After a recent (successful!) client event in New York, I’ve compiled a list of the Top 5 things you can do to ensure your next event is as seamless as possible—whether it’s on the large scale or small scale.

1. Do the Prep Work
Prior to the event being held, do the research. Have a spreadsheet of everything that is needed for the event. Know what you are going to bring with you and what you having shipped to the location. There is no need to try to do (and hold!) everything.

Remember, most events have some form of “swag” bags. One lesson learned is that it is best to put these together ahead of time, and then ship them to the location.

Know who is going to be there. Have a list of attendees who have RSVP’d. If necessary, send follow up emails and phone calls to see if there are any last minute attendees. It’s better to do a little hard work than to be unprepared for attendees who are planning on attending, and simply forgot to RSVP. Check and double check your list to make sure all special requests are accommodated (car service, etc.).

2. Know Your Location
It’s not a problem if you have not physically been to the event location prior to your arrival. It is important to know as much about the location as possible beforehand, though. Know how long a taxi ride from the airport or hotel will take so you can plan your arrival.

Speak to someone at the location, so you have a contact there. Let him/her know that articles will be mailed to the location, what time you will be there to set up and so forth. Make sure you have the room reserved with plenty of time for set-up and clean-up.

3. Have a Catch-All Bag
It has also been referred to as my “Mary Poppins” purse. It’s basically a large bag that can and does hold everything. Need a rubber band? Or perhaps sticky tack? It’s in the Mary Poppins bag. Sugar levels low? Snacks are always in the Mary Poppins bag.

You’re going to need paperwork, your laptop and camera for the event, so make sure those along with chargers are all in the Mary Poppins bag. It’s better to have too many things, than to be stranded at an unfamiliar location without something you need. And as always, it’s important to take as many photos of the event as well. Have backup batteries just in case.

4. Be Flexible
An event without a single issue is practically non-existent. Be flexible. If things are not going perfectly, it’s completely okay. This is prime time to show other that when faced with challenges, you can react under pressure and handle the situation with grace.

Chances are, if you become anxious and bothered by unforeseen circumstances at the event, the rest of your staff and even attendees will pick up on this, and it will ultimately make for an unpleasant situation.

5. Smile
Whether it is a client’s event or your company’s event, it is pertinent to represent the organization in the best of light. If it is a client event, be sure to prep your client and make sure he/she understands what the purpose of the event is and how to answer any press questions that may come up.

Extend a smile to everyone. All guests should be treated equally. Even if an important member of the press or other organization is on the attendee list, be sure to treat all guests equally—extending a warm smile and welcome greeting to everyone.

If the food is late, and you forgot your left shoe…smile. Things that are outside of your control cannot be directly managed. So try to make the best of the situation, and create the most enjoyable event environment for everyone.

However, by using Linkedin aggressively—instead of passively—I was introduced to a few ways that using Linkedin could actually improve your bottom line.

1. Thank Your Connections
Connect. Connect. Connect. The size of your network is dependent on your connectivity. Send a simple thank you after individuals accept your connections. This is a great time to introduce yourself and extend a non-intrusive offer to help in any way you can (i.e. look at their website for functionality, give an insurance quote, etc.). Even if an connection does not instantly lead to business, it increases the amount of people you know which could lead to business in the future.

2. Group Action
Don’t be afraid to interact with fellow users. Engage in a variety of groups. This can also help you grow your network based on common interests and business objectives. Engage in group discussions. Post news that demonstrates your expertise, and establishes you as an industry leader. Contribute to conversations, being sure to add value.

Starting a group is another great way to establish yourself and your company as a thought leader. Creating a narrowly defined group will help you attract the right kinds of prospects. Allow the group to be an open group—the more members the better. Engage, engage, re-engage. Be sure you are closely monitoring your group and keeping its content relevant and useful.

3. Use it as a Follow Up
Be sure to send a Linkedin connection invitation to customers/colleagues/prospects after every meeting. This reinforces your name and skillset. You can even use this as a time to ask for an introduction to a decision member on their contact list.

Does your Linkedin profile need a makeover? Click here for an infographic from last year that is still relevant and helpful.

Happy prospecting!

1. Best Web Gallery – Best Web Gallery focuses on quality, not quantity in showcasing superior web designs. This site stimulates innovation and is a phenomenal starting place for web design inspiration.

2. Design Shack – great source for inspiring designs, templates, logos, fonts, and more. However, our favorite part about this site is theirDesign Dilemma page: having a mental block? Submit your problem online and Design Shack will get your creative juices flowing with helpful advice-free of charge!

3. CSS Elite – talk about an all-encompassing guide to any CSS gallery and web development resources. After all of this web design inspiration, maybe you’ll end up on their Best of the Best CSS Websites Showcase.

4. The FWA – (Favorite Website Awards) this web design inspiration site changes daily. Using a Flash gallery to showcase one great flash web site per day. A feature in The FWA is certainly a badge of prestige.

5. CSSline – the web design of this site in particular is very simplistic, clearly pointing to other sites for inspiration. CSSline is an excellent resource for web design inspiration, plus – designs are tagged by color and keywords for easy navigation.

6. The Best Designs – featuring solely top-quality designs, this web site is organized and clean, aiding with site navigation and alleviating search time. Absolutely an extensive supply for web design inspiration.

7. CSS Mania – updated monthly with hundreds of new, exciting web designs, CSS Mania is another imaginative, inspiring gallery. In addition, this site even has web design inspiration for developers with its special page on developed API.

8. Grid Based – a niche in web design, this site presents layouts for grid-based design: a methodical alignment and placement of design elements.

9. MephoBox – one of our favorite web site collections, MephoBox showcases a variety of web site components from Error Pages to Calendars, and even cool Site Buttons. The range of MephoBox features is sure to generate web design inspiration.

10. siteInspire – siteInspire is one of the most popular resources for web design inspiration. Organized almost flawlessly, siteInspire allows you to filter searches and access exactly what web design inspiration you request. With a database of over 500 web designs, there is certainly something for everyone here.

Sparxoo, a forward-thinking full-service digital marketing and branding agency, offers you a one-stop shop for all web design and development needs. Contact our talented team of web design experts today and open the door to creativity and innovation. Take a moment to elevate your online presence with our special touch of web design inspiration:

www.sparxoo.com

It is essential to take an active part in your company’s social landscape. Create a social roadmap to success—align social with prioritized business objectives and strategy before all else. It’s marketing, not merely social media marketing, therefore, it is important to always integrate social into company values and culture.

So how can you make sure your social media is working for you? You want to connect your brand to consumers through conversation, advocacy and community.

1. Social Reach
It’s all about the friends, the followers and the connections. Social media is a community—get involved, don’t just sit on the sidelines. Share valuable content, and take advantage of automatic sharing tools. These make lives easier, and ultimately save time.

Right now you probably have an existing network, leverage that to build your reach. Do you have a company newsletter? This is the perfect place to rally new fans to like you on Facebook, follow you Twitter, connect on Linkedin and so forth.

2. Maximize Your Content
Create a content calendar as part of your social strategy. Know what’s trending, what your audience wants to hear. This will help keep them engaged, and sharing your content. You want to have a balance of social media links that you are sharing. This should include not only links to company landing pages and your blog, but also valuable third party links.

Leverage the use of slide share. Share slides in which you imbed your company’s URL, this will drive traffic back to your site.

3. Connect Conversations
Sharing links and getting involved in conversations is great. But social is ultimately a marketing tool, and it is crucial to your efforts and your company that you place call-to-actions everywhere. You want to drive your audience to take some sort of action—whether it’s polls, links or advertising.

These call-to-actions will also help you see what’s effective and ineffective. If you’re not seeing very much traction on a particular effort, this is the time to focus those efforts elsewhere.

At the end of the day, investing efforts in social media is not merely about buying leads. It’s a way to buy customers.

• 
According to socialmediatoday a Bright Roll survey found that 65% of marketers plan to reallocate campaign spending from TV to online video this year. More than 25% see online and mobile video as the two platforms that will have the overall largest spend increases in the next two years.

• An infographic from Vincent Abry shows that mobile video streaming increased by 93% worldwide and 35% in the U.S. from 2010 to 2011.

As online video use continues to surge, many corporations are launching brand videos to market their businesses. Creating a brand video for your organization is an innovative and constructive method to communicate a range of purposes to your audience. To that end, defining a well-structured goal is an essential first step to crafting an influential, far-reaching brand video.

Video objectives vary in a broad spectrum from “big picture for business leaders” to “product features and functionality” to a “humanistic version of executive and client testimonials”. Regardless of your organization’s intention, the video must make an impression that you are a thought-leading, digitally forward company with a cutting edge product.

Below is an outlined spectrum of different brand video functions with links that exemplify how a few large corporations have executed:

Inspirational/“Big Picture”/Vision

An inspirational brand video is an excellent way to emotionally relate with your audience. Connecting viewers to the interior of your vision, while painting a “big picture”, encourages an emotional engagement that will resonate with the end user.

IBM – Business Agility

Cisco – Big Things Are Happening

Jive Software – The New Way to Govern.

Data/Number-Focused

Facts and figures appeal to a logical and analytic left brain thinker. A brand video that reveals attention-grabbing, valuable data not only intrigues the viewer, but establishes that your company is a thought-leader with an up-to-date comprehension of the business landscape.

Oracle Exadata: Are You Ready?

Omobono: The World of Social Media in 2011

Executive Spotlight

The power of a CEO testimonial not only lends a considerable level of credibility, an executive spotlight illuminates big picture vision and creates a human connection with your brand’s purpose. The ability to hear and see a company’s decision-maker augments a brand’s integrity.

EMC and Brocade – Partner

Sprint – Dan Hesse

Product/Solutions Focus

Product description or solution-focused video content is a reliable method of expressing your company’s value. Showcasing your organization in terms of what you can offer the consumer generates a brand worth that is easily understood and resides with the audience.

HP – Environmental Opportunity

Juniper Networks – New Data Center Security Solution

Today’s technology pace is moving at exorbitant speeds. In this rapidly evolving, interweaving web of channels, where do we see social fitting in? The answer is everywhere.

Nowadays, social is more than posting a link or hitting the “like” button. Magnetic content is transforming the way we view social marketing. It’s a trend moving away from static advertising, to magnetic advertising—what is going to draw people in.

What is magnetic content? It’s been called the “hottest trend in social media” and “this season’s ‘socially’-acceptable little black dress.” In short, it is content that drives people to your page. Magnetic content marks an evolution from the interruptive advertising model to a more engaging approach that integrates many forms of media (video, mobile, location based). Ads are so yesterday, content is the future.

This seemingly muddled mess of social everything creates the perfect storm of opportunity for online and mobile marketers.

Here are a few tips to see if your content is “magnetic”:
1. Is the content unique and useful?
2. Is the content fun and engaging?
3. Is the content well-executed and taking full advantage of the channel?

Here are the five best practices for magnetizing customers through social media:
1. Don’t think social media. It is social marketing in the broadest sense.
2. Leverage the secret ingredient: Trust. Show both good reviews and bad reviews.
3. It’s like dating. Listening comes first.
4. Add value, do not talk just to hear yourself type.
5. Be authentic, transparent and humble. This makes you credible.

If you don’t believe us, take it from the guy that revolutionized the Internet as we know it. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg estimates that the amount of content shared on networks will double in 2012, and again in 2013.

So where do you stand? Is your content currently magnetic, or is it pushing people away rather than drawing them in?

• Contemplating a decision to enter a new market or product category in which you have not as yet established a position
• Assessing the pros and cons of extending a brand into a new product category or developing a new brand for that category
• Determining whether to sub-brand or utilize a corporate brand – and to assess the balance between the two
• Brand market share is slipping or is not meeting realistic expectations because of competitive activity
• Considering the establishment of a new product category in which your brand will be the first participant.
• You are not certain of your brand’s position, strength or effectiveness in relation to competitive offerings
• It’s time to establish a cohesive branding plan, and implement it through the creation of relevant branding elements: name, positioning statement, logo, packaging, graphic standards, associations, events, etc.

A brand audit needs to be objective to truly identify problem areas.  GuideStar suggests hiring a consultant to focus on the following types of brand audit activities (from Brand Strategy Insider):

• Research:  Does the brand have a clear understanding of current customer need states, attitudes, values, etc alongside the market and competitive landscape?
• Positioning: Does the brand positioning leverage target consumer research to strategically differentiate the brand (along with benefits and personality) within the market?
• Identity:  Is the brand’s visual and verbal identity (name, logo, icon, tag line, type style, colors, symbols, messages) consistently applied based on the positioning?
• Advertising:  Does advertising creatively convey the brand benefits and break through the clutter to effectively reach the target audience?
• Internal marketing team: Is the marketing team well-rounded with a curret toolset inclusive of skills in leadership, creativity, marketing, and innovation?
• Strategy: Is the marketing team partnering with executive leadership to create long-term brand vision and impact-focused marketing initiatives?

The output of the brand audit should identify clear action items and help direct your focus to building a short and long-term strategic plan of action. Main areas of focus should be determined by weaknesses identified in the brand audit (i.e. if you needed to completely overhaul the advertising to better refelct your strong positioning). As a marketing leader, the brand audit is an opportunity to re-strategize, re-position, and creatively adjust the brand identityto maximize marketing and brand effectiveness for tomorrow.

Image by Eugene Z from Stock.Xchng

For starters, you need an email to even log on to Facebook. Fundamentally, Facebook and email go hand-in-hand. These two seemingly similar platforms can really make a great team if executed properly. And both are needed in your social media arsenal. According to Exact Target 2011, 58% of adults in the U.S. check email first thing in the morning. There is nothing that is going to kill email anytime soon.

Another myth is that you must have a Facebook page to get more customers on Facebook. Even 44% of corporate social marketers look at Facebook as a way to get new customers, according to Wildfire 2012. In reality, this is completely inaccurate. We like what we like. You like companies on Facebook that you already have an established relationship or experience with. 84% of fans of company Facebook pages are current or former customers, according to DDB 2011.

In short, Facebook is a ratification of a relationship, not a creation. Facebook helps your customers remember you, and email does the exact same thing.

How are email and Facebook similar?

• An email subscribe/unsubscribe = a Facebook like/unlike/hide
• The percentage of email opens = Facebook reach numbers
• The number of Email click throughs = Facebook engaged users
• The number of email forwards = the number of Facebook shares

Tips to leverage email and Facebook’s strengths:
1. Use Facebook to source email content. Ask people their opinion, what they want to hear from your company, what they’re interested in.
2. Use Facebook fan posts as email content. Don’t tell your customers how great you are. Let other customers share their opinions.
3. Use Facebook to provide your fans with exclusivity. Give your Facebook fans a 24-hour heads-up on special email deals. This will not only make them feel special, but also grab the low-hanging fruit by obtaining any email addresses of Facebook fans you do not already have listed.

Another great tip, is to always be testing. Each time you update a Facebook post or send an email, analyze the number of opens/likes/shares. See when the most effective time for posting/sending emails is. You want to optimize your marketing.

Currently, only 18% of corporate email marketers include social icons in their emails. Your emails, website and social media platforms should always drive traffic among themselves.

And always remember that with Facebook, the poor get poorer and the rich get richer. What this means in relation to your company is that if you are not updating your Facebook page with interesting content, your post will fall to the bottom. The easiest thing about Facebook fans is that these are people that already like you and want to interact with you. Don’t lose the opportunity to speak to them.

1. Start with title tags
Use “title tags” to indicate to both the user and search engine the title of your website. The contents of the title tag will usually appear on the first line and in bold if they match the search query. Create a title that is both descriptive and unique to help Google identify your site. In addition, write a concise, yet telling (and interesting) description meta tag. The meta tag is displayed under the page title to clearly communicate the page’s content matter. The search engine will pull fragments from this description to display in the user’s query. Be sure that to use unique title tags and meta tags on independent pages across the site to improve search results for both the user and search engine.

2. Valuable site content
While this may seem obvious, truly rich site content will increase search results organically. Captivating content will be posted in blogs, linked into social sites, and shared amongst others through emails, forums, etc. Quality content is commonly the basis behind the organic buzz, and thus site reputation, created by both users and search engines. Beyond quality, sites must stress the importance of unique and fresh content to gain a consistent and growing visitor base. While you must certainly be mindful to include keywords throughout your site’s content, writing for the user, not the search engine, is essential.

3. Proper anchor text
Anchor text is the text displayed as the result of a link and clicked on by the user. Every link contains anchor text, yet not every link contains descriptive anchor text. To inform the user and search engine about what they are about to click on, create anchor text that explains the content accurately. The more descriptive, concise, and formatted the anchor text, the easier the navigation will be for both the user and search engine.

4. Searchable images
Every image on your site has an individual filename and an “alt” attribute that can be optimized to improve search results. If the image cannot be displayed for some reason, the “alt” attribute is the text that is specified as an alternative for the image. “Alt” text can provide guidance to a confused user by stating a description for the image that was intended to appear. To further facilitate guidance to the user, create a directory (and Image Sitemap) to store all of your site’s images. This consolidation will simplify the course to your images, as well as provide an aid to the search engine through the sitemap.

5. Deep linking
Creating links into and between the most pages on your site as possible is the basis behind deep linking. In order to be found on the first page of search results for related searched words or phrases, your site must be highly ranked and reliable, meaning that the search engines find that other highly ranked, reliable sites have links to your page. In doing so, your site should have links form other sites, Facebook, your internal blog, etc. directed to as many interior pages on your site as possible. There should also be links on your homepage to move visitors to and between as many interior pages as possible. Generally, the more multifaceted and mixed the deep linking, the higher search engines will rank your site.

6. Promotion through quality content
Self promotion through link sharing is an effective method of gaining quick detection by people sharing common interests, but must be used sparingly. Blog posts and newsletters promoting changes, additions, and new features to your site will help to increase traffic and viewership. Promoting on social media sites and throughout your sites’ associated community will match interested groups to relevant information and quality links.

7. Easy navigation through breadcrumbs
A user-friendly site is one that is easily navigated. To simplify navigation for both the user and search engine, start with your “root” page (homepage) and base a row of internal links that stem from the homepage. The directory structure outlines the way a typical user would pilot through your site. Referred to as a “breadcrumb” and displayed at the top or bottom of the page, this row of internal links will facilitate fluid user navigation on your site.

8. Site maps and webmaster tools
Preparing two sitemaps is crucial to display the structure of your site to both the user and search engine. An HTML site map (in lower-case) is typically displayed to help a visitor who is having issues finding certain pages on your site. An XML Sitemap file (in upper-case) helps search engines display correct URL’s for the various pages on your site, as well as outlining all of the pages on your website. In optimizing both site maps and the rest of your page, utilize webmaster tools provided by the majority of search engines. Webmaster tools will better control how search engines interact with your website, thus getting useful information to the source and performing better in search results.

9. The dreaded 404 page
Without the use of a breadcrumbs page or sitemap, a user may get lost in translation and land on the dreaded, “page not found” 404 page. A 404 page can come from a user typing in the wrong URL or following a broken link that does not exist on your site. To avoid potentially losing this visitor, create a custom 404 page that matches the design of your website and has a link to your site’s homepage. Creating a guide back to your page with your site’s design will greatly enhance the user’s experience; it is possible to have a constructive 404 page.

10. Go mobile
In comparison to normal desktop sites, content from mobile sites is formatted and managed quite differently. It is important to configure your mobile site appropriately to be indexed and crawled by search engines accurately. Creating a Mobile Sitemap and ensuring user-agent access will verify that the search engine indexes your mobile site. In addition, make certain that your mobile URLs are recognized by the search engine through testing from various mobile devices. Once testing is complete, verify that a mobile site display for a desktop user is redirected to the standard version of the site and vice versa.

While independently these modifications may seem insignificant, the combination of the above best practices will influence your site’s overall search engine marketing effectiveness and reach. For further reading on search marketing, we suggest these search marketing articles: Improve Your Google Quality Score, Optimize Text Ads for Search, and Boost your CTR. Sparxoo Agency is a specialist in search marketing. Please contact us if we can be of assistance in your search marketing campaign.

Paul Lemberg applies this 80/20 rule to business. “Determine which 20% are using 80% of your resources,” he writes. “Are they your top profit generators? If not, charge them for the resources you shower on them, or discontinue services to that tier.” These 20% of customers using 80% of your resources can be a drain on your bottom line.

This 80% of resources could stem from customer service, or “sales hunters” (i.e. people that only buy during a sale). “Yes, breaking up may be hard to do, but when a client is costing you money or making you crazy, it can be a smart move,” writes BusinessWeek.

The first step to firing your worst customers is distinguishing them amongst your entire customer base. To do this, consider implementing customer management systems to quantify the resources used by each customer. For instance, does a low-paying customer require more time with a customer service representative than your high-paying clients?

Consider building deterrents to ward off your “worst” customers. Maybe you create a pay wall, whereby if you exceed X amount of customer service time, you’re charged a penalty. Or, create price walls. For instance, if a customer only shops at your store when you have a sale, and your regualar clientel ignore sales for the most part, consider eliminating discount pricing.

Firing your worst customers can help you maximize your resources by catering only to those that comprise the majority of your profit. “Always be conscious of who’s treating you with the graciousness you deserve, and who isn’t. When insolence is staring you in the face, it’s best to cut your losses early, and make the space in your life for those who really matter: your fans,” writes the Pleasure and Pain Blog. Ultimately, after you fire your worst customers, you can continue acquiring those that matter to your bottom line — thus growing your company more efficiently and effectively.

Image by Ahmed Al-Shukaili from Stock.Xchng