Art (Director) Exposes Milwaukee From Mobile Phone

Let's take a moment to recognize that although we all spend most of our waking hours at Work, we all (like to think we) have lives outside of work.


streetscene

 

Jake Rohde, Art Director at Finn Digital, has a robust life outside of work as a photographer at Valo Photography. Tomorrow, July 23, he goes live with "Mobile Milwaukee" a photography exhibit of 50 different photographs shot entirely on his iPhone. As a part of Gallery Night in the Third Ward, The exhibit is hosted by the Broadway Theatre Center and Milwaukee Chamber Theatre.

Photos taken on an iPhone - how good could that be? (you ask yourself)

I'm here to say, with only a small amount of bias: truly extraordinary.

As with many trades, simple tools in skillful hands can produce unexpectedly beautiful results, and this show is a tribute to the elevation of the everyday into an art form.

Jake took a photo every day for approximately one and a half years, on his phone. The photos reflect an eye for extracting beauty, perspective, pattern and drama from scenery you and I pass by everyday, often with our heads down or minds elsewhere.

That is what makes the photos so striking. I've looked at all the views that Jake has photographed, but I hadn't truly *seen* them until he photographed them. I've passed them every day myself, but never really noticed.

That, dear friends, is what art is all about. Elevating our everyday experience into something larger, something more meaningful and expressive of our lives.

Enough talk. Go see. And buy one - they're meant to be easy on the eyes *and* the pocketbook!

Oh, and, each of the photos is associated with a Stickybits barcode, to make everything a little more social. Check out what Jake has to say about it on his blog:

"Another thing I am trying out for this show is the addition of barcodes to each piece in the show. For each piece there will be a barcode that you can scan with your mobile phone, and attach comments or your own digital media through a service called StickyBits. If you have not heard of Stickybits yet, check it out, download the app to your phone and come ready to share your own thoughts or digital content. If you buy a piece at the show, you will also be able to check out the comments and content added through Stickybits. See what people said about it, and possibly get added content from me as time goes by…"

 

Here's the Google Map.

 

-Bill
President and CEO

 

Why SEO and PR are BFF's: A PRSA Presentation

Last Thursday I had the privilege to present to PRSA (Wisconsin Chapter) during lunch on SEO and Public Relations. The following Monday, I also made the same presentation for the Online Marketing Summit. Brand new presentation + two distinct audiences = lots of A-ha moments!

We covered planning your keyword strategy, aligning SEO with defined business objectives, leveraging organizational assets and opportunities for bringing your content forward.

However, the part that really had take-away and come-back value were interviews with reporters Alysha Schertz of the BizTimes of Milwaukee and Stan Miller of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  They gave us incredible practical advice on everything from how they use social media to search to what press releases stand out--some great information! REAL PEOPLE, blazing a wonderfully fresh trail for an evolving generation of news reporters.

Thank you to Alysha and Stan for taking the time out to meet with me! You both provided so much material, we had to break it into 3 separate clips!

Check out the interview with Alysha Schertz:

Click here to view Part Two and Part Three of this interview.

 

View the full interview with Stan Miller:

Make sure to watch Part Two and Part Three of this interview.

In addition, Eric Vallee of WennSoft contributed an Excel spreadsheet he uses to forecast SEO results for WennSoft. It's offered here as a tool for all of you who manage internal SEO and report to someone continually asking: "So, what's the ROI on this SEO stuff?"

Finally, a big thanks to Adam Parikh Search Marketer at The Mark Travel Corporation for his fervent, nay, evangelistic discussion on using the Google Adwords Tool, Google Search Keyword Tool, and Google Insights, one of my personal favorites when it comes to using search keywords to help define the online search value of your brand keywords.

Here are the slides from Thursday's presentation:

Both the PRSA-Wisconsin and Online Marketing Summit (OMS) audiences asked great questions, and made our team feel more than welcome (thanks to Lynda Nicely of ASQ, Laura Monagle of Staples Marketing, and Joe Pulizzi, Aaron Kahlow, Hope Hopkins, and Krista of OMS).

Contact me directly anytime with questions, comments, concerns or suggestions! bill (at) finndigital (dot) com.

- Bill
President and CEO

 

Writing and Executing a 3X Award Winning Weekly Newsletter with a 40%+ Open Rate, in Three Hours or Less

The Challenge

Develop a concept for a weekly agency newsletter that allows research, writing and creative to be completed in three hours per week.

 

Newsletter Goals

  • Open Rate of 15-20%: Create a newsletter of high interest and v alue
  • Keep readers "ahead of the curve" on interactive marketing services and trends
  • Inspire: showcase companies that utilize interactive marketing in innovative ways
  • Sufficiently inform our readers of a product or service via a brief description to make them aware of it*
  • Position Finn Digital as a thought leader/innovator
  • Platform for sharing occasional information important to Finn Digital: New technology we're developing, launch of website redesigns, marketing surveys

*Click-thru rate is not a direct goal of ours as we're sending people to other websites

 

Target Audience

Business owners and marketing decision makers

 

Writing Approach

  • Write a newsletter that's easily read and digested in 2-3 minutes
  • Keep description limited to 2 - 3 sentences per topic
  • Don't report on news and services that can be found in other marketing publications, such as Marketing Sherpa, Marketing Vox, Advertising Age
  • Maintain a fun mix of Business, Personal and Lifestyle type apps and services
  • Don't link to overly long articles or web applications that take more than a minute of review to understand the value proposition

 

Open Rate

Average six month open rate, November 2009 - April 2010 = 41%

 

Leading Subject Lines

(since inception of newsletter in 2008 )

  • Answers to all of your questions; Twitter tracking for websites - 58.89% open
  • Parties hosted by leading brands; Fax on the fly - 57.44% open
  • Twitter Quitters; Kraft Foods' Social Media Examples - 56.36% open
  • The next 11 big things; Twitter shame - 49.11% open
  • The Twitter Edition - 47.66% open
  • Red Cross's employee guide to social media strategy; Remove Gobbledygook - 47.44% open
  • Game changing technology; Internet-based voice communication - 46.24% open

 

Top Performing Subject Line
(since inception of newsletter in 2008)

How 7,589 companies connect with consumers; email marketing tip - 78.57% open

 

Top Topics

  • Any type of handbook or guide, for example: "The CMO's Guide to the Social Landscape" ( http://www.cmo.com/sites/default/files/CMO-SOCIAL%20LANDSCAPE-R5.pdf)
  • Websites that allow you to analyze your website, Twitter profile, SEO, etc. are popular
  • Free: MP3s, Phone apps, Web services (file backup, for example)
  • Insight into top company marketing results, internal guidelines, etc.

 

Hotsheet.me

  • "Smart" archive of newsletters
  • Highlights most searched for items and most popular categories
  • Showcases random issues - generating passive interest

 

Newsletter Extensions

  • Monthly Blog topic: Blog creation of the past month's "Finn Favorite" hot sheet item - an item of interest that really has "legs"
  • Quarterly "Best of" Hot Sheet with most popular reader topics based on click-thru rates
  • Stickybits addition:  Newsletter becomes interactive by allowing readers with iPhones or Droids to scan barcode on each newsletter and add comments, photos, video, etc.
  • Tip: Addition of  "I didn't know you could do that" feature

 

Awards

  • BMA Bell Award for Best in Class Email Marketing
  • W3 Silver Award for Newsletters
  • Davey Award for Newsletters

 

- Jill
Director of Accounts

Finn Digital Pilots BoothTag at the BizTech Expo

The Challenge

Today's event marketing exhibitors are challenged to increase foot-traffic and quality of engagement with visitors on the tradeshow floor, as well as providing quantifiable return-on-investment.

BoothTag was created as a simple, fun, and cost effective means of combining digital with real-world, personal engagement. It provides easy access to event connections archived by show name and date.

BoothTag Logo

Welcome to BoothTag!

BoothTag is a smartphone game that connects event attendees with exhibitors and each other, using social networking principles and Microsoft Tag. BoothTag can be customized to meet a variety of event marketing scenarios.

In the BoothTag launch at BizTech Expo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Finn Digital engaged the event producer for permission to interact with exhibitors.  A unique Microsoft Tag barcode was generated and placed at each exhibitor's booth prior to the event.

Attendees registered for a BoothTag account and downloaded the free Microsoft Tag reader application for their smartphone.  When attendees scanned exhibitor barcodes with Microsoft Tag reader, the profile and contact information of the scanned exhibitor or attendee was saved on BoothTag for easy access via the BoothTag website or mobile web application.

 

BoothTag the Game

In order to encourage interaction between exhibitors and attendees, points are awarded for each scanned barcode and players "level-up" with a new rank name, "Tagnum P.I." for example.   Leaderboards placed on the showroom floor display real-time results and promote a lively, competitive game experience.  At the end of the show, the player with the most points wins a prize.

 

BoothTag Launch Results Summary

  • Over 2,600 total tag scans over the course of a two day event
  • 120 users - 90% participation amongst registered users
  • 1,711 total registered connections
  • BoothTag.com analytics (during launch event)
    • 476 visits
    • 2,229 page views
    • 227 unique visitors
  • m.BoothTag.com Analytics (during launch event)
    • 549 visits
    • 4,590 page views
    • 317 unique visitors

 

Benefits for Exhibitors

BoothTag encourages event attendees to seek the exhibitor out and creates an instant ice breaker.  Exhibitors can edit their BoothTag profile and have the option to include special discounts for BoothTag connections.  Exhibitors can access a digital rolodex of connections at any time archived by show name and date.

 

Benefits for Players

Event attendees have access to a digital rolodex of connections, archived by tradeshow name and date that's available at any time via website or mobile web application.  The BoothTag player with the most tag-points for an event wins a prize.

 

Benefits for Event Producers

Tradeshow producers now have the ability to create a high value experience for their exhibitors and show attendees. Producers receive BoothTag analytics that showcase the busiest times on the showroom floor and the most actively scanned booths (hottest showroom floor locations.)

 

See BoothTag in action at the BizTech Expo:

For more information on BoothTag, including in depth results, click here to receive a copy of our case study.

 

- Bill, Jill and Kari
The Accounts Team

What’s Hot in Interactive Marketing and What You’re Doing Now

What You (And Others) Are Doing Now

Are you a marketing decision maker?

Would you like to find out how hot (or not) your company is when it comes to the interactive marketing mix?

If so, we invite you to take our online survey. We'll report back in a follow-up article with a summary of findings. Survey participants will receive the special full report.

And if that's not incentive enough for you, we'll randomly choose one respondent to receive a $75 Amazon.com gift certificate.

Take our survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D77NDFH

No matter where you fit in the interactive marketing mix, it's important to have a basic understanding of the hottest trends in technology. Two platforms topping that list - mobile applications and barcode technology. And although both formats are making headlines, the most buzz-worth applications stem from a combination of the two technologies.

Mobile

There are currently over 50 million active smartphones (e.g., iPhone, Android) in the United States. The hottest mobile apps, like foursquare and Gowalla, make use of location based technology. These apps encourage "check-ins" at restaurants, events, and any other place with an address in order to collect digital badges. After its first year, foursquare acquired over 725,000 users across the country, with 22+ million check in's. Local businesses have been cashing in by offering special discounts to the "mayor" of their location, a badge received by achieving the most visits/check-ins at any given venue.

Mobile and Barcode

Barcode marketing allows for machines to scan and read a digital representation of data. Although this technology has been around for some time, the recent marriage of barcode and mobile technologies has caused it to quickly rise to the forefront as a medium for consumer conversation. Perhaps one of the most promising uses of this technology is the ability to attach marketing messages, web links and videos to actual barcodes. Users who scan a barcode with their smartphone cameras have the ability to pull up a related website or coupon. Clever advertisers have begun extending the life of their print ads by attaching a barcode and incentivizing readers to scan it to receive related bonus material online. 

stickybits is a mobile app that makes use of both mobile and barcode technology. Attach a unique digital barcode to real world objects (e.g., the UPC on a bottle of mustard or a book) and users can add digital "bits" such as comments, video or images. When other users scan the same barcode they'll be able to view existing bits or attach some of their own. Giving a presentation? Add a barcode to it and allow attendees to add questions and comments. Looking for a job? Attach a barcode with your resume to your business card. Hosting a book club? Have members scan one book with their mobile smartphones and attach their questions and comments prior to the meeting. Check out stickybits in action:

 

  1. Go to www.stickybits.com
  2. Download the app on your mobile phone
  3. Scan the barcode. Use the stickybits app on your phone to "attach a bit" to this article

BizTimes Barcode

- Jill Schmidt
Director of Accounts

Finn Digital Fav - March Hot Sheet - Stickybits

20100406-Header

Our favorite item from the March Hot Sheet was stickybits® (http://hotsheet.me/70/1).

What is stickybits® you ask?

stickybits® is a way to combine social networking with real-life, tangible objects. The iPhone and Android apps allow you to scan anything with a barcode and attach an image, video, audio or text, this is known as a 'bit'. The next time the barcode is scanned, all of the previously attached bits are available for the entire world to see.  stickybits® also tracks the location of the scan and generates a map to view where all of the scans are located around the world. Check out the stickybits® live stream: http://www.stickybits.com/stream/

Living in Milwaukee, it's common to have one hand holding a phone and the other a beer, so naturally we have stuck some bits to some of our favorites.

Harp - http://stickybits.com/c/0083820234657

Newcastle Ale NRB - http://stickybits.com/c/0088345100517

Lakefront Riverwest Stein - http://stickybits.com/c/0746546000202

You can also generate your own barcodes to have bits attached. We are implementing this into future Hot Sheet issues beginning with the most recent, Issue 71.

stickybits Screen Shot

Scan this barcode to check out the Hot Sheet #71 on stickybits®:

Barcode

Attach a barcode to your blog to allow people to add comments and media to each entry. Add a barcode to your business card and attach information about yourself.  Post a barcode to a presentation to allow for easy document sharing and event comments.  The possibilities are endless, so start adding bits today!

Jake and Chad
Art Director and Web Development Intern

5 Tips for Developing Facebook Applications

Developing applications for Facebook is no easy task. We've pulled together a list of tips and insight gained through our own experience in an effort to make the process a lot less frustrating and a lot more fun.

  1. Stay current on the ever changing rules for businesses, content, contests, legal changes and applications. Sign -up for the Inside Facebook and All Facebook blog emails. These aren't published by Facebook but they're excellent resources for helping you stay current. We've found that many of the regulations change monthly.
  2. Facebook continually adds and enhances existing features. Plan for this by referring to the Facebook roadmap for developers and Facebook developer news. These are also great resources for project planners, allowing them to incorporate upcoming features into the overall project plan.
  3. Your application's scope and desired functionality will determine both the Location and Render Method.
    1. Location
      1. Profile - An application placed as a tab on user's profile page, or a fan page, limited to the use of FBML (Facebook Markup Language) to add Facebook elements. See Kohl's Facebook Fan Page for an example.
      2. Canvas - An application that is placed on its own page, and gives you the ability to have complex features and multiple pages. Think of it as a micro-site, inside Facebook. See Yard Smarts Boot Camp Contest Page for an example.
    2. Render Method
      1. FBML - Facebooks Markup Language enables you to easily integrate Facebook elements, but there are limitations on the use of custom CSS and Javascript.
      2. IFrame - Enables you to use a conventional web page with more complex functionality through the use of the server-side code and the Facebook API. Also enables full use of CSS and Javascript.
  4. If you're developing Facebook applications that use the Facebook API, Facebook provides you with a list of Client Libraries to help in developing apps.
  5. Plan to spend A LOT of time researching and testing. Facebook can and probably will surprise you with quirks. For example, we've encountered a code sample that was provided by Facebook that simply didn't work. Don't forget to test your work in multiple browsers and operating systems. If numerous developers are working on an application, we recommend creating a Wiki as an organizational resource for collecting and tracking known issues.

The importance of Facebook for marketers is all-too present in today's exciting social media market. You can execute your Facebook marketing magic much easier with advanced planning, attention to detail and thorough testing.

TimTravis and Chad
The Development Team

Copywriting for SEO

When it comes to search engine optimization, your content is your biggest ally. Including smart and strategic keywords in your copy will not only help improve your Google ranking, but will make your content richer and more descriptive.

No matter how good your content may be if it can't be found by your customers…it doesn't exist to them. Sad thought, right? Not to worry. We have outlined some simple, but helpful ways to improve online copywriting and get that traffic you deserve.

  1. Start by writing down all the possible keywords you can think of. Anything that comes to mind. Depending on your company, this list should be between 30 and 50 keywords or keyword phrases.
  2. This part is a little more complicated: Narrow down your keyword list based on keyword popularity and competition. To do this try using tools like Google Ad Words: Keyword Tool. The sweet spot = keywords with lower competition, but higher traffic. Once you have found between five and fifteen keywords that fit this bill you are one step closer to SEO content success.
  3. Just a hint: utilize suggested keywords and synonyms when evaluating your keyword list. Your tools might provide you with keywords that you didn't even think of. For example, if you are creating keywords for a shoe store your list of keywords might not include "kicks," "sneaks," "heels" or "pumps" but customers are still searching for these terms. Use tools like Wordtracker to identify these hidden keywords. Also, keep it simple generic terms usually beat out specific keyword phrases in customers minds-we don't want to over complicate our keywords.
  4. Keep the copywriting emotional with a personal vignette or story. Use the acronym AIDA: a marketing message must attract Attention, arouse Interest, increase Desire and prompt Action.
  5. Remember to insert your keywords where it makes sense to do so. Don't be afraid to remove pronouns or filler words and replace with relevant keywords. Your goal is a healthy balance of keywords and effective writing.
  6. To evaluate the keyword richness of your content use the keyword density index (KDI). Divide the number of times a keyword phrase (e.g., "search engine optimization") appears in the first 500 words of your copy. For example, let's say five. So you divide that number (5) by 500, and then multiple by the number of words in the keyword, in this case three. KDI = 5/500 x 3 = 3% KDI. Your goal should be a KDI of 2.7% or higher in the first 500 words.
  7. Remember to keep the keywords topical for a given page. Don't add a handful of unrelated keywords to your copywriting or meta-descriptions. Keep it focused.
  8. Make sure to optimize the meta-title, meta-description, meta-keyword, and URL tags of all of your web site pages. Examples:
    1. Title Tag: Copywriting for Search Engine Optimization | Finn Digital Blog Post Copywriting for SEO
    2. Description: Improve your search engine optimization ranking by rethinking your online copywriting
    3. URL Tag: Copywriting-for-SEO.html

Search engine spiders pay close attention to meta-data making it extremely important to your SEO campaign.

With the right keywords and smart writing you will be well on your way to #1.

- Kari
Interactive Account Executive

VerticalResponse Featured Partner

In the September issue of the VerticalResponse Partner NewsletterFinn Digital was featured for our work both in email marketing as well as for our integration of social media to email.

A reprint of the feature is below:

Partner Highlight

Finn Digital: Mastering the "Twitterverse" 

Finn Digital is an award-winning interactive marketing agency that provides innovative solutions for email campaigns, full-service animation, video, social media campaigns and much more. 

Every week, Finn Digital sends their "Hot Sheet," a newsletter with five quick hits of cool, hot, trendy, smart and funny things on the Internet. 

By keeping their email content streamlined, focused, consistent and FUN, Finn Digital has achieved phenomenal email success with open rates often exceeding 50% and clickthrough rates that often surpass 25%--that's more than 2 times the industry average. 

Not happy to just rest on its email program, Finn Digital is also mastering Social Media with a popular destination on Twitter that has gained nearly 400 followers. By providing interesting news and information on a regular basis, they have expanded their reach. Twitter enables them to send messages, company news, and re-post email campaigns, opening them up to an audience that goes beyond their regular email subscribers. 

Find Finn Digital on FacebookTwitter, and LinkedIn.

Well done, Finn Digital for leading the Email AND Social Media revolution...Keep up the great work and thank you for being an incredible VR Partner!

Event Experience: Increasing Attendee ROI with Social Design

Finn Digital's newest staff member, interactive account executive Kari Dunham, co-wrote her first professional article for the BizTimes Marketing+PR newsletter, published on September 9, 2009.

A reprint of the article is below:
Event Experience: Increasing Attendee ROI with Social Design

By: Kari Dunham, Interactive Account Executive, and Bill Finn, President, of Finn Digital LLC, www.finndigital.com 

As humans we continuously strive to grow our network of relationships. Events like parties, dinners or reunions are the original social network, bringing people together to expand personal and professional relationship, so it's no surprise that we created conferences to build our professional black book. In the digital age, we professionals seldom develop a solely "in-person relationship." Therefore, conference organizers are beginning to bring what was once a "physical" event to the web.

Successful conference exposure has expanded to include social technology before, during and after an event. Serving as a hub for information, online social networks can initiate key relationships between presenters and attendees prior to the event. Attendees can utilize conference-specific community platforms to post notes from presentations, print out agendas or develop list of attendees to meet while onsite. Further, traffic on these conference social networks double after these events, specifically because they act as "online archives" for conversations and event feedback or attendees use them to follow-up with contacts.

Some popular platforms being utilized for conferences include:

1. Ning
Ning is as an external social networking site where attendees can create their own social community and invite others to join. Similar to social networks like Facebook or MySpace, Ning offers profiles, comments, and photos, as well as conference-friendly features like "chat", event pages for attendees to RSVP to conference sessions with visible attendee lists, and a blog tab to post notes or comment post-sessions. The premium version can integrate a live Twitter stream on the home page. Ning is free to use, with ad-free and customizable premium packages available for $25 a month*.

2. CrowdVine
CrowdVine is a conference-developed social network offering in-depth profile, messaging, and search features, establishing relationships between attendees as "a friend"; "a fan"; or "someone to meet". Calendar features allow attendees to create their own agendas and discuss sessions. A feedback feature rates a session's content or speaker while want-to-meet lists help attendees pinpoint who they would like to meet and who wants to meet them. Blog, photo and Twitter streams are aggregated into the dashboard for easy viewing. CrowdVine has free versions, but customizable, ad-free versions begin at $399 per event.*

3. Pathable
Pathable is a conference-specific social networking platform with a "tagging" system. As a member of this network, attendees can identify and converse with others at the conference with similar tags. Pathable also works with existing Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook accounts, alerting attendees when their connections will be attending. Perfect for the mobile world, Pathable offers iPhone and smart phone applications for organizing agendas, contacts and more. They can also produce name tags/conference badges with basic attendee information, attendees' tags and a list of people to meet. Pathable charges, on average, a $1,000 set-up fee for each event and approximately $3 - $6 per attendee for its services.*


Social networks provide the tools for conference attendees to "socialize" before, during and after the event. However, these networks require a marketing strategy to educate attendees on the features and benefits of each tool. Encourage attendees within the social platform to blog, tweet, geo-tag and post photos, videos or comments to discussion boards/forums. This official "social media team" can receive conference perks/incentives as a bonus during the event while demonstrating the use of the tools. With a conversation already started, attendees won't be intimidated to share their comments and experiences.

See how the Business Marketing Association's National Conference in Chicago demonstrated this team effort. 

With online social networking platforms, attendees are seeing more business opportunities out of their conference experience, raising their ROI in professional events despite the economic climate.


*These prices are provided as of July 2009 and are dependent on quote from each company.