party cookies. So, to use the golf example again, imagine you’re researching the Callaway 2019 Big Bertha Driver on the Callaway website and then you head off to your favorite regional events and happenings news website. You’re probably going to see ads for the Callaway Big Bertha because the company wants to keep that product in the front of your brain as often as possible in hopes that you’ll complete a purchase. It’s not about where you’re going but where you’ve been.

*BONUS* Programmatic

It’s not really targeting per se, but relevant to this topic because it’s misused so often. Programmatic is buying ads using sophisticated computer programs to ensure your content gets to the right people in the right places during the right times. So all the manual work that goes into trying to do this through real people is done by software rather than through humans. Basically, it’s efficient ad buying at scale. If programmatic results in more effective campaigns for our clients, then we, for one, welcome our job-destroying robot overlords.

If you want to learn more about how digital advertising can help your business, give us a call. Maybe we’ll grab our digital strategist and meet up at the driving range to hit bucket of balls and talk shop.

Bistalk Radio Interview on ESPN 1700 with Les Kollegian and Richard Truss

Les Kollegian and Richard Truss interviewed by Bob Ryan on ESPN 1700 and had a fun and insightful conversation on small business and branding. Check out the podcast below to listen to the whole show.

User Experience Case Study: JBS International

Your website is more than an information depot. Your website is the first engagement visitors have with your brand. First impressions – and experiences – will ultimately determine how potential customers receive your brand.

The manner in which visitors experience your website – called “user experience – is an integral part of the website building process. According to user experience best practices, information on a website should be

  • Useful: Your content should be original and fulfill a need
  • Usable: Site must be easy to use
  • Desirable: Image, identity, brand, and other design elements are used to evoke emotion and appreciation
  • Findable: Content needs to be navigable and locatable onsite and offsite
  • Accessible: Content needs to be accessible to people with disabilities
  • Credible: Users must trust and believe what you tell them

At Jacob Tyler, we create user experiences that drive traffic and get results for our clients. We begin by employing a collaborative, tailored discovery phase to determine the best approach for user experience. Some projects are based on months of research and user testing to generate clicks, others are designed to establish brand awareness and tell an engaging online story. All interactive projects are designed to provide an intuitive, simple and engaging experience for all users, on any screen size – and from any device.

Our client JBS International – a women-owned firm offering a broad and diverse set of management and information technology consulting services to public and private-sector clients – was recently awarded an Interactive Media Award for “Best in Class” in the professional services category for their website. We’re incredibly proud to have worked with the JBS team to create this award-winning user experience and website. The following case study brief on our work with JBS is a peek into the Jacob Tyler process for creating user experiences that educate, engage and excite.

jbs-mockup

Step 1: Discovery, Research and Architecture

Successful projects are based on solid foundations. We led JBS through a guided discovery session with client stakeholders to discuss service offerings, products and expertise areas in detail. After presenting in-depth brand and competitive audit research, we defined key findings and strategic recommendations to use as a basis for the user experience strategy.

To guide the hierarchy of information on the website, we collaborated with JBS to develop a brand architecture that visualized the organization of products and service offerings. The resulting architecture told the brand story and clearly differentiates JBS from other consulting companies.

JBS-SM

Step 2: Wireframe, Prototype and Functional Specifications

Not all projects employ a basic, top-down hierarchy. With JBS, we implemented client stories to drive the flow of information. All relevant information was one click away and no more than three levels deep to prevent “dead ends.” We introduced a color-coding system in the wireframe stage to clearly show where pages linked together. An interactive prototype – with detailed functional notes – allowed stakeholders to experience the website structure and test user stories.

JBS-WF

Step 3: Concept and Responsive Design

With JBS, we employed a mobile-first design mentality, but understood that stakeholders required desktop layouts for approval. In order to show how our concepts would translate for various devices, we designed responsive header and footer elements to present with each concept. The initial presentation also included various interactive states – such as rollovers, menus and other animation techniques – to demonstrate how each design concept would come to life once developed.

JBS-mobile

Employing a user-tested strategy allowed us to create an effective, intuitive and engaging website where visitors would enjoy a positive experience online and with the JBS brand overall. The finished result is a well-organized and inviting online experience that allows JBS to easily integrate user feedback and new features along with company growth.

If you would like to learn more about our process for creating engaging user experiences, drop us a line!

Web Design by Jacob Tyler