Information Architecture: Why You Need It

Information architecture determines the overall structure of a web site – the flow from home page to sub-level pages to thank you pages. Usability is a large part of information architecture. Does the visitor feel oriented? Do visitors know where to go for the information or functionality they want? Is the navigation intuitive? Is the user interface empowering and informative? The nomenclature and organization of that information, the ability to sort through and customize it, will determine the success of the visitor’s experience. Like any good sales pitch, it’s anticipating the question before it is asked and presenting a thoughtful answer.

The major content categories should be easy to grasp and they should align with specific target audiences. It is also important to surround any individual document or issue with related materials. This approach helps pull users into the material and establishes broader relationship to your brand, even if they originally pursue very specific information.

The information architecture will also form the basis of the guidelines for content length and layering. Information should be presented in a layered manner, allowing users to get a solid overview and then choose to drill down to more detail if they are interested. Supporting information to the primary text on any page should be presented as second reads on the page, drawing users to pertinent facts and recognizing the propensity of Web users to skim as they read.

Information architecture for the web is much like the design of a library or supermarket. The idea is to provide paths to information by showing relationships. Of course, web sites do not consist solely of linear relationships. Pathways through sites can be varied and few users will take the exact same path. Navigating is subjective, based on someone’s own preferences, interests and experience. Sites must be designed with a full understanding of the medium. Vertical pathways through the information must be straightforward and reliable, while lateral pathways should surface related information elsewhere on the site. Finding a balance between the way information “wants” to be organized and how the users want to find it is the key to successful information architecture. Once the relationship between the major content groups, the target audiences and the audiences’ expectations are established, the site mapping can begin.

3 marketing ideas to complete in 15 minutes

Sometimes the day-to-day sucks us into some dry, boring muck, doesn’t it? You head to the office every day but it seems like you ar enot getting anything crossed off YOUR to-do list. Marketing typically falls to the bottom of priorities when in fact, doing a little every day, can keep momentum going for your business. Here are three easy steps you can take today in this realm.

1. Write five of your best customers and thank them for their business. Hand write. Strengthens loyalty.

2. Review two of your competitors’ sites. Be sure you see what they are doing and NOT doing. Find an opportunity. Get a new idea.

3. Send a quick email blast to your database of customers. Send them a small, limited time offer… free shipping or 2 for price of 1. At bottom, state you appreciate their business.

3 bits worth knowing

So besides my book writing, I’m also looking to write some articles.

I have also cleaned out my in-boxes and been diligently reading the many enewsletters I subscribe to. Here are three interesting nuggets:

Laura Ries analyzes the branding of iPhone. Good read.

A recent benchmark study of more than 6,000 women by BlogHer, in conjunction with Compass Partners, shows that 36.2 million women actively participate in the blogsophere every week, with 15.1 million publishing and 21.1 million reading and commenting. 68% of this BlogHer community is concentrated in the 25 to 41 age group (the GenXr’s), compared to 42% for the general blogging population. Two thirds have completed college, and 46% earn over $75,000 compared to only 25% of the general community.

Pew has now broken down our twiddling middle class into four pieces. Great stats and pretty interesting from a mindset perspective

hot right now

employee branding
Getting HR and Marketing on the same page is key when it comes to current employees (how are they explaining their company to friends?) and potential ones (do you answer every resume?).

brand auditing
Have you been paying close attention to your customers? What do they drive? What do they wear? The more you see the similarities in your customers, the easier it is to figure out how to attract potential customers of the same vein.

getting serious
Small business knows that marketing is important yet they tend to leave the creating of their messages to people with little experience in this realm. Would you leave your bookkeeping to just someone that is good at math? Why leave your out-of-pocket marketing investments to someone who is “creative?”

Web Site No-Nos

As we enter into 2008, I want to once again encourage those businesses that have put it off for another year to get their web sites up-to-date. You do not have to do much to make your site 200% better for your current visitors and prospective buyers to want to enlist your products and services. 

If you don’t want to hire a professional (like myself), please consider making sure your site:

1. has a white or light background color. Your background should not be competing with your words or images.
2. uses limited blinking/flashing/animated objects. It hurts downoad time and distracts people from what you’re trying to sell. 
3. uses proper spelling and grammer. Print out the pages and proofread!
4. that every page has navigation. Nothing is worse than sending a prospect to a page where the only way to leave the page is to leave your site.
5. where all the links actually work especially those going to outside sources. A few poorlinks and people wonder how updated your material is.
6. update your copyright at the bottom to 2008.

 Web sites have proven to be one of the easiest and viable ways to gain new customers. Isn’t it worth your time and some investment? Just having a programmer who can code your site is not enough. Invest in a professional to develop a site plan for you that includes how to keep it fresh, compelling and create a look that says this is a professional company you should trust and buy from.

is your booth a money drain? fix it!

Whether in the trade show sea of 100 booths or a parking lot event, it’s important that your booth stands out from the rest. After all, that’s why you invested the money and time to exhibit. Why fall short once you are there? 

Here are some quick reminders on turning up your booth’s volume.

Reminder #1: Your own experience. Think about the last show/event you attended. How many of the booths and displays stick in your mind? How many stopped you, or at least slowed you down? Make a list of what caught your attention. Next, visit a favorite retail location and walk the aisles. Notice again what packaging catches your eye. Write these down. Review your lists for ideas to improve your own display. 

Reminder #2: Kill the “me toos”. Too many don’t pay enough attention to their competitors’ marketing messages and end up with a generic look and feel. Think of how many black/leather/chrome booths with hot chicks in tight outfits you see at a male-dominated show. That’s dollars down the drain.  To truly stand out AND BE MEMORABLE, take another piece of paper and put two columns on a sheet of paper; title the left “My Booth”; title the right “Their Booths.”  Under “My Booth,” list all the things that you think you might have in your booth (Photos, charts, hoochies, tube tops, etc.) Then, under “Their Booths,” list of all the things you think your competitors will have. Now, cross everything off your list that appears on their list. You can’t use them. Period. Which leads us to… 

Reminder #3: Be bold. One of the other issues at a show is booth size. Everyone is pretty much working with the same equipment. As people are strolling down the aisle, you need to throw them a visual wham! The goal of your booth design is to get them to stop so that you can sell. By being bold (not necessarily goofy or offensive), you’re going to usurp your competition who’ll be doing the expected. 

Reminder #4: Be clear. Did your last booth kind of look like a garage sale? A canvas banner here, a glossy photo there, a display panel that doesn’t match anything else? Once you stop them, you can draw their eyes where you want them. So minimize the messages for a clean, dynamic impact.  

Reminder #5: Collect data. The whole reason you are there is for sales. Maybe they don’t by today but they could buy tomorrow. So invest in collecting data. Train the booth personnel to watch, listen and ask closely for those people who can’t contain their enthusiasm for your brand experience. These are your future brand ambassadors and word-of-mouth royalty. Treat them well. Have people fill out surveys, sign up for future notices and remember these are leads – don’t toss them! 

Sound like too much? Feeling overwhelmed? Hire a professional consultant (like me). How much does it cost to have a pro strategize & design your display? Probably less than you think. How much does it cost not to? Way more than you want to know.

Podcasting audience data is no surprise here

People between the ages of 35-54 represented about half of the podcasting audience and were also more likely than average to download podcasts, according to a comScore study. Well, yeah, we need to listen to something at work. And I believe people (of a certain age) see podcasts much like audio books, fitting in to our multitasking whenever possible.

More data…

• males represented a significantly larger share (63 percent) of the iTunes podcasting audience than did females (37 percent). 
• 18-24 year olds represented a substantial share of the audience (29 percent) and were more than twice as likely as the average Internet user to download podcasts
• those individuals in households making at least $100,000 annually were 28 percent more likely than average to download podcasts, while college graduates were 25 percent more likely.

So if you haven’t already, you might want to start getting your brand involved with podcasting. Don’t know where to start? Contact me.

And for more information from comScore, please visit here.

Send your questions or submit your marketing for critique to Jeny at jeny@ampbranding.com. All submissions may be published; please indicate if you would like your name or company name withheld.

Higher gas = lower consumer confidence

Some helpful highlights from the BIGresearch May Consumer Intentions & Actions Survey.

• 33.3% of consumers say they are worse off financially than they were a year ago.
• 18% say they only buy apparel on sale, up from April’s 16.8%.
• Drivers are supplementing spending at the pump with dollars earmarked for savings and not cutting back so much on other purchases. Fewer than a third (32.2%) are focused on paying down debt, down from last month (34.0%) and May ‘06 (37.1%).

• Grads may be receiving laptops, digital cameras, and perhaps even a wide screen TV. Expect parents to make their Electronics purchases at Best Buy, where almost a third (29.1%) of consumers shop most often, gaining from 25.6% last year.  Second is Wal-Mart with 15.0% (declining from 18.4% in ‘06), followed by Circuit City (7.8%), Sears (2.6%), and Target (2.2%).
• Six month purchase intentions are down for all categories this month: autos, computer, furniture, home appliances, housing, jewelry, major home improvements, stereo equipment, TV, DVD/VCR, digital cameras, and vacation travel.

Influence of Higher Gas Prices (% of respondents)
	All	North-east	Mid-west	South	West
Buying more store brand/generic products	22.2%	17.5%	25.7%	24.0%	20.3%
Doing more comparative shopping online	16.8%	16.0%	17.6%	16.8%	16.6%
Doing more comparative shopping with ad circulars/newspapers	23.3%	21.4%	25.5%	24.2%	20.9%(
Shopping closer to home	37.9%	33.8%	38.5%	40.7%	36.9%
Shopping for sales more often	30.7%	28.7%	33.6%	31.3%	28.6%
Shopping more online	13.3%	13.8%	12.3%	14.5%	12.4%
Taking fewer shopping trips	40.2%	34.2%	43.0%	43.0%	38.3%
Using coupons more	23.5%	22.4%	24.8%	24.8%	21.2%
Source: BigResearch, May 2007

What does this mean for your business? Anticipate lower propspect traffic. Ramp up your customer service to keep your current customers very happy and buying. Marketing materials must strongly connnect to customers for it to make an impact… and a purchase.

Send your questions or submit your marketing for critique to Jeny at jeny@ampbranding.com. All submissions may be published; please indicate if you would like your name or company name withheld.

10 reminders of why we buy

When it comes to developing strong marketing campaigns, one of the first steps is figuring out which audience you want to attract. And attracting in marketing, like in dating, is based upon understanding human behavior. Here ten universal truths about why people buy. Even in the business-to-business realm, it is still people buying.

1.       We buy from people they know, like, and trust.

2.       We make snap decisions about you and your business based on little things, like the paper stock of your business card.

3.       We cannot tell you why we buy anything or predict if we will buy something.

4.       We can tell if you don’t believe in your product or service.

5.       We respond to enthusiasm.

6.       We are always interested in women, babies, and pets.

7.       We do not care about you or your business until you show us how you can help us.

8.       We pick up on your energy, more than on what you say or do, and decide to work with you or not based on what we sense.

9.       We respond to sincere flattery.

10.    We become information junkies when we are interested in buying.

Send your questions or submit your marketing for critique to Jeny at jeny@ampbranding.com. All submissions may be published; please indicate if you would like your name or company name withheld.

5 Baby Steps of Marketing

Let’s say you just started a business… brand spankin’ new. Here are the five essential marketing components I’d recommend for getting going.

1. Business card

2. Web site. Even if it just one page. But do not put “under construction”. If you have time enough to put that up, you have time enough to put contact information and list your products or services.

3. Email signature that provides contact info and what you are about.

4. Joining a free social networking site like LinkedIn and start building your clients and referrals.

5. Put together a seminar or workshop to offer free in the community to help build word of mouth.

Send your questions or submit your marketing for critique to Jeny at jeny@ampbranding.com. All submissions may be published; please indicate if you would like your name or company name withheld.