So, you’ve recently launched a website and you’re satisfied that business seems to be going about as usual, right? Wrong! Isn’t the whole point of a website to generate a larger consumer market? Business should be more then just usual. Your website, like any successful business, should continue to evolve. The launch of your website does not mean it’s finished—it is only beginning.

At envisionit media, our goal is to create a website that successfully interacts with your customers and clients. Your website must continue to evolve to complement its market. And one product that helps us achieve this goal is Clicktale.

Clicktale takes the world of web analytics to a whole new level. Originally, data that was gathered on consumer interaction with a website was limited to the amount of time a viewer spent from one page to the next. Clicktale has revolutionized how data is gathered by offering specific information about a viewer’s interaction within a webpage itself.

Clicktale is an expert data collection tool that we can apply to the websites we create and host. It works by recording a viewer’s mouse as the viewer interacts with the webpage. It then generates data on the viewer’s hovering and clicks in the forms of charts, graphs, maps and videos. We then analyze the data to track the flow of a website. What does the flow of a website mean? Think of the way you interact with any website: Sometimes you click on a link, sometimes you hover on a spot while reading, and sometimes you don’t scroll all the way down the page. Each of these interactions make up the flow of a website, and ultimately its success. By monitoring the flow we can determine what information is being overlooked and what information is attracting viewers.

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The other week a few members of our team participated in Windy City Social ‘s Fall Marketing Challenge. This year the challenge included notable ‘clients’ such as General Motors, Southwest Airlines and the Special Olympics. Attendees worked in teams of eight individuals to solve one of three marketing challenges presented by each client. Solutions ranged from social media strategy, web initiatives, and complete marketing plans.

The envisionit team took on General Motors’ Buick LaCrosse marketing case (in hopes that a free car was the grand prize…sadly, it was not). The Buick Team asked for ideas on generating a younger consumer audience to buy a Buick LaCrosse. Buick’s current image as an “old man car” is problematic, preventing its appeal to a wider demographic or generating sales. The following campaign was developed by envisionit media members and their team.

Buick Team Solution: A two-stage plan that focused on the experience of the Buick Lacrosse. To combat Buick’s image problem, the team created a ‘Tease and Reveal’ campaign. This would allow consumers to experience the vehicle first and then be pleasantly surprised it is a Buick.

Stage 1:
Execute a Teaser campaign (on and offline) that features the styling of the Buick LaCrosse without revealing brand name to build consumer buzz. Objective was to attract people with the impressive style and features of the car, without preset bias towards the Buick name.

Buick would then host ‘blind’ test drives at targeted public areas such as beaches, ski resorts, sports events, etc. Customers would experience the vehicle without the knowledge of brand. Customers would then simply be presented with a card that features a photo of the vehicle and the URL “www.whereisittakingyou.com”. Upon visiting the website, consumers learn that the wonderful experience came from Buick, and can participate with a “Where is it taking you?” social media campaign.

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According to a recent report from Pew Internet and American Life Project, a steady influx of adult users is flocking to social networking sites. The research group says that approximately 35% of online adults now have at least one profile on a social networking site. This number has quadrupled since February 2005, when it was only 8%.

While young adults and teenagers still outnumber adults 2-1 on these websites, adults still make up the bulk of the users. How does that add up you ask? Well adults make up a larger proportion of the U.S. population than teens, so the 35% represents a larger number of users than the 65% of online teens who use social networks. More importantly what this really means is that social networking sites have grown up.

MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook are no longer just sites for teenagers and college-aged kids to post information and meet but rather it is a forum for the entire public to interact with one another and share information. I remember when you had to belong to a valid high school or college network to join Facebook. However, in 2006 Facebook was opened to the public and allowed people of all ages to register. In the two and a half year span since, according to NetPop research, social networking sites have grown over 93% and Facebook has grown 500%.

Not Mixing Business with Pleasure

Oppose to professional sites like LinkedIn, adult users are networking on the aforementioned sites for personal reasons. The same report from Pew Internet says that 89% of respondents are on to keep up with friends and family, 57% to make plans with friends, and 49% to make new friends. Small cohorts of friends are using social networks to organize events, plan parties, or just share pictures and messages with each other.

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Last week a few of us made our way over to Windy City Social’s Marketing Challenge pre-party. Windy City Social hosts this challenge each year, where WCS members are invited to work in teams developing social media plans for participating clients. Clients then review the proposed plans and pick a winning team. Last year, our client Imerman Angels was a participating organization. Above is our favorite action photo of Jonny Imerman raving about the event’s results.

This year’s marketing challenge will be held on Wednesday, November 18th and feature clients such as the Special Olympics, General Motors and Southwest Airlines. envisionit will definitely be ‘representing’ this Wednesday! Go team! Hopefully you win the car that GM promised….

My friend recently showed me a tweet by a congressman who used “u” and “lol” in one of his posts on Twitter. My first thought was, does this thread really warrant the Congressman “laughing out loud”? But then I thought that using the aforementioned short hand made him look immature and stupid. So I pose the question, does text-messaging short hand have a place in the business world?

I can’t remember the last time that I’ve used the actual words “you” or “I don’t know” in a text but when it comes to working with teachers, employers, or other professionals it is not the time nor the place for that type of lingo. Posting on Facebook or Twitter for recreational use is one thing, but for business I would say it’s a major no-no! And if you’re a public figure, you might not know who is reading your post, so this bit of advice goes 2U2

The whole point of using social media as a professional business tool is to better help you grow and spread your professional brand. While this can and should be done with a variety of social networking platforms, LinkedIn has become the most effective and far-reaching professional application.

With over 43 million members in over 200 countries, LinkedIn represents 170 different industries and helps businesses accomplish their goals. Whether you’re a job seeker, entrepreneur, consultant, or a business looking to create buzz, LinkedIn gives you an advantage in your career, and can be one of your most valuable assets.

The key then, is knowing how to successfully use LinkedIn to create and market your professional brand. The major difference between other social networks such as Facebook and Twitter is that LinkedIn is not instantaneous. Your long-term upkeep is much less but for it to be a valuable piece of the social media puzzle, your profile needs to be updated, error-free, and effective.

Using LinkedIn for your overall business strategy and building up your individual brand image is essentially the same. No matter your goals, LinkedIn is at its best when you build contacts, network, and interact with other business professionals.

Most LinkedIn users are probably already doing many of the necessary things to strengthen their brand, but for those that are not, here are five easy ways to build your brand through LinkedIn:

1.    Make Yourself Accessible—If you don’t have a visible presence on LinkedIn, then it’s really of no use to you. To really be a helpful social network you want to make yourself accessible to others as an integral part of the overall network. There are a few easy ways to do this. The easiest way is to create a custom URL and then promote it by adding it to your signature in e-mails or including it on resumes, blogs, or other works. This way colleagues, friends, and potential clients can easily access your profile.

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This week one of our very own, Michael K., received a coveted invite to try out the new Google Wave. Now, Michael was not expecting the techie angels to be looking down on him and bestowing such a gift. But ever since, his step has had more spring and he’s been idolized by our interactive team. Now if he could only figure out how to use Google Wave, he might have something going!

Ok, I admit it … I was around gleefully watching tv when there were only (gasp) three networks. No that isn’t a typo. Marketers had it so easy then. Write a clever slogan or maybe a catchy jingle. Run a 30 second ad and you could reach 70 percent of the viewing audience. But of course nothing is more constant then change and that applies to marketing as well.

Today consumers are bombarded with advertising messages in a non-stop blitz to get their attention. Add to that the fact that consumers are in complete control of their own media. From Tivo to iPhones and everything in between.

In order to successfully communicate to your audience today you will need to accept a few things:

1. Times have changed.
   And guess what … they are never coming back. Get over it. Times change and you have to change your thinking (and marketing) to adapt, or better yet, lead. Period.
2. People talk.
   And not just neighbors and friends. Everybody. From forums and chat rooms to review sites and beyond. The amount of conversation happening is staggering. There are leaders and followers. One moment can reverberate around the world almost immediately.
3. Interactive drives business global.
   That includes your competition. Businesses today have unprecedented access to consumers across the globe. Which of course means more competition to you.

So what does this mean to you? What can you do to adapt? In the constant struggle for consumer attention there are certain things that remain constant:

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We are pleased to announce the launch of a new website design for IncredibleEgg.org, the home of the incredible edible egg!

The new website design includes a much needed cosmetic improvement, which is better aligned with the other incredible! branded elements across all media including TV, print and banner ads. This new website also includes enhanced navigation and usability features. envisionit media also has equipped the site with a fully customized and user-friendly content management system (CMS). This improvement allows the American Egg Board the ability to make changes, updates and additions with ease while still maintaining the consistent design applied throughout the entire website.

The highlight of the egg board’s site is the recipe section, a customized recipe solution developed by envisionit, which launched in April 2009. It’s a great resource for healthy (and not-so-healthy) and delicious recipes for the entire family!

Check it out!  IncredibleEgg.org

We wanted to extend a special congratulations to our client Michael Binstein as well as Binny’s on their recent acquisition of Sam’s! All of us here at envisionit media wish you and the company much continued success. Cheers!