News Feed Optimization, Be Noticed on Facebook
Facebook, the best known and most widely adopted social network, is a crowded place. So crowded, that the average fan page status update only reaches 7.5% of it’s fan base. 70-90% of your fans will never see your status updates because Facebook categorises content with an algorithm to hide content that it assumes users won’t want to see. If a user has never visited your fan page or interacted with you, he or she won’t see any new content you publish. If a fan has commented once or twice, they might see one third of your new status updates. However, to get the most out of Facebook, you want all, or at least most of your status updates to be visible in your fan’s streams. In this blog, we’ll break down Facebook’s EdgeRank Algorithm to show you how to beat it. Let’s start with some definitions The EdgeRank Algorithm is relatively straight foward. A status update is called an Object. When a user interacts with an Object, they create an Edge (i.e. like, comment, share). To find an object&rsqu...
Mobile Website vs. Mobile App, Which Do I Choose?
It’s common knowledge that web-enabled mobile devices have transformed the way we interact with technology and information. Today, more than ever, users are searching the Web, purchasing products and networking with their peers on smart phones and tablets. However, most businesses don’t prioritise creating a mobile presence to equal their Web presence. This represents a missed opportunity to harness the ever-growing mobile market. As more consumers wake up to the idea of mobile connectivity, businesses also need to evolve and adapt by providing a new connection to users with mobile communication needs. It’s time to give your website a mobile makeover. But the question remains; create a mobile website or a mobile application? Mobile website v mobile application The two most prevalent means of reaching consumers on mobile devices are mobile websites and mobile applications. Both apps and mobile websites can be accessed on a handheld device such as an iPhone, Android or Blackberry, however the similarities...
Social SEO, Integrating Social Media and Search
To stay relevant in 2012, we’re moving toward a more focused and cohesive approach to social media; one that intersects social media marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to create Social SEO. In a nutshell, it involves optimizing your social presence for search engines, effectively killing two birds with one stone. But how are they related? The social web and search engines are becoming increasingly linked, as Bing and Google’s search algorithms advance with how we use the Web. Social networks, in particular, produce an immense amount of data. In this way, linking to and from social networks is influencing a URL’s ranking in search results. Therefore, any digital content shared on social networks is an opportunity for optimizing your visibility in search engines. Take Blendtec for example. The brand’s “Will It Blend” YouTube series has attracted thousands of links on Facebook and Twitter, resulting in a top ten ranking on Google for the word ‘blender’. ...
Top 5 Ways to Increase Website Traffic
Increasing traffic to your website is a challenge, given the “If you build it they will come” mentality no longer applies in the crowded online marketplace. The issue isn’t your website design or development; the issue is you’re not investing time in earning visitation. That’s right - If you want to attract more qualified traffic, you need to find your users first. Read on for our top five ways to increase your online visibility. Submit your website to search engines Ultimately, your website will be visited because it is visible in search engine results, not because it’s nice to look at. Yet, contrary to popular belief, you have to tell Google that you exist. For inclusion in organic online searches, the trick is to get a competitive rank...
F-commerce, the future of online shopping
Forget e-commerce, F-commerce (a.k.a Facebook commerce) is the next frontier in social shopping. A recent report found that on average, 50.8% of traffic was logged into a Facebook plugin while shopping online. Other studies have found that 56% of Facebook users have clicked through to a retailer’s website because of a status update, and 35% of shoppers say they would be likely to buy a product directly from Facebook. These findings hint at the potential for e-retailers to integrate with Facebook to create even more personal and participatory shopping experiences. And with more than 800 million active users on Facebook, it makes perfect sense. At present, Facebook is being utilised to inform and influence purchase behaviour by keeping fans in the know about product offerings, promotions, exclusive offers and sales. But, what if the user didn’t have to leave Facebook to browse a store and make a purchase? This is f-commerce, and it might be closer than you think Facebook has subtly hinted at their pl...
SMM vs. SMO, What's the Difference?
Social networks are growing exponentially, carrying millions of conversations and social interactions and presenting a huge opportunity to increase your brand or business’ exposure. But, this growth means that the online realm is becoming more saturated with media messages and more complex to navigate. Newfangled approaches like gamification, QR Codes and NFC technology are springing up to capture user interest, but often the best approach is to pare your strategy back to the basics - findability and content (which have never been more important). These two concepts are reflected in Social Media Marketing (SMM) and Social Media Optimisation (SMO), two terms used interchangeably to describe marketing through social media. However, SMM and SMO do not mean the same thing, and their application to business have very different outcomes. So, how do they differ and how can they be used to ensure a powerful ...
Top 5 Productivity iPad Apps for Web Designers
We all know that iPad apps can be a major distraction. But, believe it or not, there are thousands of apps that will help, not hinder your productivity. So we’ve undertaken the mammoth task of sifting through Apple’s catalogue of apps to bring you our top five applications for the web design and development niche that inspire, boost productivity and organise ideas. These apps are guaranteed to help you get the job done. iMockups The must-have mobile wireframing and mockupp app for your web, iPhone and iPad projects. Draft wireframes in one easy-to-use interface with intuitive functionality and a multitude of colour options, text styles, borders and backgrounds. Better still, iMockup allows you to export your work via email. Adobe Ideas 1.0 This app will become your digital sketchbook, allowing you to capture and explore your inspiration on the go with vector-based drawing tools, zoom control, brushes and layers. The ideal companion for the Adobe desktop suite, the app allows you to save your files as PDF, vector or raster file formats to edit in Illustrator or Photoshop later. Air Display Wish your scre...
Movember: Using Social Media for Social Good
November (or should we say Movember) has crept up on us again, heralding the month-long charity event of ‘mo growing - where men donate their upper lip to raise money for men’s health issues, including prostrate cancer and depression. Registered “Mo Bros” start out on November 1 with a clean-shaven face and spend the month growing, flowing and showing a ‘stache for the benefit of charity. Movember has now grown to a worldwide movement, experiencing unprecedented growth in levels of support year by year. In 2010, registrations doubled to 447,486 and $61,806,647.00 was raised - an outstanding result for a charity group that originated in Melbourne, Australia. But how? In the good old days (before 2003, remember then?) nonprofits would raise money by door knocking, selling baked goods and soliciting monetary support from our neighbours. However, the advent of Face...
Qantas Grounding: Managing A Social Media Crisis
Social media erupted over the weekend after Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce grounded the entire Qantas fleet in response to the dramatic escalation of industrial action, stranding 68,000 passengers across the globe. The decision sparked a deluge of criticism and confusion on social media, as parody Twitter accounts including @AlanJoyceCEO sprung up, #qantasfail went viral, and the official Facebook page was overrun with users seeking information and venting their frustration. Admist the Twitter mayhem, frustrated Qantas customers even mistakenly tweeted @alanjoyce - an unsuspecting American university student. Now that Qantas is back in the air, it’s copping criticism for the way in which it handled its social media response, which is being branded “mechanical” and “impersonal”. One professional even went so far as to say Qantas will “never be the same again”. The issue is that while passengers weighed in on the debacle in the social media arena, Qantas went against the grain of it’s customer service strategy by adopting a one-way communication approach and leaving complaints and questions u...
Top 5 Web Design and Usability Tips
Web design is paramount, as it communicates your brand, company ideals and reputation all at once. More importantly, it serves as a window through which your audience sees and perceives you. Therefore, less-than-perfect web design can mean the difference between your audience choosing you or your competitor when making purchasing decisions. The challenge for web designers is to balance eye-catching design with properly functioning interfaces and applications to meet specific user needs and goals. Here are our top five tips for creating more usable (and beautiful) web pages that meet the needs of the intended end user. 1. FUNCTION BEFORE FORM It's not just about beauty, it's about function. Before you begin designing, it's essential to think about what each page will offer, as a web page exists to provide something that's useful or interesting to visitors. Think - what are you offering your visitors? Why should they take time to peruse your site? Separate topics into defined sections, and keep text direct and to the point to make it easy for your visitors to find and absorb the information they need. 2. FIRS...
