Cincinnati Internet Marketing Blog

Blogging Seminar in Cincinnati November 18th

My good friend award-winning blogger Michelle Lentz of Write Technology is holding a 4-hour seminar on blogging next month at the Hamilton County Business Center.  Whether you have just started a blog, are considering starting a business or corporate blog, or are just getting started in learning what blogging is all about this is the seminar for you!

Here's the scoop:   

The Art of Blogging

Tues, Nov 18, 8 am - noon
HCBC, 1776 Mentor Ave
Suite 160
Cincinnati, OH 45212

Write Technology is proud to offer a 4-hour session: The Art of Blogging. This class focuses not on the technology behind blogging, but the writing. The Art of Blogging includes defining an audience, understanding your goals, finding your voice, exploring blog etiquette, and more:

1.    What is a blog?
2.    Blogging Goals
3.    Blogging Voice and Audience
4.    Content
5.    Blogging Etiquette
6.    Tips for Growing Your Blog with New Media

You can download a course outline and register at http://www.write-tech.com/index.html
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Who should attend?
The course is designed for bloggers in a corporate environment, whether large or small. However, the principles taught apply to anyone who wants to effectively write a blog.

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Cost & Payment:
The course, regularly $199, is being offered at the introductory rate of $179 through November 1. The rate returns to $199 on November 2, so sign up soon!

Credit card accepted via Paypal. To pay with a check by mail or at the door, please contact [email protected].
Credit cards will not be accepted day-of.

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Questions:
Contact Michelle via email or call 859.426.9748.

Website Audio Issues & Trends

Hey there Cincinnati I-marketing Group blog readers!

As companies work on making their sites more compelling, podcasting and incorporating audio elements are hot topics these days, so I asked my friend Grant Cambridge (AKA "GrantBob") of Sound Images and ScreamingBob.com to describe for us some of the issues in adding audio to sites and here is Grant's summary:

One of the biggest obstacles, yet most promising trends in working with custom sound design, music, voices, etc, for websites these days is the available analytics and case studies of the effectiveness of such a tool. Because the world of Web 2.0 is very new and constantly evolving, few precedents exist that stretch far back in the past. In fact, just a mere two years ago, P&G came out with a study that showed the majority of the visits to their brand's websites were around 8:00-8:30am and 12:00pm, proving that people were visiting these sites while at work, during a break from the regular work day. As a result, anything perceived as "intrusive" during this time was shunned upon - sound being no exception.

However, as Web 2.0 continues to develop and as brands begin using their traditional broadcast advertising to direct people to their website for more custom, interactive experiences with the brand (think of any major car manufacturer), more and more emphasis and dollars are being invested in that online experience.

A major goal now is in trying to create an aura around a certain product that develops evangelists and communities related to the product. (Mentos being a perfect local case study!) Anyway, with this comes the development of interactive Flash games, movies, banner ads, videos, animation - all with the opportunity of being more dynamic with custom created sound. That is where ScreamingBob.com comes in.

Recently, a couple studies have been reported that are demonstrating the benefits of utilizing such a tool with one’s websites. Such studies include:

• A study by Martin Lindstrom and Millward Brown that demonstrates that the use of sound can influence the perception of a brand (whether good or bad) by up to 41% than without it. 
• Participating advertisers in a study performed by BabyCenter, LLC experienced a 15%-168% increase in ad awareness when incorporating audio into their message.   
• Ecommerce sites who integrate sound have experienced a boost in sales by as much as 33%.                                                                                                                                        
• 80% of all internet users have speakers hooked up to their computer while 96% of internet users have the Macromedia Flash plugin installed on their computers, creating a common deliverable format for rich media files. 

Those are a few examples of the studies that are emerging, demonstrating the direction and the opportunities that people can take advantage of in developing engaging, dynamic sites. It certainly is an exciting time to be in on what we feel is the “ground level” of this evolution and we’re excited that ScreamingBob.com is available and able to be a part of it.

GrantBob

[email protected]

513-241-7475