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How To “Go Viral” And Increase Web Traffic By 1,000%

By on February 23, 2012 in Marketing, Photography with No Comments

Last year we were contacted by a small business that manufactured bulletproof clipboards for law enforcement and military use. We found their “tactical office supplies” fascinating, so we took on the job of promoting their products online.

Their budget was extremely tight and they wanted to use their existing photography and copy for the new website. The product photography we received just wasn’t acceptable, so we discussed their needs and came up with an economical photo shoot that would present their products in a better light.

The Answer To All Your Online Marketing Questions: “Make Better Content”

The photography we produced showed their products in a tactical, law enforcement setting and added a little touch of drama and excitement. Within weeks our product photos began popping up on websites everywhere. Web traffic that started as just a slow trickle of 10 to 12 people per day soon shot up over 2000, and peaked once with just over 10,000 viewers in a single day. Sales started coming in from around the world and the client had no idea why they were getting so much sudden attention.

Congratulations. You just went viral.

If It’s Worth Doing, It’s Worth Doing Right

Go the extra mile. If it worth doing, it’s worth doing right. If you have a product or service that you are truly passionate about, invest is quality copywriting, photography and graphic design that projects that passion and showcases your products and services as professionally as possible.

Who knows – That little extra effort might help you go viral and make you an overnight sensation.

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“Halftime In America” Super Bowl Commercial About Detroit’s Recovery Wasn’t Filmed In Detroit

By on February 7, 2012 in Business, Marketing with 1 Comment

Clint Eastwood starred in one of the most moving commercials of the 2012 Super Bowl. The ad known as “Halftime in America” is a Chrysler commercial in which Clint Eastwood growls about the recovery of the Detroit auto industry and the rebirth of American as we rise out of this horrible recession.

The funny thing about this “pro-Detroit” commercial is that fact that it wasn’t filmed in Detroit. It was “outsourced” to other cities. In fact, it was filmed in several cities, including New Orleans, Los Angeles and parts of Northern California, according to Chrysler spokeswoman Dianna Gutierrez.

She added that filming the commercial throughout the country was intentional.”This message was about the country as a whole,” she said. “It was important to showcase that breadth.”

I find it ironic that a commercial that is supposed to be about the rebirth of the “Motor City Economy” wasn’t even filmed on location. If the ad agency wouldn’t even do business there, why should their audience? This opens up a whole new discussion on truth-in-advertising.

We all expect honest facts about products and services in advertising, but when a company talks-the-talk but doesn’t walk-the-walk, it’s about as disappointing as when I learned that the “Auto Czar” tasked with rebuilding the American car industry drove a Japanese car.

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The Hottest Outdoor Brands To Watch In 2012

By on February 5, 2012 in Marketing with No Comments

While on assignment for Acadiana Outfitters, I was able to attend the Nations Best Sports (NBS) Spring Market in Fort Worth Texas last weekend. The NBS Market filled the Forth Worth Convention Center, wall-to-wall, with all of the hottest hunting, camping and outdoor gear that will be hitting the shelves of your favorite stores in 2012.

The outdoor industry is very strong this year and I took this opportunity to learn about several companies that are taking their product branding to the “next level.” Here are a few that stood above the crowd.

Yeti Coolers

Yeti has successfully taken a boring cooler, and made it into one of the hottest “must-have” items on every man’s birthday and Christmas wish list. With funny, unforgettable television commercials featuring beers failing to rip the coolers apart, to “hunting show celebrities” throwing them off a cliff, their advertising leaves nothing to the imagination. They clearly demonstrate that their product is indestructible. Yeti has also managed to endorse every major player in the outdoor industry, from fishing show legend Jose Wejebe to hunter Jim Shockey.

Banded

The Banded line of waterfowl products looks very promising for 2012. With a slick contemporary logo, great camo patterns, excellent calls and a very targeted product line designed exclusively for waterfowlers, banded is one to watch.

Vortex Optics

I enjoyed speaking with Booner Beck of Beck and Associates, the sales representation company handling Vortex at the show. I learned a lot about the outstanding quality that Vortex builds into every scope, binocular and optic they produce. Their outstanding website, product branding and endorsements make them a company that will dominate in 2012. Partnering with up-and-coming outdoor “rock star” Steven Rinella was a particularly brilliant move on their part.

Acadiana Outfitters

This retailer is one of Lousiana’s best kept secrets. For the last 10 years Acadiana Outfitter’s has been providing amazing products and customer service to sportsman in the New Iberia area. Acadiana Outfitters hired us to help polish their marketing efforts and bring them into the online community as a serious contender. With their vast inventory that rivals the big box stores, new online sites and social media efforts, and the superb personal service they offer every customer, Acadiana Outfitters will be seeing tremendous growth in 2012.

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Taking Back Your Country, Your Community, and Your Kids

By on October 5, 2010 in Print Design with No Comments

Taking Back Your Country, Your Community and Your Kids, is a new book by Texas State Representative Debbie Riddle, aimed at helping political activists understand the process of the Texas legislature and how work within this system to achieve their goals.

From a design standpoint, the book cover needed to express the traditional American values and principles that Representative Riddle stands for. The image of three young boys playing baseball, draped in the American flag symbolized everything that is great about our nation’s traditions and dreams. The bottom half of the design was created with 6 layers of parchment paper, cloth, and other textures to achieve just the right color for me to slip the subtle words of the US Constitution under the book title. If you look closely you can read “We the people…” just under the first words.

Representative Riddle’s book is now available at TakingBackYourCountry.com

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The Future Of Fundraising Is In The Palm Of Your Hand

By on July 30, 2010 in Marketing with No Comments

On Tuesday, January 12th 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake ripped through Haiti leaving only death and destruction behind. By January 24th at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded and the Haitian Government reported that an estimated 230,000 people had died, 300,000 had been injured and 1,000,000 made homeless.

The world came to the aid of Haiti almost instantly. The generosity of people, both in time and money, was incredible. While traditional relief efforts were under way, a new technology was helping people from all parts of the world to do their part to assist.

The Rise Of Mobile Donations

Smart phones are on the rise. iPhones, Blackberries and Droids are everywhere. Being “constantly connected” has opened up a new avenue for fundraisers to tap human generosity – Mobile donations.

Using mobile donation tools such as mGive, the earthquake relief effort was able to raise an astounding 37 million dollars using mobile phones to collect small donations through the users phone bill.

Collect Contributions While The Issue Is Fresh On The Donors Mind

The reason that mobile donations will become a major source of cash flow for many charitable organizations and political campaigns in the future is because of speed and convenience.

Imagine at every speaking event your organization or campaign attends, you are able to ask the attendants to pull the mobile phone from their pockets make a small contribution to your cause. No checks to write – No paperwork – No address to remember or write down in order to mail a contribution – No standing in line to swipe a credit card.

In sales training, people are taught to “close the deal” while the customer is emotionally involved. This is another reason that mobile fundraising will explode in the coming years. After you’ve delivered your message, your audience is more emotionally connected than ever and they are ready to give a mobile donation.

Mobile fundraising is currently limited to small dollar amounts, and can only used by non-profit campaigns and charities. Your goal with with any mobile donation campaign is to reach as many people as possible. These small contributions certainly add up and will provide a great supplement to your other fundraising efforts.

We are currently conducting research on several mobile donation providers and if you would like to discuss adding this service to your campaign or charity, please give us a call.

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