There was a time when adding “hidden” text (keywords and phrases) to websites was all the rage, and nearly every web developer was utilizing some form of it in an attempt to increase page rankings. It was certainly not “by design” according to search engines, it was merely a loop hole in the infancy of search algorithms that site developers took advantage of – and not always in an honest way.

The very business of a search engine itself is to return the most relevant searches to users. The more on-target the search engine, the more likely the user is to come back the next time they need to search. The misuse and abuse of hidden text meant that searches were often returning manipulated or, at the very least, diluted results to users. Search engines quickly stepped up their game and built their algorithms to ignore hidden text, rendering it useless. Today, it’s become regarded as spam, and it’s abuse can even lead to removal from search results on Google. Unfortunately, not everyone has kept up to date on search engine development, so while some will say hidden text is a viable option, you can now tell them it’s nothing more than a myth.

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In the mood for baking? You will be pulling out your apron and KitchenAid mixer after you see these blogs all dedicated to cupcakes and desserts. You’ll find recipes, photos and tips for creating some really delicious desserts.

Cupcake Bakeshop
Bakerella
Milk and Cookies
Tartelette
The Chocolate Gourmand

I can’t wait to try these recipes:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Carrot Ginger Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Carrot Sprinkles
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Yum.

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Recently I attended the annual Arts in the Park Festival in Blue Ridge. The festival showcased local artists with their sculptures, paintings, photographs and much more. An amazing impressionist painter by the name of Larry Smith was one of the many talented artists featured in the show. He just opened a newly constructed art gallery in Norcross, Georgia. Check out his website to view or order some of his breathtaking oil paintings. www.artistlarrysmith.com

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If you never visited officesnaphots.com, then you should definitely check it out. It is a blog that gives an insight into various office environments. They recently posted a blog entry on Rearview’s office, which we were really excited about. Check it out!

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When choosing photography for your project, there are dozens of reliable online stock photography resources to help you. While we are happy to do the search for you (and charge you a reasonable fee for it), if you want to save a few pennies, you can do it yourself at the sites listed below. Some are cheaper than others, but they all offer great keyword search functionality.

comstockcomplete.com – This is comstock’s more affordable subscription service. For as little as $299 for a one month subscription, you can download all of the royalty-free images you need.

istockphoto.com – Istockphoto is a super cheap resource for quality royalty-free images with prices ranging from as little as $1 to around $20 per image. You prepay for credits. The cost per credit depends on how many you buy. The more you buy, the cheaper the credits. Be wary of super hot images (ones with a blue flame), you might see those in one of your competitor’s ads!

veer.com – Veer offers first quality, rights-managed and royalty-free images. Your best value is to find a disc of images that you like. It’s significantly cheaper than paying per image.

photoshelter.com – This newcomer to my favorites offers affordable rights-managed images. They offer alot of fresh work from up and coming photographers.

gettyimages.com – Getty offers a huge assortment of high quality images with web resolution images starting at only $49.

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Sending bold, image-laden emails may seem like a real eye-catcher in your prospect’s inbox, but did you know that some of your email subscribers might not ever see the images you include in marketing emails? Online services like Yahoo! mail and even some email clients like Mozilla Thunderbird have default settings that do not automatically show embedded images in email, leaving it up to the user to take an extra step and allow the images to be displayed. So how do you entice them to want to see your images, and how do you get your message across if they never do?

Most services like Constant Contact and Benchmark Email allow you to enter what is referred to as an “alt” tag for each image, which is text that will be displayed in lieu of the image. This may also be referred to as “image description”, so check your email marketing service for specifics. Make sure your alt tag includes any text that is embedded in the image so prospects can still read your message. If your image is for design purposes (borders, logo, product), give a general description of the image, or use the alt tag as an opportunity to create urgency or elaborate on your primary message. Also, send test emails to a variety of users, or even set up your own “testing accounts” with a few of the common free email services so you can see for yourself how your emails are ultimately displayed.

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I vaguely recall a day when I actually called my friends on the phone. I used to also (Gasp!) go to their homes to see what they were up to. My kids know I’m old school when I suggest this. They spend all day checking Myspace or Facebook, Twittering their whereabouts, and uploading YouTube videos straight from their mobile. They don’t even have most of their friends phone numbers, much less do they actually call and speak to them! Even I have succumbed to a lesser degree, deftly using instant messenger to replace phone conversations, updating my blog via my own mobile, and even using Facebook to look up old friends.

Thanks to social networks, our lives (or at least the lives of every GenY-er and Millenial in the civilized world) have been redefined. For those of you who are old-school like me, here is a rundown of some of the most popular social networks on the web:

Myspace – The most active users are teenage girls, although anyone over 14 can (and probably does) have a page. Myspace accounts for 1 in 4 online searches in America. I could be wrong, but my 14 year old daughter is really into this which inherently means I cannot be. Myspace.com

Facebook – Demographic is split primarily between 18-24 year olds and 35-54 year olds. Initially started as a college student only social network (hence the first demographic), it has expanded and become popular with upper middle class professionals and has a higher income demographic than Myspace. Cheaper than a subscription to Classmates.com, I enjoy using it to reconnect with old friends. The hardcore users make use of its broad functionality. Facebook.com

YouTube - Video sharing network with over 80 million videos and over 150,000 new ones being uploaded daily. Most popular with men age 18-34 although businesses are becoming popular content providers as they take advantage of this free tool. I wonder how long it will be before its nothing more than infomercials? For the time being, there is some pretty sweet stuff on there. My favorite are the Japanese Game Shows. YouTube.com

Flickr - Photo sharing network. Upload, organize, share, and print photos from anywhere in the world. This, I love. Flickr.com

Linked In – Professional networking. Keep your resume updated, make industry contacts, stay in touch with leads. Linkedin.com

Twitter – While not technically a social network, it certainly makes social networking easier. Twitter allows you to send multiple messages updating anyone and everyone with your current status. Getting a milkshake at QuikTrip? Might as well tell all your friends. Tying your shoes? Ditto. I’d ask if this is necessary, but my kids will undeniably say yes! Twitter.com

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Those of you that read my review of Half a Yellow Sun last month will notice that I seem to have a fondness for books whose titles sound more uplifting than their contents reveal. This is no difference, but an excellent read nonetheless.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is the second book by renowned author of The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini. This insightful look into the plight of women in Afghanistan spans the decades of Russian invasion, victory of the Mujahadeen, and the rise of the Taliban. Living up to his reputation for providing a raw look into the lives of the Afghanis, Hosseini delivers his message in prose that is at times poetic and often profound.

Reading this book gave me a greater appreciation for the Afghanis and a stronger resolve that the United States’ humanitarian efforts in the country were much needed, despite the controversy surrounding our military exploits.

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I arrived early for a meeting today (admittedly a rare occurance). Having a few unexpected moments to spare, I wandered by a few shops on the street and came across a sidewalk sandwich board that announced “Free Popcorn!”. Not being one to pass up free anything, much less free treats, I opened the door. I was instantly transported into the best popcorn store (assuming there are others) ever! Murphy’s Popcorn Store is on Church Street in Marietta, Georgia. If you are ever there, stop in. He makes all the popcorn fresh in the store and offers a dozen or so varieties daily. Try the Dill Pickle Popcorn, it tastes far better than it sounds! I left with a bag filled to the brim with bright green stuff (he insists it’s green apple popcorn, but I swear it tastes like a jolly rancher!) mixed with caramel corn. Together, it tastes like a caramel coated apple. It goes to show that inspiration can come from anywhere – even a tiny kernel of corn!

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It’s Friday afternoon and I’m staring at my computer trying to come up with some new logo designs but the sounds of the trains passing outside are rattling in my head. Thank goodness for my ipod. Here’s what’s playing in my headphones today…

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The Shins – Sleeping Lessons
Maria Taylor – Song Beneth a Song
Fiest – 1234
Elton John – Tiny Dancer
Regina Spektor – Fidelity
Rolling Stones – You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Belle & Sebastian – Piazza, New York Catcher (from the Juno Soundtrack)
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(You can’t help but be in a good mood listening to anything from the Juno Soundtrack and now a second album Juno B-Sides: Almost Adopted Songs is available from itunes. And if you’re like me and looking for something new to download, Coldplay’s latest album Viva la Vida was released just this week.)

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Almont Homes asked us to develop a new interactive site to generate even more traffic in their communities located north of Atlanta. Through simple design and useful, easy to get to, content, Rearview hopes to accomplish just that. The website is database driven with multiple capabilities and can be fully maintained by the company’s marketing personnel. Our own interactive team finished the project today and we present to you the new and improved almonthomes.com!

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With budgets being tight, many clients are preferring to write their own copy rather than pay the price of a professional copywriter. Depending on the situation, this can be a good way to reduce cost OR it can end with disastrous results and poorly executed marketing materials. In order to avoid the latter, follow these copywriting tips:

1. Keep It Short! Reading takes time, a luxury most people don’t have. They want to gather information quickly and efficiently. That being said…

2. Prioritize Bullet Points. Put the most important key points first and keep in mind, your reader is likely to view your bullet points in this fashion:

• word word word word blah
• word word word blah blah
• blah blah blah blah blah
• blah blah blah blah blah
• word word blah blah

3. Pull Keywords From Testimonials. Don’t try to include a customer’s full two-paragraph glowing letter about their experience with you. Pull the keywords or phrases out and use them graphically for emphasis.

4. Don’t Forget Cents in Savings Offers. Which one looks more valuable $100 or $100.00? The best part? Those two cents are free!

5. Pay for Copy Editing. Adding whipped cream to a store bought pie is easier (and less expensive) than baking from scratch and you still get the oohs and ahs!

Remember, saving money on marketing does not have to mean lackluster quality if you think creatively (especially if you get a little help from Rearview!).

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You all know how I feel about buzz words. They have a tendency to obscure smart marketing decisions. This is one of my favorites lately: Social Media Marketing. This is not to say that Social Media Marketing isn’t smart. It is very smart for the right client when used as part of a broader online marketing plan that is fully integrated with your offline marketing plan.

Social media marketing in its simplest form is the sharing of online content. This can be as simple as a blog or it can be a complicated plan that involves blogs; social networks like Linkedin, YouTube, Myspace, or Facebook; mobile tools and collaborative documents. Keep in mind, social media is mostly a pull media, not a push media. You provide solid, relevant content and others will keep it and/or share it. You can’t manipulate that. You can only provide viral worthy content and watch it spread. If its not spreading, you change it. Improve it. Make it something worth spreading. News about your company is usually boring and not worthy of sharing. Unique articles that will help your audience learn something new might be worth sharing. A super-creative online video, even better. That’s the goal – the more people share your information, the better social media marketing is working for you.

As with everything in your marketing plan, do your research. Make sure that the choices you make are right for your business. Ill placed efforts are like burning money (in fat hundred dollar increments!). Research site demographics for social networks. You might be surprised to find out that some popular sites have unexpected demographics. Measure your successes and your failures. Most importantly, don’t drink the kool-aid! Do it because it makes sense, not because the cool kids are doing it.

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As our lives become increasingly overwhelmed by technology, so do corporate marketing plans. At some point, we have to step back and ask ourselves, “Is this technology right for us?”. Often, we get so caught up in the buzz words, that we forget to discern whether they make sense for our business.

One such buzz word is SEO. Client after client has come to us over the last year saying “We want to be number one on Google when anyone types in Homes in Atlanta”. Did this make sense? Not really. If you only sell town homes in Duluth, do you really want someone who might be looking for a luxury home is Buckhead? With a broad search term like “Homes in Atlanta”, that’s what you are going to get.

If you look past the buzz, and do a little research, you find that done properly, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is good for any business that uses the web to generate leads. Done poorly, it’s a waste of money. What does done properly mean? It means writing a good Search Engine Marketing plan. A solid plan that includes specific goals and specific metrics for success and most importantly is fully integrated with your offline marketing plan.

Depending on your goals, your SEM plan might include SEO for your website, social media, emails, enewsletters, paid search advertising, a blog, or any number of other online marketing tools that will help you meet your goals. You may not need all of them. In fact, you probably won’t need all of them. Each tool serves a unique purpose. If you look at each one critically, the right tools will make themselves obvious. For example, if you are considering adding a Myspace page to your plan, look at their demographics. If your target audience includes Gen Y and Millenials, go for it. Looking for college graduates and upper middle class suburbanites? Facebook is the place to be.

It all boils down to this: Ask questions. Use due diligence when considering your options. Otherwise, you might find yourself spending thousands (or tens of thousands) with little return on your investment.

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