IWS

Red Means Stop on The Daily Show

Maura DeBartoli — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 21:32:45 +0000

Frank Hinds of the Red Means Stop Traffic Safety Alliance was interviewed by Olivia Munn. Watch it on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

We’d like to take this opportunity, to comment on this topic.
How hard can it be to obey the law, be a safe and responsible driver? Red light running and other distracted driving behavior continues to be a very serious problem throughout the United States… and Arizona.

Let’s strive for less sudden brake lights, less incidents, and more awareness. Thank you for your efforts, Frank. Keep it up. You can support Frank Hinds’ cause at www.redmeansstop.org

Providing Visibility in Ads

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 21:03:09 +0000

comScore, Inc. announced the introduction of the Ad Metrix Creative Summary report, which provides us with a detailed intelligence on the size, formats, and types of display ads being used.

“JPEG display ads lead the market with more than 42 percent of impressions in the U.S., while “leaderboard”-style banner ads (728 x 90 in dimension) were the most commonly viewed display ad by size.”

At IWS, we generally recommend the use of banner ads, blog ads, Google ads, and Facebook (JPEG) ads to help promote a Fan Page, brand, or website itself.

Because of the specifics allowed, brands can pinpoint an audience already interested. Such opportunities will too, encourage engagement and help bring you organic growth.

JPEGs accounted for 42.4 percent of ad impressions.

But wait… Currently, there are far less advertisers on Facebook, than there are struggling in the crowded Adwords space. So less competition, lower cost-per-click, more targeted… It’s a win-win. Where would YOUR eyes wander? What have you used for proven success?

The Pirate, the Deckhand & The Producer

Max Fose — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:58:05 +0000

Recently, we’ve added three new people to the IWS Team. Patricia Lapadula, who most recently spent three months on a pirate ship (Yes, a pirate ship). Her take-away? “If you’re not orderly, things descend into chaos very quickly.” Additionally, my nephew Zak Fose is a new team member, learning the IWS ropes this summer. Lastly but fantastically, Anastasia Trimble is a new member who shoots, edits and produces videos. On that note, check out the IWS Backstage Pass below.

Your Feat Defines Our Success

Maura DeBartoli — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:10:23 +0000

When developing an integrated online marketing strategy, we’re going to do it right and we’re going to do it differently.

Building a foundation means not only designing and building a website, but replicating the charisma in you, with content development.

Think you’ve got momentum? Our team has built communities of hundreds of thousands, and brought them together in joined efforts. We rev well.

One truth: Email marketing is still one of the most preferred outlets for candidacy, grassroots organizations, and nonprofits. IWS can check that box with confidence. Consistent donor success? Web applications? iPhone Apps? Check, check, and check.

Above all though, one of the most fun and attractive things IWS is fortunate enough to own is our 12 foot tall, 18 foot deep green screen. You can create whatever and be whoever you want with it!

Naturally, online video viewership has been growing exponentially year after year – just over 66 percent of users engage with video content online, and is projected to be just shy of 80 percent by 2014.

“This shift will be propelled by a combination of technology integration, demographics and a growing comfort level with the idea of watching video hosted on Websites,” says eMarketer’s senior analyst.

Our editorial and production team members are fantastically proficient at what they do, and will tailor it to you. Our gift is a backstage pass. Enjoy.

Watch For SEO Scammers and Do Not Overpay for SEO Services. Do It Yourself

Vic — Fri, 21 May 2010 22:59:28 +0000

Search Engine Optimization is something that can be very beneficial for most. Ironically, many small businesses and individuals with smaller websites do not consider search engine optimization as a viable option. This is understandable due to the fact that there are so many misconceptions about SEO. The industry is filled with Snake Oil salesman and it tends to get a bad rap. We have all heard of the offers to get your site to the top of the Search Engines in two weeks for a low monthly price of $30. Does that sound too good to be true? It is.

On the other hand, a thorough and well thought out campaign that targets on-site as well as off-site optimization can be costly. Most SEO firms charge heavily for their services and rightfully so as true search engine optimization can be resource intensive and time consuming.

So, what is the small business or individual to do? You don’t want to get caught in a scheme nor do you have the budget to pay for a huge campaign. Well, just because you are a small business does not mean your search engine presence has to be small. The best option for someone with a low budget is to do basic SEO in-house and try to make your website as search engine friendly as possible.

Here are the basics, and even some free resources to help you out:

Keyword Research
I cannot stress how important this is. Keyword research is the basis for your SEO campaign’s success. You are looking for “diamond in the rough” keywords. These are keywords that get a heavier search volume, yet they have relatively little competition. After finding the most significant keywords, half the battle is won. For guidance, follow this mini-guide below, and leverage the recommended tools.

Get to know your target market. How would they think? What would they search for? Compile a list.

Use keyword tools to determine relative search volumes and trends. A few great tools include:

Google Adwords
MSN AdCenter
Wordtracker

Take these new keywords and now check for competition
A quick search in Google or Yahoo to get a feel for the competition. Use quotes and/or brackets to view sites that are actually vying and competing for those exact keyword phrases. Why compete against the “800 lb gorilla”, when in certain instances merely making a keyword plural will give you more search volume and less competition.

Finalize your keyword list by taking the ones with higher volumes of search and less competition. This will essentially become your “word checklist” to be dispersed throughout your website.

Content
Search engines cannot survive without content, it is their food supply and they eat it up. Content is king with SEO. Utilizing the keywords you have just found through your keyword research you create new and unique content for your site. Another option is to “sprinkle” these keywords into existing content whenever possible.

Meta Tags
Even though meta tags are cliché and over-used, they are still an important factor in providing proper information about a web page to search engine spiders. If this were the fashion industry, the title tags would be the timeless classic. At a minimum, make sure that you have the proper title tags optimized with your keywords. The description meta tag is still relevant and something to consider.

W3C Validation
CSS and HTML should be formatted according to the W3C standards because many search engines cannot properly index a site that has serious HTML errors. Make sure that your site is properly built according to the most recent webs standards. To do this, you can use the W3C Validation Tool.

Sitemap Creation
Sitemaps help search engines spiders understand precisely what your site is about and the hierarchy of the web pages. It gives them a link structure to follow. If your current site does not automatically generate this, you can use this Free Online Google Sitemap Generator to create one yourself.

Search Engine submission
Once you have completed the aforementioned steps, the site should be ready to submit to the major search engines. Here are the links…

http://www.google.com/addurl.html

http://www.bing.com/docs/submit.aspx

http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/in/free/request

Web Analytics
Web analytics measure the behavior of visitors to a website. You can use these tools to validate your keyword research. Are your keywords climbing the engine rankings? Are they brining in new visitors? Most importantly, are they attracting visitors that convert? There are plenty of free web analytics software and services available to help you reap the fruits of your SEO labor. Google Analytics is one of the better tools.

The bottom line here is don’t fall for an SEO scam nor pay prices that you really cannot afford. Here are the essentials (hopefully provide value for you) with provided resources. If there’s something that I’ve missed here, or if you have any additional tips for readers, let us know your comments.

Figure Out Where You Are & Where You Want To Be

Maura DeBartoli — Fri, 07 May 2010 20:18:16 +0000

Analyze opportunity
Every business is different. With that, we know someone else’s success with an email target or some other undefined marketing tactic is not necessarily the foolproof recipe for you. What are your strengths? Where are there disconnects? A good Listening strategy will build a pretty solid roadmap and put things in perspective.

Lean is Key
The old Six Sigma methodology helps us understand process and process improvement. Although it has traditionally been used for operational improvement, the idea behind the lean methodology demonstrates potential for driving broad-based innovation, in today’s progressive industry.

We’re entrepreneurs, parents, web developers, business-owners, problem-solvers…
You see, everything we do has a process, and our outcome or performance of delivery, are all variables without solid processes. That’s it. How can you do things better?

Define opportunity and eliminate waste
Here’s a for instance – company A began seeing lower customer satisfaction ratings on a great line of products and began seeing complaints of missing pieces and that the product took too long for delivery. After careful analysis of the production process, it was decided that shipping costs, margin of error, and time could all be reduced if all production were done on-site instead. Ultimately identifying waste, led to quicker turn around, less error due to shipping, and happier customers.

This same strategy can be devised into more the progressive industry we talk about. Listening (the bulk of communication analysis) is for customer service, product management, and greater profit (whatever you happen to define as profit). Are your consumers looking for more takeaways or a higher level of satisfaction? Most importantly, what’s getting in your way of success and flawless deliverability? Get rid of it.

Refine the process and Implement solutions
Part of off all this chaos is a test for our ability to evolve and change. What worked and what didn’t? Did you take a risk and what were the implications? Even though we’re all different, sometimes it’s reassuring to see that someone else is doing what you want to do, especially if you or your company is a bit risk averse – look to case studies and develop your own.

Regardless of the company size, gravitating towards a leaner process of methodology can (and should) be used to eliminate waste for overall improvement! So… delve in, snoop for disconnects and draw conclusions.

What are your thoughts?
Leave a comment or talk to us on Twitter

Happy Anniversary, Make-A-Wish Foundation®

Maura DeBartoli — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 23:19:06 +0000

The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Arizona is the founding chapter of the international non-profit, and has been granting the wishes of children with life threatening diseases since 1980.

This year marks the 30th anniversary, and we are more than happy to be working with the local chapter, offering in-kind support, and celebrating their successes! Max Fose is a Board Member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation®, and has always believed in supporting non-profits.

In celebration of the foundation’s birthday, Max and the IWS team are giving their time and services to amplify community engagement – developing web applications and advertising assurance.

Max says, “…We all have a responsibility to give back. We’re fortunate enough to be in a position that we can.”

The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Arizona will continue the fulfillment of its mission for years to come. To all the children, the staff and volunteers… Happy 30th Anniversary.

IWS Launches We Build Arizona

Sarah Trees — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:13:51 +0000

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of launching WeBuildAz.org. The Web site was created to shed light on the importance of infrastructure in Arizona. We Build Arizona is a coalition that is committed to fighting for jobs and creating revenue within the state. Come check out what WeBuildAz.org has to offer!

Useful Links from the 2010 Politics Online Conference

Brian Michael — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:40:03 +0000

The Politics Online Conference was held on Monday and Tuesday of this week here in DC at the Washington Marriott. Each year The George Washington University’s Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet hosts this meeting of political technologists. Paul, Kelly and myself (and Heather from Virilion) attended several sessions and wanted to share with you a collection of useful links, tools and books mentioned throughout the day.

Tools

Twiangulate – Twitter tool for search, analytics and mapping of connections between Twitter friends and followers.

Townhall – Microsoft’s new out-of-the-box online toolkit for running political campaigns. Email me for the login for the demo.

Goodmail – creator of CertifiedEmail, helps get your emails delivered.

Varnish – a caching system to speed up your web site

Social Media Communities

Myspace Non Profit Page – a great resource for non-profits, and proof that MySpace is still relevant

Black Planet – “the largest Black community online” run by Interactive One

MiGente – “the largest Latino-American community online” run by Interactive One

Concepts

Augmented Reality – If you like your car’s GPS and your phone’s applications then you’re a fan of augmented reality.

Books

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect

The PayPal Wars: Battles With Ebay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth

Red Means Stop launches new site

Carrie Jeannot — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:11:47 +0000

Another site launched. IWS and Red Means Stop Traffic Safety Alliance have been working together over the past few months to help them re-purpose and re-design their site.

We have been working with the alliance to create a bolder more effective site to further bring awareness to the cause.

RMS users can read about how the Traffic Safety Alliance came about, learn about the laws, watch videos and have the ability to reach out to others for support or make a donation.

Visit www.redmeansstop.org today!