Posts are too short:

Now I am no Leo Tolstoy, I certainly err on the side of getting to the meat of the information and leaving the reader with a funny quip, question, or something to chew on… but some of the posts I read are hardly posts at all.  They’re more like tweets, that ran over a few characters.   Two sentences does not a news item make.  When working on an entry it is wise to think broadly, beyond what you the writer finds contextually relevant, instead think of your audience.  Do they need back story, is there content relevant form another source that they may find interesting (linking is a great habit to get into), or perhaps you might just need to get a little “wordy” as opposed to right to the point.

The point being, you as the administrator of a site have the responsibility to keep entries engaging and, moreover, entertaining.

Poor Layout

Even if your content is perfect to the letter, poor spacing, broken images, misplaced images, or poor page formatting can be a death knell for a news item / blog entry / post.

The solution to this is to ALWAYS preview your entry.  I’ve probably previewed this entry 3 times already, just making sure the text is the right size, images are well placed and symmetrical to the entry, and things generally “look good”.

We’re all in a hurry, so I can understand getting the content up and posted, but, again, the goal is to entice the end user.  The last thing you want is to revisit an old entry on your site and say to yourself, “What was I thinking?”.

Fake Authenticity

In all types of writing its important to have a “voice”.  Many times, we are asked to write something on behalf of a larger entity, be that a Fortune 500 company, or a band out on the road.  Problems arise when your voice doesn’t quite match up with the brand you’ve been asked to portray.  A band doesn’t need a news entry to sound like a Fortune 500 company, and a Fortune 500 company doesn’t want to sound like a band.  Know your audience, know who you’re ghost writing for, and get a sense of what that messaging should sound like BEFORE you put fingers to keys.

These days, people are so over-assailed by marketing messages, they’re learning to tune out and ignore the stuff that’s not real. If you don’t seem real, you get the same penalty as those who aren’t real: You get ignored. (hat tip)

No SEO

…. But what if no one reads it???  Even the most well written, authentic, perfectly laid out post will get lost in the shuffle if it’s set up to fail.  Always be sure to tag your posts, link out to relevant sites, other posts, irrelevant posts.  Try to get your posts fed to other outlets.  There are a million ways to improve SEO… or at least ten.  Make an effort to get your message heard!

No Follow Through

This is most definitely another common mistake that I make.  I have every intention of doing a “series of blog entries” which turns into one entry, and no follow through.  If you set the reader’s expectation, meet it.  It’s as simple as that.  If you say there will be a new video on the site every week, make sure there is something there.  If it’s news entries, a blog series, photo galleries… pick your poison.  If you can get users into a routine of visiting your site, you’re winning the battle.  The best sites on the net churn out content at a constant pace, keeping the site both “sticky” and fresh.

If you’re diligent enough to avoid these pitfalls, it is possible to gain a fervent followers of your content.  Feel free to add to the Common Content Mistakes in the Comments section!

Many sites with great potential end up living up to their expectations.   They utilize the technologies provided them to the utmost using every possible widget, social network, free/paid SEO optimization tricks, and, in some cases, a full on marketing team.  The content they provide is compelling and engaging, and I want to return to the site, because I know each time I’ll learn something new about the brand.

Some used their site to as more of a “Billboard” for their brand, but gave little else in the way of news and information.  A few of these sites fell short when it came to the content on their site; information was disjointed, there was no clear focus, no direction, and what resulted was a bit of a mess.   These sites typically give you a tidbit or two on the brand, ask for little in the way of a call to action and send you on your merry way.

A few of these sites fell short when it came to the content on their site; information was disjointed, there was no clear focus, no direction, and what resulted was a bit of a mess.  There was structure and layout, the opportunity to have a compelling site that urged me to return, but somewhere along the way the content got stale, or the core message was diluted.

There is obviously a spectrum of sites, from great to befuddling.  More times than not a site is defined by content.  What are you trying to say about your brand and how do you convey that message?   What makes a site “sticky” (makes you want to return)?  What makes you want add to the “bounce rate” (get outta there fast!).   Succinctly put, what does your content say about your brand?

The most important function of a site, is less about layout and more about content.  Finding content is extremely important, but you can find someone to assist with where the content pulls into the page.  Once the user has figured out where they’re supposed to look for content; what are you saying?  when did you say it?  how am I supposed to take this information and act upon it?

What: Make sure your messaging is clear and concise.  It needs to keep a consistent tone and theme.  If you’re a sophisticated business, don’t have a top news item that is jovial in nature.  If you’re a comedy tour, don’t be all button down business.  Know your tone, convey your brand, and keep with the theme.

When: The most compelling reason for a user to add to your “bounce rate” is to see the most recently updated item dated July 2009.  Regardless of how well you’ve conveyed your message you’ve already told the user your site is not important to you.  People rarely go back to sites that they know won’t change.  There’s a reason Facebook is the most trafficked site on the internet: constantly updated and changing content.

How: Now that a user has visited your site and taken in your content, what are they supposed to do with it?  Have you given me an easy way to share the content on your site (via Digg, RSS, etc), Have you asked me to make a purchase or sign up for a mailing list?  Always be thinking of the end user, and how to direct them to action.

Keeping these things in mind when updating the content on your site can lead to a great deal of success.  The combination of quality layout and great content will result in a higher probability of a repeat visitor.  Repeat site visitors are more likely to become fans or customers, and those lead to revenue.

At Strategic Blend, we advise and guide clients to optimize their content, build a clean platform to display the content, and discover ways to monetize the fan/customer after they’ve been attained.  We strive for complete optimization of every site, letting the message (content) of the brand speak for itself.  While we are adept in making the site beautiful in appearance, it is our fervent belief that quality content will build a loyal fan/customer base.

If you’d like help on optimizing your content, let us know!

One of the prevalent issues with websites today is the issue of SEO, how you’re found, what driving factors contribute to people getting TO your site.  Moreover, once they’ve found you, what does your content say about your brand?

In prior blog entries we’ve discussed Content Strategy.  Today we’ll look at it from another angle, the struggle to keep your content fresh.

Content is the primary way in which you’re going to be telling site visitors about WHO you are, WHAT’S going on with you, and HOW they can actively get involved with your brand.  To put it simply, the easiest way for you to be found from a search engine, is good content.  At Strategic Blend, we’re experts in taking your content and displaying it in a way that is easy for the user to learn about what your site has to offer.

But what happens when you hit the wall, and find yourself in a frustrating struggle with WRITERS BLOCK?   A lack of content can lead to a serious limit on what you offer site visitors.  If your site becomes stale, it gives the impression that your brand is stale, has little new to offer, and practically says to the site visitor “nothing new to see here, move along.”

There are a multitude of reasons this happens; perhaps your site is brand new, and you just haven’t gotten to a place where your content is polished enough to be on display to the world, or maybe you’ve reached a place where you’re waiting on the arrival of a new product launch…  we get it… it happens, sometimes it’s hard to keep the site fresh!

The good news is, many times, we can help you bridge the gap.  Find ways to inject content into your site when a full news post / new offering / or product/service description is being formulated.

Here’s some things to consider if you simply don’t have a content rich site.

Take advantage of other outlets to help keep your site fresh with content, help you appear current, relevant, and search engine friendly.  Reach out to partner / affiliate sites and see if they’ll help promote your site or let you use a news article relevant to your site (always linking back to the original post).  You could also try running special promotions for your products/services.

Even if there is nothing new to say, there’s still a reason the site is on the web, and you don’t want to lose site traffic just because you haven’t added new content.

Another suggestion for sites in this situation is to embed social network status updates (facebook fan pages, twitter, etc).  The ability to embed these simple updates to your site show visitors that you, in fact, DO have a pulse, even if you haven’t updated the site’s news or added new offerings / products / services to your page.

This is not the most ideal way to keep the site current, but if you’re struggling for content, or it’s a slow business cycle, use these frequent and easily updatable sites as your platform to keep the site current.

It’s also a good idea to link out to social network sites from your actual site and from the social networks BACK to your site.  This can be a great help for SEO to show a legitimacy of your brand.

We specifically design our sites with these potential issues in mind.  Linking up social network badges and icons to ensure that your brand is verified by the other locations it can be found on the net.

If you need help syncing up your web presence in one location, contact us, we’ll be happy to help!

The Billboard Site

There’s the Billboard site, it’s informational, doesn’t really ask you to do anything, but tries to convey information in a concise and direct manner.  Sometimes it will walk you through the ins and outs of a product service.  It doesn’t pressure you to act immediately, but hopes to leave an impression, like driving by a billboard on the highway.  Their hope is the imagery and information stay with you long enough to a) visit their establishment, b) tell someone else about their business, or c) make you aware of their business so that you think of them next time you’re in need of their products/services.  Think of it as a multi-page ad in a magazine.  These sites should always gather an email address of those that are interested in the product, and give the brand an opportunity to reconnect with interested visitors.

The Sales Site

Most Billboard sites think they are Sales sites, but they fail at one crucial juncture.  To transform the user visit into a transaction.  The sales site drives you to action, it describes the product, but asks you to buy, or sign up, or act at every turn.  These sites, if poorly designed can seem overbearing and pushy at times.  A well designed sales site can be a great revenue stream (and sometimes the ONLY revenue stream) for an organization.  Well crafted messaging and product description are critical, where to place sales pitches are important as well, but most important is turning a casual visitor into a customer.

The Content Site

This site is heavy on, you guessed it, content.   The main purpose of this page is to inform consistently with new and relative content each post.  Much like this blog that you’re reading right now.  We rarely ask you to act and purchase anything, we occasionally call out our services, but the inherent reason you’re here is to read our ramblings, get some ideas, and potentially put them into practice.

The Issue with these Three Site Types:

Most sites want to do ALL of this stuff.  They want to thoroughly inform you of their product, hopefully get you to spread the good word about what it is they do.  Not only do they want you informed, but they’d LOVE for you to make a purchase of some sort.  They want action, follow through, and they want to know who you are so they can reach out to you and keep you coming back for more.  Moreover than just selling you on something, they want to PROVE to you have a great deal of knowledge in their craft.  They want to tell you how to use their products/services and build a rapport through consistent updates of content.

When you try to put all of this stuff on one site, it can become distracting and confusing.  I could call out hundreds of sites that have been constructed asking you to “check out my band” and also “buy this album” and also “check out our blog” and also “look at our tour dates”, etc.   These are all great aspirations, but what is MOST important to you.  What do you want featured?   Is it most important for people to know about you and what you’re doing?  If that’s the case then the blog/journal is your vehicle for your brand.

The primary focus of your site can be a vehicle to promote other aspects of your business (i.e. you can promote your product/service at the end of your blog, read a little further and you’ll see this in action).

Similarly you can use the promotion or sale of a product/service to reach out to your customer base and let them know about your content.  Every site should incorporate a method of capturing email addresses, building a list to reach back out to loyal customers.  When you begin producing enough content to garner followers, it may be a good time to reach out to this customer base via email and let them know there is a new way to keep up with your business.

As you can see, setting up this type of site is not impossible, but the concern becomes content layout.  9 times out of 10 this type of site becomes a disaster area.  There is no streamlined layout to tell the user, “hey, check this out first.”  It’s no surprise that most sites want to have it all.  To do that effectively you’ll need a great plan, a better sitemap, and seamless execution.

If you’re interested in our assistance in building a Billboard, Sales, or Content site, please let us know. (ah-ha, there’s a call to action)

Moreover, if you’re looking to “have it all,” we’ve mastered the art of focusing on one element of your business and connecting those pieces to the other (equally important) pieces.  Focusing on what your most viable hook might be, and then continuing the product/service experience with the other elements of your site.   If you’re in this boat…please let us know, we’d love to make your web presence a viable revenue stream, and create a great experience for your site visitors.

1.  Virtual Trading Cards

Some of you may have been around during the golden age of sports trading cards, which occurred in the early-mid 90s.  While the fervor has diminished since then, the concept has not.  Why not give it an ipod-era makeover and create interactive, virtual trading cards?

The new mobile devices with high quality screens are the perfect platform for a resurgence in sports cards.  Each card could be a digital representation of the classic but with interactive features embedded: video clips, interviews, even hidden easter eggs to increase a card’s particular value.  The static pictures could also be replaced by a live action shot (imagine one of Michael Jordon’s rookie card updated with the full action of him doing a classic dunk).

Having been an avid collector back in the day, I would personally love to see this happen.  As of yet, Fleer or Upper Deck haven’t made any big announcements.

2.  Mafia Wars – Sports Edition

If you haven’t heard of Mafia Wars, then you’re not familiar with one of 2009′s most popular online trends.  Quit reading this post and go get up to speed.

The game is one of the simplest and most effective uses of micropayments to ever come along, and is a model the sports world should completely embrace.  Trading real money for “experience points” or some virtual status symbol has become commonplace among teenagers and young adults, and the highly narcissistic nature of social networks only adds fuel to the fire.

Sure we’ve had Fantasy Football for years, but what if we combined it with a highly addicting game format that anyone could play on facebook or a mobile device.  We have yet to see any major sports entity try it, and the opportunity is ripe for the picking.

3.  Integration into gaming platforms

The video game platform has long been a lucrative part of the sports equation.  Since the 1980s, teams, players and leagues have been licensing their brands to various games.  While you need to play with the big boys to get in on a major release, lesser known teams and athletes can develop any number of smaller level game, specifically for devices like the iPod Touch.

Once you’ve got your game, its all about add-ons.  Sites like the X-Box Marketplace have evolved into the iTunes of digital gaming goods – players are able to purchase games, videos and apparel for avatars.  New games should continue developing better virtual goods to purchase:  old-school uniforms, classic players, previous arenas and stadiums, old video interviews…there really is no limit.

The real profit is in creating a branded destination where all of this can be browsed and bought, and where user demographics are tracked every step of the way.

4.  High-res photos

And just for good measure, here’s a super easy idea that can go a long way.

Fans love a good photo of their favorite things, but you’d be surprised how many players or teams DON’T actually sell quality digital photos online.  As a Green Bay Packers fan, I would even pay to have a few good shots of Lambeau Field in different settings.

It has never been easier to sell digital content on your website or even off of 3rd party sites like flickr.  This should be top of the list for any athlete on any level.

I think the main point Malcolm’s trying to make can largely be summed up by this quote:

…This is the kind of error that technological utopians make. They assume that their particular scientific revolution will wipe away all traces of its predecessors—that if you change the fuel you change the whole system.

While there are those who will tout or defend Chris Anderson at every turn (Seth Godin predicatbly falls into that trap), I believe his thinking ultimately falls short.  Chris makes many good points, but I’ve found he tends to muddy the debate with his overly-optimistic tone and “future is better” platitudes. He never once admits that a lot of this discussion is being driven (via self-fulfilling prophecy) by device makers or technology companies who stand the most to gain. They can wow the industry with shiny stuff and great buzz words and philosophy, but that doesn’t make what they say true.

Oddly enough, Gladwell does the SAME thing (only a different discipline) in his books. None of these guys will ever admit hypocrisy though.

What are your thoughts?

There are a lot of ways to lose money these days.  The last thing you want to worry about (when you’re finally seeing the needle move) is bandwidth charges to your site, or worse yet, exceeded bandwidth and your site shut down.  The largest blood sucking ticks to your bandwidth are video, audio, and flash files.

Video is a great feature on any website, it gives the user an experience that simply reading text will never replicate.  However, hosting video on your site is completely unnecessary.  With embedding technology every site has the opportunity to defer some bandwidth.  For instance, if you are interested in showing a video on your site, consider Vimeo or YouTube.   Once you upload the video, you’ll be given the embed code, and it’s (usually) as simple as plugging it into your site. (and if it’s not, you should give us a call)

Several of our clients use audio on their homepage, whether it be to showcase their latest single, or just some mood music while you browse the site.  Having music on your site is great, and it’s not a huge blow to bandwidth, but if it proves to be an issue, a quick fix may be to utilize a music player from a social network.  Not only will this let you maintain control of your playlist, but you won’t have to worry about someone popping out the player and keeping playing all day (and night).

Finally, flash video is a huge consumer of bandwidth, and sadly… there’s no workaround.  Not only does flash incur load times, it’s also not 100% search engine friendly (although this has gotten better recently).  There isn’t much you can’t achieve through JAVA and HTML from a content perspective, and if you’re concerned about chewing up bandwidth, flash is not the direction for you to go.  A strong focus on quality content will out-wow any flash nuance, especially on the second visit to the site.

The overriding factor here, is that if you can add media on your site, there is potentially a way to work around the downsides.  Give them a try before you pay through the nose.

What’s that?  You want to see it now?  We got you super excited now and you probably won’t remember it or be as excited in 5 months?  Well too bad because ITS COMING!

How many times have you been in a movie theatre and a movie trailer like this comes crashing onto the screen?  The “hurry up and wait” approach has been the movie industry’s #1 marketing gimmick for 30 years.  The “wait” portion can vary, sometimes 2 months, sometimes 12 months.  This strategy has been successful, which is why they continue to use it.

However, it is NOT a strategy that should be applied to any and every form of  entertainment and media.  In fact, I will argue it actually hinders sales.

Take music.

You hear a song on the radio for the first time.  You like this song.  You think to yourself  “this song is fantastic – I want to own it now so I can listen to it multiple times.”  You venture online and fire up iTunes only to find its not there.  You go over to Amazon and find its not their either.  After hours of searching you learn the single was just released to radio and won’t be available to buy for at least 3 more weeks.

Almost 100% of people faced with this situation choose one of two options: A. They go to the PirateBay or use g2p.org and find the song for free, or B. give up, move on and when the song actually does come out, don’t buy it.

In both instances, the consumer is NOT PURCHASING THE PRODUCT!  Why in God’s name wouldn’t the record label or artist have new music immediately ready to consume?  Answer – because they think the movie promo strategy is cool and that it can apply to any industry.  Clearly it can’t.  This is why almost every album is leaked before an official “release date.”

People simply don’t have the time anymore.  They don’t have the patience to be teased and baited and forced to wait.  If your content isn’t ready to consume the moment its first promoted or talked about, then you might as well give up.  You’re purposely leaving money on the table and have no business being IN business.

How about TV?

Same story.  If an episode of a TV show airs, then it should be immediately available to buy the very SECOND it has finished airing.  This goes for domestic and international TV.

Here’s a personal case in point.  I love the new series of Doctor Who.  I don’t live in the UK so I can’t see episodes when they originally air.  Because the BBC has the business sense of a goldfish, they don’t make these episodes available to buy OR to stream after they air.  So I, as a loyal fan, fire up the Pirate Bay and choose from among the many seeded torrents containing the newest episode – download it for free and enjoy it the same day everyone in London does.  I would GLADLY pay $1.oo – $3.00 an episode if I could get them immediately after they air.  I repeat, I WOULD GLADLY PAY!  Why is this option not available to me!?!  It’s so bewildering that I’m almost speachless.

People are no longer going to wait for  a lame-ass strategy of “baiting and waiting.”  There is simply too much competition.  The MOMENT your product is being talked about, it should be ready for purchase.  Not 3 weeks later.  Not 6 months later.  Make the release date the start of your marketing campaign, not the end.

You don’t get a second chance in the new economy.

Our society shifted, we got further away from recommendations from others and became more reliant on advertising (even “report based ads“), We’ve become just as likely to purchase products that spend the most ad dollars as what our neighbor reccomends.

The landscape has changed…. but are we now coming full circle?

Are we perhaps returning to a time when we listen to our peers as opposed to trusting advertising?  Friends recommending items to you, digitally.  Reading about someone you know deep frying a turkey, and learning how to do it online.  Learning about a new product from a twitter or facebook feed…. are we returning to a time when we trust our (digital) neighbor?

Using the recommendation of someone with similar tastes and a similar background is just as powerful as a big budget advertisement, more so if the source is a trusted friend or family member.

What are social networks if they aren’t the new paradigm of “word of mouth” advertising?  Blogging and people’s personal experiences are just as compelling to tuned in users as expensive advertising (and MUCH less expensive!)

Brands now have the unique opportunity to dial into their “Tribes“, social network followers, and fans to get out their message.

Consider it Digital Word of Mouth Advertising.

Perhaps we’re again in an age where the cream rises to the top, where the best and most applicable products are reccomended by our peers.  The tools are there to optimize your digital footprint and maximize the vehicles your fans can use to advocate your product…. use them.

And if you need help aggregating the message and bending the ear of the first few thousand…. give us a call

For the majority of my professional life I’ve been signing up for email lists. Whether it be when I make a purchase, or become a fan of a new band…. These email lists were once the “lifeblood” of a brand’s online marketing strategy. The more email addresses you had, the more people you could push to react to your news.

A great deal of brands are still utilizing a push technology to reach their fans/customers. Someone must have failed to mention the bottom dropped out on email open rates in 2007. Globally email open rates are now somewhere in the 10-15% range. However, the technology is still pushed by many major digital marketing companies as the lone way to get your message to the masses.

I may be in a small majority, but I’ve never liked the “email update”. It’s intrusive, I can’t distinguish “I have something to say” with “here’s another lame J-Crew coupon”…. and I’ve certainly gotten to the point where I open and incredibly slim percentage of what is sent my way (around 30 per day).

My question at this stage in the game is why continue to use the same method when that method is proving ineffective? One of my favorite quotes from Gerd Leonhard is “I program my media, my media does not program me”. We don’t need to use a giant email gun to broadcast our message any longer. We need our brand and our content to be “sticky”, meaning that they want to come back for more. Thus, creating a funnel to get them to our information, they have to be willing to come back to your brand.  (Check out Gerd on this one)

Should you not begin to consider a PULL methodology? Should you not wish for your content to be so good that people are compelled to come back? If you’re still wanting some form of push, utilize Syndication via RSS feeds – it will still deliver the same message, but to those who WANT the information. It will also allow users to find your information and learn about the history of your content.

In contrast, pushing emails puts a limit on those that can read your message. It’s going to only be the number that are signed up for the list. Pulling, in contrast, opens your message up to everyone, and (by utilizing RSS) allows them to subscribe.

Most importantly the subscription is their choice, not because they forgot to click a checked box on a form.

If your message is worth reading, they will come…. if you build it (and build it right)… they will come!