Design Matters Group

Social Media Podcast No.16 now available on iTunes

2010-03-11T00:35:00.000Z

Google Execs get jail sentence, Gadgets Galore and where to get a Social Media Policy free

Iain Murray from Chardfm makes his debut as our Gadget advisor, we're still trying to give him a name so please let us know your ideas at gordon@podcastmatters.co.uk Iain discusses lots of great gadgets, web sites and mobile apps.

John Mackenzie, Partner at Pinsent Masons the law firm behind out-law.com joins us to talk about the recent ruling in the Italian Courts which led to three Google Execcutives being handed suspended jail sentences. John explains the law behind this case and why it could be a landmark ruling.

Steve Cook from Empire HR http://www.empirehr.com tells us why it's so important for organisations to have a Social Media Policy and the implications for the companies that don't give out proper guidelines to employees.

Download or subscribe to the podcast here

New Media Breakfast Glasgow 26th March - Search Optimisation and Pay Per Click

2010-03-07T20:39:00.004Z

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION AND PAY PER CLICK MARKETING with TIM BARLOW, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ATTACAT
8am on 26th March 2010 at No.29, Glasgow

Search engine optimisation and pay per click marketing may be grabbing less headlines in the internet marketing world these days. However, they are still very relevant for businesses and gaining in relevance all the time. Search needs to be an integral part of any online marketing plan.

We'll examine the various different elements that make up the Google search experience and how businesses should go about seeking to appear in each different type of listing including:

• Sponsored links
• Regular "natural" results
• Maps/Local
• Shopping Results
• Video

We'll also examine some of the current trends towards more personalised results and social search.

About the speaker:

Tim Barlow is the managing director of Attacat, the Edinburgh-based search engine and internet marketing firm. Tim has been involved in search engine promotion since 1999 when he managed the first Innogy website for National Power. In 2001, Tim launched Pastures-New, one of the UK's leading rental portals, gaining similar levels of traffic with a marketing budget of £100 a month as Rightmove were then achieving with a multi million pound TV campaign. Attacat was set up in 1994 to take advantage of Tim's knowledge.

Self-taught in the art of search engine optimisation and internet marketing (there simply weren't formal courses in those days), Tim passionately believes that good SEO is not rocket science or a black art but simply the result of effective online marketing and web design. This approach has been proven time and again by Tim and his team achieving long lasting high ranks on competitive one and two word phrases for clients in a variety of fields.

Pay per click (such as Google AdWords) has been a long time specialism of Tim and Attacat. Indeed Tim was one of the very first Qualified Google Advertising Professionals in the world and Attacat has held the company version of the qualification since its inception. Attacat use pay per click (PPC) to drive £10s of millions of business for a variety of clients from classic
e-commerce sites to B2B businesses in niches you probably never knew existed.

Tim speaks regularly at both Edinburgh and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce events.

The New Media Breakfast Glasgow is on the 26th March at No.29,
Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow.

You can book your place below.

COMPLIMENTARY FOR 29 MEMBERS

This event is complimentary to 29 Members - If you are a member you
should email Malcolm to reserve your place.

I look forward to seeing you on the 26th.

New Media Breakfast Edinburgh

2010-03-07T20:36:00.000Z

NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST EDINBURGH

19th March 2010

Tower Restaurant, Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. EH1 1JF

Twitter is on everybody's fingertips, status updates are fast becoming a way of life and the corporate world is getting in on the act; this month's New Media Breakfast will examine various web based sites that help you make full use of Twitter and other social media platforms whilst on the move.

We'll also take a look at some of the smartphone platforms such as: Symbian, Android, iPhone,Windows, Linux and Blackberry.

We are delighted to have Iain Murray, a regular attendee at the New Media Breakfast, to present on this extremely topical subject.

Iain is Managing Director of Chardfm Scotland’s fastest growing fm business, delivering multi-skilled fm services through a network of mobile engineers. The business made a significant investment in technology in 2009 which won them two national awards, the PFM Magazine and i-fm.net e-business award and national contractor of the year award from Mitchells & Butlers. During the same year Chardfm secured significant new business including the account to maintain the Co-operative Groups retail and banking outlets.

Iain has a track record of success in business, starting his first fm business in 1992, he has managed significant property portfolio’s including 68 care homes for Highfield Group. In 1999 Iain established Gardiner & Theobald Facilities Management for the G&T Group which grew to be the largest fm consultancy in the UK, delivering fm advice into the UK and NI governments, MOD, British Library and Cabinet Office. Iain left GTFM in 2004 to establish Jenkins & Marr Facilities Management which was sold to SMC Group plc. in 2006. In 2008 Iain joined Chardfm.

Iain is also the Chairman of the British Institute of Facilities Management the second largest fm Institute globally. His two year tenure finishes in June of this year after which he hoping to is join the Board of Global FM, the worldwide association of associations. Iain has been instrumental in moving the Institute towards more use of Social Media and regularly blogs and tweets during his Institute business. IFMA the American fm association recently published an article in their FMJ publication to their 50,000 readers on social media in business penned by Iain.

Iain is a member of the Entrepreneurial Exchange and is working on their behalf with Enlight the venture philanthropy part of the Exchange providing assistance to Skillforce.

Iain has been affectionately known to his friends as ‘gadget man’ for far too long, he has a passionate interest in technology and has a mantra of ‘if it improves productivity it’s not a gadget’, he started using Social Media in 2007 when he took the Chair of BIFM, blogging weekly until discovering and actively using Twitter, his business Chardfm has won awards for its deployment of technology and is actively using Social Media to develop new business. He has regularly tweeted at the New Media Breakfast’s.

To view this event on Connect, please visit Winning Entrepreneurs New Media Breakfast

Future New Media Breakfasts will take place on a monthly basis and there will be 1 topic covered, they will start at 8am and finish at 9:30am. I hope you will be able to join us for what will be an informative and participative breakfast and if you have any queries in the meantime then please contact Belinda Roberts

Speaker announcement for New Media Breakfast

2009-11-12T01:26:00.000Z

We are pleased that John MacKenzie, Partner with legal firm Pincent Masons is going to be the main speaker at our next new Media breakfast in Glasgow (27th November) and Edinburgh (4th December - TBC).

John will be talking about various legal aspects of user generated content in social media in what promises tobe a most interesting useful presentation.

John is a Solicitor Advocate who deals with a range of commercial litigation matters. His principal expertise lies in intellectual property, and IT litigation. John also advises client on IP portfolio management, and particularly online disputes. John has dealt with many major claims before the Court of Session and appears before the higher courts on a regular basis. His clients have included UK and global banking, IT, energy, manufacturing and utility companies. He has also carried out extensive advocacy before the Inner House of the Court of Session (Court of Appeal equivalent).

John regularly lectures and writes on IP and dispute resolution issues and is the author of the book ‘Written Pleadings’. He sits on the Lord President's Consultative Committee on Commercial Actions.

To book your place at the New Media Breakfast please click here.

Social Media Breakfast Edinburgh

2009-10-10T15:15:00.008+01:00

We launched the New Media Breakfast Edinburgh yesterday in Amicus Apple and all seemed to go well

On Wednesday Kyle and I went to Amicus Apple to check the AV set up and make final arrangements with Calum Mackinnon, owner of Amicus, I must admit we were worried about the choice of venue and whether it was going to work, it was certainly going to be intimate!

Thursday saw a late run of bookings which meant we had to add an additional presentation form 10am - 11am, Fiona got on the phone and managed to speak to around 15 people who were happy to switch to the later time. All in all, I think the layout and venue worked really well, a much different feel to the Glasgow Event which attracted over 70 people but, it was equally good.

I'll leave it to others to comment on the content however, thank you to Calum and his team - we got lots of positive feedback about the bacon rolls - and we were very well looked after. We are all looking forward to the next event on the 13th November.

You can also enter the Amicus Apple competition to win a Christmas Meal for you and 10 friends, go to the Amicus site for more details.

Social Media Podcast 9

2009-09-29T17:55:00.002+01:00

Coming thick and fast now...In Social Media Podcast No 9 we discuss the recent launch of the New Media Breakfast Glasgow and review some of the many comments made on Twitter and in various Blogs. We also address the subject of me "having a pop" at the newspapers.

Cameron White, a 15 year old schoolboy on work experience also joins us on the podcast...maybe hear more form him in the next one.

We also talk about the forthcoming launch of the New Media Breakfast Edinburgh of the 9th October and some of the activity on the Revive MS Support network site.

New Media Breakfast Edinburgh

2009-09-24T21:51:00.003+01:00

We are now taking bookings for the New Media Breakfast in Edinburgh on Friday 9th October in Amicus Apple on Frederick Street. Please book early for this event because number are limited.

We are also now taking bookings for the next New Media Breakfast in Glasgow on 30th October in No.29 in Exchange Square at 8am.

Click here to book for Glasgow and Edinburgh events

Social Media Podcast with Alastair Campbell...and others

2009-09-22T19:06:00.002+01:00

The new Social Media Podcast featuring an interview with Alastair Campbell is now on iTunes, you can listen to it here

Social Media Podcast

2009-09-19T10:07:00.004+01:00

Yesterday, after an extremely busy week, we managed to record the next Social Media Podcast which includes an interview with Alastair Campbell, author of "The Blair Years" and former Director of Communications for the Labour Party. Alastair masterminded Tony Blair's election win in 1997 and worked very closely with him until 2007. In the interview he talks about the role of Social Media in politics in the run up to the next election...very interesting and worth a listen.

We also discussed the forthcoming New Media Breakfast and announce the New Media Breakfast Edinburgh.

The new Social Media Podcast will be available on Monday.

NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST

2009-09-01T17:45:00.012+01:00

Cost £10
29 Members - Complimentary.
To reserve your place please click here

Want to know what all the fuss is about?
Do you have questions about social media?
Does it work for business?
Where do I start in new media?

New or Social Media is on everyone’s lips, we hear references to Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In and other new media tools on a daily basis but, do we really understand them or know what they do? The New Media Breakfast will be a monthly event that introduces you to the various aspects of new media.

Each New Media breakfast will feature specific areas of new media and show live examples of how commercial businesses and non-profit organisations are using these to market themselves online. All presentations will be followed by a Q&A session and a chance to network with other attendees.

Some of the topics we will cover are:
• Social networking - Facebook, Bebo, MySpace etc.
• Niche networking - B2B, B2C and Non-Profit
• Podcasting, RSS and iTunes - Audio and Video
• Viral video and video syndication - YouTube, Viddler, Facebook, iTunes etc
• Blogging
• Micro blogging - Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook Status Updates etc.
• Live broadcasting - Audio and Video
• Virtual Worlds
• Social Bookmarking and Tagging

These presentations will demonstrate , via live examples, how organisations are effectively using these tools to raise brand
awareness, increase brand loyalty and improve customer relationships.

Organisers:
The New Media Breakfast will be run by No.29 and Podcastmatters Ltd, a leading new media company involved in Audio and Video podcast production, Niche Network creation and new media consulting for a wide range of orginastions across many industry sectors. Each month they, along with specific experts and clients, will present the latest news from the world of new media.

Date:
The New Media Breakfast will be held on the last Friday of every month although, our first meeting will be on Thursday the 24th September to avoid the September weekend break.

The event will start at 8am with Coffee and Bacon Rolls and finish by 9am. There will be an opportunity for informal networking
after 9am.

Location
The New Media Breakfast will take place at No.29 Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow. For more details on the venue please click
here

Cost:
We are applying a nominal £10 charge for attendance and any profit will be donated to the New Pyjamas Campaign

Booking:
To book your place please complete the payment process click here.

More Information:
For further information please contact Clare Malcolm at clare@podcastmatters or telephone 0141 616 3155

COMPLIMENTARY FOR 29 MEMBERS
This event is complimentary to 29 Members - If you are a member you should Email Clare Malcolm to reserve your place.

The Turnberry Open Championship has inspired me

2009-07-20T12:19:00.006+01:00

No, not because a 59 year old can come so close to winning the Open, I have been inspired by the place. I visited Turnberry for the practice day last week and I watched pretty much all of the coverage on TV and it reminded me that I have an unfinished painting of this magnificent place. In fact, it's the last painting I started - some 12 years ago.

Seeing the images on TV of this remarkable coastline has inspired me to dig out the painting and finally finish it. Fortunately, the hole in question (No.10) hasn't changed since Tom Watson did win against Jack Nicklaus all those years ago. I have taken a picture of the painting in it's current state and I will keep you updated with my progress. I have also posted a picture of a Turnberry picture that I did finish (the 18th Fairway, Clubhouse and Hotel) and is available as a print from my Golf Prints web site.

Has the R&A completely missed the point?

2009-07-13T23:55:00.010+01:00

I have just been on The Open Championship web site and was pleased to see that they have an application for mobile phones, an iPhone application, a game for mobile telephones and a Twitter feed, these guys really get it...

OR, DO THEY?

I can board a plane and be trusted to switch my telephone off or have it in flight mode, I can enter a hospital with my telephone and be trusted not to use it in restricted areas but, I can't be trusted by the powers that be at the R&A to carry my telephone into hundreds of acres of open space to watch a sporting event?

This is a typical example of a company that appears to be embracing technology when in fact they are actually living in the dark ages and showing no respect for the intelligence and integrity of their customers.

I would like to know who is going to submit the posts to Twitter? No doubt one of their own...who are presumably above the rules!

Does social media work?

2009-07-13T11:58:00.004+01:00

I was extremely interested in a story I heard earlier that demonstrates the power of social media and, the ability of just about anybody to be heard. In fact, in one week this video has been viewed over 2,500,000 on YouTube, that's impressive and should make United Airlines customer relations department take some notice.

A band called Sons of Maxwell have produced the first of three songs about the fact that American Airlines broke his guitar whilst he travelled with them on a tour. The band witnessed baggage handlers throwing their guitars about while they were sitting on the plane and when they retrieved the baggage a $3500 Taylor guitar was badly damaged. American Airlines didn't deny it happened but they appeared not to care about it and the Band were getting nowhere with their complaint.

Here is the post on band member Dave Carroll's blog:

"In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didn’t deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say “no” to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise."

You can watch the video here.

Before social media this would not have been possible, people simply didn't have this type of voice. Yes, I think social media works very well and I imagine United Airlines have similar views.

Car Dealerships using social media

2009-06-27T11:59:00.003+01:00

We have just created a social network for the Phoenix Car Company who have dealerships throughout central Scotland selling Honda, BMW, Mini, Mitsibushi, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia and Suzuki. The aim of the network is to build brand loyalty by enabling customers to communicate with each other and the dealerships. Already the company can see the benefits of the network with some valuable discussions and blog posts.

In once instance a customer with a complaint eventually closed his discussion because he was happy that the issue had been resolved to his satisfaction. This was not only achieved by the dealership getting involved, customers took part in the discussion which contributed to the positive outcome.

Consumers want transparency and this network certainly offers a much higher level of access to the company than any other car dealership we know.

The company are also using video content to great effect; salesmen are creating their own walk around video of cars and posting them to the Phoenix YouTube Channel. The content is cheap to produce and enables the company to highlight exceptional deals very quickly and effectively.

We are also creating a series of videos to introduce customers to people within the organisation that they might not always see but who play an integral part in the company's success. We have already interviewed the Diner staff at Phoenix in Linwood where you can get fresh homemade food whilst you contemplate your purchase. Future video will include; interviews with mechanics, bodyshop staff and, administration personnel. This video content not only highlights the company's commitment to transparency but, will also "humanise" the organisation.

Whilst Phoenix operate in central Scotland, they are keen to encourage members from much further afield; research shows that customers will travel to buy the right car and, the Phoenix Linwood proximity to Glasgow Airport means they often get customers from the South. Indeed, the network has even attracted members in America. The site is intended for anyone, anywhere, who is interested in any make of car.

You can visit, and join, the network here.

Kyle made it!

2009-06-26T14:23:00.003+01:00

Sorry, it's been a busy week so I didn't get a chance to update you on Kyle's progress.

Kyle and Andrew made it to John O'Groats last Friday (19th). Congratulations to them both for this superb effort, they cycled every day for 14 days carrying all of their own luggage and, without any support vehicles, a truly wonderful achievement.

You can show your appreciation of their efforts by making a donation HERE

2009-06-13T21:36:00.002+01:00

Kyle, our film production guy, and his friend are cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats, approximately 1100 miles in 14 days with nothing other than their bikes, and a lot of miles! In doing so they are hoping to raise a very reasonable sum of money for The White Lily Fund

(www.whitelilyfund.com), a breast cancer charity and one that is very close to their hearts.

I spoke to Kyle earlier today and they have now reached Scotland - tonight they are staying North of Dumfries and they are on schedule to reach John O'Groats by the weekend. It has been tougher than they expected and, even more so since Kyle hurt his knee on day three of the cycle.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT THEM YOU CAN MAKE A DONATION PLEASE DO SO HERE

Our clients using social networks

2009-06-09T10:05:00.004+01:00

USC, one of our clients, has just launched a competition to attract members to their new social network. USC see the value in engaging with the customer and enabling customers to engage with each other. The new social network offers the chance for members to share information, upload video and pictures and enter into discussion about fashion, clubbing, music etc.

USC are also using the network to show some of what goes on behind the scenes like, the video that captures the making of their latest advert.

If you fancy a VIP night in Glasgow complete with Rolls Royce Phantom Convertible to transport you form you 5 star hotel to the restaurant you should check out the competition on the network.

More from Dubai

2009-05-29T14:35:00.004+01:00

We've been out this morning filming Gary Dixon of Dubai Spectrum, he talks at length about the network site, watch out for the edited interview next week.

Dubai Spectrum doing the business

2009-05-27T10:08:00.006+01:00

We created a network for Spectrum Personnel which is a business network for people living in, or contemplating a life in Dubai. It would appear that there are lots of people in one of these categories, the network is growing very quickly - 85 new members yesterday - and as of now there are 2360 members on the network.

The network is for business networking and, so far, it has been used for that purpose however, we have had to do some strict policing to control unauthorised advertising, a little spam and, the odd "lady of the night" promoting their services. All in all, the client is delighted with the progress of the network and the brand awareness it has brought Spectrum Personnel in the Middle East.

To visit the network please click here

Back to business...

2009-05-27T09:44:00.004+01:00

Design Matters and Podcast Matters have been very busy lately on a number of projects which has probably contributed to the lack of posts on this blog. Not a good advert for what we preach I hear you all say. You're right, we should be posting much more often and in future we will.

Over the next view days I will bring you up to date with some of the things we've been involved in and show links, where possible, to the fruits of our labour.

2008-12-22T20:50:00.002Z

Please join the official FAKE BAKE "SAVE YOUR SKIN" campaign that seeks to highlight the dangers of sunbeds at
http://ping.fm/tcsu6?gid=37185114613&ref=ts

Facebook and other social networks in the workplace

2008-06-05T13:43:00.001+01:00

Recently we built a social network for The Entrepreneurial Exchange in Scotland and 5 weeks in the site is proving extremely popular with lots of communication and over 30,000 page views by the members. It is a private network so we had to send invitations to 480 members, this is when a small problem came to light caused by a few member companies who block social media sites in the workplace.

This got me thinking about the practice of blocking social networks in the workplace and I wondered what you think about this.

Personally, I think employers should acknowledge the power of social media and embrace it with open arms. Learn how to use it to your advantage rather than trying to ban it. Let's face it, you can already access sites like Facebook from a mobile phone so, are you going to take mobiles from employees as they arrive in the morning?

I agree with an article written by David Eaves from The Globe and Mail, Canada who wrote “As free-thinking adults who manage to show up on time each day, we are ultimately responsible for our own conduct. Things like coming back from lunch on time, not sitting and reading the paper or a novel all day in our offices, or standing at the water cooler and chatting with colleagues until the whistle blows are where we are able to monitor and measure our own slacking. At least Facebook manages to keep people at their desks!”

The TUC (Trade Union Congress) in the United Kingdom issued a briefing document that suggests establishing a policy on usage within the workplace. I am certainly more in favour of this than an outright ban and total blockage. Like it or not, social networking is here to stay, the ‘Net Generation’ will see to that. Companies need to be prepared to communicate at this level and, when I see that Stanford University has recently launched a Facebook Class, I feel I might be right.

Here’s what Cisco Systems had to say about encouraging staff to use Facebook, “We are now pulling motivation from the roots of the organisation rather than pushing from the top down”. Indeed, many blue chip companies are using Facebook and other social platforms to recruit the cream of the graduates each year.

As a company we are using Web 2.0 technology, including a range of social platforms, to help clients promote their businesses therefore, I find it strange that other businesses are so ‘anti-social’.

I would urge every employer to look carefully at their policy on all Web 2.0 technology and social networking, I am certain it is the future and, 26 million social network users in the UK agree!!!

What are your thoughts on this, please post your comments.

Gordon

Use this site as an amazing traffic referrer

2008-06-03T21:10:00.003+01:00

Sites pop up all the time that promise to drive traffic to your web site, many of these will work for you and many will fail to deliver. I have been using a site recently that really does work for most sites I've tried it with.

stumbleupon.com is a very hot site at the moment and I would recommend everyone try this to see how it does deliver relevant traffic to your site.

To make it easier I have included some simple instructions:

Step 1: Go to stumbleupon.com and complete the registration process. (Note: The service is not available on the Safari browser, it works on Internet Explorer and Firefox)
Step 2: You will be asked if you want to add Stumbleupon to your browser bar – proceed with this step
Step 3: Once StumbleUpon has been installed on your browser you will see the StumbleUpon logo and small “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” icons
Step 4: Go to your on web site - "http://www.yourdomain.co.uk" and when the page appears on the screen, click on the “thumbs up” sign,
Step 5: You will then get a box where you enter a short description
Step 6: Enter some key tag words
Step 7: Submit

It looks like a long process but, the whole thing should take less than 5 minutes and it will drive traffic to the site.

IF YOU HAVE FOUND THIS TIP OF USE PLEASE SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS.

Google Grants for Charitable Organisations

2008-06-03T21:08:00.002+01:00

Google Adwords is one of the most effective ways to drive traffic to your web site however, due to the increasingly high number of competing web sites using Adwords, you may have found the cost per click is increasing and becoming prohibitive.

If you are a registered charity, or you represent one, you can now apply for Google Grants. The programme basically offers free Google Adwords advertising to qualifying organisations. If you can get a Google Grant you can use the free advertising to promote an even, raise awareness, launch an appeal etc.

If you want to find out more about how to apply for these grants please visit the following link:

http://www.google.co.uk/grants/details.html

If you have found this tip useful and, know other people who might benefit from similar information please 'share' the Blog information with them.

Know what other are saying

2008-06-03T21:05:00.001+01:00

The opportunities to promote your brand or product has never been better. Social networks, blogs, forums, podcasts etc. not only give you the chance to get your message out there, they enable your customers to talk to each other about your product or service.

However, for exactly the same reasons that this is a fantastic opportunity, it is potentially a disaster about to happen. Brand assassination has never been easier. The ability to destroy a product exists for everyone.

Sure, you can moderate your blog or forum and approve all the comments before they are posted however, what if someone attacks you on a blog or forum you don't control?

You can't do much to stop it but, you must be aware of it in order to respond to it. I am constantly surprised that people don't bother to monitor what is being said about them online.

By using tools like Google Alerts, a free service, you can be notified every time your name or product appears in a page on Google. this includes news, blogs, web sites, groups and video.

Another very useful trick is to set up alerts for your competitors product or service, that way you can keep track of what they are doing and what people are saying about them.

If you found this tip useful, or know anyone who would benefit from it, please share it with your friends.

WE NOW HAVE A NICHE SOCIAL NETWORK THROUGH THE SISTER COMPANY, PODCASTMATTERS. IN THE NETWORK YOU'LL FIND SOME GREAT INFORMATION AND INTERACTION BETWEEN THE MEMBERS. TO JOIN GO TO http://network.podcastmatters.co.uk

Need to do some Market Research?

2008-06-03T21:03:00.001+01:00

I am amazed how many Facebook users I speak to who don't know about Facebook Polls. This is a superb way to research your customers and get answers that will improve your decision making.

The Polls work like this; You pose a question and up to 5 possible answers Eg. Where do you shop for food? Possible answers, Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons, Co-op or Sainsbury's

You then select the demographic you want to poll, this can be done by interest groups, location, age or sex.

You then pay $0.25 per response for up to 100 responses + $1 insertion fee.

You then get real time streaming results to you question from 100 people in as little as 30 mins.

So if you want to know about your target audience use the Facebook Poll service to find out quickly.

To sign up for the Facebook Poll you select the "Businesses" link at the bottom of any Facebook page and you will get the full details of how this fantastic service can work for you.

If you have found this, or any other tip useful please share the Blog information with your friends.

Create a Facebook Page for your product or service

2008-06-03T20:59:00.000+01:00

Earlier this month Facebook launched ‘Facebook Pages’ and the best description I can give it is a network for ‘things’ instead of friends. Facebook’s own description is, “a way for you to connect to things other than people, without cluttering your Friend List”.

You create a Facebook Page for your business, or product, or event etc. then invite people to become a ‘Fan’. By becoming a fan they are announcing to their friends that they are interested in your business, if these people are also interested in your business they can become a fan and so on.

The obvious benefit is the ‘snowball’ effect created throughout the Facebook network however there are other benefits.

Facebook Pages are mini-websites and as such will be findable by the search engines so, it’s an additional outlet for your business or product.

Within the administration section for Facebook Pages, you can get ‘Insights’, a report on page views and other useful information. I recently set up a page for “Golf Prints by Gordon White” and within 24 hours I was able to determine that 58% of page viewers were woman, 84% of viewers were between the ages of 25 and 44 and, 16% were over 45, all useful information.

I would advise anyone with a business, product, service, event, charity etc. to set up a Facebook Page, it’s free to do and you can get started by going to the ‘Advertisers’ link at the bottom of any Facebook page. You may also be interested in the Pay-Per-Click Social Advertising on the same page!

Submit to Article Directories

2008-06-03T20:56:00.000+01:00

A great tip for increasing traffic to your web site is to submit to Article Directories. Often overlooked by many web owners, article submission is, for the most part, free and, easy to do.
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Web owners and editors (both on-line and off-line) use Article Directories to find relevant content for their publications. If you have any interesting articles, features, comments, case studies etc., submit them to the hundreds of Article Directories and get them published. The benefits to you are enormous.

1. Good articles on niche topics can promote you as an expert on the subject.

2. Published articles help to promote your site.

3. Article Directories create hundreds of incoming links to your site, which in turn improves your search engine ranking.

You can submit articles manually; do a search for Article Directories and choose which ones you want to use. Alternatively, you can use a variety of article submission tools, which automatically submit your article to hundreds of directories. Some of the popular ones are; ArticleTrader.com, and ArticleGold.com

Why we should use Favicons

2008-06-03T20:54:00.001+01:00

The Favicon (Favourites Icon) is the small square icon that appears on the left of the web address in a web browser and, most modern browsers support Favicon display. Many web owners believe this is their only purpose and don't use Favicons or view them as important, this is a mistake.

Browsers use Favicons to display bookmarked sites and, tab enabled browsers also use Favicons to display tabbed sites. So, if you want your site to stand out in a list of bookmarked sites you should use a Favicon on your site.

Other sites now use Favicons to list sites. RSS feed readers use Favicons to display your site and some search engines are now using Favicons when displaying search results.

So, this small icon (16 pixels x 16 pixels) could become very well used and commonly displayed on the internet. It is not only worth using it, it is worth giving some consideration to its design.

If you know anyone who would benefit from regular tips and advice on web marketing, design or podcasting please encourage them to join Design Matters Group on Facebook.

If you need further information on Favicons please contact us at favicons@designmattersgroup.com

Keywords ARE Important!

2008-06-03T20:50:00.001+01:00

I often hear people saying that keywords are no longer important because search engines don't rank sites by keywords anymore. Strictly speaking this is true however, for the same reason, this makes keywords more important than ever.

Search engine spiders don't look at Keyword Meta Tags but, in order to deliver relevant results, they look for the keywords in your content instead. For this reason it is essential that the keywords or phrases that people might use to find your products or services are included in the main content of your site.

You may have seen the term 'Web Optimised Copy', this is content which has been written to include as many search words and phrases as possible. When writing the content for your site it is important to get the balance right between optimised copy and readable content, search engine spiders don't buy your products, the visitor reading the copy is ultimately the target.

Keywords are also important if you use Google Adwords, or any other Pay-Per-Click advertising.

A very useful tool to help you establish the keywords relevant to your website is WordTracker

WordTracker will help you identify the keywords and give you a KEI (Keyword Effectiveness Indication) for each word or phrase. The Free Trial version will enable you to get started however, for those serious about web optimised content you should consider the full version.

If you know anyone who may benefit from this advice or previous posts, please encourage them to subscribe to this Blog or, contact me at gordon@designmattersgroup.com or, via the website

Optimisation Tip

2008-06-03T20:46:00.001+01:00

The 'Title Tag', the short description about the page that appears at the top of your browser, is one of the most overlooked tags on web sites.

The main mistake that web owners make is to have the same title on every page, this is not good practice. Unique titles are essential for web optimasation.

The search engine spiders will look closely at the title of each page. The spider's task is to get all the content from your site and then the search engine algorithm analyzes your content to determine what each page is about. If they cannot differentiate between your pages or determine that too many of them are too similar then you have a problem.

Furthermore, some spiders restrict the number of characters they read in the title tag therefore, you should ensure that you don't make the common mistake of starting every title with your name. e.g. Design Matters coprporate identity page...Design Matters portfolio page...Design Matters contact page. If you look at the Design Matters web site you will see that every page has a unique title and none of them start with Design Matters even though the name is in every title.

If you know anyone else who may benefit from regular tips on web marketing, design or podcasting please encourage them to subscribe to this Blog.

Podcastmatters: The Power of Podcasting

2007-02-19T00:36:00.000Z

Podcastmatters: The Power of Podcasting

The Power of Podcasting

2006-11-07T15:28:00.000Z

I have recently been exploring various communication vehicles and, without doubt, one of the most powerful I have come across is Podcasting.

Delivering messages directly into a persons ear has to be the most intimate and direct methods of communication. I know I would rather hear someone explain something than read it in a memo or email. I would rather have something technical shown to me than read a complicated instruction manual and, I would rather take a walk through a hotel via a video podcast than wait for the highly 'staged' glossy brochure arrive through the post.

By listening to someone you can hear the emotion and the passion they have for their product or service. Having been in design for over 20 years I can certainly say that it is very difficult to portray the company owners passion on the printed page, podcasting makes it easy.

Having discovered this means of communication I have dug deeper to see what it's being used for. When you do this you quickly realize that the opportunities are limitless and I haven't found a single company in my client portfolio who couldn't take advantage of podcasting.

Here are some of the ways that organisations are using podcasts:

A certain airline company has offered free pre-loaded Mp3 players as an incentive to use their premium services. Passengers received a corporate branded MP3 player preloaded with an audio magazine about other destinations served the airline.

A luxury car manufacturer offered MP3 players to encourage customers to take test drives. The players were preloaded with an audio infomercial with customer testimonials and interviews with engineers and designers.

A financial institution gave away MP3 players to new customers as an incentive. The players were loaded with an audio magazine giving valuable advice on investment and money management strategies.

Perhaps the most significant use I have come across is the move by National Semi Conductor to issue 8500 staff with video iPods. National Semi Conductor has identified podcasting as the most effective way to communicate and train their staff.

Having been 100% convinced about the effectiveness of podcasting I have now set up a podcast production company in Glasgow, Scotland. The site http://www.podcastmatters.co.uk gives more examples of how organisations are using this exciting tool. The site also gives detailed explanations about how it all works and all the different aspects of podcasting.

www.golfprints.net

2006-06-29T22:27:00.000+01:00

In another guise I paint golf courses and produce open and limited edition prints of them. As part of this "hobby" I have just launched my new web site at http://www.golfprints.net

I hope some of you will take time to have a look at the site and leave your name in the visitors book (or even better, purchase a print or two).

Welcome to my Blog

2006-05-18T02:45:00.000+01:00

Hello there, I have just set up this Blog in order to keep my clients, suppliers, friend and family up to date with what is happening at Design Matters. You can, of course, view my business web page at http://www.designmattersgroup.com. The site is full of information about what we do, with lots of examples of our work. However, I intend to use this Blog to post news of what we are doing in a less formal manner.

I also intend to post some comments on what is going on in the world of design and, in particular, the world of internet design and marketing. I have spent a lot of time, and continue to do so, exploring the latest techniques for developing online traffic and I would like to share this information with anyone who may find it useful.

Back to Design Matters, the first piece of news I would like to post is, on Tuesday 23rd May Design Matters will celebrate its 20th birthday. We would take this opportunity to thank our clients, suppliers, employees, friends and family for the support they have given over the past 20 years.

Many things have happened over the past 20 years and maybe I'll share some of the more amusing stories with you in future posts. Believe me, there are many!

Also, if anyone has a specific question about design for print or web design and marketing, please contact me and I will be happy to try to answer it for you.

Anyway, I must go now and finish some client work, I will post again soon.

Thanks for visiting my Blog, please visit again soon.

Gordon White
Principal