Oxiem recently had the chance to work with Twenty First Century Communications, one of the nation’s largest mass text or notification providers in the world, on the launch of their newest product. AlertFirst is a mass notification system for businesses, organizations, teams and more. Oxiem had the opportunity to lead a comprehensive program including:

• Research, strategy and naming
• Logo & brand development
• Website design & development
• Promotional video
• Search marketing (SEO & SEM)
• Social media strategy
• Facebook application
• HubSpot landing page integration
• HTML email

Brand Development

Our team worked with TFCC to develop a name and brand identity that would stand out in the cluttered space. After exploring many name options, domain availability and passing the test of the legal department, we settled on “AlertFirst.”  As for overall identity, many of the competitors were either too techie or too playful. We wanted the identity to communicate simplicity and speed with a clean, professional image.

Website

Because the website will serve as a large lead funnel for AlertFirst, the overall user experience design was extremely important. Using our experience in SEO and lead generation, we designed the website to convert. Visitors are immediately presented with the opportunity to test a call or sign-up for 25 free credits. In addition, we’ve designed multiple PPC landing pages, which will be even more focused based on the searcher’s behavior.

Video

With the help of our talented friends at OnScene Productions we were able to create a video that captures all the possibilities of AlertFirst. This video will be utilized in multiple ways across multiple mediums.

AlertFirst from On Scene Digital Printing on Vimeo.

Make sure you check out AlertFirst. Who knows, you or a friend might have a reason to try it out. You can also follow AlertFirst on Twitter, Facebook or on their blog.

Some interesting facts:

Mobile:

Read more at the ThinkWithGoogle.com site: http://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/

So far they’ve done a nice job of constantly adding facts and insights. If they keep it up, I’ll be a daily visitor.

If you provide industrial services in Ohio, you’ve heard of fracking. If you’ve not heard of it, here you go.

What’s this got to do with search?

The search trends we’re seeing in exclusively the Cleveland and Columbus area are staggering. Take a look at the chart below. This is the number of searches for the term “fracking” that have taken place in Cleveland within the last 30 days. Searches for fracking have over doubled.

Why Should I Care?

If you provide any services that support this technology, you need to investigate a geo-targeted search campaign promoting your services. I’m thinking mechanical services, hydraulic services, mobile repair, lubricants, etc. If you’re not in the industrial services/supplies sector, you should also be thinking “what do guys out there doing this need day to day?”. Here we can get into mobile food services, lodging, and much much more.

Large, geo-centric spikes such as this one offer an incredible opportunity for those who are tuned in. We can help you monitor these signals and give you the intelligence you need to capitalize.

NFC is essentially Bluetooth without the pairing process. You could also say it’s two-way RFID. Yes, these are over-generalizations, so if you want more info, you know where to find it.

What do You Need to Know About NFC?

It’s going to enable more “wallet” technologies and enable quick and easy sharing of “light” data. It’s a relatively slow technology, so only suitable for transactional exchanges such as contact info, purchases, notifications, etc – but it’s real power will be in its “a stranger is just a friend I’ve never met” perspective on communications.

Cool Uses for NFC

Tagging deals at storefronts. You could have your deals setup as NFC tags and passers-by could wave their devices to see any deals you’re offering.  More sophisticated technology will emerge to allow you to see only deals that might interest you of course. No, I won’t be making the Minority Report reference, so you can stop watching for it.

Why Pay Attention Now?

I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing Near Field in the iPhone5. With this will come new apps that exploit the technology in ways we haven’t yet imagined. My suggestion – start imagining now.

It’s no trade secret by now that the keywords your company’s web content contains make a big impact on whether potential customers find your business online—and ultimately whether you generate sales from web leads. Are you in the practice of regularly reevaluating your keywords to make sure you’re driving the right audience to your website?

Here are some quick tips for improving your keyword selection to match the terms your potential customers are using on search engines. Ask yourself:

1.    What do we sell most?

Is there a specific model, style, design or brand that your company emphasizes? These could be important indicators to help you determine effective keywords. By pinpointing the products you sell in your keyword selection, you can eliminate the ones that are too broad.

Consider, for example, Aerospace Industry Company (AIC), which manufactures “Part-A.” Much of the content on AIC’s website is about airplanes, and when people search for “airplanes,” AIC ranks very high. However, we know that the vast majority of people who search for “airplanes” are not looking to buy Part-A. Instead, they may be looking to get an aviation license or read about aircraft history. Focusing on more specific keywords such as “Part-A” will help AIC rank higher in search engines for more relevant searches.

2.    What keywords are our competitors using?

Doing some Google, Bing or Yahoo searches for the products that your competitors sell can provide some insight into what keywords you may want to rank for (another good place to start is the free Google Keyword Tool). This reconnaissance-style research method can help you guard against another common keyword mistake—focusing on phrases that are too specific.

Here’s another example: The primary product manufactured by Electronics Engineering Company (EEC) is a motherboard called the “JLS-5 chip.”  Most of the content on EEC’s website refers to that part name, so when people search for the “JLS-5 chip,” EEC’s website comes up. However, most potential customers would simply search for “computer motherboard,” meaning that EEC should optimize their website to rank in search engines for the keyword that their potential customers are actually using.

3.    Has the terminology our customers are using changed?

Have your products or services changed? Or are you targeting a new market or geographic area where keyword search terms may be different? If so, your website keywords should reflect these changes. (Google Insights is a free tool that allows you to compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories and timeframes.)

Feeling overwhelmed? Oxiem Interactive can help you conduct advanced keyword research and site evaluation to help you determine exactly what keywords your company should be targeting in 2012. Contact us today for a free search marketing analysis. We look forward to helping you make 2012 a record sales year!

Responsive design is more a philosophy or a methodology than a “thing”. It’s the approach that says “I want to build my site & respresent my brand in a way that it just naturally looks great on all devices”. Responsive design places the responsibility on your agency to build interactive systems that adapt to the visitors medium.

What Does Responsive Design Look Like?

How do you know when you’re on a site that has been built using a responsive design approach? You’ll be able to tell in a few ways:

1. The URL of the site does not change based on the device you are using. This means that www.oxiem.com is your URL for the desktop and www.oxiem.com is the URL for the mobile version.
2. The images and layout adjust to reflect the device you are using. You may notice some images move or disappear entirely when you change devices. This is the site adjusting to your medium.
3. Menus may change based on your device. Certain types of content may not be appropriate for very small or very large devices. With responsive design we may limit menus to only display optimal navigation for the device being used.

What are the Benefits of Responsive Design?

Search Engine Friendliness. As companies realize the importance of responsive design for cleaner design and more deliberate treatment of their brand,  it’s becoming apparent that they overlook one of the most critical benefits of this display methodology – search engine friendliness. Without responsive design you may be accidentally duplicating content (mobile.oxiem.com/about-us.html vs www.oxiem.com/about-us.html). This can confuse the search engines and create a negative impact on your ability to rank well in the search engines. The beauty of responsive design is that the search engines do not need to make determinations as to the intent of your pages – you handle that by creating only ONE page and rendering it to fit the device requesting the page.

Treatment of your Brand. Often critical brand decisions are relegated to a technology person when it comes to the “mobile version” of a website. This is a risky approach. Sites should be designed with the common display types account for from the outset keeping the treatment of your brand in the hands of your marketing team rather than a technology-based decision made late in the game.

Not only allowing, but encouraging mobile use. Your site should encourage the use of mobile technologies. Too many sites today simply tolerate the use of mobile technologies. This is clearly not the direction to take. Mobile is becoming the new normal, and should be treated as such.

Allows your site to be device agnostic. This not only applies to mobile devices, but also to print, projector, screen readers, and other devices that may be getting too little attention. Responsive design says “Meet the visitor where they are – really”.

Don’t Be Late to the Party

Remember the old days of “This site is best displayed in Netscape Navigator 4x”? Saying “click here for the mobile version” or worse “click here for the full site” is rapidly becoming the new “best displayed in” faux pas. Start planning today to get all of your “versions” under one roof. We can help of course.

I see a lot of questions about selecting a good lead gen partner on LinkedIn and other business networking sites. Usually the responses are from folks in the business and they go something like this: “I can get you leads, email me now at someguy@someleadgenservice.com”. Nothing wrong with this at all, but I think most people are looking for the best way to evaluate a lead gen partner.

So let’s get into it.

1. Expect to spend some cash on each partner you try. I’d say that you’ll need to to set aside $2k to evaluate each partner. Why? Because you can’t learn what you need to learn from 5 leads. Depending on the type of leads you want and the price-point of your product, you’ll need lots of leads to do a fair assessment of the partner, and each lead comes at a price. I try to evaluate 400 leads before I make a judgement.

2. Do NOT get started with a lead gen company without checking out their references. Look on the BBB, call their references, and check out their client list. Since you will need to spend some money to evaluate them, you MUST do your homework first. I can tell you from experience that there are a lot of terrible leadgen companies out there making some wild but believable promises.

3. Start with the most inexpensive lead type. If you have a choice between “exclusive” and “shared” leads – go with shared. Remember, you’re just evaluating the leads in this first stage, so you don’t necessary need to land the work – you just want to see what sort of leads they will send. Trust me, if you find a quality lead gen partner, it’s worth the initial investment.

3. Understand the methodology the partner uses to acquire the leads. If it’s shady, move on. You don’t want to be associated with anything that might damage your reputation

4. Understand the guarantee. Generally lead gen companies speak in terms of “lead replacement”. If they guaranteed to replace “bad leads”, get the definition of a bad lead in writing. Usually a bad lead is a phone number that doesn’t answer or that is a wrong number. The better lead gen partners offer much more relief to the bad lead picture. I look for companies that are fair. In the first round of leads I reject a lot of leads to see how they react. The better partners offer replacement based on geo, category, ability to reach, and a small subjective factor (if you just hate the lead, the good ones will replace it – in moderation of course).

5. Understand the billing model.  Some of the shadier companies will continue to hit your credit card repeatedly until you complete some previously unknown step. Know exactly what you’re being charged and when. WATCH YOUR CARD STATEMENT.

6. Target local leads if possible. Your conversion rate is going to be better with folks you can connect with on any level. We have much better luck with Ohio leads than with Nebraska leads.

7. Ask for the typical close rate & price point. Every company I’ve worked with could tell me a typical close rate and price point of sale. This is critical for your early development of the leads.

8. Work with a partner in your niche if possible. Find a lead gen partner that specializes in your vertical. They are out there.

Please add your ideas, this could be a great resource for folks looking into this service

We’ve been asking marketing & sales managers the following question: ”What’s your top marketing goal in 2012?”

The most popular response? “Drastically increase the number of leads we receive from our website.” Sound familiar? As you start to see more and more potential sales opportunities from your website it’s common to wonder, “How can I get more?”

3 ways to increase your web leads in 2012

1. EXPLORE
Try a new marketing method and put the measurement tools in place.

Raise Awareness With Remarketing
Set up a display ad campaign in Google using their remarketing system. This causes your ad to display much more than your competitors’ ads when the visitor has been to your site in the past. This is a great tool to raise awareness about your brand.

Keyword “Tasting”
Set up a landing page and try 5 keywords. Change the 5 keywords each week. Only run your campaign during business hours. Utilize Google’s keyword tool to help you identify some great keywords to test. Watch your analytics closely to determine which keywords work the best.

2. Measure
One of the strengths of search marketing is its extreme measurability. Beef up your tracking in 2012 so you know exactly what’s working.

Measure URLs & Phone Numbers
You can easily measure your campaigns using Google Analytics and Google’s URL builder for creating tracking URLs. For phone calls, we suggest IfByPhone. The URL builder is free, and IfByPhone is fast to set up and very inexpensive.

Multivariate Landing Page Testing
Design multiple landing pages (we suggest using UnBounce to help). Utilize different imagery, messaging and offers on each. Split the traffic evenly between the two and identify which elements work the best. Then, utilize those elements throughout your entire campaign!

3. Adjust
The key to a high-performing search marketing campaign is to be constantly tweaking activities based on the large amount of data received.

Use SEO & SEM Together
Once you identify which keywords work best in the SEM environment, take those keywords and optimize your website for them. Publish new articles, update content pages and write press releases integrating your newly discovered keywords.

Make Your Design Work
Don’t be afraid to adjust some of the design elements of your website based on what you’ve learned from your search activities. Simplify pages, highlight conversions, change images and continue to evolve your design.

What are you planning to do in 2012 that will increase your web leads in 2012?

The Sunshine Review, a national nonprofit organization working to encourage open government and public oversight, judged more than 1,560 school district websites across the nation on information transparency and accessibility.
Our key client contact and content champion, Melissa Fowler, Communications Specialist and Webmaster with Dayton Public Schools, deserves a boatload of accolades for her tenacious approach to keeping the district informed through fresh, relevant web content.

The Oxiem/DPS relationship began more than a year ago, when Oxiem undertook the project of designing and developing the district and individual school site system. Built on our proprietary O2 Content Management System, every web feature is designed to make sharing information with staff, students, parents and public as quick and seamless as possible.

What’s O2? It’s Oxiem’s Content Management System that allows our clients to manage their websites with total control. DPS chose Oxiem for the job when they understood how O2’s simple interface and powerful organizing and monitoring features could help the district communicate effectively with all of their audiences.
“One of our top priorities in creating and maintaining this website has been to provide as much information as possible for families and other users. Thanks to Oxiem’s terrific content management system, it’s been an easy process to keep our site updated and fresh. We’re also thankful for the terrific Oxiem staff, who are always wonderful to work with and on top of any concerns or additional development ideas we have,” said Melissa Fowler of DPS.

Read the full Dayton Daily News story about the award.

In the category of Best Website, our work on the Superior Beverage Group website redesign won top honors. This was a really great project for us not only because of the beer, but because of all the really cool bells and whistles included in the site. Check out the “Get Social” section for a taste.

Also a winner was our most recent work for Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, including the Ohio Hi-Point Pathfinder interactive experience and Hi-Point Commons, a private-but-still-social student intranet (so members-only that we can’t even show you it live!). The quiz and resulting Pathfinder career display page is powered by content streaming from the student-authored and previously awarded Hi-Point Journeys collaborative blog.

This series of web properties and online campaigns won for Best Online Marketing and was recognized as one of the top three entries in the overall Online Marketing category! Our work for Ohio Hi-Point is a consistent award winner, thanks to a great partnership with the leaders of that organization. A big shout out to Shane Haggerty of Great Heights (and our former client at Hi-Point) as well as Tom Williams of Innogage , whose InnoBlogs platform helps fuel the Hi-Point blogging program.

Thanks to our wonderful clients for the opportunity to do great work!