Marena Studios

Got a +1

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:35:27 +0000

We Facebook, tweet, tumble, stumble, and share. Just when we thought we were all Linkedin, the masterminds behind Google emerge with a new social networking site called Google+. Lucky for us, it comes with a whole new set of social terms to learn.

If your latest lingo consists of liking, posting, and chatting you’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Now you not only have friends, but “circles” to share with, can form “hangouts” to video chat with friends, suggest links based on your “sparks,” and “huddle” up for a group text from your Smartphone.

And yes, it comes with a new button to share on your business’ website. It’s called the +1 button. The button can appear in Google search results, on ads, and sites throughout the web. Similar to Facebook’s “like” and Twitter’s “tweet” buttons, +1’s are public and when users like a search result they can click it. Searchers whose contacts have clicked the +1button will receive personalized annotations from their gmail chat buddies, their Google contacts, and people they are following on reader&buzz.

Not convinced? +1 buttons not only encourage people to visit your website over your competitors as it has been recommended by many people but it may also affect search ratings. Google will rank websites that have many +1 clicks higher for related search terms.

At Marena Studios we can set your business up with a Google+ account and add the +1 button to your website and online marketing. We can customize the button according to your preferences and analyze the effects of the button using Google analytics.

Better get connected! Your invite to this social event even comes with a plus one!

A second web site launches for Watson Pharmaceuticals

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:19:54 +0000

On June 9^th, we launched a second corporate web site for Watson Pharmaceuticals (http://www.ourwinningbehaviors.com) to unveil their new Winning Behaviors initiative. Winning Behaviors is Watson’s new corporate culture theme, going to 6,000 employees worldwide. The site & campaign was launched at a ceremony dedicating their new corporate offices in Parsippany, NJ. In addition to the site, Marena Studios created all employee communications material, including building wraps and signage for the unveiling of the new corporate offices.

An SEO Success Story

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:48:40 +0000

How does a global leader in pharmaceuticals find the right graphic design/web development firm that can offer turn-on-a-dime service and a high quality creative product?

For Watson, it began with an online search. By keying in the parameters for their ideal agency, they came upon Marena Studios. After going through the Studios’ web site and portfolio, they called us. An introductory phone call confirmed that Watson and Marena Studios were on the same page when it came to project implementation. A mutually beneficial partnership was born.

With nearly 14 billion online searches every month and social media site that rival populations of large companies, it is vital to rank high in the search engines to ensure that your web site turns visitors into customers.

Let us help your site get found by your ideal customers; just like Watson found marenastudios.com.

Watson.com goes live

admin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:34:48 +0000

Marena Studios is pleased to announce the launch of Watson.com new site. We had the privilege of being retained by them less than 2 months ago. In this short time, we have forged a great relationship with their communications team and met their deadline of launching a new site in conjunction with the release of their annual report. Here are some before and afters for you to take a look at.

3 Easy Cash Flow Tips For a Recession-Proof Small Business

admin — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 20:06:07 +0000

According to the Small Business Administration, not managing your cash flow is one of the leading reasons small businesses go belly-up. So here are a few tips to help ensure your cash flows quickly from your customers to your bank account…and from there, to your own creditors, employees, and you.

1. Adjust your billing cycle.
2. Adjust your pricing strategy.
3. Adjust your collections processes.

[These links are anchors to the sections below.]

1. Adjust your billing cycle.

If your business typically bills net 30 after you deliver your product or service, it’s like you’re loaning your customers money for a month. That might make sense when the economy is booming. But when it’s slow? Not so much. You can help keep the cash flowing by billing net 15 if you normally bill net 30. Better yet, ask for a retainer or a deposit up-front. You bad debt expenses should go down, and you’ll have more cash on hand. (Yes, you may lose a customer or two. But do you really want customers who can’t afford to pay net 15?)

2. Adjust your pricing strategy.

It’s a cliché, but it is all about volume. A small price increase across a wide customer base can put a lot of new money in the bank. Of course, you have to be strategic. Make slight adjustments. Make sure your prices remain competitive. And if customers ask, you can honestly say that your prices should be even higher.

3. Adjust your collections processes.

So you’re a nice guy. Or a nice gal. You’re forgiving. Understanding. Sympathetic. Well, get over it! In a recession, you can’t afford to be “nice” when it comes to collections. Stay within the law, of course, but be aggressive when it’s time to collect overdue accounts. Hire a professional collection agency if necessary. Need some incentive? How’s this: the money you collect today may be the money that backs your paycheck tomorrow. I hope these tips will help you keep the cash flowing in your business…no matter what the economy is doing.

Rising Online Competition May Dilute Ad Effectiveness

admin — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 19:41:42 +0000

To all the marketers who think they are saving money while increasing ad effectiveness via online media channels, MIT Sloan Assistant Professor Alessandro Bonatti has a message for you: Not so fast. Bonatti and co-researcher, Yale-based Dirk Bergemann agree that online advertising allows marketers to target specific demographic groups efficiently. However, in highly competitive industries, many marketers may end up chasing the same group of customers.

The higher level of competition will result in decreased profitability for marketers, partly because of higher advertising costs and partly because of lower prices needed to win customers. Bonatti says, “[s]o while online advertising certainly has the potential to drive out traditional advertising, it does not necessarily follow that online advertisers will make more money.”

Bonatti suggests that online ad effectiveness will vary by industry. “You can make a lot of money through super-powerful targeting if you are a monopolist, but not in a competitive market.” These findings are important to consider with respect to the CPM (cost per thousand impressions) that ad networks are commanding for specific industries. In the last three quarters of 2009, costs increased for food, entertainment, and real estate marketers. For example, food marketers saw their CPM impressions rise from $1.50 in the first quarter to $6.94 in the third quarter.

This topic is too complex to fully analyze in a blog post, but Bonatti’s take-away message can be easily summarized. Marketers will need to review their industry and their targets as they shift part of their ad budgets online. In some cases, it may be more cost-efficient to stay with traditional media.

[Source: MIT Study Debunks Online Ad Advantages, marketingcharts, December 2009]

Online Sponsored Search Ads. Make them more effective.

admin — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 16:45:49 +0000

Visually clean, relevant ads can make a huge difference to the success of your search campaign. Be sure your ad appears professional, that your text matches your keywords and what you offer, then users will be more likely to click through and visit your site.

Key Points

• Match the tone of your ad to your product’s price point and positioning, and include the top benefits your customers are looking for.
• Direct your ad to unique landing URLs, so that users can easily find your offer.
• If you’re targeting a certain geographic area, be sure to include that location in your ad.
• Make sure titles are between 6 and 25 characters, descriptions 6 to 70 characters, and the display URL is no more than 35 characters.
• Create multiple ads with different messaging, to test multiple ads at once. Tracking tools will show you the better performing ads.
• Consider using dynamic text in your ad to make the ad more relevant to the searcher’s query.

Remember, a click through is only the first step. If the ads do not get the user to convert once they are on your site, you may have wasted your money for that click. Be sure your website is “up to snuf” and you can deliver on your promises.

Interactive to Play Bigger Role in 2010 Local Media Markets

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:47:06 +0000

The local media market has long been owned by local TV stations, newspapers and Yellow Pages. While the recession definitely slowed this market, the recovery, paired with marketer interest in new forms of media, means the industry is looking at big changes in 2010. BIA/Kelsey analysts value this market at $140 billion. Neal Polachek, president at BIA/Kelsey predicts, “as the economy inches toward recovery and digital media continue to gain ground aided by mobile and social momentum, 2010 will certainly be a pivotal year to track.”

Here’s what the research shop sees happening in the local media market in 2010.

Search Market Recovery – The increased activity in the market will mean higher costs for advertisers active in paid search.

Yellow Pages – These publishers will seek to diversify their products and may move into mobile search.

Local Broadcasters – These business will operate from a position of strength with their expertise in local brands, content and sales forces.

Vertical Ad Networks – This rapidly changing channel may find money in hyper-local sites and local lifestyle networks.

Twitter/Facebook – Analysts expect social media outlets to monetize their models by offering geo-targeted audiences.

It’s too soon to tell which of these predictions will prove most accurate. But businesses looking for new ways to reach customers in local marketers have no shortage of options to try.

[Source: BIA/Kelsey Analysts Identify Key Local Media Trends to Watch in 2010, Company release, January 2010]

Younger Consumers Shifting Online Time Away from Blogs

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:20:31 +0000

Most analysts and marketers know that younger consumers have typically been bigger Internet users than older consumers. Web use by younger consumers is nearly ubiquitous (93%) while adults over age 65 now have a usage rate of 38%. The bigger news, according to a Pew Internet and American Life Project report, is that the type of Internet use varies drastically by age group.

Online consumers who write blogs:

18-29 year olds: 15% (down from 24% in December 2007)
30+ year olds: 11% (up from 7% in December 2007)

Online consumers who use Twitter:

12-17 year olds: 8%
18-29 year olds: 33%

Online consumers who use social networking sites:

12-17 year olds 73%
18-29 year olds 72%

All online adults 47%

These statistics point to some interesting trends. Ben Parr, writing for Mashable, suggests that the younger audience’s shift away from blogs and teens’ lack of interest in Twitter may mean these age groups don’t want to create content. Perhaps younger consumers lack sufficient time or an audience for their blogs. Parr may be correct that the average teen is not interested in reading lengthy personal posts. If that is the case, we have to wonder why teens aren’t flocking to Twitter, the perfect venue for brief posts. The reason may have to do with the media rich environment that social networks offer teens. In addition to writing brief comments on friends’ pages, teens can also view videos and upload photos. Until additional studies reveal exactly why teens find certain online destinations more appealing than others, marketers would do well to reach for younger audiences through social media sites.

[Sources: Parr, Brent. Teens Don’t Tweet or Blog, Mashable, 2.3.10; Social Media and Young Adults Summary, Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2010]

When it comes to SEO, Content is Still King

admin — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:40:14 +0000

Is a website’s content really that important? If you want to rank well on search engines, yes. Search engines are all about content. When searchers type in a query on a search engine, it produces search results that show the most relevant content in its repository based on the keywords in the query.

Quality website content is king. Google handles about 34 000 searches per second. Think about livepage.apple.com that for a minute – that is 2,040,000 searches per minute and 122,400,000 searches per hour. Consumers are looking for information and they want relevant, informative content.

In order for your website to appear on search engines’ result pages your website content has to be well optimized. That’s where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) fits into a digital strategy. SEO comprises a number of factors, but your content and keyword strategy play an integral part in your overall natural search campaign. The goals you want to achieve through your SEO campaign (e.g. increase sales or offer informative content) will also have an influence on your website’s content strategy.

Many website owners make the mistake of writing content for search engines by stuffing keywords into the copy. This results in the website copy being difficult to read for human users – a sure way of losing website visitors. First and foremost always write for your human traffic, then go back to the content to see where you can fit in relevant keywords without breaking the flow of the copy. Internet users are more likely to scan online copy, so content needs to flow easily and logically. To make it easier for visitors to scan your web copy, bold the keywords and key-phrases you want them to pay attention to.

An analytics package will tell you how visitors engage with your website and which pages have the highest exit rates. A high exit rate on a certain page could indicate that visitors are not finding what they are looking for on that page. There is no excuse for not making use of an analytics package, especially since there are numerous free options available (like Google Analytics).

Courtesy of Articlesbase, Alter Sage, SC #2608285