Benjamin Franklin recommended that you build an App. Well, sort of. “Time is money,” Mr. Franklin advised, in his pamphlet Advice to a Young Tradesman, Written by an Old One. You’ve probably heard this thought on the value of time before? Perhaps, in a way, Ben’s ponderings from 1748 are applicable today in a, well, application he never could have predicted. 265 years later, our lives are extremely fast-paced. While Ben Franklin discussed the value of hours and days, we look at mere seconds and see dollar signs. Simply put, no one can afford to wait anymore. We’re all getting used to the availability of instant information. As a business owner, if you know that your clients appreciate streamlined, highly informative content available rapidly, then you can keep them happy by providing information that is always accessible. Unfortunately, a nice website (and even a mobi...
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Search Engine Optimization is the phrase that haunts every website owner. It is one of the buzzwords that marketing gurus and web designers are recommending at every turn. “Search is the top driver of internet traffic to websites,” they say. You may have that feeling that optimizing your website is something you really ought to look into, but honestly, it’s daunting. Why is it important? Is it worth the cost? Here are some common questions webmasters ask – and some important answers you can’t afford to miss. Isn’t my engaging website enough? Not anymore. Over 86% of all online experiences start with a search engine. The majority of your customers may be starting their hunt for your website by searching – completely opening themselves to your competition, if you’re not there to beat them out. How often have you lost business because you weren’t easily found online? In ...
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Times have changed. Our contemporary society has come to expect every legitimate organization, business, non-profit, or ministry to have a well-designed website presence. When it comes to being found by your community, being available to your members, and providing information to both, you must be accessible on the web. In fact, most modern church plants are scrambling to get their site up before they even begin services. It’s almost as important as getting a meeting place arranged. Even established churches are revamping their websites to provide tools for members on-the-go. But as we become more and more dependent on smart phones and tablets to keep up with the crazy, rushed lifestyle we’ve developed, having a church website may not be enough to effectively connect with your church family. A website that fails to contain up-to-the-minute information often gets negle...
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Want brand awareness? Increased sales? Need to spread the news? Strengthen customer relationships? Or simply remind customers that you exist? Whether you’re testing the waters with direct marketing, or you’ve been sending marketing blasts for years, here are some tips to make sure your emails are effective. And read. Think about your inbox on a Monday morning. (Stifle that groan, please.) We all know the feeling of being flooded with emails. Let’s be frank: nobody opens every single email. Even your blind mouse could smell spam by now. There’s a lurking chance that your email will be banished as “trash” (or worse, “spam”) without the result you were going for. So how do you get your marketing emails opened? 1. Send your stuff to the right people. Should you purchase an email list? Probably not. “Bought recipient lists generally don't work for several reasons,” says YC...
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As a church, service company, charity, or retailer, are you getting the most out of your eCommerce website? With Christmas behind us, I reflected on my own spending trends. About 90% of my holiday purchases were made online. TIME Business & Money says that I wasn’t alone – online store spending increased over 17% from the previous year’s numbers! Online shopping has become an undeniable appeal to consumers, who can save time and often money by using virtual stores. Truth be told, Andy Chandler of the YCP team says that he hardly ever sees a “standard e-commerce site.” Most clients are unique, requiring custom solutions. “Many of our websites are services driven or are donation based. For example, some of our clients are only selling digital products, so shipping and inventory don't play a role - but secure delivery does. Backstage is designed to handle any type of sto...
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Justin Murphy and I are really into the show Shark Tank right now! I guess it's the entrepreneurial spirit in our house that attracts us to it. On a recent episode, we watched a lady selling a sort of marker used to identify different meats after grilling. The product was clever and had attractive packaging. The owner seemed level-headed and mature in the videod background story shown before her pitch began. But there was something about her presentation that struck us as strange: This professional, articulate woman showed up at the pitch in a red, polka-dotted, retro-type dress and full out winged eyeliner. We couldn't understand it. To us, she seemed more like Minnie Mouse than a professional businessperson! The look she sported just didn't match the brand she represented. On the other hand, a pair of business partners selling a type of grease cleaner for cyclists ...
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Did you get a shiny new tech-toy for Christmas? My dad and stepmom did. They proudly FaceTime-ed me from their new iPad, and when I "hung up," they were busy trying to wrestle the device back from my 18-year-old sister. Tablets and smart phones easily transcend generational barriers. In fact, data collected by NPD DisplaySearch projects that tablets will outsell notebooks by 2016. Why does this matter? I'll give you a hint . . . your website! Problem? Solution. Ethan Marcotte explains the problem this way: "We’re faced with a greater number of devices, input modes, and browsers than ever before." While it's possible to design separate packages for each of the different platforms (desktop, tablet, smart phone, mini-tablet), there's a better solution, and we predict you'll hear a lot about it this year. The solution is responsive web design, in which we create an attrac...
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What's new with YCP in 2012? We wanted to take the opportunity to get you up-to-date on what's happening with the team! It's been a great year for YCP as a business, but also for our team members personally. David Dierking, our Lead Developer, tied the knot! Most of us made the trip to Rock Hill, NC to be present at the ceremony and we're so happy to have Ciara present at our team events now. Though it's hard to ever get a picture of David smiling (he says he is always smilling inside!), we all can testify that he was full of grins on his special day, and it seems like the lunches he's bringing in are better quality these days! Senior Interactive Designer, Michael Golus, has always been active and this year he took up sport climbing at a local climbing gym The Mountain Goat (did you know we had a climbing gym in Greenville??). Michael's artistic side goes beyond graph...
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Just because Google+ has not gained the popularity that Facebook or Pinterest have does not mean you should ignore it. Listing a business page on Google+ will actually give you more opportunity to show up in search engine results once you verify your local business. This process allows your Google+ page (after you have created it) to show up in Google's search engine results, along with your Google Maps listing and your actual website, and takes up the precious right-hand space where ads might otherwise appear (see photo below). Although some businesses and organizations find that LinkedIn or Facebook provide more opportunities to get in front of their target audiences, you may still stand to gain search engine traction by listing your business with Google+ simply for the search engine results and backlinks. Listing a business with Google+ is helpful for backlinks bec...
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As one of the most popular Pay-Per-Click (PPC) online advertising venues, Google Adwords can seem daunting and complicated at first (or second, or third) glance. It's part of the larger discipline of optimizating your website for search engines (SEO or more specifically in this case, search engine marketing - SEM). Here's a layman's guide to getting started with PCC through Google Adwords. What is Google Adwords? You pay Google to display a customized, keyword-driven text-based ad when it serves up a person's search results. You can also elect to have your ad show up on Google's affiliate sites (sites who get commission for displaying Google's ads). How do they work? As a business, you pay a predetermined price for every click that your ad gets. The price per click is determined by the competition for that particular keyword or keyword phrase that's found in your text...
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BuddyMedia has done some investigative work concerning Facebook and the rest of us stand to benefit from it! This analysis of social media interaction between brands and their audiences will inform you of the best times of day and week to post to Facebook. Here are a few highlights from the report: 1. Post on weekends Posting an update on a weekend (particularly a Sunday) will get you 69% higher interaction than posting on a weekday. 2. Post at night Posting after 8pm results in a 14% higher interaction rate than busier times of the day. 3. Post interesting content Posting pictures, videos, interactive comments or questions is a good strategry to get a higher rate of interaction. Also, try not to be too wordy! Trim your status updates down to the most concise communication possible. 4. Post sparingly Yes, it's true. Just because you've posted an enormously successful ...
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Brand fragmentation will torpedo even your best marketing efforts. On the flip side, brand integration works to create informed and trusting customers. Which would you prefer? When put like that, the answer appears quite obvious. Many companies, however, default to brand fragmentation because the careful integration of each part of your brand takes both a laser focus and the investment of hard work, creative thinking, and a little thing called money. We are bombarded with marketing messages, most of them fragmented. On the way to work today, I passed at least 4 billboards, received 2-3 marketing e-mails (which I did not read while driving), and noticed at least 5 vehicles advertising their companies. When I arrived and opened my computer to begin my morning ritual of browsing several business websites, each site pushed flashy advertisements to try and attract my atten...
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Before you put your fingers to the keyboard to start creating that profile, you should think through the main purpose of your profile. What is your main purpose and how would a LinkedIn profile specifically help you accomplish your goals? What audience are you trying to reach? Thinking through these foundational questions will help you accomplish your goals and develop a successful LinkedIn strategy. 11 tips for creating a successful profile: Grab your personal url and add that to your e-mail signature. Here's some steps to doing that: http://www.handshake20.com/linkedin.html Make sure you have listed your correct website and e-mail address (use your corporate account). Add links to your twitter account and company blog (if applicable) LinkedIn recommends the following strategy as you think through your profile's headline (the section that appears at the top of your p...
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A brand evolution. Successful brands usually reach a point where they have to evolve to satisfy the demands of a changing customer base. Since we both design and redesign logos quite frequently, we thought we'd take a look at four recent logo redesigns of large household brands. Before we jump into specifics, here are a few general observations about the logos. In our work with small and large brands alike, we have noticed a trend towards softened, lighter colors and unobtrusive fonts. You've probably even noticed an increase in the use of lowercase lettering over the last few years. Why is this exactly? Brands don't want big blocky letters and dark colors bespeaking powerful, dominating businesses in our nation's shaky economy. They are trying to minimize a certain perception and highlight another. The more a brand can communicate approachability, personalized servic...
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Apple held a keynote address today and revealed their latest gadgets just in time for Christmas, for all you early shoppers out there. Apple began by reviewing data commending the sales and customer base for their previous products, including the recently unveiled iPhone 5. Of course, it's too soon to release anything new for the iPhone, so the only announcement pertaining to that was an update to/free download of iBooks. There will also be an update to iBook Author for the iPad, and it too is available for free download today. The iBook software continues to be relevant to any of our clients who work in education.The interactive eBook/textbook keeps repeating its refrain: I am the textbook of the future. YCP continues to become more experienced in ebook production in anticipation of the continued growth of this technology. Ready to produce your own eBook? Let us help...
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You're probably familiar with the story... Apple released the iOS 6 upgrade and forced iPhone users to ditch their familiar Google Maps function for an Apple Maps product. The result has not been pretty: fans are incredibly disappointed that their high expectations for a flawless system have not been met. The biggest complaint has been incorrect data, and a lack of data. Our family's personal opinion is that the turn-by-turn voice directions is a superb feature, and on a recent trip from SC to IL, we were only misled once when we were told a Starbucks would be directly off an exit (all we found were McDonalds and gas stations…those definitely don't count). But aside from all the whining and complaining, there is something important to think about: is your business listed on Apple Maps? Apple is extremely important to mobile marketing, so it would be wise to get the ba...
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Manta, an online community dedicated entirely to small businesses, surveyed it's residents and found that 90% of them use social media for their businesses. The most popular way to attract new business opportunities is through your company website, which many businesses closely connect with their social media. 24% of the business owners surveyed gained new customers through their websites, with Facebook following closely behind at 19%. Other social media outlets followed. So what does this mean for your business? It's important for you to know where and how to find your customers. Are they on Facebook? LinkedIn? Google+? Since not every business caters to the same audience you must carefully think through your specific target audience and where they are most likely to congregate. Ask yourself these questions (among others): What social media venue would attract your t...
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At Your Creative People, we enjoy brainstorming and dreaming up ways to innovate and improve our CMS product, Backstage. As one of our clients, did you know you can be a part of that creative process as well? In a large way, our client's help to build Backstage by highlighting the needs of their industries or businesses and pointing out ways to make our Backstage CMS even simpler for you to use! Have you seen the "Submit an Idea" feature in Backstage? When you discover a need for a new feature, or even just a neat idea that you think could streamline your process of updating your website, mobile site, or app, click the button and share it with us! We take and review every idea individually. Any idea that can benefit all Backstage users is added to our development list for inclusion in a future upgrade. We're not promising your idea will go into effect immediately, but...
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In our home, we love watching the Olympics. Our eyes were glued to the screen in amazement as we watched feats of skill, courage, and determination that worked to inspire us all. We marveled at the height the gymnasts got on their tumbling runs, the speed at which the swimmers glided from one side of the pool to the other, and the fact that it's possible to drop a 300 lb. barbell on yourself and still walk away unscathed (yes, that really happened >). We also couldn't help but be mesmerized and talk about the bright yellow feet that were flying at breakneck speeds across finish lines whenever track and field events were shown. Yes, we couldn't help but notice Nike's grand marketing scheme and notice those bright yellow-green sneakers every time they appeared on the screen. Just like Michael Johnson's golden shoes in the 1996 Atlanta games, Nike won the attention of th...
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Secret #1: Keep it simple Navigation. Make it easy for your customers to find the products they are searching for. Using simplified navigation (for instance breadcrumbs like the Apple Store example) gives your customers instant orientation to which page they are viewing and a visual path back. Search. Since approximately 50% of users are search driven - they instantly locate and use the closest search tool - having a search that narrows search results as you type is a great feature. Your results page should effectively and graphically list the results, proving to be simple to understand. Checkout. An easy checkout system or shopping cart can make the buying process smooth and more inviting. For example, it's easiest for me to checkout online with simply my e-mail address as a guest checkout, rather than having to create a new user account at each site I shop at. If yo...
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1. Don't just push out content - actually engage your audience through closely targeted, relavent content. The number of likes doesn't measure true customer engagement. 1,000 Facebook likes is great but do the likes really mean that your customers are engaged with your brand? I'll be honest, I will "Like" any Facebook page if it has something to offer me... but here's the thing: I've "UN-liked" just as many. So, the real goal is to steadily provide reliable, helpful, and thought-provoking content, related specifically to why customers need your product/service. Engaging content can translate into engaged audiences who continue to find value in your brand and keep coming back. Maybe your market needs to be educated on how they can save money by buying your product. By educating your readers, you can build your value, thus increasing their trust in you as an expert. Sev...
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Is creativity a bad word in business? Is it just an artsy ideal of marketing, but not really an effective bottom-line booster? In their book, Juicing the Orange, Pat Fallon and Fred Senn address the misconceptions regarding implementing creativity in today’s marketing environment. Using the metaphor of juicing an orange, they demonstrate how creativity can give a campaign leverage over the competition and produce impressive results. What does the term “juicing the orange” mean anyway? The phrase is a metaphor to express the way marketers get the most "bang for their buck" from advertising. It expresses the idea of using existing resources, adding some creative thinking, and producing powerful campaigns. Fallon and Senn are trying to make the point that great marketing comes from extracting the juice from the orange you already have, not laying out the greenbacks to si...
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Imagine a new dimension of learning. Imagine a world where learning is highly interactive and where children can explore new worlds with rich media, including video, audio narration, integrated mapping and 360 degree slideshows. Formerly dull charts, graphs, and equations come alive. Imagine a textbook that’s always up to date with the latest current events. Students can get instant definitions of uncommon words and explore the life of their favorite historical characters. Imagine the ease of updating content and pushing it out to all users simultaneously. This is a whole new dimension of education. These are the real opportunities in ePublishing. Electronic publishing or “EPUB” is a file format (like .doc is for Word) for publishing electronic content. There are two other popular formats such as the Mobipocket (.mobi) and Kindle Format 8 (KF8). EPUB-formatted and pac...
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Apple held another much-anticipated keynote address today to introduce a brand new MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion, and iOS 6. The highlight of the show seemed to be the new Macbook Pro, with it's impressive retina-display, which will mimic the crystalline clarity seen in the latest iPhone and iPad releases. The notebook itself has a 15" width, but the skinniness of the beloved MacBook Air, at just 0.71 inches. Despite the hefty price tag ($2,199), Apple expects this to be the computer of the future. Mountain Lion offers a near-perfect integration across your devices. Mountain Lion, the new version of the operating system for Mac, impressed with it's AirPlay ability. Any Mac's display can now be mirrored onto an HDTV or projector, via Apple TV. This could make presentations in the YCP office even more fun; we would open our Mac, pull up your site, power up Apple TV, a...
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This simple, uncluttered infographic reveals information gathered by Steelhouse and uSamp about mobile shopping and social sharing. The findings are worth noting! For example, 83% of consumers base purchase decisions on star rating systems and user reviews. So, if you don't include testimonials of some sort on your website, you are lacking a major motivator. Take a look at the graphic for more of the fun findings, which includes statistics about social media websites. The graphic is taken from Silicon Republic.
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When I first learned of Pinterest, I had little interest in it. Another social networking website? No way - I already wasted enough time on Facebook; I wasn't interested in joining another social outlet. However, I eventually found myself suckered in and clicking around on the website. When I began to think of Pinterest as not only fun but resourceful, I was sold. I am a pretty average Pinterest user: 25 (ages 25-34 make up the largest percentage of users), middle class, bachelor's degree ('some' college is the highest percentage of users at 60%, which makes me think that many of the users are still in college), and oh - yeah... female! (Women make up 80% of the user database). I use Pinterest to plan weekly menus (with my husband hanging over my shoulder giving his recommendations by pointing to photos of bacon-this-or-that), to learn how to take care of my young gar...
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When discussing SEO, it's impossible not to at least think of Google. Why? Because Google engineers invented the concept of "SEO" and also its “rules.” By “rules,” I mean the algorithms that determine which websites land on the first page of the search results. Lately, Google engineers have honed in on the concept of "freshness," or placing greater emphasis on returning the freshest web content for most queries. So now you're probably wondering: what makes a website fresh? Here are 7 important elements to focus on as you manage your site. 1. Date of inception. The inception date is the first time Google indexes your page, or puts it into its database of pages. Unfortunately, the inception date degenerates over time. So, the older a website is, it lessens in freshness. It might go without saying that if your site was created over 5 years ago, you may be due for a websi...
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Posted March 23, 2012
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German type designer Paul Renner, who is especially known for his famous typeface "Futura," coined the phrase "Form follows function." His geometric letterforms are a gold standard for a no-frills approach to design. While his statement applies to a variety of design mediums that go beyond typography, it is especially important for mobile optimized sites. For this reason, it is important that mobile sites are not treated like an afterthought but enjoy the same strategic design and functionality as their big brother. Getting streamlined information quickly and easily is the key here. One of the first mobile sites we designed was for the GSP airport. With clean views and easy-to-click buttons, it has been an effective and good looking tool for flight tracking, parking info and many other travel-related needs. We submitted the site to the mobile gurus at mobileawesomenes...
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Google is making headlines again, as they begin to reveal information about the next generation of their search engine. Google is trying to stay on top of the search market, which includes competitors Bing, Yahoo, Apple (now with Siri), and certain aspects of Facebook. In coming weeks, you should begin to see snippets of change in the way search results are provided. Google will start favoring sites that have more relevant content vs. sites that are simply overly optimized. While you don't want to wait to start optimizing your site to Google's new standards, top execs at Google say (source: The Wall Street Journal ) that it will actually be a couple of years for its changes to be fully in place. What will the new search engine look like? Google's plan is to provide increasingly relevant search results. For example, if you do a search for a set of home audio speakers, ...
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Posted March 01, 2012
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A Book Review Most people think of trying to show that their company is the best at something. They are determined to show how their product is the best and how it can do so many things. However, the most important thing to remember is that people want help with whatever problem they are having. If a person is in the landscaping business, you must understand what their problems are and that will help you “market” to that company. This book, by Patrick Renvoise and Christophe Morin, discussed learning the client’s pain. In the landscaping illustration, the client does not care about the mower, trimmer, and blower, ect. All they care about is having a manicured lawn. When trying to target that segment of the market, do not spend time and money showing the minute features of your product. Instead show how your product can give them that manicured lawn that they want. You...
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In today's world of online shopping, search engine results are critical for nearly every website owner. After all, "googling" has become a new verb in our vocabulary, according to most dictionaries. The majority of the populace first turn to a search engine when they are seeking information on a product or service or looking to buy. With our game-changing CMS product, Backstage, we have made it easy for you to cover all your basics in optimizing nearly every part of your website for the search engines (SEO). Here are 4 simple steps you can take today to create an optimized site. 1. Create a keyword-focused page title. It's simple to create your own keyword-driven page titles that will help you rank better in web searches. After logging into Backstage, and clicking on the page you would like to optimize, click on the "Optimize for SEO" option on the right-hand panel of...
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If you are like most people, you are able to quickly and easily match the brand names below to the simple idea associated with them. In some cases, ideas come down to a single word. Kleenex = Tissue Heinz=Ketchup Volvo=Safety Crest = Fights Cavities The object of branding is to create awareness by connecting your brand name to a single motivating idea or concept and make it stick in the mind of the consumer. What is Positioning? A Simple Definition Positioning is simply concentrating or focusing on an idea – or even a word – that defines (and thus, differentiates) the organization (or product, or service, or concept, etc.) in the mind of its prospects. Why positioning? Today’s marketplace is no longer responsive to the kind of advertising that worked in the past. There are just too many products, too many companies, and too much marketing “noise.” In this over-communi...
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Steven Johnson is the author of Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation. In his book, Steven directs the reader to look beyond the mere search for a spark of brilliance and to ask himself: what kind of environment nurtures the development of good ideas? In this 4 minute video, the main ideas and questions from Steven's book are summarized and presented with a simple narrative and an engaging use of illustration. These main ideas include: Where do "good ideas" come from? The "Slow Hunch" - most great ideas take a long time to evolve. Good ideas come from collisions of smaller ideas - your "hunch" connecting with someone else's "hunch." The primary engine of creativity and innovation throughout recent history has been connectivity. We have so many new ways to connect now. Even though we're distracted and multi-tasking, we have much more opportunity...
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E-books are projected to revolutionize education. After our last blog-post about Google, Apple had some big news of their own today. Apple released iBooks 2, an update to their e-book software for iOS devices (the iPod, iPad, and iPhone). In true Apple-fashion, a press event was held to present the new software and it's most exciting features. Phil Schiller, introducing iBooks 2, described Apple's desire to use the iPad for educational progress. Schiller pointed out that students like to learn on the iPad - in fact it was the # 1 item on teens' holiday wish lists this year. He then described that iPad textbooks can replace the cumbersome, short-lived, non-interactive paper textbooks that students are used to. Apple has already partnered with McGraw-Hill, Pearson, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to start the ball rolling. These companies are currently responsible for 90%...
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The blogosphere is abuzz this month because Google has unveiled an "update" of sorts to it's search engine, called "Search Plus Your World." The basic premise of the new search platform is that Google will combine the regular search results that we are used to with personalized search results based off of your Google+ social networking account. Graeme McMillan, at techland.time.com, gives a pretty good breakdown of the specific "changes" here, but I'll also list out some of the new features for your benefit, based on his info: -Personalized search results based on your Google+ information -Auto-complete prompt based on that same Google+ information -Google+ promotion on the right-hand sidebar of your search results page (for example, linking you to Google+ conversations about your search query) Don't fret: you can apparently turn off the option to have your search per...
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"Smartphone ownership has more than doubled in two years," says Suzanne Choney in this MSBC Technolog article. She's merely interpreting data collected from the past year. That data, collected by Nielsen, a leader in global market research, tells us that over half of people aged 25-34 years, and over half of people aged 18-24 years are all smart phone owners. This generation of smart phone owners use their phone to shop (literally, while at a physical store, they will compare products via a virtual store), engage in social networking (with Facebook being the most popular phone app available), text, and well, I assume to make phone calls sometimes. Why does any of this matter? Because it means your website is increasingly being viewed and utilized on a mobile device. Your Creative People can take your website and design and implement a mobile friendly version for your ...
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We often get asked the question: should I have my blog as a separate entity from my main corporate site? The answer is no. In a January 17, 2011 Business Insider article "Your Corporate Blog Could Be Sabotaging Your Business: Six ways your blog could accidentally sabotage your bottom line, plus tips for avoiding them" Lisa Barone notes this as one of the top 3 pitfalls to establishing a sucessful company blog. She states: "Corporate blogs work best when they're a natural extension of the rest of your Web site. When the content found on the blog serves to give more information/street cred. to your services. And to do that, readers need to be able to see the connection that exists between the two entities. Your corporate blog fails when you put it on a separate domain and make it hard for people to tie back or access your site. It fails when your blog doesn't link to an...
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Search Engine Optimization is a hot topic in our industry right now. Our clients seem to have become more aware that they need some sort of SEO for their website, but they are not always sure what constitutes good, productive SEO practice. In our experience and research, we have become aware of two major players in SEO: keywords and functionality. Keywords seem to be a well-known component of SEO. The idea with keywords is to identify what a potential customer might plausibly type into a search engine if he/she were looking for your service/product. Many website owners already know to use meta-tags on their homepage with relevant words relating to their product/service. However, there is certainly more depth to using keywords to generate traffic than just meta-tags. "The best keywords are words and phrases that are being searched, but that may have been overlooked by ...
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Posted November 03, 2011
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We have all seen those funky looking digital black and white codes popping up in all kinds of places this past year. But what are they used for? And how do you create them? While QR codes are not as widely used in the US as they are in Europe and Asia, we are quickly adapting to their use and convenience in the states. So, let's answer a few important questions regarding QR codes. 1. What is a QR code and how do I use it? A QR code is a "quick response" code and a powerful tool to reach an audience. You scan a QR code with a smartphone application which then connects the code to any of the following: weblinks, phone numbers, contract entry (vCard), calendar entry (vCalendar), or even audio or video data. Free QR code readers are available for all smartphone devices and their use grew a massive 1200% during the first half of 2011 (source: Mobio). 2. Who developed QR c...
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The power of a few simple words can make all the difference in the world, as shown by this short Youtube clip. A simple, but targeted message (with minimal or even no design to support it) is the difference between simply having marketing and having marketing that commands attention and gets results. At Your Creative People, we believe that the messaging should drive every piece we create. Creative design should never get in the way; it should simply support and enhance the clarity of the message. It takes time to think through and write a clear, targeted call to action. We believe that it's worth your investment. Let our team of creative people help you craft a message that demands action. We found this clip referenced on the blog of our friends at Brains on Fire:
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Have you ever wondered how to determine a good web site design from a not-so-good web site design? It's more than just a gut feeling. Here is a list of four criteria: 1. Clarity Your site should unmistakably communicate your identity, your purpose, and your distinctives. If you want to stand out, it should never be designed using the same template anyone else could buy off the shelf. Branding is supposed to set you apart, not make you blend in. Be different and tell your customers why that difference matters to them. 2. A Targeted, Branded Web Design The design of your web site either aids the communication or distracts from it. It must be targeted and aesthetically pleasing to attract and engage visitors. It needs to reflect a unified look and feel, so that your customers gain a sense of confidence in your professionalism. This gives them the confidence to do busines...
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We came across this blog-post on www.churchleaders.com about church websites recently and thought the thoughts recorded were worth sharing. The post references the same Lifeway Survey that we mentioned on our blog several months ago. While we don't use (or recommend) Wordpress or pre-designed/stock templates, we do think the 5 simple points made in this blog post are worth thinking about. As a branding company, we believe each client is inherently unique and we strive to design them a website with layout, functionality, and attractiveness that is exactly right for them and reflects their brand, or identity. So, we don't deal with templates and this actually goes hand in hand with the article's point number 1: Engaging Home Page. Having an engaging home page is essential. We as a culture have become content to skim through content and jump from website to website looki...
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Here is an encouraging news story for small business owners. Pricing is very important for our recession-era, coupon-conscious culture. This New York Times business story explains that when the business owner has to raise his prices to cover his expenses, it's not always a deal-breaker for his customers. "The fear, of course, is that raising prices will send customers fleeing. While that can happen, many small businesses have raised prices and lived to tell about it. They echo a common sentiment: setting prices strategically is not just about the numbers. Buyers are not necessarily looking for the best price, said Mark Kronenberg, founder of Math 1-2-3, a New York-based tutoring and test preparation company." - Eilene Zimmerman, New York Times, April 2011 Click here for the rest of the article!
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Posted September 26, 2011
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And now for some final thoughts on what might be helpful, and what might not be when interacting with your customers. Hopefully this series has provided you some benefit. I have noticed that our current generation is very sensitive about customer service; many of us feel entitled to receive exactly what we want at the price we want it at, as consumers. Since we are a very informed generation (with all our access to information often literally at our fingertips as we surf our smart phone to check out consumer reviews and what not while browsing through a store), we are also a very demanding generation. We want the best - but we don't want to pay full price (see TLC's Extreme Couponing). I try personally to be a careful consumer and use coupons and buy when deals are on whenever I can, but I also want to remain reasonable about my shopping experience. I don't want to re...
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Posted September 08, 2011
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Don't: Take every word literally. Do: Listen for the unspoken and read carefully between the lines. -Remember that people have different styles of communication. While some are frank and outspoken, others may not want to offend and instead hint subtly at what they like/dislike. Instead of taking every statement like an order in a restaurant, some things may even get mentioned to give and example or to start a conversation and not because a client wants just that. Interpreting what a client says and asking a lot of follow up questions can be a big step to get the right message and save from disappointments. Don't: Insist on your point or strategy. Do: Admit when you are wrong, or someone else's idea is better, and do whatever you can to reassure your customer, and correct the mistake. -If you're wrong, don't put your defenses up. A humble apology combined with giving y...
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Posted September 01, 2011
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Don't: Stress out a client with your timeframe Do: Keep a client on schedule and the project moving while allowing for enough time to reflect or generate content. -While it is pertinent to remind a client of scheduling and keep a project moving, it is necessary to be sensitive to the clients own work demands and scheduling needs. It is best to agree upon a schedule before beginning the project with the client, but to also be flexible enough to adapt to changes in plans as they come up (on the clients end and on your own). Try to help your client understand how they fit into a schedule which also includes other clients, while still being available to them when they need you. Don't: Assume you know everything about your client Do: Realize that your client ultimately knows his business best. -Your experience in all things branding, design and development are the reason ...
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Posted August 22, 2011
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If good customer service is the "lifeblood" of any company, then we think it's worth taking the time to review some of the things we should or shouldn't do when working with customers. We'll be adding a new blog post on this subject weekly for a month. Let us know know what you have learned from your business in the comments section! Don't: Hide your phone number and contact info on your website Do: Make it easy for (potential) customers to find and contact you. - Being reachable is critical. Making it easy for a customer to reach you is a great way to show you appreciate and value their business. The inability to call or locate a business will quickly sour the customer experience. Don't: Promise a customer something you can't guarantee. Do: Provide assurance that the matter will be resolved. - You are not always going to have the right answer, but letting your custom...
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"There's also the very keen nugget of wisdom that 95% of graphic design is actually typography" says Cliff Kuang, the editor of Co.Design. Cliff has posted these two compelling infographics to illustrate his point. We thought it was a great find and have posted it here for our clients' enjoyment. To read Cliff's original blog post, you can find it here >
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An interesting article appeared in the New York Times yesterday. Neal Gabler has determined that our modern society no longer has any profound thoughts to share. He says, "In effect, we are living in an increasingly post-idea world — a world in which big, thought-provoking ideas that can’t instantly be monetized are of so little intrinsic value that fewer people are generating them and fewer outlets are disseminating them, the Internet notwithstanding. Bold ideas are almost passé." And can you guess the cause Gabler points to for this downfall? Yes - the Internet. Gabler points out that Facebook and Twitter and the likes give us no reason to have any deep, meditative, inventive thoughts. They just overload us with useless information. Gabler says, sure, we KNOW a lot ... but we don't know much that is worth knowing (for example, my Facebook newsfeed is overrun with "I...
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So...why dedicate a whole blog post to...coffee? Making coffee to us becomes a small way in which we can live out several of our company’s key core values - every single day. Some offices have the water cooler - we have the espresso bar. It’s our place to congregate and it’s another expression of every individual’s creativity (one of our core values), hand-crafted one cup at a time. We also view treating each of our clients to a cup of coffee as a way to demonstrate personalized service (also one of our core values). And last, our clients often marvel at the 4-layered latte’s they receive and wonder how it’s done. Here’s the scoop - to all those who care to know! We are very proud of and dependent on our espresso maker here at YCP. It helps Andy wake up in the morning and provides that needed kick to finish up the afternoon for Justin. Our team uses our “mini-Starbuck...
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1. What is SEO? Search engine optimization is the ongoing process of crafting and updating your website’s content, structure, keywords, and links in order to raise your page ranking in user searches. When most people use search engines, they type in 2-5 keywords to define what they are looking for. If the search engine finds a match for those keywords within the content of your site, the search engine will list your site as a result. The closer the keyword match (the more optimized your site is with those keywords), the higher your page will rank in the search engine results. Studies show (and we all know this to be true) that users will often stop looking after the first few (1-3) pages of results. If your website is not optimized for search engines it will end up so far down the search results that very few people will ever see it. Embedding keyword within your page a...
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Posted July 13, 2011
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If you feel stuck in a rut, uninspired or are just drawing a blank, consider these ideas to infuse your project with some creative energy. Feel free to add to the list to your liking. Perhaps you can start by implementing at least one item per day to invigorate your life. Click to see the list. Make LISTS Carry a NOTEBOOK everywhere Try free WRITING GET AWAY from the computer Quit beating yourself up Take BREAKS SING in the shower Drink COFFEE LISTEN to new music 10. Be OPEN Surround yourself with CREATIVE people Get FEEDBACK COLLABORATE Don't give up PRACTICE, practice, practice Allow yourself to MAKE MISTAKES Go somewhere NEW Count your BLESSINGS Get lots of REST Take RISKS BREAK THE RULES DON'T FORCE it Read a page of the DICTIONARY Create a FRAMEWORK Stop trying to be someone else's PERFECT Got an IDEA? Write it down CLEAN your workspace Have FUN FINSH something L...
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An interesting article written by Pastor David Roach describes how church websites are being underutilized by congregations. The article cites a few reasons for this, including limited time to work on the website and limited volunteer capabilities. "There is nothing wrong with using a church website to simply give directions to the church or state the church's beliefs," McConnell added. "However, we must realize that more and more people expect to be able to interact online without having to drive or make a phone call to the church." The article goes on to state that amongst churches that have websites (and most do), “nearly half of churches with websites (42 percent) update them only once a month or less.” This is where YCP can help. YCP makes the process of updating your website easy with our software Backstage. Backstage now is able to offer capabilities to church ...
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You’ve heard the old adage: “you always get what you pay for.” If you’re like me, the older you get, the more you realize how true this little proverb is. In some instances, I am willing to pay less for something that may be of lesser quality. For example: fabric softener. I really don’t care if I use the top of the line stuff or not. As long as the softener does an adequate job, I’ll go for the lesser cost. In other instances, I am willing to invest my money in something of high, reputable quality to insure that I am going to get the best value. As a case in point, my husband and I recently traveled to Seattle, Washington. We loved the city; it was vibrant, creative, and engaging (we even learned that some bold men out there have started a revolution and are bringing modern kilts back into fashion: www.utilikilts.com). However, we were doing a LOT of walking (we logg...
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Posted June 29, 2011
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The Power of Creative One of the reasons the agency business has survived all of its downs is the simple fact that most agencies are better at coming up with ideas than their clients. Between managing budgets and deadlines, agencies can only succeed in the idea business if you invest time in people to think, to plan, to scheme and to dream. Besides books, blogs and conferences, exercises such as brainstorming between employees and internal award competitions foster the flow of good ideas. A cool creative workspace with some injected personality further encourages taking your creative thoughts to another level. What's Good Enough? You might argue that your budget and deadline don't allow for stellar ideas that are set apart from the average. Every client needs his project designed and produced yesterday. Most jobs don't allow for big time cushions to utilize the full c...
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Posted June 20, 2011
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Pro-bono work can be rewarding win-win collaboration between a design studio and the nonprofit organization. To keep your agency sane and happy to take on another "free" project, consider the following few rules. 1) Pick an organization/event that you endorse 2) Choose the organizations wisely and make sure you can actually help and further the cause 3) Know what needs to be designed, for whom and how the approval process works 4) Allow enough time for the work. Nobody likes to stress over a project that doesn't pay the bills 5) Do work that is edgy and recognizable, pushing the creative envelope 6) Request a full license to be creative 7) Invest your best talent and don't just hand off the project to an intern simply because it's an unpaid project 8) Look at pro-bono work as a creative exercise that encourages teamwork 9) Pro-Bono work is a quest to create the things...
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Build a charistmatic brand! The prerequisite for a brand to become charismatic is to master the five disciplines of branding: 1. Differentiate 2. Collaborate 3. Innovate 4. Validate 5. Cultivate Differentiate Differentiating is crucial to developing a successful brand because it separates a brand from its competitors. The human brain works to notice differences between things, so the differences the customer sees visually between different brands play a huge role in which one they ultimately choose. “Our brain acts as a filter to protect us from the vast amount of irrelevant information that surrounds us every day…it learns to tell things apart…” Neumeier states that “the sense we rely on most is sight.” The final factor in the customers’ decision to purchase revolves around which company differentiated their product from another in a way that grabbed the customer’s a...
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Is it a logo? A product? A name? A brand is not a logo, nor is it a product. A brand is the gut feeling one gets about a certain product, service, or company. The perception people have defines a brand; each individual creates his or her own vision of a particular brand. “A brand is not what you say it is. It’s what they say it is” (Marty Neumeir in his book, The Brand Gap). Trust is a crucial element in developing a brand, and this trust is formed as the customers’ experiences with the brand constantly meet or exceed their prior expectations. Trust creation is the fundamental goal of brand design, and designs are used to establish that trust. In today’s “information-rich and time-poor” society, people determine which product they will buy based on how much trust they feel towards the product rather than by assessing its attributes and benefits. Some people think str...
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Does Your Website Design Make People think? Most sites do! Web usability expert Steve Krug gives us valuable insight into what makes a website successful in his book, “Don’t Make me Think." The first thing Krug elaborates on is “Krug’s First Law of Usability." This law states: websites shouldn’t make their visitors think (hence the title, “Don’t Make Me Think”). Krug explains the need for websites to be self-evident and self explanatory to visitors. Web designers should always create websites with the goal of eliminating as many of the visitor's questions as possible. By thinking through the target audience’s potential questions and building the site to answer those questions without having the visitor dig for those answers, we create a simplified, positive, and satisfying experience that very often creates a new customer. At Your Creative People, audience analysis is...
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This article originally appeared on Lifehacker written by Kevin Purdy... It's a strange thing, but sometimes being given a smaller space, more people nearby, and less convenience helps workers get things done at a coffee shop, restaurant, or other spots. The Atlantic offers four key theories on why that is. Click the link below to read the full article... lifehacker.com/#!5793436/why-some-of-us-get-more-done-at-coffee-shops
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We live in a world that both promises and presents opportunities like never before. Yet the globalization of technology means your competition can be just one click away, and a lot of people issue claims that sound promising. When you have great things to say and great products to offer, you can feel like a shopkeeper threatened with being drowned out by the racket of the marketplace. That's My Motto I grew up in the great state of North Carolina. I love it there, and one really great thing about North Carolina is its state motto—esse quam videri: "to be, rather than to seem." A simple, but profound statement. It's something we can all aspire to personally, but it's also a vital principle to our modern market place, and to how your company thinks about branding. Beyond Polish As we've discussed in previous posts, your brand is not your logo or even the combination of ...
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This article was originally written by Max Luzuriaga on Mar 16th 2011: "These are exciting times to be a web designer. CSS is finally starting to catch up to the visions of the beautiful websites we have in our heads. No longer do we have to rely on hacks and images to create wonderfully engaging interfaces! But we can’t just rely on browsers to usher in this new era. As creators we have to be flexible and adapt our workflow to encourage these new best practicees. It’s time to rethink how we make websites." To Read More: http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/designing-in-browser-a-manifesto/
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This was orginally written by Renee Oricchio and posted on Aug 1, 2008. We have posted the link here for our client's reference. "Uploading a commercial won't fly on YouTube. You have to be subtle, but if you are creative and not too heavy handed and not so obviously shilling your product, you might be able to score lots of free marketing online." To Read More: http://www.inc.com/internet/articles/200808/youtube.html
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We’re continuing with some powerful game-changing information for your ministry—the basics of branding. If you read the last article, you now understand how vitally important effective branding is. Hopefully, you’ve even taken some practical action—steps toward implementing the information. This second article takes the information farther with some practical steps for church branding. In my last post, we started by defining “branding” and we embarked on the journey of helping your ministry define its brand. We covered the first step already. Steps 2 and 3 are described in the remainder of this article. To reiterate, the three steps to branding your ministry are: Define who you are (a.k.a. your brand, described by 3-5 defining statements) Identify your contact-points Create pieces to use for each contact-point In the first article, I asked you to begin brainstorming o...
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If you think that your church brand is not that important, you’re wrong. Church branding is incredibly important, because it’s about more than just a nifty logo with pleasing colors. It’s about your message, your testimony, your influence, and your role in reflecting God’s character. This is part 1 of a two-part article on church branding—what it is and how to do it. In the arena of church marketing, with all its perversions, distractions, and confusion, some biblically-based advice is needed. Get ready to listen. “How did you hear about us?” I asked an older couple who came one Sunday night to the church I was visiting in Southern California. “We’ve been out of church for several years and were looking for a new church to attend. We received your post card in the mail about a month ago, and then visited your web site. It looked like the type of church we’ve been look...
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