Archive for August 2011

Video Q&A: Will it Take Off or Fall Flat?

Posted by Justin Shimp
Aug
31
2011

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Filed Under: Social Media Video

So what is Vyou? It is pretty much formspring meets youtube. The premise is that people can ask users questions by typing a query into a form field. The questions can be asked either anonymously, or with a name attached for registered account holders. The user receives a notification of the new question, and the user responds in a short video.

It’s a neat little site that I was introduced to it when I was following the creator for an animated show that I enjoy. I thought it would be interesting to sign up and get a sense of how I could possibly include this new social Q/A service into my web life, and also to share my conclusions with all of you!

I found my first day that it was pretty exciting. VYou tweeted out my name and soon I had a flood of questions to answer from people all around the world. Most of the questions were inappropriate or obviously spam, but I got a few good ones. But after that initial day, even after tweeting it a couple times, I haven’t gotten a single new question, and I haven’t really been interested in asking Courtney Love any questions (it looks like she doesn’t use the site much anymore anyway). I looked and most of the interesting people on Vyou have already stopped answering questions months ago. Therefore I was left without much reason to visit the site again.

Courtney Love on Vyou ranting about sobriety.

Ask Courtney love about sobriety! Its all she talks about!

Which is sad because I think its a great idea. I just think it needs some help. I think it will probably die out unless one of these things happens:

  • The site gets some buzz and people start using it again,
  • They partner with formspring, who already has a strong user base,
  • Justin Bieber signs up.

I think it would be a great service for promoting various projects. I would love to ask a cinematographer how shooting is going on the newest movie he is working on,  ask a member of my favorite band about their latest recording session, or have an artist show a sample of what they are working on. Simply put, Its a great way for you to ask questions directed at people you wouldn’t normally get a chance to interact with.

If you have any comments or questions about it feel free to leave them below or if you want a fancy video reply ask me a question on Vyou here!

Web Marketing: Tips for Promoting Events

Posted by Jack
Aug
24
2011

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Filed Under: Culture Internet Marketing Marketing Social Media

Aside from devigning websites here at SmallBox, I’m also quite involved in the Indianapolis dance music scene. Having planned or organized over 100 dance music events in Indianapolis, and being such a tech nerd, I’ve learned several ways to make sure an event goes off with a bang. Here are a few things I’ve learned about promoting events online:

Offer as many ways as possible for fans to learn and spread the word about your events. Where you promote your event depends a lot on who your target audience is.

  • Facebook. If you’re putting on a public event that in any way relates to music or art, you’ll want to create a Facebook event. You’ll also want to use your company’s Page and even your own Facebook profile to highlight the works of your featured artists or performers.
  • Email Marketing. This might seem old school, but email really works! Always give your fans a way to sign up for your newsletter, whether on your website, through contests or a simple sign-up sheet at events.
  • Think Local! If your event is about art or music, chances are there are local magazines and websites that will post about your event or give away free tickets. You might even get some coverage! Good examples in Indianapolis include NUVO, IndyMojo and Musical Family Tree.
  • Other Social Spaces. Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIN might not have mechanisms especially for events, but any avenue that reaches your audience is a good one. There are tools that integrate with these services, however, like schmap.it, which offers credits for you to get your event in front of other twitter followers in your area.
  • Your own website. Post your event on your own website! Be sure to include tools so that your visitors can easily RSVP to your event as well as share the event on their own social profiles.
Broad Ripple Music Fest event on Facebook

Broad Ripple Music Fest event on Facebook

Target your promotions as best as possible, but don’t wear out your welcome. People have a low tolerance for noise in their lives, so it’s best to avoid being part of it. You might have 5,000 friends on Facebook, but unless you’re sure all of them want to attend your event, it’s best to invite only those that would be interested. Use Facebook’s friend groups or location filters for this. If you’re putting on an all-locals event, just invite locals. If you’re bringing a bigger, more established talent, you might send out invites to the surrounding cities and states as well.

To avoid annoying your fans, make sure your posts are relevant and well timed. Watching the details of an event unfold is exciting, so make a post when you’ve confirmed fire dancers for your event, but don’t beat your audience over the head with it.

Offer a discount to fans that are willing to purchase tickets ahead of time. This isn’t really an issue if you’re throwing a free event, but if you’re going to offer up tickets ahead of the event, be sure to offer a discount (and discount enough to make up for the associated fees).

Be a part of the community. This includes going to other events, participating in online discussions, making friends, supporting others’ events, supporting other bands, DJs, artists, and the organizations that support them.

Get your friends involved. Chances are you have friends that not only want to attend your event, they, too, want to see it a smashing success! Send them a quick note asking for their help and support. Ask them to take photos, design a flyer, spin fire, do live art or even just spread the word.

Last but not least, don’t rely solely on the internet! Didn’t see that one coming, did you? The internet is a great place to get the word out and for having meaningful communication, but nothing beats real life communication and a friendly smile.

Do you have any tips for promoting events online?

5 Best Practices for Successful Project Management

Posted by karl
Aug
16
2011

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Filed Under: Everything Else SmallBox

Project Management is a rather new discipline, having its roots in 1950s cold war defense programs, and breaking into other industries as recently as the 1990s. Even though the term “project management” and it’s corresponding systems have only been in place some 60 years, the principles of project management have been used for millennia. In reality the organizational principles that allowed for the construction of the Pyramids in Egypt or the Aqueducts in Greece are the same that allow us moderners to erect skyscrapers and, in our case, build amazing websites.

Pyramids of Giza

Below are 5 project success factors which we use at SmallBox to ensure our website projects are accomplished on time, on budget, and according to scope. We have found that abiding by these principles allows us to efficiently create websites for our clients that accomplish their goals and grow their business.

Here we go!

  1. Clear goals are a necessity. It is extremely important for there to be agreement among the project team, client, and account executive on the goals of the project. If the goals are not clearly defined, success is at best unclear and at worst impossible. At SmallBox we make sure that the project goals are detailed in the Statement of Work and Creative Brief.
  2. There must be a plan used to measure progress. A plan that shows an overall path and clear responsibilities is vital to the success of the project. Otherwise there will be confusion among team members as to who is responsible for different aspects of the project, and inevitably goals will not be attained in a timely manner. This plan must also be used to measure progress during the project.
  3. Constant communication. Constant, effective communication between team members and the client is essential to success. Every project management technique is a method of communicating. At SmallBox we have weekly updates with all active clients, and frequently communicate with our clients and our staff on a daily basis in regards to each project.
  4. A controlled scope. Managing stakeholder expectations and clearly defining exactly what can be accomplished within a certain timeframe and budget is one of the most important roles of a project manager. It is important to set realistic expectations in regards to what can be accomplished within budget and timeline restraints. An unclear, uncontrolled scope will almost assuredly result in a project that is over-budget, and a client who is not happy.
  5. Management support. It is important that the project manager not be responsible for the execution of each aspect of the project. The project manager is the catalyst – the initiator who lifts the entire project and puts it into motion. The project manager is responsible for enlisting people with authority to act on his or her behalf for the execution of defined aspects of the project. PM’s – don’t try to do this all yourself. Delegate!

Would you add any tips to the list?

*note: ideas and inspiration for much of this can be credited to Eric Verzuh’s book The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management.

Image credit: Pyramids by amaidment1980 via Flickr

Adwords Express vs. Human-Managed PPC Campaigns: Man against Machine

Posted by thomas
Aug
9
2011

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Filed Under: Everything Else Pay Per Click


Google has recently announced AdWords Express, an improved version of their Boost service, which launched last fall to a fair amount of Internet speculation and digital handwringing. Adwords Express is a simplified, local version of Google’s $20b/year advertising platform, which aims to help smaller businesses stand out in the midst of large competitors. It does this by injecting Google Places with marketing steroids, so that relevant ads appear on Google Maps searches, above or around the actual search results.

The service comes shortly after Groupon turned down an offer from Google and bears lots of the framework of Groupon Now, a recently launched mobile-centric, location-based deal finder. Adwords Express looks to have pulled the worlds of PPC, mobile search and local advertising into a multifaceted service designed to market local businesses to people on the go.

Existing PPC customers want to know: how will Google’s new service affect the industry as a whole? Will it revolutionize the Internet marketing, or fade into oblivion a la Google Wave? The adoption rate of Google Boost by small businesses had little to no effect on PPC managers since it was introduced six months ago.  Will this expansion of the tool make PPC managers obsolete or effect our business?

The answer to the first question—“Will it revolutionize internet marketing?”—is, “Maybe: by bringing in a larger crowd into the game.”

The potential for Adwords Express to be a hit is certainly there. Recent shifts towards a more web-centric approach to generating revenue and running business operations play right into Google’s hands—from innovations in cloud computing and mobile-web that will increase demographic exposure to online marketing, to the enhanced necessity of  local advertising. The service benefits from ease of use, so that small business owners with limited Internet savvy can still sign up, create an ad and have it on Google within five minutes. The ad itself is featured in a prime position above the Places search results and gets a blue place marker, designed to stand out from the standard red. All this will run interested parties at least $50/month, an attractive alternative to human-run PPC campaigns.

The ease of use is the source of Adwords’ greatest strength and greatest weakness. All the user has to do is provide one sentence of copy about their business and submit it to Adwords Express. However, the user has very little control of the service beyond that. This limited control leaves the business owner completely at the mercy of Google’s automated hypotheses about what will be good for their business, based on search terms that it deems relevant. These relevant search terms mean that a business will only show up when associative words are plugged into the search bar, diminishing Adwords’ effectiveness overall.

What does it mean for existing PPC management services?  Should PPC managers be concerned about Adwords Express?  Will it affect the level of demand for their services?  Is this a John Henry vs. the Steam-Powered Hammer type of scenario?

The simple answer to these questions is, “No.”   It’s more like a discounted teaser-rate inviting small businesses into the world of wily, but predictably profitable PPC campaigns.

At this point, according to Google’s blog, Boost only attracted 2,000 subscribers.  Considering that over 90% of Google’s $20B in annual revenue comes from PPC, 2,000 penny-ante accounts—representing probably only a few million in revenue—is just a drop in the bucket.  We’re glad that it provides a way for small businesses to begin experimenting with the potentials of internet marketing, but we’re not particularly nervous about Adwords Express as a competitive service.

Adwords Express provides an easy, low-cost way to dip your toes into the ever-fluctuating waters of PPC, but it will be ultimately unfulfilling for users who are willing devote time and creativity to marketing efforts(and/or money). The lack of control and creativity that it offers to users will remain a serious limitation. The low price to play will likely pull in business owners interested in seizing upon the local advertising market as it exists with services like Groupon Now and other mobile marketing initiatives. Once the limitations of Adwords Express become clear, the owners impressed with the potential but seeking more control will probably hand over their operations to a more seasoned PPC manager.

As with Google Boost, this new feature will likely only make the PPC pie bigger, by bringing in new blood.

Insights from Re:Build 2011

Posted by leigh
Aug
3
2011

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Filed Under: Culture Design SmallBox

Last Friday, I attended the one-day Re:Build conference with a few other SmallBoxers. We returned to our Broad Ripple headquarters re-energized and with a little validation of some of the practices we have put in place at our own office. Below are some of the insights that really struck a chord. (Justin also shared some of his takeaways here).


HEY LADIES

We need more girls! The ratio of male to female attendees was somewhat expected, yet still surprising. I hope it was a fluke in terms of attendees and not the state of our industry.


KEYS TO CLIENT SUCCESS

Don’t go it alone! Involve your clients in your process— it can build trust and value in your work and can make the approval process go more smoothly.

And don’t abandon your client either. Don’t rely on your client contact to be able to sell your creative internally without you. Always arm them with your rationale, in a way that the creative will “present itself.” One great way to do that is to submit creative and rationale via video.


BE THE USER
Adapting the experience. As internet capable  device technology continues to evolve — creating a wide variety of viewing experiences across a multitude of different screen sizes — the best designs adapt.  Enter responsive web design. What’s that you ask? To put it simply:

Responsive web design appreciates what the user wants to view where they want to view it, ALWAYS.

Who are you calling stupid? Sometimes the infinitely simple things need to be said. Don’t make your users feel stupid, stupid.


WORK LIFE
Embrace your limitations. Creating within strict limitations often takes MORE creativity.

Watch out Mad Men. Much like art directors and copywriters, I’m betting that Designers and Developers will be the “creative team” of tomorrow.

Hey forest, don’t forget the tree! Dig into the details, but always remember to step back once in a while to see the bigger picture too, and don’t be afraid to recalibrate where needed. It’s imperative to find the right balance, to see the forest AND the trees.

Fun + Work = FURK SmallBox prizes our ability to laugh together while we do good work. If we focused only on work, we feel we’d lose some of the playfulness that sparks our creativity and fuels our work. In fact, FUN has its own category in our recently published Manifesto.

Many of the insights expressed at the conference were things that I have espoused throughout my career (and of course also at SmallBox) though it was exciting to see them presented in such a fresh and compelling manner.

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