Last week, our friend Schmiddy breathed new life into our conference room. Mark “Schmiddy” Schmid is the CEO of Sk8ology. Sk8ology sells carabiners to maintain your skateboard and incredibly cool display systems for skate decks.

Schmiddy began skateboarding at age 6 and hasn’t stopped for 30 years. His passion for skating and the skate industry is obvious and infectious.

Schmiddy was nice enough to donate some amazingly cool, framed skate decks to Incitrio so that we could liven up our conference room. He even came and installed them for us! We have to say that our conference room is definitely the coolest on the block now.

Looking for a way to transform skate decks into wall art? Check out Sk8ology’s website.

Incitrio’s latest work in web design for The Social Express™ combines fun with a professionalism to create a memorable experience for each visitor. By developing a blog strategy and showcasing the software product’s best features, Incitrio created a website that is functional and compelling. Most importantly, the site produces results.

At just over 4 sales/day with limited marketing, the client is deliriously happy with the results. Incitrio has built a strong platform from which to launch compelling marketing campaigns that are guaranteed to convert.

And, as if conversions and a bounce rate of under 40% weren’t enough, the client has complete control over content and images through the WordPress integration. The client has taken this control and run with it, blogging often and tweaking content as need be.

So What Are You Waiting For?

Does your company’s website send the right message? A custom website from Incitrio provides a great user experience (and looks pretty awesome, too). Integrating your website into WordPress allows you to edit content, saving you from costly maintenance fees and allowing you to be the boss of your own website.

Take control of your website in 2012. From now through February 15th, receive a free custom Facebook page ($750 value) when you sign a contract to create your custom WordPress website with Incitrio. Request a quote >

Google’s advertising platform, Google Adwords, is the magic behind Google’s targeted advertising. Adwords is Google’s advertising service. It allows you to advertise on Google and its affiliates using the Pay Per Click system, meaning that you pay each time someone clicks on your ad. PPC allows you to control who you target your ads to as well as how much you spend on ads.

Google Adwords – Where do they appear?

Google Adwords ads can appear in a few different places on the search results page. You can see ads in the “Sponsored Links” section to the right of the general search results. Ads can also appear above the search results. These ads, not surprisingly, have a higher click rate than those in the Sponsored Links section.

Adwords Keyword Tool – How do I choose the keywords I want to target?

Adwords is so effective because of the Adwords Keyword Tool, which analyzes keywords to discover what Google users search for most. The Keyword Tool allows you to figure out what search terms are most relevant to your business. It tells you how many times per month people search for terms and the term’s competitiveness. Competitiveness is based on monthly searches and on the number of people trying to optimize for that term. The higher the competitiveness, the less likely you will be able to rank using that term.

The Keyword Tool is accessible to anyone, but can also be used once you have an ad campaign set up with Google. This set-up allows you to monitor the keywords you use and edit them if necessary.

Google Placement Tool – How can you further target your ads?

Adwords also allows you to target your ads using the Placement Tool. The Placement Tool allows advertisers to target their ads to searchers based on a searcher’s characteristics. Advertisers can choose up to three categories to target their ads to including: age, gender, income, and location. By allowing control over what demographic groups you can target, the Placement Tool helps you to make sure the right people see your ad. If the ad is relevant to the user, they are much more likely to click on it. By utilizing the Placement Tool, you reduce your per click expense while increasing the chances that your ideal customer finds you.

Want to make the most of your online marketing efforts? Contact Incitrio at 858.202.1822 to get an honest review of your current efforts and to get brand-specific strategies proven effective in today’s online marketing jungle. We are an award winning, full-service marketing firm focused on client success in Search Engine Optimization, Graphic Design, Online Marketing, Email Marketing and Web Design.

2011 is almost over and all of us at Incitrio have really enjoyed working with you this past year. We had the opportunity to work on some really amazing projects. And, while it’s hard to pick just a few, we managed to narrow down our Top 5 Favorite Projects of 2011. They’re in no particular order. (Hey, it was hard enough to pick just 5!)

The Social Express™ > Custom WordPress Ecommerce Website Design and Programming

We are extremely proud of the work we did for The Social Express, an innovative software for children with autism, Asperger’s, and other social learning challenges. We designed and programmed a fully functional WordPress website with fully integrated ecommerce functionality. Within three weeks of launching the website, there were over 1,000 downloads of the lite version (an average of 75 downloads a day), 1,000 unique visitors, and a bounce rate under 40%. The best part? Visitors spent an average of 1½–2 minutes on the site. Not only is the site engaging, but with minimal online marketing, it’s already generating 4 sales per day.

Visit the site at: http://thesocialexpress.com/

CRS Financial Management Solutions > Transmedia Design and Programming

Have you ever felt that your company is complicated and your process is challenging for people to understand? You’re not alone. Many companies face the same issue, including CRS Financial Management Solutions. Founder and CEO Marilyn Magett was producing amazing results for her clients, but offered so many services for such varied scenarious that potential clients had difficulty appreciating how she could help them. Incitrio created a transmedia video that combined a motion graphic, an interview with Ms. Magett, and testimonials from three clients to create a 24 hours a day/7 days a week sales asset. The video explains CRS’ offerings in a visually appealing, straightforward manner, leading to better pre-qualification and higher conversion.

Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1BhaeUuFmA

Jewish Federation of San Diego County > Branding and Design

The Jewish Federation of San Diego County came to Incitrio to rebrand the organization and set the stage for the 2011-2012 campaign. The organization has strong roots in the community and needed collateral that told their story in a more compelling manner. They were a joy to work with, and we loved designing and writing their Program and Impact stories as well as thier Case for Giving brochure. The collateral will be an integral part of their 2012 fundraising and outreach efforts.

See an example PDF here: http://www.incitrio.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/JFS-100_GivingBrochure_v.10.3_FINAL_LR.pdf

Nulu Languages > Website UX and SAAS UI Design

Some websites need that extra something special because they offer a unique experience. Nulu Languages is just such a site. Nulu Languages is an online software designed to help foreign language teachers and students connect and learn in new, more effective ways. Incitrio designed the user experience section of the Nulu website, everything before the user logs in. And, the SAAS UI Design, everything after the login. Post login, students can read articles and respond, review flashcards, and discuss content with their fellow classmates. Teachers can assign readings and monitor students’ progress. And, administrators can manage multiple classes, teachers, and languages.Throughout the design process, the Incitrio team also participated in the software ideation process to suggest feature enhancements and functionality benefits. Pre-login, the site acts as a visual sales power, educating the prospective client as to the benefit of this new way of language learning. The site officially launches at the beginning of 2012 and already has several thousand students registered.

View an example PDF here: http://www.incitrio.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/NULU-Website-.pdf

City Heights Partnership for Children > Branding, Naming, and Design

The City Heights Partnership for Children is a collective impact created to combine the forces of many powerful organizations and leverage their impact on the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego. Incitrio performed a series of focus groups with key audiences culminating in a brand positioning strategy, name, and, ultimately, a logo that over 150 people agreed upon. No small feat! The name and logo represents the core values of empowerment, collaboration, nurturing, and trust. It is our sincere hope that this initiative will pave the way for future collective impact initiatives in other similarly impacted neighborhoods.

View the logo here: http://cityheightslife.com/?attachment_id=711

Most people have heard of Pay Per Click, or PPC, but not everyone knows how to make it work for their ad campaign. If done incorrectly, PPC campaigns can cost you a lot of money and still produce minimal results.

Pay Per Click Strategy – What is PPC?

PPC is how Google charges you for the ads you purchase. As an advertiser, you “bid” on what you want to pay for a click on your ad. If a search term is a popular and profitable one, then Google will most likely ask for higher bids (some terms can cost as much as $22/click). If you bid the highest, you have a better chance of ranking number 1 in the sponsored results column where the ads appear. When your ad appears and someone clicks on it, you are charged what you bid. It’s kind of like the online version of a silent auction.

PPC Campaigns – How can you make the most of your PPC campaign?

It’s important to be strategic in your PPC campaigns. To keep costs low and results high, make sure to avoid broad search terms. Google’s Adword Keyword Tool tells you how competitive a search term is. Competitiveness is based on how many people search globally (around the world) and locally (in the U.S.) as well as how many other people are trying to optimize for that term. A highly competitive search term is harder to rank within, while a medium or low competitive search term makes it easier for your ad to rank.

It might seem counterintuitive to target a more obscure search term with less searches per month, but targeting lower competitive search terms increases the chances that the right people will see your ad and click on it. While the ad may not reach as many people, the people it does reach are more likely to find your ad relevant. So, before investing in a PPC campaign, it’s important to do keyword research to see what relevant terms are low to medium competitiveness so that you can structure your strategy.

Pay Per Click Campaigns – How you can beat out the competition

Beating out the competition is all about creativity. For example, the search term “t-shirt printing” is highly competitive, with 450,000 global searches and 201,000 local searches per month. But, the search term “t-shirt printing store” only has 1,600 global searches and 590 local searches a month. So, investing in a pay per click campaign for “t-shirt printing store” would improve the chances that your ad is seen by the right people while decreasing your costs. Because the term is less competitive, you will pay less per click while increasing your chances of converting customers.

Stay tuned for more articles in our Demystifying Google series.

Want to make the most of your online marketing efforts? Contact Incitrio at 858.202.1822 to get an honest review of your current efforts and to get brand-specific strategies proven effective in today’s online marketing jungle. We are an award winning, full-service marketing firm focused on client success in Search Engine Optimization, Graphic Design, Online Marketing, Email Marketing and Web Design.

Look out billboards and flyers. Online advertising is edging you out and it looks like it’s here to stay. We all know that print media is going the way of the dinosaurs and Jay Leno’s ratings. In today’s world, online advertising beats out print advertising in almost every sense. Online ads are now reaching more people in more locations than ever before, and for a lot less money than a traditional print ad campaign. Online ad sales continue to increase every year, with $63.4 billion spent on online ads in 2010. As of December 2011, 5 companies accounted for $40.4 billion (64%) of all online ad spending.

Guess which single company controls 45% of all worldwide online ad spending? That’s right, Google, the Goliath of the Internet world. Yahoo, Microsoft/Bing, AOL, and Facebook combined account for just 17% of online ad spending. So what makes Google’s advertising so appealing to companies that spend money on online ads?

Google Advertising – Why is Google on Top?

Google crushes the Search Engine competition. Bing, Microsoft’s answer to Google, might have cool background pictures and a catchy marketing campaign, but it still can’t compete with Google’s algorithm. Google’s algorithm is a proprietary blend of various technologies that rank search results.

The algorithm includes crawlers that visit websites and then index the site’s pages. The crawlers, or bots, follow links on the website to other websites and then index those websites. And the trail continues forever. Google then assigns these sites a PageRank, a number between 1-10 that shows a site’s SEO strength. The higher the PageRank, the more likely that the site appears closer to the top of search results pages.

Even the 80+ million dollar ad campaign that brought Bing brand awareness couldn’t help Bing to overtake Google. In the same year (2009), Google spent just $25 million on all of its ads and easily maintained its dominance. These statistics prove that, in the end, consumers care more about accurate results than about flashy marketing campaigns.

Google Ads – What do they mean for you?

Advertising on Google just makes sense because it is still the Search Engine of choice for over half of the world’s population. You can reach more people with less effort and money by advertising on Google. Stay tuned for further articles that will demystify the Google advertising platform and help you to make informed advertising decisions.

Want to make the most of your online marketing efforts? Contact Incitrio at 858.202.1822 to get an honest review of your current efforts and to get brand-specific strategies proven effective in today’s online marketing jungle. We are an award winning, full-service marketing firm focused on client success in Search Engine Optimization, Graphic Design, Online Marketing, Email Marketing and Web Design.

Print Designers

Need an engaging brochure, a memorable newsletter, or an impressive tradeshow booth? Incitrio is an award winning design and marketing agency in San Diego that specializes in print and web design. Call us for a free consultation at 858-202-1822 and start fresh.

Want a Transmedia video for your company? Call Incitrio to talk through your vision and pricing options.

What Are the Benefits of Social Media?

Social Media keeps us connected to one another. It provides a cheaper, and more interactive, alternative to communicating in person or by phone. Faster Internet speeds and mobile device integration allow more people the ability to stay connected than ever before, whether at home or on the go.

Social Media is a public forum. Users can share news and developments that are important to them, and other people can subscribe to those same ideas or belief systems. You no longer have to read the newspaper’s “Letters to the Editor” section to see what your friends and neighbors think about current events. Just log-in to Twitter or Facebook and see minute-by-minute updates.

Social Media continues to evolve and change. The longer that Social Media platforms exist, the more they adapt to the needs of the user. Examples include: customizable profiles, privacy settings, common interest groups, as well as advancements in technology such as Facebook’s purchase of Skype.

Social Media provides variety. With all of the Social Media platforms out there, it is impossible not to find one that works for you. If you’re not a fan of Twitter, you might enjoy critiquing your favorite hangouts on Yelp. If you don’t use Facebook, you might prefer posting and commenting on YouTube.

Social Media provides immediate satisfaction. You no longer have to wait to see the photos of last night’s party or corporate event. Now, they can be easily accessed by searching a few keywords or individual photo galleries. You can feel up-to-date with the ever-evolving social climate without speaking a word to anyone. No wonder people are accused of being Social Media addicts.

What Are the Dangers of Social Media?

Social Media is a public space, open to all willing to abide by the platform’s guidelines and policies. This means all content that is posted should be considered public. If there are details about a subject matter that should not be public, they should never be shared on a public network.

Social Media is by its very nature an informal mode of communication. It was initially meant for individuals to connect as friends. But now, Social Media is also leveraged by businesses to communicate with their target audience. When communicating as a business, it is important to have a strategy, guidelines, and oversight. Strategy helps a company achieve its online marketing goals. Guidelines protect the brand’s reputation by helping prepare each contributor to add valuable and relevant content. Oversight  ensures that the message is professional and stays on target. Ultimately, Social Media strategy, guidelines, and oversight help the company grow.

Social Media doesn’t allow for complete control. When you post content on a social network, anyone who views it can comment and draw his or her own conclusions. Before posting content, remember interpretation is in the eye of the beholder. Your audience’s interaction with your post controls the message, not you. If you are concerned that you aren’t being clear, expect that others will be unclear as well. Clarity will prevent more problems down the road.

What are Best Practices for Social Media and Online Communication?

1.    Determine your target audience. Try to identify key demographics like gender, age, income, and race. Creating an ideal candidate’s demographic profile allows you to tailor your message. Go further and find out where your target market congregates online. Are they most likely to use LinkedIn or Facebook? Do they Yelp or Twitter? Maybe they use all of these platforms. If they participate in multiple Social Media sites, find out what type of common interest groups they belong to or what type of services they use the most. A little research ensures that you spend your time and energy communicating with the right people on the right platforms.
2.    Create a set of rules for posting on your Social Media sites. Putting together a list of rules that encompass your Social Media goals creates a sole governing force for your organization. The rules should address who you are targeting and your overall online marketing goals.
3.    Create content. It sounds obvious, but creating content is an integral part of a successful Social Media strategy. Make sure that someone that is established in your company and knows the ins-and-outs is tasked with updating your Social Media pages frequently. This person can post links to your website on Facebook and come up with attention-grabbing Tweets. By consistently updating content, your business becomes more visible and your interaction with clients increases.
4.    Find out what platforms work for your type of business. Clothing is not one size fits all, and neither is Social Media. What works for one company may not work for another. So don’t stretch your resources thin. Pick a few Social Media platforms that generate the best interactions with new clients and stick with them.
5.    Assign roles to members of your team. Ensure that you update your Social Media platforms consistently by assigning roles to your team members. By giving everyone a specific task, you minimize the chance of simply forgetting to update content and interact with clients. Of course, don’t forget to a have a consistent message. As previously mentioned, having a set of rules will keep everyone on track, regardless of his or her specific role.
6.    Make targeted, long-lasting connections. You can’t be successful in your industry without knowing how other successful people made it to where they are today. Connect with influential people in your field on Social Media platforms and see what they are saying and how people respond. Connecting with important people in your industry gives you the opportunity to learn and emulate new best practices.

Not all Social Media strategies are the same. Each one requires custom tailoring depending on the industry and the history of the company. When deciding on beginning or enhancing your Social Media communications, contact Incitrio at 858.202.1822 to get an honest review of your current efforts and to get brand-specific strategies proven effective in today’s online jungle. We are an award winning, full-service marketing firm focused on client success in Search Engine Optimization, Graphic Design, Online Marketing, Email Marketing and Web Design.

At Incitrio, we have the opportunity to look through our clients’ sites and discover the wealth of information provided. We absorb as much as we can from each site in order to become experts in the field. Then, we can make educated recommendations on how to improve a website. In order to make a relevant and appropriate recommendation, we must spend a great deal of time on a website to discover the content on each page or blog post. Navigating through the site is generally easy, but takes time. Just like a normal visitor to the site, we must rely on links to find what we are looking for and to discover new content.

Links come in many forms, such as buttons, images, and anchor text. In order to find the content we are looking for, we rely on visual cues such as underlined text. Images relevant to content are often linked as well. So we visually rely on our cursor turning into a small hand to decide if an image is linked and will take us to another page. Needless to say, discovering all of the pages on a website can be time consuming. But there is a simpler, more user friendly way to navigate a website: a sitemap.

Creating HTML Sitemaps

There are two types of sitemaps: an HTML sitemap and an XML sitemap. A sitemap is a page on your website that hosts all of the links to each page on your site. A sitemap is a perfect place for a visitor to quickly access all of the content available on your website. Sitemaps help visitors who have difficulty finding specific information through conventional navigation methods. Although not every visitor to your website needs to view your sitemap, it helps those visitors that need additional tools to navigate your site. Often times, that small percentage can mean the difference between attracting the lead and making a sale. Any website owner looking to improve user experience and come up higher in search engine results should consider creating an HTML sitemap. It’s easy to create and makes your site more complete. In the big picture, a website that manages to cater to as many people as possible will be the website that attracts more visitors and keeps them from bouncing off of a site to a competitor’s site.

A Love Affair (Search Engines + Sitemaps)

Search engines love HTML sitemaps because it is a page that provides all of the content on your website, served on a silver platter. Normally, search engine “crawlers” or “bots” (those little pieces of code that scan your website and report their findings back to search engines) scan your website from the top to the bottom. The bots arrive at your site, look through your content, and attempt to discover what the site is about. If a bot comes across a link, it follows the link and then scans that page. By adding an HTML sitemap, you provide all of the links to existing pages on your website, making the work easier for the search bots. The bots still deploy throughout the rest of your website through conventional methods, but you reduce the risk of them failing to index important information before they bounce to another site.

Often times, pages aren’t indexed completely. Bots sometimes abandon a website before scanning the entire site. Bots usually leave a site because inefficient code gets in the way (such as lengthy tables,  too much javascript, or there are too many links pointing to outside sites). In addition to adding an HTML sitemap, you can also keep bots from abandoning your site by adding “no-follow” attributes to links, optimizing your website for table-less designs, and reducing the code in your head tag. You can also create an XML sitemap.

What is an XML Sitemap?

An XML sitmap is a sitemap created specifically for search engines. It is a file that notifies search engines when new content is added to your site. An XML sitemap, unlike an HTML sitemap, ignores all design. An XML sitemap is only a list of code. You won’t find any traces of branding. There are no logos embedded in an XML page. It is simply a page search engines look at before they see the rest of your site. It saves search engines time, greatly increasing the chance that bots will scan and index your entire site. You can directly submit your XML sitemap to various search engines. If the sitemap is dynamic, bots see if there are any new links posted and if a page was recently edited. The bots then continue on to scan the new new and edited content first before moving on to the rest of the site. This method is the most efficient way search engines can index your website’s content.

To get the best results, create both an HTML and XML version of your sitemap. Include your HTML sitemap in your navigation. Many companies include the HTML sitemap in the footer of their site, while some websites with more complicated navigation may include it in the main navigation (towards the top of their site). Either way, make sure visitors can locate the sitemap. You don’t need to link your XML sitemap to your navigation. Adding it to your website and submitting it to search engines is enough for it to make a difference. Of course, it is a good idea to keep an eye on your monthly analytics to see if adding the sitemap(s) increases traffic to your site. If your website has been difficult to index, you may be facing the consequences with reduced online visibility. By adding an XML and/or HTML sitemap, you could potentially help increase traffic to your site. Remember that a sitemap is only one piece of the puzzle. For best results be sure to follow all of the best practices possible when creating your website.

About Us

Incitrio is a San Diego based marketing firm specializing in web design, branding, search engine optimization, email marketing, and social media. We work hard for each client to provide visible results. If you own a website and think you may need help in attracting visitors or need help in improving a visitor’s experience on your site, contact us today at 858.202.1822. We appreciate interesting comments and invite you to participate in the conversation.