Gone are the days when advertisement was only limited to billboards, TV commercial, newspaper/magazines. Internet is the new playground of advertisers and it is a highly effective medium and has no limits. Let us look into some of the most common forms of advertisement in the internet.
1. Paid/inorganic search:
Google occupies 79% of the global online paid search market. It is a very effective form of advertising. With well thought out ad strategies and enticing landing pages brands can achieve high ROI from PPC or other paid campaigns.
2. Organic Search:
About 90% of the entire online search is through organic search. So it makes ample sense to use organic search as a form of advertising/marketing. Even though the results are not instantaneous, but with proper keyword targeting, strategic use of keywords in Meta tags and unique and relevant content in the site, it will reflect great results in a short span of time.

3. Display Advertising.
Display advertising is another form of advertising which hold tremendous amount of potential. With a clear focus on the targeted audience display advertising with be very effective in the coming years.
4. Social Media Advertising:
Major social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin turning into the new business communication landscapes, brands are investing a lot on these mediums. And with the foray of Google in to the social media arena, the stage is all set for the evolution of social media advertising /marketing.
5. In-Game Advertising:
With consumers spending a considerable amount of time online playing games, advertisers foresee a great medium to advertise.
6. Video Advertising:
You tube videos have the power of viral marketing. It is free and highly effective and we have all seen it spread like wild fire.
7. Mobile Advertising:
The rise of smart phones and tablets has changed the mobile advertising scenario. It is the latest sensation in the advertising world. The ad space has shrunken but has given rise to new possibilities.

All your online marketing efforts are directed towards increasing your conversion rate. If your site receives thousands of visitors everyday but a very insignificant number of them actually convert, then it is time you thought about changing your landing page.

Lets us look at some of the ways of increasing your conversion rate:

Do not bluff your visitors: The message on your ads should be relevant to the content of the landing page. Do not try to deceive your visitors by taking them to a page which has something else other than what they were looking for.

Well placed call to action tabs: Your call to actions tab or button should be placed at a noticeable position. It should not be placed some where it can be viewed only after scrolling down the page.

Videos work wonders: Trying using videos to showcase your products and solutions. Simply making claims that your product/service will suit your customer’s requirement will not suffice, so add a video showing them how you will actually do it.

Ask for relevant information: Do not ask your visitor for unnecessary information when they fill up an enquiry form or an order form, this will annoy them and make them feel insecure in your site.

Provide information: Provide your customers with all the information they need to know about your product/services before they go on to place an order. You can also narrate a case study about your client.

Help them make a decision: Provide an option for your site visitors to have a consultation before they can make a decision. Show them how you can provide customized solutions to help them achieve their business goals.

Testimonials work: Include genuine client testimonials to showcase what your clients had to say about you and your work and what value you added to their business. Visitors will be very inquisitive to know about the experience of your existing clients.

Protect your clients IP: For businesses that involve innovations and ideas and where there is possibility of Intellectual Property infringement, it is always advisable to have all the necessary agreements in place like a non-disclosure agreement. This will make it easier for the client to trust your organization.

To know more about landing page design services please visit www.inkzoo.com

Facebook is the most popular social media site and the third largest online advertiser today. So it definitely makes ample sense to invest time to market and advertise your business through facebook.

Apart from creating a facebook fan page and having a customized url, there are lot more things that you need to do in order to engage your visitors and keep them coming back to your page again and again.

1. Keep your page updated:

If your visitors come to your page and see that there is nothing new in your page and the last thing that you posted was some weeks ago, then chances are that your visitors will also visit your site once in a week and may be even once in a month. So keep your pages updated with news, images, information about things at times may be not even relevant to your line of business.

2. Facebook poll:

A poll is an excellent way to keep your visitors engaged with something. A question about recent trends in your line of business or any recent activity entices visitors more often than not to respond.

3. Landing pages

Your facebook landing page should be unique and captivating. It should have something that captures the imagination of your visitors. Chances are that if your visitors find your landing page interesting they might even have look at other pages/tabs.

4. Contest and prizes:

An interesting and well marketed contest elicits a lot of response and a reward makes it even more alluring. Make sure that you post the terms and conditions of the contest to avoid any kind of unnecessary hassles.

5. Be shrewd and tactical.

Ask your team members, colleagues, friends, relatives and acquaintances to like and comment on your posts.  A status update with more than five likes and comments show up in the top news sections and will also entice other visitors to comment or like the post.

6. Experiment and decide:

Try posting about your client’s products/services and your clients might in turn post about your services/products in facebook. Possibilities are endless with facebook, you need to find out which one works out best for your business.

7. Make your fans feel special.

Treat your fans with some special offers, coupons, discounts or some free handbooks to make them feel that their visit to your page was worthwhile.

So there are umpteen ways to engage your visitors in facebook, the trick is to think like your visitors and find out what would you be interested in a facebook page.

For more information on services related facebook pages please visit: www.inkzoo.com

The purpose of designing a logo is to capture the interest of your customers and to sustain it and finally empower them to indentify your brand through the logo. There are several ways to make a logo conspicuous and yet look highly professional. Some of the common trends that are followed by the new age designers are as follows:

Animal designs

Using animals in a logo design infuses an element of fun and a feeling of imagination to the logo. It is a popular trend in the world of designing today. Take the case of the twitter logo which is a rage today.

Fancy text

A text created with some kind of style and design not only looks attractive but also entices more readers. Using fancy text in logos adds to the conspicuousness of the design.

Abstract design:

Abstract designs have been used in logos for years now. It brings about an aura of mystification and provides the viewers with some food for thought and a scope to draw their own conclusion.

3D technology:

The world of vision is smitten by the 3D technology. Creating a 3D logo brings about a whole new dimension to the design literally.

Mono-lined drawings:

Using mono lined designs make the design very simple yet creative and visitors can easily relate to them and the brand they represent.

Color-Coordinated Words:

Different colors signify different things; a well thought out color coordinated word or logo will create wonders and help sending out the message that your brand wants to convey.

Speech Bubble logos:

Creating logos with speech bubbles help in adding more and relevant information to the logo. It creates an impression that the brand is conveying its message to its customers directly.

So logos that are successful in leaving a certain impression in the minds of its viewers also help in establishing a bond between the brand and its customers which eventually paves the way for building of global brand.

For more information on logo designing please visit www.inkzoo.com

The website is the online appearance of an organization. So it is highly imperative that every organization invests on building a website which is aesthetically good as well as user friendly. Not only should it look professional, it should also be in tune with the terms and policies of the search engines and above all should be beneficial to its visitors.

Following are some of the ways to make a website stand out:

Content and Font

The content of the website determines the ability of a site to sustain the interest of its visitors. So a site should have content which is highly unique and beneficial for the visitors. Webpage fonts play a pivotal role in creating an impact on the visitors. It’s an established fact that readers prefer sites that are readily intelligible.

Mobile Version

New age mobile phones or smart phones as they are called today have changed the way people search for their requirements. So making your site compatible to mobile networks and making it mobile user friendly will definitely add value.

SEO Friendly

Using flash creates amazing visual effects and it adds that extra zing to the website but it creates a problem in terms of search engine optimization. Using CSS, HTML and java script the effects can be retained to a certain extent and the website can be made search engine friendly.

Interaction

Interaction is the name of the game. Website users no longer want to just visit your site and collect information and leave. They want some kind of interaction to happen either in the form of a discussion or in the form of submitting a comment etc. Create a blog or other discussion forum related to your line of business to discuss on related topics to keep your visitors engaged in your site.

Browser Compatibility

Build your website in tune with the W3C standards and run a compatibility check on different commonly used internet browsers such as Firefox, IE, Google chrome, Opera etc.

Above all these factors the success of your website depends on how much your visitors gains out of your site.

Product Packaging is the most ignored part of marketing in many industries. However it is well proven that Creative Product Packaging increases chances of customers picking your products over others.

As we discussed in our previous post Product Packaging: 5 Deadly Sins Not-to-Commit few small mistakes could really cost your products a huge number of customers. Careful planning and execution helps to avoid some basic mistakes of Product Packaging Designs and make your product stand out of the crowd.




How to make sure it hits the bull’s eye?

Product Packaging could easily be the best way to extend your brand image among the target market. Making them believe that you understand your target market’s need is the bottom line to gain the buying confidence. Visuals, Colors and words or text copy play a significant role.

Don’t over fire; it could back-fire too!

Creative Product Packaging is really worth to try considering it will help to create initial buzz in the market. But be sure that the product is still recognizable at the first look. If you are a well known brand, people might not able to identify your product with a dramatic makeover.

Learn as you go

You should also monitor the effect of any new packaging you introduce on the sales. This is the real test of creativity and design in the real world. How your customers react your creative ideas will help to improve your product packaging further.

Creative Flyer Designing is sure the best way to get your message across to your target audience without spending too much money. You could easily find Creative Flyers under wiper blades of your cars in parking lots, the mail, on tables at trade shows and on bulletin boards, literally everywhere. But are flyers do any good unless someone actually reads relevant information?

Today, with so many creative ideas making their way deep inside the marketing and advertising design work, it’s very important to keep the relevancy. A targeted Creative Flyer Designing is what all you need to get maximum return on investment.

1. Figure out the Target Audience and Product

Most of the Flyer Designs are not planned to reach a specific audience and served for specific product. Which makes a flyer very generic and not capable to deliver the correct impact on the audience. To get most out of your Custom Flyer Designs, you need to focus on the aim.

2. Map out the Layout Plan

Usually Flyers contain some visuals, headline and related copy and contact information. Now you need to plan where exactly you want to put all these information at the right place. The complete layout should be simple but engaging and without too much distraction.

3. Throw the Visuals that Blast your message

Visuals including images of products or happy customers are the first thing a prospect customer will notice on your Custom Flyer Design. Role of a Creative Flyer Design should be to take this opportunity and spread your message across quietly. Before even the potential customers read something on the flyer they should be well prepared for what is coming their way, and will accept it easily.

4. Shoot the Copy for maximum impact

Copy including Headline and the other piece of text copy always contain the real essence of any custom flyer design. Well most of the time people don’t read every single line but prefer reading headline and following few lines. So putting too much text copy doesn’t require all the time. But it should contain all necessary details that help customers to make the buying decision.

5. Always leave a CTA to get some PoW

Guidance is all we need to do something! People love to learn what exactly you want them to do after going through your exciting flyer; otherwise the complete exercise will go down the drain. A clear Call-to-Action is required to plan the next step for potential customers, like “To Save 20% on your next purchase, Text SAVE at 5555 now”

According to ABI Research, US Mobile Display Ad Spend will be around $1.2 billion in the year 2015. Which is about triple the amount advertisers are spending on Mobile display ads, today in US. Wow! The growth seems to be phenomenal.

The growth around complete mobile marketing is a reflection of Cell phone penetration in US. Cell phone penetration will surpass cable TV, web access and Home PCs, and about to reach 100% by 2012. According to eMarketer, more than 142.1 million subscribers will access internet on their phones in 2014, which is about 54% of mobile phone users in US.

Why Mobile ads are different?

Already bigger mediums like Internet, Broadcast and Print are competing the Numero Uno position to target consumers & advertisers. So what makes Mobile Display ad any different?

Increasing number of Smartphone users will help mobile Internet usage to grow significantly in coming years. People will prefer accessing their favorite websites through cell phones anytime, anywhere.

Location and Size are the two key factors to make it different from others. Mobile ads tailored to specific geolocation make a huge impact on consumers. While smaller screens require a completely different approach to engage viewers and make them act instantly.

1. Size does matter

The biggest challenge Mobile ads are facing is the uniformity around ad specifications. Mobile Marketing Association’s Mobile Advertising Guideline Handbook will be very important to set a clear vision for Mobile Web ad unit specifications. The best file size of animated Mobile Banner ads could be 5KB – 8KB, while Rich Media ads could go up to 50kb.

Faster loading ads will reduce anxiety among consumers and help creating desired impact without wasting too much time.

2. Engagement magnifies the pitch

An important lesson we learnt from Online Display Advertising was engagement. A Mobile Display ad that could demonstrate rich and engaging experience will help to motivate the consumers. Compared to web ads, mobile ads are smaller in size. That makes it more challenging for designers to raise the bars and create most engaging mobile banner ads.

Engaging viewers to make them more interested in any product will require quite a brainstorming and creativity. This will however decide fate of any mobile advertising campaign.

3. Call-to-Action is must

Call-to-Action (CTA) will also be carried forward from web ads. Engaging your future customers with a strong CTAs and taking them to desired landing page will definitely push your sales cycle up. Different Mobile Ad campaigns will have different goals to be completed by viewers, but a strong CTA will ensure the maximum goal completion rate for advertisers.

4. Text is just a teaser

Visually appealing and rich mobile ads can create significant impacts over consumers. At the same time too much text may create higher friction in engagement levels and badly affect your ROI.

The amount of text copy required for mobile banner ads is just to create the initial interest for the engagement. Text copy will just be required to make viewers jump from one level to another level of engagement.

5. Creativity is the ultimate bridge

Creativity is the essential tool or bridge between advertisers and consumers for any Mobile banner ad. Creativity will make it possible to deliver message from advertisers in the most desired format for consumers on Mobile display ads.

Considering the smaller screens and dynamic nature of mobile web users will require extra hours of creativity to spell bound the viewers.

Banner Ad Campaigns are considered to be the most effective modes to get maximum effective visual exposure on Internet. Banner Ads also initiate the interest for products and services even before customers start their search. A well planned Banner Ad Campaign not only helps customers to get online exposure but increased visits to brand website and conversions too.

Let’s see what you need to run a successful Banner Ad Campaign in less than $10 every day?

1. Creatives

Creatives or Banner Ad Designs are the real face of your Online Display Campaign. To create the desired impact on your future customers, you need an appealing yet professional Web Ad. You can choose from a varied range of standard size available for banner ad campaign.

For a new Banner Ad Campaign you can get two basic Web Ads designed by professional Graphic Design Company, which would cost you around $60.

2. Media Space

Now, when you have got your creatives done, you need some space to show it. You need to be very clear about your target audience, because making it visible to everyone either won’t get you enough visits or not targeted once at least. All Display Ad Networks allow you to set preferred demographics, location, language and time of day.

You can place your Banner Ad Campaign for less than $1 on the Ad Networks and you will definitely get few thousand impressions for that. So $2 – $3 will be a good enough budget to start your Banner Ad Campaign.

3. Landing Page

Showing a cool Banner Ad to targeted customers means half of your work is done to run a successful Banner Ad Campaign. However potential customers loose the buying intention dramatically when they find themselves in an unrelated or generic web page after clicking your ad.

Your customized Campaign Landing Page will cost you about $100 and also makes sure that customers get what they are looking for and nothing else. That will significantly improve your campaign performance to capture leads or increasing sales.

While many marketers invest more time creating amazing Banner Ad Design and forget about the complete Banner Ad Campaign experience. It is good to create nice looking Web Ads, Animated Ads or Flash Banner Ads but showing them to the targeted audience and creating a custom landing page for it is the best practice to increase the revenue. By optimizing three important components running a Banner Ad Campaign for a month will cost you just $300.

Campaign Landing Page is where people land when they click your advertisements on internet including Banner Ads, Email Blasts or PPC Campaigns. Landing Page Optimization helps to keep the buying momentum of your prospect customers following those ads. Unfortunately most of the Campaign Landing Pages never go through the optimization and are major sources of leaking revenue for marketers.

We already discussed that it takes less than eight seconds for your landing page visitors to decide the next step on 5 Icebreaking Seconds for Landing Page Design. Marketers all around the globe face serious challenge to understand the basics to improve landing page design progressively. Here are 5 sins which can spoil your Landing Page Optimization.

1. Unclear Objective Statement

Getting carried away with the reputation of our business is very usual. We love to talk about our achievements too much. The headline of your landing page is the right place to clear up the objective. If you send a clear message about your product through headlines and not too much about your company, it will help future customers to relate with their needs.

2. No Offer Details

Every product or service is as good as stated in words. We all love to know every single detail about any product we are supposed to buy. If the details are available for customers without too much barriers at your campaign landing page, it will help them to make the buying decision quickly.

3. Unclear Call-to-Action

Being lost is the worst feeling any Landing Page could serve. Landing Pages acting proactively defining a visual pathway for customers always get maximum conversion. Call-to-Action Button is a smart way to create a visual pathway. The text copy over call-to-Action Buttons also defines the fate of your conversion, so make sure to keep the relevancy building up.

4. Distracting Visuals

Images and visuals play an important role to grab the attention. Images related to your product are highly advised to capture the attention and creating higher engagement. However use of too many visuals and images create anxiety and distraction.

5.  Inconsistent Eye Movement

Consistency reduces the anxiety while buying. Consistent eye movement in the landing page helps customers to focus on all important aspects of your Campaign Landing Page Design. Keeping the most important information at the earlier stage makes greater impact on the buying decision.