And why is that?  A lot of how we see the products we buy stems from their marketing and branding campaigns.  I know this isn’t news, but it’s also not something we tend to think about.  And here’s something else we haven’t been thinking about:  for decades, larger companies have been establishing brand attributes through magazines, TV, billboards and radio.  But now that social media is thriving and available to all, many smaller companies without this advertising experience are diving in without considering their unique brand personality.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is, there’s no better way to express who you are as a company than through social media, and it’s not too late.

I’m here at the Digital Matters conferences in Singapore, and it’s offered a lot of insight for just about anyone navigating the digital media landscape in any way.  One of the more valuable sessions was called, “Moving Forward with Social Media”.  It was made up of an impressive panel, including Thomas Crampton, Asia Pacific Director – 360 Degree Digital Influence, Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific; James Miner, SVP, Digital, ESPN; and Doug Fraser, Operations Associate from Facebook.

The biggest take-way for me was that before starting any social media campaign companies need to sit down with their stakeholders and determine what they are all about.  Do they want their business and products to be seen as hip and flirtatious?  Reliable and conservative?   Brazen and tough?   Think about traits you would use to describe a person, not necessarily descriptors you would use for the merchandise or service.

Then, once you know the brand personality, keep that in mind with every social media engagement.  When it comes to establishing a brand, there’s nothing worse than inconsistency.   Then, in the words of one of the panel members, “build on the campaign, and see where it takes you.”  As long as you are saying true to the brand you have a guide, and this can make engaging in social media more fun, too.

But now that we’re nearing launch phase, I’ve started to wonder, isn’t this all on our Website? And that was my husband’s first question when I asked him to come take a look. While I was hoping for a  simple, “Wow, honey, that looks great!” I didn’t get that, and instead defined why a Website works with Facebook, rather than in place of. (My husband is a great “so what?” meter.)

My description of the evolution of communications and the way people engage with brands today didn’t quite do it for him. But then I drew the smile, head nod, and “yeah, that looks great, honey!” with the following comment: To ensure people are reading our blog and staying informed on our company, they need to come to our site, or subscribe to our RSS feed, which few traditionally do for small and medium sized businesses. With Facebook, our content appears in front of our audiences, where they already are, without asking a single thing of them.

We’ve seen dynamic communication and audience growth work well for our clients through the Facebook Pages we manage. Now it’s our turn! And what about your business? If you’ve asked yourself about the virtues of Facebook vs. your Website or blog, consider the following:

1. Replace your Newsletter:  Are you doing a company newsletter? Consider replacing or augmenting it with content on Facebook. Invite the same people on your mailing list to join your Page. You’ll likely receive more Likes and Comments than you would have in replies to the newsletter.
2. Make a Great First Impression: Facebook is becoming the de facto place for people to look for and at your company (like LinkedIn replacing resumes). It has the power to replace a Website for quick introductions and information. Let your Facebook Page be the first impression you make about your business, brand values, mission and work quality.
3. Extend your Company Voice:  Are you looking for ways to develop or extend your company’s unique point of view and brand? We love the new Facebook feature that allows you to edit as your brand, so your Likes and Comments appear from your branded Page, rather than individual person, giving your company its own voice.
4. Stay in Front of your Audience:  Nearly 1/3 of the world’s population is on Facebook, including most of your friends and family, colleagues and business prospects. They’re already there, and your brand can be there as well, speaking to them, asking questions, sharing content and starting conversations.
5. Separate Business and Pleasure:  Do you blur the line a bit between business and pleasure on Facebook, but don’t like spamming your pals with corporate promos? Facebook Pages (rather than Profiles) let you keep personal it its place so you’re not mixing biz speak with photos of your kids.

So yes, this content is all on our Website, but you’re all on Facebook. We still love our Website, as we do our blog and LinkedIn profiles and Twitter feeds, but Facebook is dynamic and interactive and allows for easy updates and conversations. We’re  excited to engage with our friends, colleagues, clients and prospects through another channel, and show potentially the world what it is we do. We do realize “the world” will not be Friending our Page — but it’s there for them regardless, and that’s the point.

Now don’t worry, blog, you’re the first one I turned to for this post — but only because you so smoothly populate our Facebook and Twitter feeds automatically. If you didn’t do that, well, our parting would be such sweet sorrow.

We at Concept Communications have attended CES for more than a decade with our clients, and each year we try to hone our communications with the media to ensure that you and our teams have a successful show. We want to make your jobs easier!

We are taking a very quick poll on how you, the media, like to receive and discuss news before and during CES.

For every response we receive, Concept Communications will donate $5 to Computers for Youth, an organization dedicated to improving technology resources available to low income school children.

Thank you for taking a minute out of your busy day to participate!

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY.

Happy reading!

5 Signs Your Call-to-Action Needs a Makeover

By: Diana Freedman

A call-to-action (CTA) is an image or text that tells your readers what action they should be taking next on your site. Hopefully your calls-to-action lead to landing pages where you will collect your visitors’ contact information in exchange for some sort of offer that will benefit them. So an effective CTA equals more leads and conversions for you!

Unfortunately, there are many wrong ways to create a CTA (including a complete lack of an actual CTA). Here are a few ways you can tell that you need to makeover your site’s CTAs.

1. Your Landing Pages Aren’t Getting Traffic

One of the most obvious signs that you need to rethink your CTAs is that you’re not getting traffic to your landing pages even though your site overall is getting decent traffic. This may be because your offer and corresponding CTA don’t answer the crucial question your visitors want to know: “What’s in it for me?” One of the weakest calls to action is “Contact Us.” You want to be sure that you’re offering something that visitors are willing to exchange their contact info for.

Some ideas for lead generation offers include:

• Free eBooks
• Free whitepapers
• Free webinars
• FAQs
• Kits

Also make sure that your CTA is clickable. Many times I’ve seen a great offer on the page that either isn’t a link or is a broken link.

2. You’re Not Getting Leads

A lack of leads is another obvious sign that your CTAs need an overhaul, and is also tied to the fact that you need a compelling offer. But you also want to be sure that your CTA accurately matches the offer. Don’t overpromise on the CTA in hopes of increasing your click-through rate!  If your readers click the CTA and reach a landing page where the offer doesn’t match up, they’ll navigate away from the page instead of filling out the form. So it’s also important that you follow landing page best practices to ensure that your landing page matches the CTA and offer

3.  Your visitors have to dig to find a CTA

I often see the only CTA hidden away on a single child page that takes three clicks to get to. That means that if your site gets 300 visitors per day, that’s 300 lost opportunities to get leads (minus however many actually navigated or Google-searched to that exact page the CTA lives on).  There’s nothing wrong with having your primary call to action right on your homepage. In fact, there should be a primary and secondary CTA on nearly every one of your website pages.

4. Your CTA Is Below the Fold

People are lazy. It’s the truth. Just like most people don’t go past page #2 in Google, people don’t like scrolling down if their eyes don’t find something interesting in less than 5 seconds. Place your CTAs above the fold so the user can see them without scrolling down.

5. Your CTA doesn’t stand out

A bit of text in the sidebar isn’t going to be enough to grab your visitors’ attention. Make your CTAs bold, with graphics and colors that they can’t miss. Contrasting colors can help draw a visitor’s eye to the action you want them to take.

Happy writing and remember, be natural about it all!

1. Do keyword research before you start writing: When done properly, keyword research can help you figure out the exact terms your customers are using when searching for your products or services. Never just assume or guess what you think the best keywords are. Use a free keyword research tool to discover the terms you should be targeting. Make a list of some of the top keywords, and use these as a foundation for your press release.

2. Don’t sacrifice readability for SEO: Why do SEO writers always seem to get carried away with stuffing keywords in every possible piece of their copy? Good press release optimization isn’t about seeing how many times you can get the keyword in your copy. It’s about creating an easy-to-read piece that just happens to also be optimized for the search engines.

3. Do place keywords toward the top: Keyword placement is an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of optimizing a press release. To give yourself the best chance of having a well-ranked press release, you should try to include the targeted keyword in the headline, subhead, and first paragraph of the press release. You should also use the keyword throughout the rest of the press release when it makes sense to do so. Remember, the goal is to include the keyword naturally, so don’t force it if it doesn’t work.

4. Don’t get caught up measuring keyword density: Keyword density is one of those old SEO myths that just won’t die. Some people still swear that by using a keyword a certain percentage of the time in your copy, you can rank better in the search engines. It’s total BS. Don’t waste your time measuring keyword density, because there is no magic number you need to hit. Instead, focus on creating a natural flow in your press release.

5. Do use keyword-rich backlinks: Many times, you can include links back to your website within your press release. This lets readers get more information about your story, and it drives traffic to your website. But that’s not the only purpose of doing this. If you use keyword-rich anchor text in your backlinks, you can actually help improve the rankings of the pages being linked to. For example, if you’re linking to a page on your website about ABC widgets, your backlink should include should include the words “ABC widgets.” This lets the search engines know what the target page is about, helping to rank it accordingly.

6. Don’t write press releases just for the sake of SEO: While press release marketing can be an effective SEO tactic, you shouldn’t do it solely for the sake of improving your search engine presence. That’s how you end up sending out high volumes of poorly-written, uninteresting press releases. Always focus on writing newsworthy, interesting press releases.

If you follow these six tips, you should be able to enjoy the best of both worlds: media coverage and high search engine placement. The key is to always write newsworthy press releases with a strong hook that draws readers in.

And then came the digital executives, sharing insights into the digital supply chain and how to drive digital forward. Again, a seasoned crew with directors, COOs or senior VPs at Sony, Warner, Amazon, Rovi, and Technicolor. However, the contrast with the previous panel was stark. None were in suits, all sitting quite casually and interrupting each other frequently. Since I’ve spent my career in technology, these personalities are familiar, and I love their energy and passion for the road ahead. I also know that the digital guys are often prepped by their respective PR pros to own the panel (one said PR pro sitting next to me admitted as such. “I told him to own the panel,” she said. “Which one’s yours?” Um, none. I’m hear to learn from these guys.) At one point a simultaneous discussion had three gentleman vying for the point, each raising his voice in an effort to secure sole stage, neither backing down until the volume and annoyance factor was so great the audience erupted with laughter.

But it wasn’t just about bravado. There is an obvious contrast in the efforts, focus and collaboration that exists in traditional content distribution versus that from the digital regimes. Of course the businesses are vastly different, but not so much that we shouldn’t have standards in place that demand that the product — film, trailers, bonus material, subtitles, format, DRM, etc. — be aligned across the industry. Instead, the entertainment industry has pushed many of these decisions onto retailers in an effort to share distribution costs. It might make good business sense in the short run, but it’s created an environment where each etailer has its own strategy for delivering digital content to their customers, in different formats, through different platforms, to different devices. This complexity has hurt the industry overall: 1) high costs of digital platform development and distribution technologies have driven many away from the game altogether, 2) consumers pay for far less than 1% of the total video consumed online, and 3) digital sales represent just 3% of the total entertainment industry revenues nearly a decade in.

It was fascinating for me to hear the differing views held by traditional and new media execs in Hollywood. I forgive the digital guys a bit because it’s still a nascent business comparatively, and technology provides easy opportunity for experimentation. Unfortunately, we’re experimenting individually and competitively, rather than as a united industry with shared goals that can still leave room for competitive differentiation and advantage. There is hope, as most of these companies are members of the DECE who’s mission is to help establish these standards and processes for collaboration.

When you’re laying the foundation, don’t blaze a new trail. There are plenty of other areas for creativity and innovation, we’ll just never get there without structure and standards. I hope the digital execs will look across the office at their colleagues in the packaged media supply chain and see that collaboration and respect will present a more effective roadmap forward.

You made it difficult to leave but I knew that was always an option. You were always there for me, despite what others said. I loved you so much I even worked with you for a while. Those were the days, weren’t they? Late 90s, Internet boom. CRAZY!

I was happier with you than any other, even when I was tempted. I had a brief encounter with Mac after we met, but I didn’t see the appeal. Fewer options, less freedom, lots of flash that made me skeptical about the whole package. Just a taste of Mac was all I needed, then I moved on. It wasn’t difficult, and you were right there waiting for me. I loved that about you.

But 20 years is a long time and temptations continued. Remember Palm? The Pilot took a lot of my attention in the late 90s. We met in 1999. I’ll never forget. It was my 30th birthday. Palm opened my eyes to something else, a new way of living, working, thinking. Of course Palm wasn’t a replacement for you, just a thrilling diversion. I loved the simplicity. The relationship was stripped of complexity. It just worked. And then one day, well, it just didn’t.

I have a hard time truly letting go of these relationships. My Pilot is still right here in my Industry Standard backpack (another intense love affair that ended badly), along side so many memories…and heartaches. My pager, my Diamond Rio (wow, you were fun), a Dell DJ, disks of the hard and floppy sorts, first portable video player (Archos), my StarTac phone (loooved you!).

I had all of you. Your operating system, your productivity apps, your media players and even your hardware. Your keyboard  still excites me today, especially the quiet ones. And your mouse still lives right under my index and middle fingers. You’ve aged well, mouse. I think we’ll be together many years still.

I know exactly the moment things started to shift. I wanted so badly to say that it wasn’t you, that it was me. But, well, it was you. Part of you, anyway. A part that was too important to overlook. It was 2008 and I was working through my 5th or 6th laptop (current infatuation was with Dell, but I’d tried them all), and began seeing Windows Mobile. I was so excited. YOU, on my favorite device. I could carry you with me everywhere. I jumped into that relationship without reservation. The reviews couldn’t possibly be right. I would ignore those.

It started right away. The questioning, confusion, crashing, illogical behavior, shutting me out, not recognizing me. I tried so hard to change your behavior. I wanted to help you. I changed your interface, went back to the way things were when we met, added and deleted applications, kept you clean and fast…. You didn’t respond. At the same time, there was a new infatuation turning every head. I resisted. I fought. I defended you. I was good friends with your publicists. I didn’t want to betray them either. I gave it everything I had. YOU MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SUPPORT YOU.

I bought an iPhone.

I felt disloyal but by this time I was angry. My relationship with iPhone was lovely and peaceful. Exactly what I needed coming off of a highly dysfunctional one. iPhone worked so well, was great fun and supported me exactly the way I needed. So much so, that after 20 years I started looking at Mac. (Gasp!) I shake my head today at the thought. How could I do that.

I did my research, talked to others who’ve left similar relationships, read reviews. I followed bloggers who might shed a reason to block the thought. No such reason came. I struggled, pros and conned it, slept on it and tested it out in the store a few times. Finally, after 20 years, I bought my first Mac.

We’re still getting to know each other and we have our ups and downs, but, for the most part, Mac is an exciting opportunity for me. I can say with certainty that iPhone will remain in my clutches forever, as that love is intense and lasting. It’s the kind of love that makes you question if what you felt before was really love, or a functional blend of loyalty and familiarity and ease. Mac still has to earn that love, but it’s with me here today in front of me, under my fingers, nestled on my desk. iPhone is in my lap. He doesn’t go far.

You and Dell are on the floor. I still look at you from time to time and still encounter you in the kitchen. I imagine you’ll always be in my life to some extent — at least until my favorite little version of you in my kitchen can no longer support me. And then, I already have my sights on iPad. Whew! I have the butterflies for that one.

We’ve had a wonderful ride together. You were there for me when and how I needed you. I’ve grown, matured. But I’m afraid you didn’t. With two kids of my own now, and so many opportunities for fun and entertainment, I need more versatility from my relationship.

I’m saddened at the thought that I’m not the only one who’s leaving you for these reasons. I’m not happy to have made this choice, but it’s the right one. Please, Microsoft, grow up. Evolve. Look closely at us and then inside yourself. Who do you want to be with? Try to win us back. It will be tough for you, but you must try.

I will forever speak well of you. I hope we can still be friends.

The New York Times’ John Tierney posted an interesting article yesterday about what type of news articles seem to go “viral” on the esteemed publication’s site. Researchers from the  University of Pennsylvania intensely studied the publication’s list of emailed articles, checking it four times an hour for six months to identify which topics get shared the most amongst Times readers.

The general consensus was that the most viral news stories are those that stir up emotion, are surprising and most of all awe-inspiring. To be quite honest, these findings aren’t that surprising to me given the demographic of Times’ readers.

However, it is refreshing to see that in this online world where leading viral content is typically a video of a skater almost breaking his neck in a bad fall, that folks over at the Times are still opting to make positive news stories and scientific marvels viral.

A snipped from Tierney’s article:

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have intensively studied the New York Times list of most-e-mailed articles, checking it every 15 minutes for more than six months, analyzing the content of thousands of articles and controlling for factors like the placement in the paper or on the Web home page.

The results are surprising — well, to me, anyway. I would have hypothesized that there are two basic strategies for making the most-e-mailed list. One, which I’ve happily employed, is to write anything about sex. The other, which I’m still working on, is to write an article headlined: “How Your Pet’s Diet Threatens Your Marriage, and Why It’s Bush’s Fault.”

But it turns out that readers have more exalted tastes, according to the Penn researchers, Jonah Berger and Katherine A. Milkman. People preferred e-mailing articles with positive rather than negative themes, and they liked to send long articles on intellectually challenging topics.

Perhaps most of all, readers wanted to share articles that inspired awe, an emotion that the researchers investigated after noticing how many science articles made the list.

Click here to read the full story.

From digital camcorders, to car media systems, home theater and mobile technologies, our clients have it covered at CES. Below is a snapshot of what’s in store for the show.

Moving beyond just color options, DXG has created affordable, quality HD camcorders for 2010 that fit diverse lifestyles – from experienced video takers to novices, fashionistas and adventurists. The latest DXG digital camcorders feature one-of-a-kind couture designs, waterproof HD technology, pistol-grip form factors, high quality features such as video capture at 60 frames-per-second, true 1080i resolution, optical zoom and 12 mega-pixel still image capture.

While digital media technology powerhouse, Gracenote, will be showcasing emerging and newly released technologies in digital media entertainment:

• Next-generation set top boxes and Blu-ray players offering native search and navigation, links to commerce and relevant content
• Multi-screen demos highlighting commerce integration in the car and connectivity between the home, desktop and mobile phone
• Cross-platform mobile solutions integrated into the desktop, car and home entertainment system
• Gracenote enabled GENIVI open source auto platform demo and Sonic Attributes, mood-based navigation
• The latest desktop applications and online music websites integrating Gracenote’s recognition technology, rich data and lyrics content

If you’re a reporter, blogger, or just a tech-lover like me and plan on being at CES, send us a note to arrange a demo or stop on by the DXG booth (South Hall 3, Booth 31828) and Gracenote booth (South Hall 3, Booth 31106) for a taste of the exciting technology and gadgets that 2010 has to offer.

With several consumer electronics clients at Concept, we certainly understand the importance of getting good reviews for all aspects of our client’s products, so this article struck a chord. Amit explains how the Internet has led to the growth of an entirely new industry of quasi-professional reviewers who simply do not understand beauty and can’t come up with any better words than “sleek” or “ugly” when describing a product’s design.

And I have to say, I do agree. Now, I’m no design expert but I do understand the time and energy that our clients, such as DXG, put into the design of their products.  DXG recently launched a new Luxe Collection line of high-fashion HD camcorders that are amazingly thin, feature chic couture-inspired designs and fit right in the palm of your hand.  The design of these camcorders is incredible and so much care and detail was put into them without jeopardizing the functionality and HD recording technology. So, I understand where Amit is coming from – design needs to be a HUGE consideration in all gadget reviews.

On a more personal note, I was shopping online the other day for an under-the-cabinet HDTV for my kitchen. First, I was underwhelming surprised by the amount of these available on the market and how few TV manufacturers have entered this space. So, with the handful that are out there, I turned to reviews to determine which would be the best for me. I have to say, I couldn’t find one good review that detailed the designs of these under cabinet TVs. And when you are looking for a compact, yet high quality consumer electronic that will get wear and tear in a kitchen, you need to know how the design is going to hold up.

Amit’s article seemed to come to my attention at just the right moment so I had to share it. Click here to read his thoughts.