Marketing 2.0: Going “Viral”
Adapted from evolutionary biologist Dawkin’s concept for gene-centered evolution, the term “meme” in modern day society has come to represent “the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena” via the internet.
A meme can be anything from a hyperlink to a video to even just a fad word or phrase intentionally misspelled or grammatically incorrect for internet use (ie: “epic fail”). With that said, it’s generally agreed that internet memes fall into one of six categories: self-promotion, inadvertent celebrity, urban rumors/ hoaxes, advertising, image editing and finally references to pop culture.
Typically spread via social networking sites or chain emails, memes have become an increasingly important form of non-invasive viral marketing, particularly when it comes to creating “buzz” before the launch of a new product or service. This is for two main reasons:
1) They’re usually inexpensive to create
2) It is difficult to track their origin (therefore users may not realize they’re being marketed to) once they’ve gone “viral”
While academics have taken strides to be able to predict the success, evolution and longevity of various memes, ultimately it remains hard to say what will catch on. Oftentimes however, humour and/or shock value play a key role.
According to research, the majority of internet memes are spread by teenagers and those within their early 20s and 30s. Because this demographic is generally seasoned when it comes to computers and the world wide web, memes often change over time via commentary, imitations or parody.
To learn more about how your small business in London, Ontario can take advantage of this new means of reaching mass audiences, contact one of our technical experts today at Inspiratica for a free consultation.
“Direct” Success Through Interactive Site Features
“Responsive” Web Design
With innovations in smartphone technology abounding, cross-platform compatibility, when it comes to web design and development, is becoming increasingly important for any small business.
According to statistics compiled by MobiThinking, “half a billion people accessed mobile Internet worldwide in 2009. Usage is expected to double within five years as mobile overtakes the PC as the most popular way to get on the Web.” The recent enhanced availability of unlimited data plans offered by most major cellphone networks serves too as a testament to the growing popularity of mobile Internet browsing.
As our blog on HTML5 noted, one of the key downfalls in terms of Flash as a web coding language was/is its inability to be displayed on smartphone screens.
In an effort to lead the race within their own locale of London, Ontario, the team at Inspiratica is proud to be able to offer their clients “responsive” website design. In short, instead of having to create multiple versions of websites, each compatible with only a limited number of devices and/or browsers, responsive website design, as its namesake would suggest, “responds” directly to its web browsing environment.
Technically speaking, CSS3 coding has been expanded to include a new “media query” specification which allows web designers to build right into their coding not only website layout targets for various device classes, but further website layout targets based specifically on an actual inspection of the physical characteristics of the device displaying a given site. This is not to be confused with simple site “re-sizing” however.
Responsive web design allows for the customization of a website’s content by taking advantage of one’s elected web browsing device’s specs in order to designate the most effective means of display. In other words, if you’re viewing a website vertically on your Apple iPad and then for whatever purpose decide to tilt your screen to its horizontal axis, the website will instantaneously re-configure in order to best make use of its new allotted space parameters.
The benefit for web designers and developers? Increased efficiency resulting from the ability to make a single cross-platform compatible layout.
The benefit for small business owners desiring a website? Reduced costs and more potential customers.
Sounds like a win-win situation!
To learn more about how you can make your current website “responsive”, contact Inspiratica today for a free no-obligation consultation.
All-in-One
MusicWorld, BlockBuster, Sam the Record Man and now even Netflicks have either become defunct or are shortly on their way out. While the traditional music and movie industries are seemingly collapsing due to lost revenues as a result of illegal downloading and an increased interest in user-created content, the demand for mobile apps at 99 cents a pop has skyrocketed.
Not merely simple emergency communications devices any longer, the “cellphone” has metamorphosized into an all-in-one gadget equipped with emailing, file storage, task management, note taking, audio/video recording, internet browsing, photographic, instant messaging and navigational capabilities. It doubles as an alarm clock when you’re on the road, allows you to quickly perform mathematical calculations, provides you with regular updates to RSS feeds of your choice and functions for many as a means of keeping track of one’s daily agenda. Did I mention you get all of that WITHOUT the purchase of any additional features and/or services?
Android users can now add “convertible gaming console” to the list. Confirmed by Google’s Framework Engineer, Romain Guy, via Twitter, basically instead of having to lug around a PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo, your mobile device, thanks to the implementation of HDMI technology, is now able to act as an interactive entertainment computerized system.
As one tech writer explains, “in short, you [can] hook up an external gamepad to a USB-to-microUSB adapter on the [phone], connect it to your TV and transform your handset into a fancy portable gaming console” (Engadget.com).
Of course with any innovation, the market will issue a response (ie: more gaming apps!) If you’re interested in finding out how your small business can take advantage of the mobile app world, contact Inspiratica today for a complimentary one-on-one consultation.
From Design to Maintenance: Your Guide to Making a Website
Frequently, when small business owners come and meet with one of our web design specialists for the first time, they are unaware of how many steps actually go into the process between having a vision for a website and making it “go live.”
While the term “web design” refers to the actual layout of your site’s content (includes: text, image, video, logo and menu placement) as well as the amount of pages a given site will house, “web development” defines the coding that will be used (i.e.: flash, javascript, html) and whether the site has built into its backbone user-friendly software for the client, such as a “content management system” (CMS).
Beyond these fundamentals however, in order to launch an online presence, one must also purchase and maintain a “domain name” (i.e.: .ca, .com) via a domain registry such as Netpros.ca Domain names typically need to be renewed on an annual or biannual basis, depending upon one’s purchasing agreement. Generally speaking, buying years in bulk is more cost-effective and also better protects you from having someone else scoop up your domain because you’ve missed your expiration notice.
The purchasing of a direct domain versus having a website hosted by a free server also provides you with the benefit of being able to create email addresses associated with your domain (i.e.: info@inspiratica.ca); something that makes your business look that much more professional.
The final piece of the equation is “web hosting”. Without getting into any unnecessary technical jargon, in a nutshell, in order for a website to be active, online and accessed remotely, it must be hosted by a server that has an uninterrupted internet connection. Ideally, the server that hosts your site will have a fast and reliable internet connection and is stored in a secure location.
There are two common types of web hosting available for most consumers: “shared hosting” and “dedicated hosting”. Shared hosting involves putting a large number of websites on a single server, while dedicated hosting or “semi-dedicated hosting” involves putting a small number of websites on a single server. It’s important to note that the more websites that are hosted by a given server, the higher the likelihood of slowed speeds and poorer performance for users accessing one of the hosted sites.
Like domain registration, web hosting is an ongoing expense (packages are typically monthly or annual) that requires monitoring. Depending upon the complexity of your website (i.e.: the amount of pages as well as media content) and your security preferences, prices vary for this service. Netpros.ca again offers affordable web hosting rates for small businesses and has been voted one of the best in London, Ontario for its services.
From start to finish, approving your final design and development considerations all the way to electing the right web hosting package, we pride ourselves on our ability to complete our clients’ projects within a month long timeframe, on average.
Once a business’ online vision has been brought to life, it’s important to keep it current and on trend. Content management software, such as that designed by our technical experts at Inspiratica, allows even clients who have limited computer proficiencies to be able to easily update news feeds and more.
Complete website re-designs are recommended approximately every two years (or in conjunction with new campaign launches) to maximize your site’s functionality, marketability and security features.
Accordingly, new positions, at businesses of all descriptions, such as “Tech Manager”, have popped up in recent years in order to handle the incoming traffic, along with produce new content on a regular basis.
Just how important is the incorporation of a simple RSS subscription feed to your site?
A recent article from London, Ontario’s LFPress noted that The New York Times Newspaper, recently “reported a 3.4% jump in revenue, citing the introduction of digital subscriptions as its flagship.”
But again “interactive” technologies do not merely benefit news media websites. Email newsletters, for example, allow companies to update interested customers (ie: those who subscribe) about new products, services, promotions and more. Some companies even use newsletters to wish their subscribers “Seasons Greetings” when Old Man Winter rolls around; something that makes customers truly feel valued beyond just the dollars they spend on your products/services.
Likewise, feedback forms, along with comment areas following recent blog posts encourage direct communication between customer and business representative(s). With so many of our required modern day services being provided by “faceless” corporate conglomerates, having the opportunity to directly interact with your customers and vise versa demonstrates your business cares. Additionally, customer feedback can help any business improve its current offerings, as well as come up with innovative directives in order to suit its customers’ changing needs.
Finally, beyond the aforementioned business benefits, blog and Twitter feeds too assist in obtaining higher rankings in popular search engines like Google.
For more information on how you can build an “interactive” web presence, contact Inspiratica today for a free consultation.