The 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing Blog

Weekly Blueliner Newsminer March 18, 2011 – 5:00 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

After a week away, we return with the Blueliner Newsminer.  Let us begin.

1.  The Gray Lady Charges Online

For those who are late to the proceedings, The New York Times announced a tiered subscription structure this week for different channels.  Digital news readers have the savviness to search the headline in order to access content behind a paywall. In this piece, TechCrunch reveals that The New York Times will limit Google access to five articles a day, but allow unlimited Facebook/Twitter access to paywall content. The New York Times despite its financial issues, still has a strong following with the general public. Will they pay?

2.  GroupOn Buys Your Movie Popcorn

The headline rings especially true for New York residents who shell out up to $14 (!) for a movie ticket.  For today’s premiere of Matthew McConaughey and John Leguizamo’s The Lincoln Lawyer, Groupon partnered with Lions Gate to offer a $6 premiere ticket.  As the source article mentions, it opens up a new vacuum for theatre companies losing patrons to home entertainment. GroupOn also has primarily offered deals for restaurants and wellness centers.  It will be interesting to see whether the success of this campaign affects partnerships in those core sectors.

3.  YouTube Launches Channel for Victims to Communicate

I found this strategy not only full of ingenuity, but possibly transformative on an industry level.  According to the source piece from Mashable, YouTube has created a Missing Person Channel for victims of the earthquake in Japan.  In tandem, Google has a local page where information seekers can search for options to contribute and communicate in text form.  Truly masterful.

4.  Patent Trolling: Admen’s Kryptonite

I found this article interesting because the case could affect the behavior of agencies who wish to grow themselves on the digital front with product descriptions and video installations.  Patents, as we know them, are generally seen as a measure to innovate and channel proper energy into a mission. Some smaller companies, like Geotag, offer no products or services. In the article, they are accused of buying patents at a small price, then using their rights to sue agencies for copyright infringement.  For example, Zales was accused of creating a store locator application too close to Geotag’s code structure.  Digital legislation is currently in the wild west in terms of copyright protection. Your next code key stroke could lead to the court room.

5.  #SXSW Saturation

Those of us in marketing know that South By’s Interactive Showcase is growing bigger by the days.  Startups small and gigantic descend onto Austin with musicians from all genres taped by filmmakers.  The headline piece laments the saturation of social media content in getting the best out of your visit.  In the same vein, he chronicles the startups on the rise.  Group messaging services like Beluga and GroupMe have been popular, according to the piece, with Facebook recently acquiring Beluga. The acquisition will integrate data mined from your personal profile and content specifications. Basically, Beluga is a newborn of Facebook on the mobile platform with more opportunity for network segmentation.  GroupMe, on the same level. The segmentation of social media is becoming so fine that someone is going to make a phone call from the booth.

That’s the Blue News for now.  Have a lovely weekend.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Business News, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Small Business, Social Media Marketing, Video Sharing, web development | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency nyc, new york interactive marketing agency, weekly blueliner newsminer

A Social Media Infographic: From Your Friendster To Your Followers March 17, 2011 – 3:45 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

Edelman Digital Presents Social Media Milestones

While I was away from the typewriter, Edelman Digital created a visual timeline of social media‘s growth this past decade. I remember first hearing about Friendster in the Village Voice. It was mainly described as an online community for getting women without the fees and gimmicks of dating websites. Nowadays, if you don’t use Tumblr, you are suspect to some folks.

The model has taken off, to put it nicely. Nowadays, celebrities can build or destroy their images through the digital landscape. Some of these statistics are quite jarring. Do you remember your first encounter with social media? Leave thoughts below.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Business News, green marketing, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, Video Sharing, web 2.0, web development | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency nyc, internet marketing ny, ragan pr daily, social media, Social Media Marketing, social media marketing agency

WordPress Releases 3.1 Version March 17, 2011 – 1:01 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

This happened a few weeks ago, so pardon my tardiness.  Back in late February, WordPress released 3.1.  As a user of WordPress for the corporate site, I’ve found the user experience quite enjoyable yet sophisticated. Undoubtedly, I could transition into a larger role as a page designer with some project experience.

According to the blog release, the new version is named after the jazz guitarist Django Reindhart. You can download it or update from the dashboard. Developers get some help in this version.  A new Post Formats support is one, along with some CMS improvements like archive pages for custom types.  The Network Administration section is also revamped.

For users, you get more screen options to navigate the interface. A new linking bar allows you to connect between existing posts and pages.  The screen options setting also allows the flexibility of streamlining your interface, helpful for newcomers to the dashboard.

WordPress does a lot of video tutorials in their traveling Camp Series and other tutorial coverage of software technology. It comes highly recommended for beginners. See below.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Graphic Design, Video Sharing, web development | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, graphic design agency, new york graphic design agency, new york web development agency, web development news, wordpress 3.1, wordpress news

TED Opens To Developers AT SXSW March 15, 2011 – 4:09 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

South By Southwest has humble roots as a festival of alternative rock located in Austin, Texas.  Nowadays, the festival is arguably America’s leading portal of content, ranging from film to contemporary music and technological development. Today is the last one for the interactive sector, but highlights are rising from various news sources.

TED CEO June Cohen held a forum to discuss the social network’s philosophy of openness.  This theme pervades to the entrepreneurial community and program developers.  At the SXSW Interactive conference, Cohen discussed a new program titled TED Talks, which is an open API for developers to create applications that can be shared in various platforms.  According to the source article, she has worked with programmers on making the forum more accessible for users.  Some suggestions included skipping introductions and amplifying the content emotion. The goal is to get viewers energized about brainstorming, then putting it into tangible practice.  The API should be launched later on this year.

This development is extremely important for more than the visibility of TED’s brand.  It also is a call to those parts of the world where online video is inaccessible. The factors come from lack of funding and access to prime technological equipment.  Those who are capable of engaging with online video are seeing its power to impact audiences.  Video, by nature, engages several of our basic senses despite the language or imagery represented in the stream.  TED’s mission of openness places great priority to multilingual translations of video content.  Advertisers could leverage this into future endeavors to connect with new marketplaces. Policy and development agencies can develop a more humane understanding of field issues that separate our communities.  The impact of online video has boundless potential which in time will be cultivated.

Here are a couple links from last year’s SXSW Interactive Conference where Ms. Cohen discusses her travels.

June Cohen, part 1

June Cohen, part 2

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Business News, green marketing, Interactive Marketing, Social Media Marketing, web development | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency nyc, new york interactive media agency, TED interactive, web marketing new york

Taggify Monetizes Your Images December 27, 2010 – 5:14 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

Taggify is an online advertising widget that helps small businesses add value to their images.  The service allows web publishers the freedom to choose appropriate images that are relevant to page content.  For example, on Taggify’s website, you have an image of Tiger Woods.  When you scroll over, images of featured products pop up with a description and price details.  This mechanism can be found on certain e-commerce websites such as eBay.  The benefits of this service are tremendous.  Your company’s conversion rates increase greatly, as customers will spend longer time on specific pages and click on parent along with third party websites.  Web developers can get started by simply pasting the provided code into your blog header.  Taggify provides account managers to answer any troubleshooting issues. They will also back up your progress with web analytics to gage the effectiveness of the campaign.

Bloggers and publishers are making money with this interactive service.  Shouldn’t you? Click below for more information.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in blog, Business News, Content Marketing, Digital Media, Interactive Marketing, Pay Per Click (PPC), Small Business, web development | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency nyc, internet marketing ny, new york online advertising agency, online advertising news, ppc conversion agency, taggify, taggify.net

A Kinetic Future With The iAd December 14, 2010 – 5:13 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

Over the past decade, nobody has made a bigger impact on technology consumer products than the makers at Apple.  They have created iconic products across several channels and are now looking to set the consumer marketplace for mobile technology with the iAd.

The iAd, like mobile advertising, is at an embryonic stage.  Media professionals want to see if the iAd can lead the way in optimizing the mobile experience.  The iAd debuted earlier this summer in July, promising a new wave.  Apple CEO Steve Jobs claims that the “iAd offers advertisers the emotion of TV with the interactivity of the web, and offers a new way to explore ads without being hijacked out of their favorite apps.”  Apple has engaged partnerships with several leading corporations, including Unilever, Inc, JCPenney Co, Best Buy, Inc., and Citigroup Inc.  As mentioned, the standout features of the iAd include the delivery of interactive advertising without the user leaving or closing the application being experienced. It’s far from a trend, though.

Apple likes setting a precedent. They like to start with developers who wish to work inside The App Store.  One example of a recent iAd was a creation for Nissan’s Leaf automobile, where the user can shake the device to see the vehicle’s different colors.   The definition of interactive technology is widening with this creation along with the Microsoft Kinect, the new video gaming console where the user must incorporate physical motion to engage with the content.  Marketers must monitor these developments in the future and develop advertising for content where not only is the consumer mobile, but in motion.

Apple executives have set a campaign in motion across the pond.  Last week, the iAd announced a December launch in the United Kingdom and France with several brands. Some of them include L’Oreal, Louis Vuitton, Absolute Radio, and Perrier. Since its July release, the iAd has earned a market share of 21%.  These figures also ride on the emergence of iPad as another mobile device that sets a new market: the tablet.  Again, Apple will handle the production of all the creative tools for European partnerships, but offer them as a free download for developers.  They employed this strategy in late July with the “iAd for Developers,” where developers can create a simple static banner ad.  Apple is charging developers 25¢ per click-through. A click-through is when a user clicks on a banner, causing an ad to pop up.  It will be interesting to see the feedback from European brands in the near future regarding their experiences with Apple.  

Apple also plans to partner with The Dentsu Group, a Japanese advertising agency based in Tokyo starting in 2011.  Apple again remains heavily involved with the hosting and delivery of its own iAds, but cedes the creative and selling through the Japanese marketplace to Dentsu.  This is the first known agency working with Apple, and it is interesting that they are using Japan as a test market.  Japan has a longer history of mobile technology and its consumers possess a strong cache of knowledge about its development.  They are a culture that responds well to creative innovation, so the developments could be noteworthy.

As the mobile advertising industry develops a standard platform for software implementation, and a scaling ladder for pay-per-click advertising budgets, Apple’s reach with the iAd across global markets is obvious.  The brand oozes with credibility and edge, exemplified in its minimalist product design.  They are the cool, smart kid on campus.  Corporations desperately seek that glow with a more frugal consumer base.

Despite that frugality, Apple knows that consumers are willing to pay a premium for their products.  Their durability and innovative techniques cannot be understated.  The iAd has an opportunity to legitimize the mobile advertising industry, and its rising market share percentages are a testament.  Thus, corporations are willing to use the iAd’s campaign as an unabashed press release.   It remains to be seen whether they deploy the tools necessarily for innovation, but that task is left to the web developers.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in blog, Digital Media, Graphic Design, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Mobile Applications, Mobile Marketing, web development | No Comments »
Tags: apple, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency nyc, new york interactive marketing agency, new york interactive media agency, new york mobile applications agency, new york mobile marketing agency, new york web development agency, steve jobs, the iAd

Chew on Mint.com’s Fresh Data October 28, 2010 – 1:47 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

A couple of years ago, Blueliner CEO Arman Rousta discussed the sleek minimalism of Mint.com as a website. It has improved my money management on simple levels due to its clear interface.  The website design has been lauded by experts, and Mint has engineered a new level of online money management in an age where thrift is king.  You can manage all of your accounts online whether they are property, savings, or loan accounts.  They also offer a smorgasboard of services that could save you fees in the future.  As a synergic triumph of e-commerce and financial management, Mint is highly recommended. Currently, Mint is not charging for its services, but that could change as it popularity grows.

The web designers at Mint are back with a fresh vein on the leaf.  MintData aggregates the budgetary habits of their anonymous members nationwide, tracking trade at businesses while analyzing the trends.  The new website gives the member a keen understanding of our consumer habits along with an opportunity to see the straw that stirs our economy.  In short, it uses a similar algorithm that is applied on the individual and branches it out for the Mint community at-large.  With only 4 million users, Mintdata is a sample size of working professionals that have consistent access to cyberspace. They are a factor in our demographic, and have the ability to push the marketplace.  If interested in analyzing commercial business data, or just want to observe purchasing trends at your local Brother Jimmy’s BBQ, crunch some leaves here.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in blog, Business News, Flash, web 2.0, web development, Website Design | No Comments »
Tags: arman rousta, Blueliner Marketing, brother jimmy's bbq, mint.com, mintdata.com, new york e-commerce agency, new york website design agency, online financial management, web 2.0, web 2.0 design, Website Design

Weekly Blueliner Newsminer October 15, 2010 – 5:40 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

Hello, everyone.  We have another edition of the Weekly Blueliner Newsminer unwrapping right now.

1.  Facebook, Microsoft Strengthen Partnership

This week, the two firms reached an agreement  to develop a more comprehensive stream of content by using Facebook’s treasured vault of personal data, which will enable Bing to reach new segments.  The move threatens to breach privacy boundaries, leading to more possible controversy for Facebook users.  According to the WSJournal link above, the new settings can be opted out from your personal profile, meaning that your name will not list unwanted information in search results.  Executives from both sides believe, however, that stronger integration will lead to lost acquaintances connecting on more authoritative levels.  The headline provides more details for those interested in more.

2.  Microsoft Releases Windows 7 Mobile Phone Portfolio

I wrote a piece earlier this week about Microsoft’s latest foray into mobile technology, and those who missed it can click the headline.  Again, Microsoft is coming behind into a market where the competition is starting to solidify after a year of rapid introductions.  The impetus for differentiation is dependent on their ability to develop mobile applications that stand out from others.  Financial Times talks about the strategy for Microsoft executives here.

3.  The iPad Lands On Verizon

It was only a short week or so that long-time news of Apple and Verizon creating an iPhone that will end the exclusivity between Apple & AT&T in early 2011.  Now with the iPad being pitched in conjunction with Verizon’s MiFi card, debate rages on whether the two companies are trying to pitch an improved product to consumers or just giving more hardware and the same inconsistent network at a higher cost.  According to Mashable, more data will be available on the plan menu.  Time will tell, but this alleged partnership reeks of the R. Kelly-Jay Z union, being full of sound and fury, but signifying nothing.

4.  Secretive Trial in Connecticut Covered By Twitter

In case you needed any doubt about the impact of social media in our world of endless content disbursal, here is another example.  According to the New York Times, the triple-murder of Dr. William A. Petit, Jr’s wife and two daughters seemed to be excluded from the local media affiliates.  No cameras were allowed entry into the courtroom.  Several media channels of the Connecticut media, however, tweeted the testimony’s gruesome details.  The New Haven Register had monthly views raised from 3 to 3.5 million in just the trial period.  Courts are wondering about permitting the use of mobile devices in future cases, especially those with sensationalist attention.  The integrity of our judicial system faces a challenging task in maintaining the privacy of case details. This could be a benchmark for future policies. Fascinating.

5.  New Gap Yesterday, Old Gap Today

The Gap didn’t heed the past when delivering their new logo last week.  Don’t mess with your seminal brand. Coca-Cola got this lesson when trying to roll out a new product (New Coke) over twenty years ago, and that was in an era without mainstream mobile technology and cyberspace.  As Mr. Garfield points out in his piece, when a firm’s impact reaches that level, the lay of the land feels an emotional ownership to the brand equity.  These brands are benchmarks for millions of customers in the transient nature of life, and management needs to start understanding that when looking to implement new marketing strategies.  It is far more prudent to take an extensive survey of your proposed changes in this situation.  The fact that Gap was surprised at the negative feedback alarms even more, and their swift action cements this belief.  It is impossible to strategize a new campaign when the product becomes acid in public view.  Companies that have managed social media for net gain have used it to really understand customer desire and tailor their products for those measures.  Gap clearly needs to get back in the lab and find out their identity once again.

That’s the Blue news for now.  Enjoy the weekend.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in blog, Business News, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Mobile Applications, Mobile Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, web development, Website Design, World | No Comments »
Tags: ad age, afi, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency nyc, gap, mashable, new york mobile marketing agency, new york seo media agency, ny times, tech crunch, weekly blueliner newsminer, wsj

Web Development: Respond: React October 14, 2010 – 3:13 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

Nowadays, with content streaming through various channels, maintaining a quality website is more critical than ever to marketing success.  People want an interface that has a linear theme telling a story in the development of a brand and its portfolio of products. When a firm has a website with a lacking user experience, the consumer will gladly move online, knowing that someone will meet their needs. Ben Gremillion, a writer for Smashing Magazine, discusses the importance of applying test feedback to gage your design abilities along with understanding the quality of your presentation.  He asks some key questions in several themes:  Does this piece serve a purpose or solve a problem? Is it easy to use? Is it meaningful? Is it clear?

1.  Regular Upkeep or Rigorous Pruning

This sounds easier than done, but with technology advancing at light speed, it is paramount.  Your customers’ needs and access to content changes with the passing of time.  It is critical to constantly research new software advancement and see if they fit in with the mission of your website.  Otherwise it is much ado about nothing.

2.  Ponder the Questions

The thought above may seem silly or impractical, but in the long run, you can minimize customer service by anticipating the errors before they come into existence.  Gremillion lists a few thoughts that can go a long way towards expediting the design and empowering your user experience.

1.  Turning the ‘About’ page into your home page.

2.  Turn the website sidebar into a footer

3.  Swapping the colors of the heading and background

For more details on his thoughts, click the Smashing logo.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in blog, Flash, Graphic Design, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, web development, Website Design | No Comments »
Tags: seo friendly website design, smashing magazine, website design agency nyc

Blueliner Webinars 2010 September 30, 2010 – 6:41 pm				Riyaad

Blueliner Marketing, LLC is proud to reintroduce its successful webinar series on Internet Marketing. For years, various members of the Blueliner team have lead webinar discussions on Internet Marketing, SEO Best Practices, Web Development, and Marketing Strategy for companies worldwide.

This fall, Blueliner CEO and visionary Arman Rousta will lead a series of webinars, giving audiences insight into Blueliner’s award-winning strategy. These hour-long, informative sessions will take place twice a month from the comfort of your home or office, with different members of Blueliner’s team providing insight and lending their expertise.

The first of these webinars is set to take place on Tuesday October 12^th, 2010 at 2 PM EST.  Blueliner CEO Arman Rousta will lead you through the top Web Design Trends of 2010, where you will discover the difference between a good website and a great website. Your website’s navigation, graphics, and layout could be the difference in hundreds of thousands of dollars of potential revenue. Learn where your company stands and what you can do to improve. Rousta will also lead audiences through the 7 Pillars Approach to web design and provide insight to social media trends and the importance of mobile integration.

Blueliner will follow the October 12^th webinar with Arman Rousta’s renowned “7 Pillars of Internet Marketing” on Wednesday October 27^th. Rousta’s “7 Pillars” outlines the basic principles of Blueliner Marketing and has led us to be one of the most successful Internet Marketing companies.

Blueliner’s success is partly credited to their “World is Flat” business model. This model provides 24/7 implementation and ROI-centric Internet marketing methodologies. With offices already in New York, India, Bangladesh, and an office opening in Macedonia (2011), Blueliner has become a world-wide success and a model for all businesses looking to expand overseas. A webinar scheduled for November 11^th, 2010 will discuss expanding into Asia and making your business more efficient and cost-effective.

Information on upcoming webinars can be found in the Events Section of BluelinerNY.com. Join Blueliner for a webinar and let their successful business strategies work for you!

Reservations for the Web Design Trends 2010 webinar are being taken now. Registration is free!

Posted by Riyaad
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, CRM, eCommerce, Email Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, search engine marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Small Business, web development, Website Analytics, Website Design | No Comments »
Tags: arman rousta, Blueliner Marketing, blueliner webinars 2010, digital marketing nyc, riyaad edoo, web development agency nyc, website design agency nyc