Optimize your web site for browsers on handheld devices.
"After all the promises and pitfalls, the wireless handheld web is finally arriving for the masses," McCasland says. "With speeds typically several times faster than dial-up, many web pages load faster than for most at-home users." Wireless communications companies are launching hoards of web-enabled, mobile handsets, and Palm™ and Windows® operating systems now are ported to wireless units with screens supporting 64K colors. Many sites are "dysfunctional" on this platform, McCasland says.
McCasland cites five common problems among web sites viewed on handheld devices: 1) Too many pixels--most handheld screens are in portrait orientation instead of landscape, and users shouldn't have to scroll left to right. 2) Content overload--what's bite-sized on a desktop becomes more than a mouthful on a handheld device. 3) Sliced graphics--reduce the number and size of graphics on your homepage. 4) Technology gap--handheld browsers aren't ready for some scripting languages and plug-ins such as Flash and JavaScript™. 5) Navigational considerations--having menu options on one screen is important, as is left-side navigation. Frames are taboo.
Add personality to your e-newsletter.
"Injecting personality into your e-newsletter is one way to give yourself a little edge in the battle for the hearts and minds of the market," Brownlow says. "It helps to build that reader rapport and adds uniqueness to your publication. The right personality can also complement the image of your brand, product, web site or company--essentially reinforcing whatever impression or message you're trying to communicate."
Brownlow offers four tips on adding a spark to your e-newsletter: 1) Sales and promotional copy don't suit e-newsletters, and nor does the traditional tone of broadcast corporate communications. 2) Think of your e-newsletter as a one-on-one conversation. Just imagine sitting in a coffee shop, chatting informally with a customer. 3) The personality of the writing needs to gel with other elements of the e-newsletter, particularly the readership and design. 4) Anecdotes resonate with some readers, but the more purely personal information you include, the more likely you are to alienate your audience.
Learn how to write for the web.
"Writing for the web isn't the same as writing for print," McGovern says. "People read differently on the web. They scan, jumping quickly from one piece of content to the next. People are much more action-oriented on the web. They get online to get something done. Words should always be driving actions."
McGovern offers eight rules for online writing: 1) Know your readers--write for them, not your ego. 2) Take a publishing approach--publishing is about selling with content. 3) Limit headings to eight words or fewer, sentences to 15-20 words, paragraphs to 40-70 words and documents to 500 words or fewer. 4) Write active content in the second person (using the word "you"). 5) Put content into context--link often, and never leave readers at dead ends. 6) Write for how people search--before writing, consider powerful keywords. 7) Write interesting headings and summaries. 8) Edit, edit, edit--edit first for style and tone, leaving grammar until last.
Use caution when selecting a search engine optimization company.
"Many businesses that haven't previously used search engine optimization to promote themselves are unsure how to evaluate potential vendors," Buresh says. "Many are intimidated by the entire concept." But the e-marketing strategy is a good idea, most experts say, especially because an increasing number of people rely on search engines such as Google™ and Yahoo! to locate businesses selling specific products.
Buresh suggests asking potential search engine optimization vendors about their past results, support and reporting services, and costs. Here are three questions to ask after approaching them: 1) Do you create pages, optimized for my key phrases, which aren't built into the navigation of my site? (If the answer is "yes," you're probably dealing with a company that creates "doorway" pages that may reside on a different server, violating the terms of most major search engines.) 2) Does your technique involve showing a different page to the search engine than to my visitors? (If "yes," the company might use "cloaking," which also violates terms.) 3) Do you guarantee that you won't work with my competitors while you're working with me?
Follow the "three C's" of branding.
"The benefits of having a strong brand are tremendous," Arruda says. "Companies with strong brands charge premium pricing; they thrive during economic downturns; they attract great employees, partners and customers; and they extend into new business areas with ease."
Arruda cites "three C's" firms should follow to improve brand recognition: 1) Clarity--be apparent about what your company is and isn't. 2) Consistency--be what you say you are, or you'll lack credibility. 3) Constancy--be visible to your target audience, or the first two C's won't matter.
Give customers ownership in your brand.
"In the final analysis, many companies just don't give customers the ability to feel they own the brand--not the product or service, but the brand," Webster says. "And in an increasingly automated society, brands that create an emotional relationship with customers stand to gain a great deal: loyalty, profits, brand ambassadors and even growth."
Webster cites two moves firms can make to increase customer loyalty through branding: 1) Develop "friendship branding"--thinking of your brand in a human way leads to increased customer trust and loyalty. 2) Create a club or online forum (a chat room or bulletin board) where customers can share ideas and application suggestions for your products.
Integrate design to create brand harmony.
"Companies need to understand and manage design to achieve maximum brand-building results," Hinzmann says. "From the design of their corporate identity to retail, web, packaging and products, design is the key that ties it all together." Design is the principal agent in communicating and supporting brand attributes, he says, but most companies understand this only as it relates to their corporate logos. "It goes far beyond that," he says, including the visual traits of print materials, web sites, advertising, packaging, trade show exhibits and workspace. "Consistency is key," Hinzmann says.
Hinzmann suggests gathering all materials clients see, then asking three questions: 1) Is my company proactive or reactive in regard to design? (By understanding the value of the design at the outset of an ad campaign, branding initiative or development program, you increase your ability to generate a consistent visual look.) 2) Does my company understand the visual expression of its brand message? (It should be different from that of your competitors.) 3) Is there a link between the people responsible for web, print, retail and product designs? (Cross-functional teams and a qualified design director can bring these disparate elements together.)
