Filed under: Richard | Tags: daily candy, e-newsletter, email newsletter
If you’re considering creating an email newsletter, take a look at the images above. They are both of the same e-newsletter from Daily Candy. The one on the left is without the graphics and the one on the right is with the graphics filled in. What is important to note is that the construction of a newsletter takes various forms. As the name implies, the candy or the graphics, are what make up this popular newsletter and the text, likely the part that is less interchangeable, is the part that people read and react to.
Early versions of Daily Candy were more simplified than this layout. That simply translates into something easier to put together. Though pomp and circumstance is a nice touch, it will take more time to produce it. Not only are many of Daily Candy’s graphics illustrated, but they are also graphically prepared for web layout (i.e. put into drop shadow frames, tilted, etc).
Beginners to email newsletters and those with limited time or resources should focus on the meat and potatoes, the written content of your newsletter that will pique the interest of those who receive it. Add a graphical masthead, keep it short and sweet and you’ll have more subcribers than unsubscribers.
Cheers,
Richard
If you have any questions regarding this and other email topics, please send me an email at brains@bfdny.com
Regardless of your political sway, this video exemplifies the power of blogging. Since, we’re finding that for some the use of the word blog is status quo and for others it is another piece of jargon, just know that using a blog, as we’ve been suggesting for some time now, is an excellent way of spreading a message farther than you think. Just watch the video and see…
Cheers,
Richard
Filed under: Joanne | Tags: BFD, Brains Function Design, interactive agency, Joanne Meurer, new media, new technolog, web based business
We have all heard that saying before, such a cliché, an overused statement said so often, we are numb to it’s meaning.
But in difficult times, we all have to make decisions about how to move forward, and there are only 2 ways to go, either fail or adapt. Seems clear to me. I choose the latter. So what can we do? We all have to continue to attract new customers or clients, we still have to stay on point, and inevitably we need to become more efficient.
Now, I want to share with you what I heard from 3 businesses I met with this week. In each case I heard one form of “ We don’t really use our web site to sell or it’s just up there so people know who we are” and my only reply was WHAT?
So I asked, “Do you know who is visiting your site?” “Do you know how long they stay on any one page?” “Do you ask anything of people when they get there?” “Are you collecting any information from you visitors so you can continue to market to them later on, are blogging yet?
In every case, and with every question I got the same blind stare. Welcome to the re-education of web based business. As much as we have become an online culture there are still many who don’t understand the power that lies in the creation of a great web site.
We have talked before about the difference between creating an online brochure and creating a truly functional tool that allows you to do real business on the web. This can be anything from, ordering online, booking appointments, creating intuitive forms, and beyond. All packaged up with great design.
A great web site should collect data you can use to make decisions about where you are. Blogging gives you the opportunity to find out what your visitors think of you on your terms and this information can help you make informed decisions moving forward.
I say, this a great way to adapt and I suggest that all of you take a look at your site in a new way. If you read the statements above and you answered no to any of the things listed then you’re missing out on valuable information you need to sell more effectively.
So think about it and make the right changes. This is one thing the tough can do to keep on going.
Surfing the web is no different than driving a car. As you navigate the busy streets, you occasionally look at your dashboard to compare what is going on outside of the car with what your GPS, for example, might be offering (usually the wrong directions). When surfing the web, you should have installed the very handy Google Toolbar (download it). The toolbar is compatible with Mac and Windows, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox so there are no excuses for not having it.
One of the features that I use when either performing a search engine analysis on a site or to ensure that the sites I am perusing are popular is to take a look at the PageRank indicator along my Google toolbar.
The PageRank is a number value from 0 to 10 that expresses the old adage “it’s not who you know but who knows you.” Sites like Amazon and YouTube have a high PageRank of 9 out of 10. This is because they are so popular and linked to by many other websites.
As a web surfer, you can use PageRank to help you find sites that are popular especially when surfing in a realm you are not too familiar with. For example, suppose you were researching MySpace layouts. You would go to Google and search for “myspace layouts” and you’d get 40 million results. Though you will likely not go past the first page of results, you may not be able to qualify one site from another. That’s where looking at the PageRank for each site will help you determine popularity or relative permanence. A site with a PageRank of 3 means that the site’s been around for a number of years. A higher PageRank would indicate global popularity.
Happy surfing!
Aloha,
Richard
Filed under: Joanne | Tags: BFD, Brains Function Design, Branding, Joanne Meurer, Web Development
I recently attended a seminar called “Accidental Branding” at NYU. It was amazing, hearing the stories of ordinary people such as Roxanne Quimby, of Burt’s Bees, and Craig Newmark from Craigslist because they were inspiring to say the least. The book “Accidental Branding” by David Vinjamuri goes into more detail, but it was incredible to hear their stories first hand.
I left the seminar thinking about our company, Brains Function Design, we are after all, in the business of building brands, and we are really into innovation and technology. In fact our company is built entirely on the pretense that we can compete with and win against larger companies and bigger brands.
The book refers to RULE #2 – Pick a fight!
In the “Accidental Branding” world, they say that one of the reasons why these companies succeed is because they challenged conventional wisdom and decided against the status quo, much in the way that Apple did with IBM and continues to do with Microsoft.
That is one thing I can say about BFD.
RULE #2 is a rule we will never break.
We believe in the challenge not just to push the envelope, but tear it wide open.
What’s in development right now is designed to do just that and I am really looking forward to telling you more so stay tuned.
Filed under: Joanne | Tags: BFD, Brains Function Design, Joanne Meurer, Web Design
When you decide to work with BFD, you are taking part in a journey that starts with a “Think Tank” session and ends with “life after launch” (more on that later), and with so many things to think about, it’s easy to lose track of the ONE thing that will really make a difference when someone visits your site.
DESIGN.
Good design is compelling, it attracts, even if it does so in subtle ways. Great design tells the world your serious about who you are and what you look like and it paves the way for the entire web experience.
The creative staff at Brains understands the design process, and we work through it with you, we believe that our attention to detail is part of the Big F’ in difference.
Filed under: Richard | Tags: Richard Lee BFD brains function design web eductation
The Website Think Guy is the person you turn to for everything related to your website and how to bring in more traffic. Or how to show up better on search engine result pages. Or what you need to be doing and thinking to grow your business online. It’s all the same. That’s because search engine optimization begins and ends with your website. Let me educate you!
(~), /R/
Filed under: Joanne
There’s NOTHING better than being part of a great team. In case you haven’t heard, the talented team at BFD, led by Richard Lee has come up with another great idea. It’s called “CASCAIDE”, and it’s a great gift for the web searcher in you. You can check it out at: www.cascaide.org.
On another note we are continuing our effort to share with the business community and are launching an on-line seminar series. Look for our class on, “How to Design and Build Your Unique Brand” and “Marketing Collateral 101”, to be launched in the spring.
Details to be sent out in the next version of the BFD newsletter. For more information please e-mail us at: brains@bfdny.com
Filed under: Richard
Web 2.0 outlines the next chapter in building websites. Though it does not recognize any technical specifications to accomplish this, it is all about developing websites that transcend what we have come to know a website to be for the past decade. Instead, websites are transforming into web-based applications that encourage collaboration between your clients and yourselves and make things happen a lot faster and more automatic. We build these sites from scratch and can retrofit your existing one to grow your business online!
Filed under: Joanne
One of the coolest things about being a small business is that you don’t have to operate like a big one.
Isn’t that great?
Initially you make not think so, in fact you might even think that the size of your company could even put you at a disadvantage but I am here to tell you that your absolutely wrong, especially when it comes to marketing your business.
Let us take a look at the advantages.
Small business can typically make innovative decisions much faster than a larger company whose bureaucracy and multiple layers make it impossible to move quickly. So you can take advantage of the ability to change quickly if necessary.
Small businesses can be flexible with their campaigns and use technology along with traditional marketing to create opportunities rather than expect things to happen as a result of big budget advertising. Getting down and dirty and using every available means to become more visible can get you noticed, and many of these methods are cost effective.
The use of web in this equation is critical. You can create any message you want, but most importantly you can gather the information you need from your visitors.
Why does this help? Well, when you know what they are looking for you can adapt. Driving traffic to your site should become your primary objective. That is where great things happen and when you focus on this you will be surprised at the results.
Stay tuned.
