Is Video right for your site?
If you are considering adding YouTube (or some other video) to your web site, then this article is for you. We’ve been adding a fair amount of videos to web sites of late, here at the studio.
Whether you use YouTube or the family friendly Vimeo, video is here and it should be on your site. I’ve create a quick list of 7 reason why you should add some video to your web site.
Before we get ahead of ourselves. Did you know that YouTube is the second largest search engine on the planet? According to YouTube 48 hours of video are uploaded every minute, resulting in nearly 8 years of content uploaded every day. WOW!
That leads us to our first reason….
- Everybody is doing it! It is almost expected to have video on your site.
- Engaging. It is an excellent way to engage your audience. Your viewers get to learn from you while being entertained. They don’t have to read. People skim over the text, but they will often watch the whole video. And if they watch it they are more inclined to share the video and you websites.
- People love to share. This sharing helps in 2 great ways. It directly brings more people to your site and it can bring SEO power to your site as each share is a link to you site.
- Video tells a story. We have all heard “a picture shows a thousand words.” Well, the reason it is a cliche is because it is true. Your body language, the setting of the video, and a thousand other non-verbal communications are passed as you speak in video.
- We all learn differently. Some people are visual learners. Some like to read, some like to listen. This is why we should offer a variety of ways for people to consume our message.
- It can be fun. Entertainment can be defined as “an activity that is diverting and that holds the attention”. What better way to get the attention of our customers than with entertainment?
- It is easy to add to your site. You can add videos created by others on your site. You can click on the embed button on most videos from YouTube and get some code to place on your site. Simply cut and paste (ask your favorite geek if you need some help). You likely have the tools to create a video in your pocket (smart phones rock). Alternately, you can pay to have a video professionally produced.
Those are just a few of the reasons to add some video to your site. We encourage you to get the show running. You can use a video to make a commercial, show off products, share testimonials, tell a story or even train people. Whatever it is, all you need is an idea and a camera.
And if you have any questions about making videos or whether it’s right for you, feel free contact my office. You can visit our home page omOriginals.com to view a video commercial we created for the Renaud Electric Heating & Cooling Guys. Grab some pop corn and enjoy. ~:-)
Dedicated to a true geek Steve Jobs 1955-2011
Long before I embraced the fact that geeks are cool, I was a fan of the Steves and of Apple.
At our first house I cut down a pine tree and replaced it with an apple tree. It was a McIntosh of course. We then built a pond and named our first 2 fish ‘Steve’ and ‘other Steve’. They were affectionately named after Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
With Steve Jobs at the helm of Apple they have made some amazing products that have shaped the world of computers. I embraced their mantra “think different”.
My first Mac was an 8100 that I bought used from a good friend in college. It (my first Mac) was a year old and so much faster and intuitive than the PC that my dad had bought me months before. The first Mac that Michelle and I purchased together was the original iMac (Bondi Blue).
We’ve enjoyed a few macs over the years, a Grape iMac, The Cube (brilliant machine ahead of it’s time). My first laptop was a titanium Powerbook, I
affectionately called it TiBook (Titanium). Somewhere in the mix I picked up a mini, eMac and 3 or so iMacs. Michelle and I currently love our MacBook Pros. Steve was a visionary and a showman. I don’t know how many of his keynote speeches I watched over the Internet. Countless, probably.
Without exception Steve would wear his patented blue jeans and black turtleneck and present the next big thing that would change the computing world. He would sell the future. He would show us brilliantly simple solutions to complex problems.
Whatever he was showing off, he made you want it and feel that you needed it. Steve’s charisma created what has been called the RDF “Reality distortion field”. He had a mesmerizing way to make his passion yours. And being a showman, he truly understood how to do an encore. On special occasions he would finish his presentation, well almost and then he would say, “there is one more thing”.
When he said this, the MacAddicts knew it would be big.
As an innovator not everything they made was a hit. One of my favorite quotes (one that I can’t find anywhere online) is this:
“Good companies make mistakes. Great companies make it right.”
Steve and Apple have been one in the same for so many years. Even after they fired him in 1985, I’ve seen them together. I’ve always appreciated his presence.
Here is a quote that shows what could have been called arrogance (it wasn’t true):
“You know, I’ve got a plan that could rescue Apple. I can’t say any more than that it’s the perfect product and the perfect strategy for Apple. But nobody there will listen to me.” — Fortune, 1995
Well he was right. Steve came back to Apple in 1996 and had an amazing run. Unfortunately, for all us; Steve, his family, and fans Steve lost his battle to cancer this year. He will will be missed. I was looking forward to his next “There is one more thing.”
I hope and believe that Steve will always be in Apple’s DNA. In this way Steve will live on. Let’s finish this quote from Steve that he shared at Stanford when asked to do a commencement speech.
“Do what you believe is great work. The only way to do great work is love what you do.”
Steve Jobs 1955-2011
Oscar Myre IV is one of the geeks at omOriginals Marketing in Longview, who will miss Steve, and all his quirky greatness. You can reach the local geeks: 575.9839
Websites vs. Facebook
The battle is on!
A few years ago it seemed like every business now had a web site. Fast forward to day.: More and more businesses are now getting Facebook Pages. So the question is this, “which is better – a great website or a great Facebook Page?” Let’s dare to compare!
WEBSITES
I built my first web site in 1997, and so much has changed since then. Today’s web sites should be built with two audiences in mind. People and Search engines.
1) People: Your business web site allows you to put your best foot forward in front of the world. Business and organizations of any size can (and should) have professional sites. I recently read that over 70% of consumers pre-qualify a new business online by visiting their web site before even visiting the business!
With almost 3/4 of people getting their first impression of an organization online, it is mission critical to have a website that educates about your company and the value that you offer. With a web site you are in control of your brand.
2) Search Engines: Today’s phonebooks aren’t books at all, they are sites likeGoogle, MSN & Yahoo! New technology, but old-school marketing prevails. In the olden days, if your business couldn’t be found in the book, it didn’t exist (in the all important consumers eyes).
Today that is true as well. If someone “Googles” your business name or for your products and services and they don’t find you, they will go to your competitor. If you don’t exist online, eventually you won’t exist at all.
FACEBOOK
I built my first Facebook Fan Page back in 2009, and so much has changed since then. Facebook has made the internet approachable, and even fun.
There are literally millions of people using Facebook each day that don’t consider themselves geeks or even computer people. This flood of new people is a tremendous opportunity.
These users are checking you out on Facebook AND on your web site. The power of Facebook is that way users create and/or share info about your organization. They shape your brand! It is your job to help share what you want them to share.
And the winner is?
As you might guess, the the winner is the businesses who use BOTH a professional web site and Facebook page. The trick is how to do them both together, without wasting a lot of precious time. I’ve seen many business start to put a ton of content together and placing it only on their Facebook page.
The result is an anemic web site and an annoying business Facebook page. You need to find balance and integrate the two. Your local web developer should be able to advise or consult for best strategies.
I invite you to meet with your favorite marketing geek and draft up a online marketing plan that uses complementary web, social and eMail marketing to drive your bottom line up and up. To learn more about online marketing visit omOriginals.com and check out some upcoming class schedules. Call (360)575-9839 or online @ omoriginals.com
Oscar Myre IV is the web guru and head geek at his web development and marketing company, omOriginals Marketing! in Longview, WA. omOriginals serves over 300 businesses, both locally and internationally based. When he is not being geeky for businesses, he enjoys playing in his backyard with his kiddos and running the lake.
To Blog or Not to Blog; That's No Longer the Question
I wish you a prosperous New Year. Many of our clients asked for help setting up BLOGS last year. BLOGS are a buzz word you should know.
First off, what is a BLOG?
The term is a blend of web and log. You see, geeks (& mathematicians) think it is cool to simplify things (often at the risk of making them more complicated). A BLOG is basically a journal on a web site. For many it is the “News” section. Much of a web site remains fairly static, but a BLOG is edited whenever news breaks.
A BLOG can also be interactive, where it can be open to comments. A word to the wise, be sure to moderate your comments. With my business, we send all comments to review by a human before they go live. ~:-)
4 reasons why you should have a BLOG on your company’s web site.
- BLOGS are fresh, people know to look to the BLOG for the latest info about your company.
- BLOGS are loved by search engines. What makes a search engine happiest? Fresh relevant content. A properly created BLOG is written as much for search engine rankings as it is for people.
- BLOGS are archive-able: As soon as new articles are posted the old ones are archived. This allows visitors to get some history on past projects from your company.
- BLOGS are social. BLOGs play nice with social media, and smart ones can automagically update your facebook, linkedin and twitter.
Warning: I hear some of you running off to Blogger.com to setup a BLOG right now. STOP!! I said above that the BLOG should be on YOUR Website. If you post it @ Blogger (or any other blogging site) THEY will reap much of the benefit for your hard work. Be sure your BLOG lives at your company’s website, not theirs.
What should you ‘post in your BLOG and how often?
This article is not a substitute to sitting down for some serious consulting with your favorite marketing geek, but I will share some general thoughts on content. We always work to deliver value. Most of our clients have a wealth of knowledge that they can share with their customers. By sharing your company as a resource, you become viewed as an expert in your area of business. Consider this an investment in your customers, current and future.
For omOriginals we post 2 articles a month with marketing tips [like this one ~:-)]. We also post brief articles on recently completed projects. This is valuable for our customers (promotion) and for visitors to see interesting marketing ideas, are to show real world examples of our work. We also share articles from others on occasion to change things up a bit.
How often? This will vary for each business. I often recommend 1 or 2 posts per month for companies new to BLOGGING. I’ve seen a fair amount of people start out strong with 1 or 2 a week for a few weeks and them drop off the map. It is best to make your plan sustainable. This is a balance of quality and quantity.
Here is a bonus: After you create these articles you can broadcast them in lots of places (Social sites, eMail marketing, newspapers, newsletters, mailers, etc.)
Do you have to do this alone?
Not unless you are a crazy micro-manager. Your company is likely a collection of uniquely talented individuals. Each of you has your own unique voice. By sharing the work of the BLOG with others in your organization you will have a richer experience for your users.
Side note: I enjoy reading Summer’s tips on our BLOG, they offer fresh marketing insight.
Outside help
There is a wealth of industry specific content available for purchase. This can save a lot of time, but be very certain that you agree with the articles. You can also hire a company to help administer your BLOG. < This could be an article in itself.
What is the point, Oscar?
A BLOG is a great way offer value to your clients while remaining at the top of their mindshare. Today’s competition is tough and cutting edge! You need to use today’s tools to position yourself for success.
Happy BLOGGING.
Work Smart + Play Hard!
Oscar Myre IV, ~:-)
Bright Lovable Original Geek!
Unveiling the NEW CowlitzToday.com
Let’s jump into this months GeekSpeak. If you’ve been tuning in for long you likely have a professional web site, a blog, a facebook page and you are probably doing a little twitter. Wow you are such a geek. ~:-)
But, are your events listed at CowlitzToday.com?
Is your business listed in the Cowlitz County directory?
We originally created this site to help people connect locally.
CowlitzToday.com is a free, one-stop community calendar and web directory of businesses.
We’ve partnered with many organizations that have events in our area. Every day, more and more events are being listed. If you know of events and don’t see them on the calendar, we invite you to tell the event holder how they can add their events for free! (Or you can add them yourself!)
CowlitzToday also has a helpful directory of local business and organizations. You can find virtually anything from Accountants to Food & Dining to Movies to Real Estate!
With this article we are announcing the launch of the NEW and improved business directory!
We created the new directory to help make more connections:
- SEO Findability: Our first goal is improving local organizations search engine rankings in the search engines. Having a great web site or business is only great if you can be found. We’ve built the new directory with some new and old school SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tricks, which have skyrocketed viewership.
- Social Browsing: Our second mission is to help harness the social networks. More specifically – Facebook. You see, Facebook is great at helping you share and even find what you are looking for, but it doesn’t work well like good old fashioned browsing.
We’ve improved the directory to make it easy to browse the directory. Similar to those phonebooks of yesteryear. Our new directory is a great way to learn and link. Listings include helpful info and now links to their websites, facebook & twitter. Facebook “like” buttons are built into every listing. ~:-)
It’s where all the cool kids hang-out.
Want another reason to add your stuff?
CowlitzToday.com is being visited by 20,000 people per month!
By the time you read this we will have nearly 1,000 local listings. You can share a listing on facebook with a click. I invite you to get your organization listed for free today. Cowlitztoday.com. Wherever you work, play or worship can be listed as it’s own entity.
And don’t forget the Cowlitz County Online Event Calendar. We’ve streamlined the adding of events. If you’ve haven’t added an event in awhile (forever is still awhile)
Click on the new “Submit Event” button to learn how to add your event (also for free!!). If your organization has multiple events per/year please consider partnering with Cowlitztoday. If you are eligible we will give you a free calendar that you can post on your site AND then all of your events will appear in the community calendar!!!!!
Our community has posted over 6300 events to date! You simply can’t say there is nothing to do around here!
So what’s next?
I double dog dare you to search CowlitzToday.com for your favorite local business. If you find their listing, I’m sure they love for you to “give Kudos” for them. If they aren’t listed please call, eMail or facebook them the link. They’d appreciate the help and we’d appreciate your helping in spreading the word to help even more people connect.
Smart Phone users there is a new way to visit web sites on your phone. Simply install a free scanner app and start scanning. Think of it as Bar Codes 2.0 Ready? Grab your phone and visit http://m.omoriginals.com We will hook you up to get you started. If you already have a scanner – Scan now. “Tag” is above at top of page, looks like a square ink blot!
Oscar wrote this article on his iPhone. ~:-) Oscar is the owner and operator of omOriginals Marketing in Longview, WA and holds the title of award winning developer for the CowlitzToday.com web site. Questions about geeky stuff, call them @ 360-575-9839
Can you put a visitor counter on the web site?
Many of these geek speak articles are directly from my bag ‘o FAQs (frequently asked questions. So here is a question I was asked at least 2x last month…. “When you build my new site can you put a visitor counter on the web site?”
My answers goes a little something like this.
Yes, we can….but, there is an even better idea.
A web site visitor counter IS a visual way to show you the popularity or your web site. Unfortunately, they are terribly inaccurate AND everyone sees the results. A more modern approach is to have web site statistics. Here is what I like about website stats.
They are private. Only people with your account password can view your stats. Your visitors and your competitors don’t need to know your sites popularity.- Stats can show very detailed and specific information (more on this later)
- Stats are archived over time so you can compare results chronologically. Let’s talk about stats. In order to view stats you first need to have a stats program or two installed. Ask your web host what they provide, if they don’t already have some installed I recommend you take a look at Google Analytics. For the sake of this article I’m not going to focus on any one stats program, but on the basics of what they record and what it all means.
When I hear people bragging out the web stats the will often talk about hits. They might say, “My site had 100,000 hits last month!”.
It sounds impressive, but what does it mean? The short answer is hits are just big numbers to impress people who don’t know what numbers really matter. But, this number won’t impress you because YOU are more interested in “Unique Visitors”, “Number of Visits”, Page Views, Hits & Bandwidth.
Unique Visitors: is a computer that goes to your site during a current time period. So if I visit your site, I will be tracked as a Unique Visitor. (Who are you calling unique, ha ha). If I like your site and return an hour later to your site, my “Visits” will be tracked and your stat software will recognize me as the same unique visitor as before. So your stats have recorded 1 Unique Visitor and 2 Visits. It will further tell you that while I was at your site I visited the following pages, home, about us, services & contact. Each Page view was tracked. Page view = 4.
If you are new to stats then just focus on the big 3. Unique Visitors, Visits & Page views – you will learn a ton about your web site. If you’re feeling geeky read on about more stats.
Skipping hits, we move on to Bandwidth. Bandwidth is total number of bytes for pages, images and files downloaded by web browsing. So a graphical rich page with PDFs to download and video to steam uses more bandwidth that a mostly text page.
Two sites with similar Unique Visitors, Visits & Page Views can have drastically different bandwidth based on the sites content. Here are a few more things you can learn. Entry Page is the first page people view when coming to your site, often it is the home page, but when people link directly to a certain page or when the your found in the search engines, you will have a variety of Entry Pages. You can also track the Exit Page which is the last page viewed before the left you site. Session Duration tells how long a person spent on your site site.
Most stats will show you if they (visitors) came there direct or if they can from a bookmark. Graphs can so what days of the week and even hours of the day are most visited. Pages outline how many views each page received, Referrers shows the addresses that people came from to get to your site, Search even shows the keywords and keyphrases people used to find you in the various search engines. Those are the highlights.
My 4 cents is to get a copy of your stats for last month and sit down with your favorite beverage and learn how many people are visiting your site and what they are doing during their visit. Compare to previous months and years. Do you like the progress? The stats can give you wisdom to connecting with more people. Want to learn more? Let’s us know.
So now if I tell you that CowlitzToday.com (or any site) has 500,000 hits this month, you will say cool, but how many unique visitors are you getting? And I will tell you…. hey wait, you didn’t ask. ~:-)
Businesses “Like” Facebook.
Love or Hate Facebook, it is great way for businesses to connect with people.
I’m asked a lot of questions about Facebook. Here is one I asked myself, “How can we put a Facebook Like button on our web sites?” Read more >>
Phone Book VS. Internet
Happy August to you all. I hope you and your computers are properly cooled. This month I have a question for you: Which is a better way to find local businesses; the The Phone Book or the Internet? Warning: those with weak hearts may wish to skip this article.
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POP3 vs. IMAP eMail: Which is best for you?
eMail has become an essential communication tool for our business and social lives. If you rarely go more than a day without checking your eMail…. then you are a geek. Fortunately, we don’t need to be tied to our computer all day to be connected. Sometimes we can leave the office or even go home. Read more >>
Curb-Side Recycling
Hello Geeks! I have to prepare you this is the most low-tech article I’ve ever typed. When we first moved to Longview in 1998 we were amazed at the size garbage and recycle bins. Our out of town visitors often talk about the “huge cans” for years. The bottom line: the huge brown and green tubs make it easy to recycle. Simply through in the approved recyclables in the brown bin and they will do the sorting for you. This is a great residential service.
Read more >>