Respect: is it time marketing / advertising agencies respected their audience?

Posted on March 6, 2013 by

Like many people I’ve decided to get rid of my monthly TV cable package and instead moved to an internet only household. It took a little adjusting but its working out really well….until that is the marketing and adverting agencies starting to move into this space.

Respecting Online Audiences

Respecting Online Audiences

Why I hear you say is this annoying you Peter?, surely it just the same when you had cable television or newspaper adverts etc. Unfortunately its not, and its an issue advertising/marketing and brand people need to be aware of, and this is why.

Main stream advertising in the past used to be confined to magazines, billboards and TV commercials etc. When reading a magazine article for-instance I can choose to ignore the advert on the opposite page or glance at it if I see value to me. It does not stop me reading the content article. Now the issue for me is that online advertisers think its a good idea to #@*^ me off by popping up an advert right in front of me when Im busy reading content online. Then when I click the little box to remove it they then send me to their product website. Now the old way advertising agencies used to please clients was to say x amount of people saw the advert so we have achieved the goal etc. But this old metric does not work online…what they have achieved is a consumer (me) who is now really angry at the brand for intruding on my reading and channel of focus.

So marketing/advertisers be warned, respect your audience, don’t @!*% them off by intruding on their personal space/focus when they are in the zone…there is a time and place. The marketing profession is better than this, but it seems it is really struggling to adapt to the new internet media and that of a more empowered and sophisticated consumer.

The real challenge is to deliver your brand/message content in a timely respectful way that engages your targeted audience. This is where localized   /personalized content based on the user persona will come to the fore. (my next blog post expands on this idea)

Peter Allott -www.thelevel.com

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Marketing benefits of a Device-Agnostic Website

Posted on March 4, 2013 by
Web design, Device Agnostic

Web design, Device Agnostic

What is a Device-Agnostic web-site? & why should Marketing Professionals be interested?

The issue many marketing professionals face to-day is the management and delivery of content across a vast array of screen sizes, from laptops, TV’s, tablets and cell phones, not to mention the ever growing list of web browsers that need supporting.

What works well on one screen size and browser does not necessarily work for another. A website designed for a desktop screen obviously is extremely difficult to use when on a cell phone. The text size and the vast amount of content condensed into a small area does nothing for the user experience or the marketing objective. So what is the answer?

Device-agnostic web design (DAW)

You might think that you have to design specific applications (apps) or websites for the different devices and browsers supporting them. Well the good news for marketing professionals is that there is an answer out there – Device-agnostic web design.  This approach is a way of making a single website work effectively on both desktop browsers and the multitude of mobile devices on the market today. Also by using a global content management system (and a technical development team) you can manage the content across all the devices and browsers that you which to support. This  saves you time and budget in the day-to-day operations, as well as delivering a consistent user experience.

So how does it work?

People who browse for content online while on-the-go have very different needs than those sitting at a desk. Device-agnostic web sites re-organize content themselves automatically according (and to your preferences) to the device viewing them, so that the same website provides a greater user experience. Desktops get a full-blown interface with videos, large images and animations. Smartphones get a simplified text rich website that runs fast without the bells and whistles. Tablets and netbooks get something in between.

To see what I mean have a look at these links with different devices. Alternatively adjust the screen size on your desktop and see how the content on the page intuitively adjusts.

www.thelevel.com

http://bostonglobe.com/

Marketing professionals need to embrace a device-agnostic approach to engage audiences with their brand and deliver a consistent one web user experience. As more and more devices and browser options flood the market the practicality of supporting all of them with your marketing budget becomes totally impractical.

To learn more or ask any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Peter Allott – http://www.thelevel.com

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Selling Internally a Web Content Strategy to Senior Management

Posted on March 4, 2013 by

The majority of marketing professionals are fully aware of the need for a content marketing strategy to build the brand and foster greater lead generation. However, in my experience getting backing from senior management can be challenging to say the least, never mind getting extra resources and budget.

This post gives you a few tips which I’ve learned from many a boardroom on how to sell a content marketing strategy to Senior Management.   Continue reading →

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We’re hiring, looking for Java Developers

Posted on March 3, 2013 by

Do you thrive on using Java to solving complex technical problems for real world business problems?

We are currently looking for talented Java Developers that can deliver well architected web applications.

Continue reading →

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Is it time you changed your Business Model?

Posted on February 18, 2013 by

How a bricks and mortar company changes and embraces the internet to reinvent itself. Maybe Sears should could take a closer look at this business model?
Continue reading →

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Why Did Walmart Take Over Facebook for 72 Hours

Posted on February 18, 2013 by

Walmart took over advertising on Facebook on Black Friday and basically fell into the trap of using old historical marketing push advertising techniques as used in the print magazine industry and applied it to the internet. The results are no surprise – no extra sales, no measurement and no ROI. Read the full article below.
Continue reading →

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The Level Difference

Posted on February 7, 2013 by

figure-segments-colorThe Level Difference

With a successful track record of over a decade working with medium to enterprise sized organisations The Level has gained a reputation of delivering on our promises and best in-class global web deployment for leading organizations such as Grant Thornton, Rocky Mountaineer, 2010 Olympics and Rogers just to name a few.

So what makes us different?

Our Niche

Our technology background lays the foundation for any successful global web strategy. If specialist skills are required outside The Levels core competency within a project then we have cutting edge partners we work with. The result is a web strategy that is coherent, integrated and above all works to drive the business.

As our client, you’ll enjoy the undivided attention of an agile team that delivers on its promises and builds long term business relationships.

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Web Strategy

Posted on February 6, 2013 by

figure-content

Integrated Global Web Strategy

Many marketing professionals spend around 25% > 55% of their budget on creating content but little thought has been allocated on how it can be re-cycled, segmented and localized across the different web channels for international audiences. Having the right technology in place to help manage and control content distribution on a day to day basis is vital for the success of the organizations online business strategy.

Online Community

        • Thought Leadership – Can you use existing content or do you need new
        • Customer feedback – How is that captured and communicated
        • Social Media –  Blog, Linkedin, Facebook, YouTube and how do you manage the content life-cycle, international and localization requirements
        • Landing pages – Are you driving traffic back to your  company website and relevant content
        • Repeatable Process – Fresh and dynamic content delivered through a process that saves time and resources


Mobile Devices

        • Design Format – Your website needs to be designed for mobile devices
        • Localization – Deliver content that is relevant to your audience
        • Sales Support – Delivering sales data etc for better performance
        • Partner support – Delivering product info, technical or promotion

International

        • Internationalizing – Company website needs editing before translation
        • Translations – Each country requires content  / cultural considerations
        • Localized Services – Delivering content personalized to the audience i.e pricing / products
        • Search Engine Optimisation – Localized for each country
        • 3rd party software – Integration i.e databases, e-commerce etc
        • Monitoring – For changes and implementation of corporate initiatives
        • Trail history – Gives you the control visibility of what has happened
        • Content editing rights – Allows more content to be generated but is controlled centrally

Corporate Communication

        • Intranet / Extranet – Better business performance
        • Visibility – Determining who sees what types of information saves time
        • Editing rights
        • Security – Content clearance process
        • Controlling – The content, quality and life-cycle management


Technology Considerations

When considering your global web approach many marketing professionals are very comfortable handling the graphics, branding and content creation, however all of the above are dependent on the technology platforms that are used to deliver and manage them successfully. It is important to design from the onset the right technology approach that suits your companies objective and is not dependent on the limited resources of your IT department.

Considerations

  • The use of a Content Management System
  • Quality strategy for translated content
  • Localization process
  • 3rd party software integration i.e booking, scheduling, marketing automation
  • IT dept. resources required and available
  • Current web design software
  • Scalability & Flexibility to the business needs
  • Security
  • Customization
  • Repeatable process
  • Ease of use
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Content is King – Maximizing its potential

Posted on February 6, 2013 by

figure-contentMaximizing its potential

Today’s Internet-savvy buyers are hungry for content. And not just any content … relevant, localized, personalized content that offers value. However, they are also inundated by thousands of marketing messages every day, most of which they ignore. To get through, you need to communicate differently—you need to do more than just sell products and services.

It is imperative that today’s global marketing professionals develop solid strategies for the creation of content for different audiences and its management for multilingual and localized online distribution. The delivery of fresh and relevant content requires the right technology platforms to bring ease and affordability to the process access the web. A Content Management System that can handle tracking of changes and controlling of localized variants are vital for successful implementation and control of your multi web strategy.

Global Markets

Global websites for new markets

International marketing is no longer an option, but a strategic imperative. Even prior to the current market turmoil of the U.S. and Europe, savvy business leaders had turned their eyes abroad, where greater access to the Internet, high population growth, and improved purchasing power have created an increase in demand for foreign products and services.

The growth of the online marketplace has changed international marketing. Recognizing the ever-slipping dominance of English online, the world’s most successful global players have long-emphasized and practiced the necessity of a multilingual and localized Web strategy for doing business online.

Going Global

  • 74% of multinational enterprises believe it is either important or most important to achieve increased revenues from global operations. (California State University at Chico,)
  • 71% of North American executives expect revenues from foreign operations, sales and/or imports to increase. (Chubb, Multinational Risk Survey)

 

Localizing Your Web Content

  • 56.2% of purchases say that the ability to obtain information in their own language is more important than price. – (Common Sense Advisory, Can’t Read, Won’t Buy:  Why Language Matters on Global Websites)
  • 65% of multinational enterprises believe localization is either important or very important for achieving higher company revenues. (California State University at Chico)
  • 95 percent of Chinese online consumers indicate greater comfort level with websites in their language; only one percent of US-based online retailers offer sites specific to China. (Forrester Research, Translation and Localization of Retail Web Sites, 2009)

Benefits

  • Launch: To support regional sales teams in new-markets and global consistency of the brand
  • Grow: To exceed new sales goals to remain competitive in a saturated marketplace.
  • Improve: Customer value by offering localized products and services.
  • Save: To re-purpose product documentation, help, knowledge bases, and other customer service materials for use worldwide.
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The Level: Standards

Posted on February 6, 2013 by

The Level actively promotes and sponsors best web practice initiatives within the industry and throughout is project management and web deployment. A full service web technology company with a focus on providing global web services for medium to large enterprises and thrives on being recognized as a trusted technology partner for some of the most recognized brands on the web today.

The Level supports the GALA Standards Initiative

The Globalization and Localization Association (GALA) (link to their homepage), the largest international non-profit association within the language and localization industry, announced the first round of financial supporters for the association’s major localization standards initiative. The initial supporters have pledged support for GALA to build a comprehensive standards program focused on industry collaboration, education and training, and promotion of standards. The Level is proud to be an initial founding sponsor of the standards initiative.

More detail can be found at http://www.gala-global.org/gala-press-release/globalization-and-localization-association-announces-initial-supporters

About the GALA Standards Initiative
The GALA standards initiative promotes the effective use of standards for international and multilingual content, builds awareness of best practices for their implementation, and helps the localization community make open standards work

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