Connecting with your Social Media Audience

Posted on June 26, 2012 by meghan

If I were a company, why would I use social media? Is it just for the free publicity? This is an issue that many companies struggle with. While the free publicity is a big part of using Facebook, Twitter, etc., it can’t stop there. Social media should really be used for connecting with your audience. This means giving your brand a personality and a voice – something your customers can sense and feel the way they would while interacting with another person.

Tips:

Be responsive. I cannot stress this enough. Social media is about engaging your followers in conversation. Ask them questions, then respond to their answers. Never, ever forget to answer their questions – it might just be because you didn’t have time or it was simply overlooked, but to them it looks like you just don’t care about your customers’ concerns.
Cover all social media platforms. Different people respond better to different forms of communication. Don’t forget to be present and active on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and even YouTube if it applies to your business.
Share outside content when appropriate. Find an interesting article relating to your industry? Go ahead and share it with your followers! Chances are, they will find it interesting too and share it with their friends, giving you more exposure.
Self-promote sparingly. Of course the number one goal of your social media profiles is to promote your business. However, you should only do this a handful of times a day, and try to make it subtle and clever. Nothing is more annoying that a company blowing up my Twitter feed with 15 tweets about why they’re the best at what they do.
Know your voice. Every company has an image that they want to project to their customers. This is traditionally done through customer service and branding. Make sure that same voice is carried over to your social media platforms! The tone should be professional and free of grammatical errors, and also very friendly.

Whether you like it or not, social media is very much a part of every day life. What happens on Facebook carries over into business and personal decisions. A not-so-great interaction with a client on Twitter can lead to a loss of business. The opposite is also true, “befriending” a potential customer over an exchange of Facebook comments could secure a deal. While some people still view social media as a hinderance to personal communication, the fact of the matter is that it’s here to stay, so use it to your advantage!

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What Captain Jack Sparrow Can Teach Us About Public Relations

Posted on June 22, 2012 by krwatson

“The only rules that really matter are these: what a man can do and what a man can’t do.” – Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Jack wasn’t referring to Public Relations, but this idea easily applies. I recently spoke with a Career Services professional at a local university who was surprised that I do not require applicants in my department to have a related degree.

Why? I have a Bachelor of Arts in German, not Ad / PR. From what I have learned, most universities teach press release templates and that’s about it. They don’t stress the importance of being responsive, creative, helpful, and a good writer. In my opinion, personality beats out experience every day of the week. If I interviewed Applicant A, who has a degree in Public Relations but isn’t personable or a good writer, and Applicant B, a Theatre major with a sparkly personality who happens to be a great writer, Applicant B would get the job, hands down.

We are seeking driven people who understand our brand and have the vision to take Anchor far. Experience and a portfolio certainly won’t hurt, but it’s not the only thing that matters to us. We recognize that spark, that something special in individuals that makes them outstanding creatives. It doesn’t matter what you have done. It matters what you can do. So the question is: What can you do?

Follow me on Twitter! @krwatson

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Pinterest: Not Just a Hobby

Posted on June 20, 2012 by hayley

For those of you who have not caught on, Pinterest is a platform through which people can share images and visual content by pinning them to a board that others can then look at and share on their page by ‘repinning’. When my boss first told me that I would be pinning things for our clients, I was a bit shocked and even had to ask her how to use it. Although most people would assume that as a 21-year-old female I would be an expert at Pinterest, I had never used it. The truth is that, like a lot of companies and businesses, I was stuck in my old ways of Facebook and Twitter.

For the past year, I have stereotyped Pinterest as a typical girly pastime, but now that I have had the chance to use it and see what it can do, I think it is necessary for any visual company to have their own account. If a business can not only interact with their clients in a fun and entertaining way and represent their brand uniquely, why not embrace it?

Just like any social media outlet, there is strategy behind what is pinned for a business. Here are some of the tips and tricks that I have figured out:

Know what your target audience is pinning and what they are interested in
Always source to give photo credit
Pin regularly
Use detailed descriptions on your images with key words
Comment on and like other pins
Remember you can create “fresh” content with pictures of your own
Ask followers to pin with you on your website and other social media sites too
Generate awareness
Research what other companies in your field are pinning
Include links on pins that lead back to a landing page or your home page

Do you follow any of your favorite businesses on Pinterest? Do you enjoy their pins or not?

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Search Engine Optimization for Web Developers

Posted on June 15, 2012 by marnold

SEO for web developers

One aspect that is often overlooked during development is Search Engine Optimization. Use these basic tips to help kick start your SEO efforts.

1. Simplify Your HTML and Keep a Structure
Well written code allows search engines to index your pages easily. Make sure to use the correct tags for titles, lists and paragraphs. The information should be presented hierarchically; pages should be using all six heading tags if possible.

2. Take Advantage of Attributes
The alt and title attributes should be used on images and links. Since search engines cannot see images, an alt tag contains details of what the picture is about. The same practice should be used for links with title tags.

3. Try To Avoid Frames
Not only do frames make your website load slower, they are also more difficult for search engines to crawl. If you must use frames, make sure there is a descriptive title attribute.

4. Check For Broken Images and Links
Check your pages for broken images and links; make sure the images exist and the paths are correct. Not only is this frustrating for your users, search engines penalize sites with too many broken links.

These basic SEO tips can help optimize your site for search engines and increase your page rank.

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There’s no “I” in Film.

Posted on June 12, 2012 by randerson

POP QUIZ! What do you think is the most important part of making a video?

A) the writers B) the actors C)The director D)the editors? or E) All of The Above

If you answered E, congratulations you win!

I have worked on a variety of productions and the ones that have gone well are the ones where everyone has worked well together. No one tried to pull rank on another crew member, no actors demanded room temperature water, everyone had the same goal in mind. Making a great video.

The video is the most important aspect of making a video.

No matter who is involved the most important thing is the video getting made. Whether it be a film, tv show, or comemrcial the end product is what matters most.

It always slows down the production when anyone involved with the video makes the whole thing about them and not the project. If you’re working for the best interest of yourself, then you’re working AGAINST the project. That’s how you end up going over time, over budget and oftentimes fired.

Video projects, and most things in life, work better when people work together. Don’t you think?

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Fort Worth Web Design: Professional Web Design

Posted on June 8, 2012 by bcaldwell

If you have never gone through the process, I’ll tell you right now that choosing the right web designer can be an overwhelming process. Just a quick google search for “Fort Worth Web Design” will pull 3.5 million results. Google and other search engines make it easy to find a web designer, but do they make it easy to find the right web designer for your business? This blog should help you measure how to find the web design agency that best fits your needs.

Location – Consider what is important to you in regards to the location of your web design agency. Do you need to be face to face with your agency on a regular basis or can you rely on skype, phone calls, and traveling to meetings? Although Anchor is a Fort Worth based web design agency, we have clients all over the globe and enjoy traveling to them.

Relationship – It is really important that you mesh well with your web design agency. Some people “get it” and others don’t. Make a point to meet with, or get on the phone with, the agency prior to making the hire. Your new website is very important to your business, make sure that it is equally important to your web design agency so that you get the quality of work that you deserve.

Aesthetics (of THEIR website first) – Even in a quick search for “Fort Worth Web Design”, you can see that there are many web designers out there who do not put much effort into their own web sites. In my opinion, the argument of “we focus on our clients so we don’t have time for our own website” doesn’t hold water. It tells you two things: 1. This is a web design agency that is unorganized with their time and 2. They are likely going to put the same effort into your web site that they are putting into their own.

Web Copy – In line with looking at web agency websites, keep a close eye on their web copy. If they have grammatical errors on their site, you can expect that you will have them on yours too. Be prepared to write 100% of the copy and review it thoroughly prior to launching to the public.

Price – Let’s go ahead and get this out of the way. Websites can be expensive, especially large websites. Most web design agencies will not list their prices online, but will have a form where you can request a quote be sent to you. From a consumer standpoint, you would love to see what websites cost to get an idea of where you need to place your budget. From a web agency standpoint, you don’t want to list your prices because it is important (and I cannot emphasize this enough) to get to know your business and the goals you have for the new website prior to making any kind of bid. Anchor believes strongly in the phrase “you don’t know what you don’t know” – which breaks down to: you have a great idea for your website, but our experience tells you that your idea 1. could be much more effective than you even know or 2. won’t work in today’s market. A consultation prior to a bid is an important step in the web design process. Some of you literally have zero idea of what to expect from a web design pricing perspective, so I’ll try to help out a little bit. Based on my own years of experience in this industry, a small business website can run anywhere from $500 – $15,000. A medium sized business website can run from $5,000 – 30,000. And a large size business website can run anywhere from $20,000 – $350,000. Much of the price is going to be boil down to the functionality and size of the website. To get an accurate quote from a professional web design agency, contact Anchor.

Dynamic – Are you looking for a “one off” static website to be built or do you want a dynamic website to represent your business? In today’s world, dynamic and interactive sites are the way to impress visitors. If your site is the same today as it was two years ago, it’s probably time to make some updates.

Mobile – So many people are accessing your website from a mobile device, so build one that is suited just for them! Do you have an iphone, ipad, android, or other mobile device that you access websites from? So do your consumers. If your website is confusing on a mobile device, you may never get another chance to connect with that visitor again. Anchor designs websites that are aimed directly at your consumers’ mobile devices.

These are just a few of the factors to consider when choosing a web design agency. I hope that this sheds some light on an area that you were not previously considering when making the web design decision. I’d love to hear some of your feedback in the comment section below. What is another important factor that I didn’t touch on today? Are you looking for a web designer – what other questions do you have?

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PRINTspiration: Love in Nashville

Posted on June 5, 2012 by acaldwell

The owners at Anchor recently had the privilege to visit Hatch Show Print in Nashville, Tennessee. For a designer, like myself, it was quite an honor. This historic letterpress printer basically branded an era with its highly recognizable, custom prints. It was difficult to leave without spending a ton on these beautifully crafted posters! I had to share the LOVE! Which one is your favorite?

Tweet me! @Caldwild

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