Or, Five Life-Saving Elements Your Web Site Needs

As most of us know, having a web site for your company is one of the most important parts of your marketing arsenal. But just having a web site does not necessarily mean it's working for you.

Most marketers are content with a functioning and reasonably up-to-date site. Don't get me wrong, that's quite a feat in itself. But there is so much more than you can do which won't tax your schedule or your budget. Read on to get acquainted with the five life-saving elements of a SMART web site.

1. Strategic SEO. If your sites has the pages it needs, but no site map or effectively written meta data, you're not sending enough of the critical information to the search engine "spiders" so they can rank your page properly. Make sure your description is concise but keyword-rich. Likewise make sure you cover all demographics when writing your keywords as well. And don't forget that site map!

2. Motion. This can be one of the most overlooked aspects of web design. If your design doesn't "lead" the viewer's eye (and mouse), you have a motion problem. You can lead people to where they need to go through color, typography and well-placed ads or motion graphics such as Flash or animated GIFs. Make sure you consult with your designer and have them do a "walk through" from your viewers' perspective.

3. Analytics. Technology is a wonderful thing. So is the server-side software that tracks your visitors as they navigate through your site. Make sure you know how to access your analytics and check them often, especially surrounding events or important campaigns.

4. Relevant content. Not only does the meta data need to be relevant to the site as a whole, but so does the page content. If you have a site about sharks and a page on buying a new car, the spiders may think you have a site that is not "legit."

5. Targeted design. Know thy market. One of the first commands of marketing is also one of the first commands of design. You must know who you are speaking to and design for that audience. Everything should work together as a cohesive whole...your logo, your color palette, typography and layout...all of it should send a clear message to the intended recipient.

Once you have these five elements under control, you'll begin to see major differences in the way people interact with to your site and react to it. With a healthy understanding of SMART web site marketing, you'll be well on your way to surpassing your marketing goals!

Don't have a SMART web site? Do you have a site you think is SMART but not SMART enough? No matter the situation, contact us today and we'll be happy to perform a FREE consultation to determine the effective of your site. Visit us online or call us today toll free at 866.731.7773.

Are you communicating to your target market as effectively as possible? Are you looking for a gateway to a whole new level of direct mail success? Announcing Matrix Plus^TM mailing program, new from Avant Garde Productions.

Targeted mailings are the best way to reach a specific audience. No credit company should be without a communications matrix that speaks clearly to that audience. If you need to penetrate more deeply into your target markets, our mailing program is perfect for you--regardless of your company's size.

With Matrix Plus^TM, we'll analyze your data and present you with a comprehensive communications program that will deliver your target market timely messages. We'll carefully craft direct mail letters to appeal to different demographics and arm them with compelling reasons to respond. Lastly, we'll pair the targeted messaging system to our eye-catching designs to make the direct mail pieces stand out from the rest of the crowd.

Don't sit and wonder if there's better ways of reaching your market-email us or call us today toll free at 866.731.7773 and let us help you increase your response rate.

If the answer is 'no,' read on. Hint: It's Might Have Something to do with How Search Engine Spiders Index Your Pages...

As technology improves and new methods of designing web sites are developed (think Flash-based sites and a host of Web 2.0 technologies), sometimes the basics get overlooked. If you're not careful, the HTML code your site is built upon could be "under optimized" and therefore passed over by search engine spiders. Because it's "in the background," HTML code can sometimes be the "red-headed stepchild" that's overlooked in lieu of cool graphics, built-in Flash or video players or even complex databases. The bottom line is that in order for your site to be properly analyzed and ranked, your HTML code must be up to par.

Here's a quick list of some common obstacles and solutions for how to work around them:

Obstacle 1: HTML Problems Can Prevent Indexing
Your web designer has created a beautiful page with nice graphics and great Flash animations. Unfortunately, it seems that search engines won’t list your website no matter what you do.

This can have several reasons:

1. The HTML Code Of Your Web Pages Is Meaningless To Search Engines
Search engines use very simple software programs to index your web pages. A web page that looks great to the human eye can be totally meaningless to search engines.

Search engines cannot see content presented in images (GIF, JPEG, PNG, etc.), Flash elements, JavaScript and other script languages or other multimedia file formats. If you use JavaScript links for your website navigation then search engines might not be able to find your website page.

Solution: Check your web pages with a search engine spider simulator. Spider simulators will show you how search engines see your web site.

Obstacle 2: The HTML Code Of Your Web Page Contains Errors
Some HTML errors can prevent search engine spiders from indexing your web pages. While most search engine spiders can deal with minor code errors, some of them will send faulty information to search engine spiders.

For example, your web page could contain a tag at the top of the page that tells search engines “the web page ends here” although your main content has not been reached.

Solution: Check the HTML code of your web pages with an HTML validator tool or a professional-grade HTML or text editor.

Obstacle 3: The HTML Code Of Your Web Pages Doesn’t Contain The Right Elements
If you want to get high rankings for a special keyword then this keyword must appear in the right places on your web page, especially in the body text. For example, it usually helps to use the keyword in the web page title.

Solution: Analyze your page with a professional-grade HTML or text editor and make sure the right keywords are mirrored in the page content.

If you want to get top rankings on Google and other search engines then you must make sure that search engines don’t misunderstand your pages. Use the tips above to make sure that search engines see what you want them to see.

If you have any questions or would like a complimentary consultation on how to optimize your web site to get the best page ranking, feel free to contact Avant Garde today.

What you need to know before you create your website!

In today's business world, ladies and gentlemen, a web presence is not optional, it is mandatory. It establishes or reinforces your brand and communicates to the world at large your corporate philosophy, identity and intent. For some, it is a vital part of your sales efforts. Regardless of the reasons for having a website, it is imperative that your website communicate clearly and effectively to your audience.

Wikipedia, the ferociously popular online encyclopedia, defines web development as "...incorporating all areas of creating a website for the World Wide Web. This includes web design (graphic design, XHTML, CSS, usability and semantics), programming, server administration, content management, marketing, testing and deployment. The term can also specifically be used to refer to the "back end", that is, programming and server administration. There are usually more than one member that works on a given Web Development team, each specializing in his or her own field."

More concisely put, web development is something you must consider when creating or re-designing a website. It is the plan of attack, the strategy and the bringing together of the professionals you need to design a site that carries your message and achieves your results. When putting together a web development team, ask yourself these questions: What is my main message? Am I selling a product or service? Am I offering information,a product or service or potentially both? These few simple questions will be the start of the process.

Make no mistake, web development is a process. The first step is clarifying your intentions. The next is figuring out how you want your audience to interact with you site. Consider these questions: Am I capturing my audience's information? Am I going to need a shopping cart? Am I using my site as a lead generator? This line of questioning will help you determine if your site needs a database or not.

You can also determine if you need multimedia components by thinking about the look of the site and what you are offering. Some questions to address are: Am I offering audio or video as previews or downloads on my site? What kind of interactivity do I want in terms of navigation or site structure? Do I want elements of my site to contain motion or video?

Web site development is indeed a large undertaking for companies of any size but can be accomplished with the right professionals. The usual suspects for creating sites are project managers (web development project lead), web designers, programmers and multimedia producers. Some professionals offer more than one service, so "doubling up" is not unheard of in this industry.

When you're considering creating a website, a roadmap is essential. So if you have any questions about how to assemble your roadmap or to staff your web development project with the right people, give Avant Garde Productions a call or drop us an email. We'll be glad to help get you on the right path!

Copyright 2006 Avant Garde Productions. Questions or comments? Contact us today.

How outsourcing some of your marketing needs can save your organization time, money and more than a few headaches.

"As a marketing manager, I found my staff overwhelmed at high volume work points during the year. My initial reaction was to hire another designer. Luckily, my CFO had the foresight to recommend outsourcing instead. It turned out to be the right course of action." --AGP Client

Whether you need marketing support, design or copywriting, there's more than just salary to compare when deciding whether to outsource or hire. At initial glance, it might appear that an outsourced designer, as compared to an in-house designer, is far more costly. But in reality, are you really comparing apples to apples?

In today's economy, the average workplace compensation package comes in at around $21,700. Keep in mind, this is an average, actual costs can be greater. This includes everything from a bare bones health plan (approx. $6,000), 401K, bonus plans and Employment Assistant Programs (EAP). What about work flow? Do you find that at certain times of the year your work flow is heavy, yet there are sometimes when it's just right? Bringing in marketing support at the right time can help balance out your work flow when you truly need it.

When benchmarked against a design firm with a median hourly rate of $95.00 an hour, here's what the numbers look like over the course of a fiscal year.





At first glance, when viewing the hourly rate by itself, it looks as if outsourcing is far more costly than hiring a new employee, but take a look at the bigger picture and you'll see exactly what the CFO saw, namely, that it's more cost effective to outsource work flow overages and save the cost of a new hire compensation package and salary.

If you think your organization might be a good candidate for outsourcing your marketing needs, such as graphic design or copywriting, please contact Avant Garde today!

Disclosures
Based upon a real world 2006-07 Avant Garde Productions client where high volume work flow periods accumulated to approximately 20 percent of the calendar year. Please note that departmental work flow will vary depending on your organization.

Sources: Federal Agency for Healthcare and Quality (AHRQ) Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS); AIGA Professional Association of Design; 2006 National Credit Union Salary and Compensation Survey; and 2006-07 AGP client.

Copyright 2006 Avant Garde Productions. Questions or comments? Contact us today.

Providing Visual Value to Your Organization

"My staff are already overloaded with their day-to-day work schedule. They often don't have the time to spend to properly research a product before developing its logo. Logo concepts should be well thought out, not rushed. We deserve better and so do our end users."--AGP Client

Your logo is the core of your organization or product's brand identity. It's important that it positively reflects the visual value of your organization as a whole or at a product level.

Before you get started on a new logo, whether it is created internally or outsourced, sit down and brain storm a list of consumer benefits of the product or organization along with two to three key feelings you want people to take away when they see it.

Your next step is to select a name using the benefit information from your brainstorming session. The product or organization name you select should not only reflect the benefits of your product, but it should also properly distinguish you from your competition, a fact often overlooked by many small to mid-size businesses.

Next, you want to set the mood or tone by selecting the proper use of color, font, placement and images for the design. Think about what feelings you want to convey. For example, did you want to create a mood of excitement for a new cutting edge product you have? If so, you may use bright colors, heavy contrast and sharp edges. On the contrary, if you want people walking away with a more relaxed feeling you could use neutral/pastel tones with little contrast and rounded edges. There are literally hundreds of variables to consider when creating a logo, so it's important that you use someone who knows effective design.

If it's time to create a new logo or breathe life into an existing logo, contact Avant Garde today!
Steps at a Glance

1. Brainstorm product/organization benefits and key take-away emotions
2. Select a name that properly reflects the benefits of your product/organization
3. Choose a color, font, image, and placement that reflects the tone of your product/organization

Copyright 2006 Avant Garde Productions. Questions or comments? Contact us today.

Hot Colors for 2007

Since colors can change their meaning and are essential in setting the tone of your message, it's important you are up-to-date on the hot colors and their definitions so you can effectively communicate your marketing message.

Colors can change their meaning depending on what's going on socially, what fashion is hot "right now," what the Desperate Housewives are wearing on television this week, or even the color trends car manufacturers dream up. For example, what comes to mind when you think of pink? Women's breast cancer, right? Or ever notice how one year it's all bold primary colors such as reds, blues, and yellows, and then the next year it's pastels. Just pick up a magazine or watch a little television and you'll see the media is often a trendsetter when it comes to deciding annual color palettes.


There are traditionally three colors that never change: black, white and metallics. Black is sophisticated and upscale, and according to Pantone, it's statistically shown that people will pay more money for packaging in black. White indicates purity and cleanliness while metallics attract the human eye because they mimic movement.

According to Pantone, red hot for 2007 are the brown, beige, and natural colors. The hot new green is emerald, representing preservation and ecology. Orange is back and no longer cheap, while pink is turning from innocent to serious. Other popular colors include yellow green, yellow, and peach. Use the chart below to be sure you are sending the right message to your clients and customers.

Now you're ready to get started on your color palettes for 2007. If you need any help with your hot designs for 2007, contact Avant Garde Productions today!

*It's noteworthy, that when using yellow text, outline it in black to improve your readability. However be careful, too much black with yellow means caution.

Copyright2006 Avant Garde Productions. Questions or comments? Contact us today.