Proliferation

May 06
0

6 Unique Sites for Web Developers Seeking Exceptional Free Images

By | web development | No Comments

From all parts of the country, be it in Utah or New York, everyone knows that great images are an essential part of any solid web development strategy. Unfortunately, most website design specialists aren’t freelance photographers in their spare time and have little to no access to a robust portfolio of remarkable photos.

Options are as follows: you could take the photos yourself, purchase them from a talented photographer or simply download them from a stock image site. Generally speaking, the later is preferred. That being said, when shopping around on the Internet for a digital archive of complementary images, some sites are simply better than others.

1) Unsplash

For many web development experts, Unsplash has proven to be an incredible resource. Visit its home page and the first thing you’ll be met with is the website’s mantra: “Free (do whatever you want) hi-resolution photos.” Unsplash specializes in blog-style photos of landscapes which almost always come with astounding lighting and extraordinary effects. Not only are 10 new photos submitted every 10 days, but each image contains a link to the credited photographer, just in case you’d like to learn more about the genius behind your newly acquired visual aid.

2) IM Free

Truthfully, IM Free is relatively new to the stock image scene. Separating the aforementioned site from its competitors is the fact that it contains helpful templates, buttons and icons—in addition to stock photos, of course—to more fully further the web development industry. If digital depictions are all you’re after, however, you’ll be pleased to learn that this library is known for well-organized photos that are conveniently grouped by category.

3) The Amazing Pattern Library

Technically, this site’s not actually for stock photos. In reality, The Amazing Pattern Library differs heavily from the other domains on our list in that, you guessed it, it’s main focus is to provide web development enthusiasts with a wide variety of patterns, many of which have impressively been created by some of the world’s most talented designers. Though spacious and detail-oriented, this collection’s high-quality pictures quickly download with just one simple click of the mouse.

4) Foodie’s Feed

Exclusively, Foodie’s Feed features edible items in its image arsenal. Believe it or not, visually showcasing delicious foods in a presentable manner is substantially harder than you might’ve originally thought. In fact, says DesignModo.com of the culinary compilation, “From beautiful deserts to simple garden veggies, Foodie’s Feed has images of almost any edible item you can imagine.” The website uploads a minimum of five new images—many of which come from a single take—each and every week. Foodie’s Feed is supported by user donations through PayPal.

5) New Old Stock

Though a bit oxymoronic in name, New Old Stock does a splendid job of combining the perks of modern-day file sharing with the splendor of vintage photography. If any one of your current web development tasks requires black and white images from decades past, consider New Old Stock your ideal supportive reserve. On this site, the vast majority of images are readily available on the public domain for widespread use due to their age.

6) Free Refe Real Life Photos

Believe it or not, a person can actually accomplish a great deal of artistic good with nothing more than a cell phone camera. Free Refe Real Life Photos is virtual proof of such an assertion. All of this website’s provided images were taken with nothing more than a mobile device. Said images primarily cover simple objects and landscapes which make them useful in divers amounts of web development ventures. Unfortunately, many presented images might be too small for print.

Whatever your web development undertaking may be, stock images are bound to play a role. Armed with the necessary visual outlets to make any project pop, you’re bound to see a sharp increase in both pleased clients and site visitors.

Fusion 360 - 6 Unique Sites for Web Developers Seeking Exceptional Free Images (Fusion 360 Web Development)

May 05
0

The Top 5 Digital Marketing Practices From Social Media Examiner to Be Absorbed ASAP

By | content marketing, Social Media | No Comments

Social Media Examiner is a U.S.-based media company specializing in social media research and content marketing headquartered in Poway, California. Since the business’ founding in 2009, innumerable businesses and marketing agencies, including our younger employees here in Utah, have sought guidance from the company in an effort to improve digital advertising proficiency.

As a result, each year, more specialists are able to better promote their clients through social media and content marketing and, in turn, are becoming industry experts in their own right. The following is a list of Social Media Examiner’s most fundamental techniques which, when put into practice in Utah or any other American state, are guaranteed to produce real, measurable results:

1) Respect for an Audience Is an Absolute Must

Mike Stelzner—founder of Social Media Examiner—was once quoted as saying, “We don’t ignore search engines, but it’s not our primary focus. Our primary focus is to appeal to people.” In 2011, Stelzner revealed that only 15% of his site’s then 900,000 page-views per month actually came from search.

2) Content Should Be Shared Across All Dominant Social Platforms

Social Media Examiner’s content is constantly being shared across the 5 most valuable social marketing platforms on the Internet and in Utah: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest. An individual piece of content produced by Social Media Examiner averages 1,932 combined shares across the World Wide Web’s most favored social networks.

3) The Importance of Infographics Can’t Be Understated

Social Media Examiner does an exemplary job of varying content type when the time for publication arrives, employing the powers of lists, “how to” posts and infographics. Truthfully, infographics are the most powerful of the lot. Providing useful information that can be consumed in a matter of minutes here in Utah or elsewhere, the image’s social shareability is nothing short of impressive.

On Twitter alone, Social Media Examiner’s infographics average about 2,500 shares. Rounding out the top three for the aforementioned content marketing group is Facebook with around 1,300 infographic shares and LinkedIn with nearly 800 of its own infographic shares.

4) Early In the Week Is Paramount for Content Publishing Prowess

According to research conducted by Social Media Examiner, posts published earlier in the week perform much better than those published later on in the week. For example, on most Mondays, Social Media Examiner sees about 80,000 shares on Twitter. However, on Saturday of any given week, the average total plummets to around 40,000. From Utah to New York, both Facebook and LinkedIn follow a similar trend.

5) Authoritative Authors Truly Crown Content as King

Most content marketing gurus are more than familiar with the claim that “content is king.” Well, while true, it can certainly be improved. Digital content, when created by those with authority in their respective fields of interest, truly gives meaningful content the desired sway it’s intended to bring about.

Social Media Examiner uses only key social influencers to pen their most powerful posts, thus building rapport with any and all digital audiences. For example, Cindy King—Social Media Examiner’s Director of Editorial—averages about 8,400 social shares for her more popular pieces.

Though all content marketing agencies seek to peg themselves as an industry leader, there’s always something to be learned. Needless to say, Social Media Examiner is an excellent source for those seeking to improve upon their current level of marketing clout.

Fusion 360 - The Top 5 digital Marketing Practices From Social Media Examiner to Be Absorbed ASAP (Fusion 360 Agency)

May 04
0

4 Sure-Fire Ways to Successfully Market Your Business to Digital Audiences Online

By | video production | No Comments

For marketing professionals from Utah to the farthest reaches of America’s East Coast, video production is of the utmost importance. While web development, graphic design, content marketing and public relations might be at the forefront of the marketing world, as traditional marketing gives way to that of a digital variety, video production continues to cement itself as a game changer for those willing to adapt their advertising strategies.

For marketers, little is certain. That being said, there are a handful of sure-fire ways to convert the attention of potential consumers into real revenue. The canopying answer? Video production.

1) Digital Sales Presentations

Even here in Utah, a mass delivering of consistent sales messages can be a costly affair. When executed virtually, vital sales and marketing information are transmitted at a fraction of the cost of a typical, more traditional sales call. In fact, small business profiles with videos get 30% more profile clicks, 18% more calls and 24% more sales.

2) Step-By-Step Instructional Videos

Custom-made videos, whose formation came about with key decision makers or sectors in mind, optimize efficacy and increase the likelihood of literal marketplace success. Furthermore, video in email marketing has been shown to increase click-through rates by over 96%.

3) Virtual Product Demonstrations

Technical products and complex services are made all the more straightforward by way of motion graphics, screenshots and voice-over presentations. Studies show that visitors who view product videos are 85% more likely to buy than visitors who do not.

4) Featured Corporate Videos

In the digital age of communication, both here in Utah and elsewhere, the Internet has quickly become the ideal platform from which branding strategies are launched. A corporate video is a simple, yet direct representation of a company’s personality, character and culture. In fact, studies show that 59% of senior executives prefer to watch video over reading text. Though difficult to master, a sound video production effort is well worth your brand’s time, effort and funding.

Fusion 360 - 4 Sure-Fire Ways to Successfully Market Your Business to Digital Audiences Online (Fusion 360 Video Production)

May 03
0

3 Less Popular Social Media Platforms Worth Tapping Into for Overall Brand Success

By | Social Media | No Comments

Social media has transformed the world of digital marketing; realistically, it’s unlikely that it ever reverts back to what it once was. With mega social sites like Facebook and Twitter taking up mammoth chunks of time for worldwide consumers and marketing agencies with any kind of Internet access, it’s hard to imagine a better way to expand your brand’s market reach.

Consider the aforementioned industry leader of all things social: Facebook. Not only does it come fully-equipped with an impressive Alexa Global Traffic Rank of two, it’s pegged that Facebook brings in an estimated 900 million unique monthly visitors. Rounding out the World Wide Web’s best social media networks are Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google+.

That being said, the best, most progressive social media strategies and marketing agencies shouldn’t be limited to the select few sites with which most people are familiar. There’ much more that, unbeknownst to many marketing agencies, has yet to have been tapped for advertorial excellence.

1) Tagged

Tagged is one of the top social networking sites in the world with a current Global Rank of 550 and a bounce rate of only 10.3%. Founded in 2004, Tagged has many features which make it similar to Facebook. Profiles are created and browsed through the site’s main interface. Additionally, once again—similar to Facebook—people are encouraged to post descriptive biographies, share interests and upload photos.

Perhaps you’re asking yourself the following: If so similar to Facebook, then why would any company target this site as a means through which potential clients be identified? Well, with the average visitor spending 20 minutes and 48 seconds on the site—not to mention the 18.6 registered members around the world—the community is clearly engaged and active. In order to more fully put things in perspective, the average online visitor abandons a website within a minute of arrival.

2) Quora

Arguably, Quora is the best question-and-answer website the Internet has to offer. Mimicking Yahoo Answers, the company was founded in June of 2009 and immediately saw tremendous growth. Between January of 2010 and January of 2011, Quora grew a whopping 37,000% in usership, giving the website around 160,000 users at the time. One short year later in 2012, Quora was valued at over $400 million.

Just as Tagged’s value comes from community engagement and passion, Quora has accomplished a similar feat. In fact, many American marketing agencies have made content marketing through Quora’s newly added blogging feature a staple of their respective publication strategies. Areas of audience expertise range from startups, entrepreneurship and venture capital to science and food. Impressively, Quora has been favorably published in the New York Times, USA Today, Time and The Daily Telegraph.

3) Yelp

Yelp is a review site with incredible mobile capabilities for both individuals and advertising agencies. Since it’s founding in 2004, the company has followed in the footsteps of other review companies like the Better Business Bureau and Angie’s List with booming success. Every day, people go online and talk about products and services that they’ve recently experienced. Apparently, there’s plenty of activity: Yelp averages 135 million unique visitors every month of each calendar year. As of October of 2014, there were 86,000 active business accounts on Yelp.

People can’t seem to get enough of the service. In 2014, there were 67 million cumulative reviews on Yelp. That’s about 26,380 reviews being posted every minute. By the third quarter of 2014, Yelp had over 73 million unique mobile visitors. What’s the end result of all of this, you ask? In short, impressive revenue spikes. On average, Yelp generates 200,000 business calls every day.

If you and your brand are looking for new social ground on which to stake a claim, never fear to venture outside of what most marketing agencies consider the best social media sites. Truthfully, there’s plenty left to discover.

Fusion 360 - 3 Less Popular Social Media Platforms Worth Tapping Into for Overall Brand Success (Fusion 360 Agency)

May 02
0

Living In a Mobile World: Search Stats

By | SEO | No Comments

We live in a mobile world. Everywhere you go, from Utah to New York, people are huddled over their mobile devices texting, posting on different social sites, watching videos and surfing the World Wide Web. Judging from the tremendous amount of time that people spend on their smartphones, it’s now more important than ever for companies to have a sound SEO mobile strategy.

Let’s be real: if your business and/or product can’t be found using a search engine on a mobile device, it simply won’t survive. Still not convinced? Well, its predicted that, this year alone, mobile devices will overtake desktop usage. If that fact still has you questioning the validity of what’s been presented, check out the following infographic. It’s loaded with facts and stats on why your business needs to be accessible via any and all mobile devices.

Fusion 360 - Search Engine Stats - Living In a Mobile World (Fusion 360 SEO)

May 01
0

4 Top-Tier Methods for Designing a Landing Page That Intrigues Potential Customers

By | web development | No Comments

Putting together a landing page worthy of the most stubborn of Internet enthusiasts can be a difficult task. Not all of us are website design specialists. Furthermore, innumerable are the factors that, for starters, bring a person from one remote catacomb of the World Wide Web to your brand’s website.

Getting them to browse and interact for a healthy amount of time all while also building a bit of investor intrigue? Well, that’s an entirely new digital design beast worthy of a sound investigation. That being said, there are a handful of tried and proven methods to make such a miraculous occurrence happen on an astoundingly regular basis.

1) Meta Titles Descriptions and URLs

For starters, look to meta titles and descriptions to make a difference. When used properly, any digitally-driven traffic which makes its way to your landing page will, more than likely, be of a higher quality.

Additionally, make your landing page SEO-friendly through relevant keywords. SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads—direct mail or paper advertising, for example—have a 1.7% close rate.

2) Calls to Action

In most cases, when people hear the term “call to action” (CTA) being tossed about, they think of intrusive telemarketers or pushy door-to-door salesman who make a living by “assuming the sale” and then “closing” as soon and as often as possible. However, unbeknownst to many both inside and outside of the website design community, a CTA is completely ethical and, most assuredly, will separate your landing page from those of your competitors.

Whether it be a “call now,” “find out more” or a “visit a store today,” CTAs are not being used with nearly enough regularity. In fact, 70% of small business B2B websites lack any sort of CTA for consumers. The most common of landing page CTAs involve newsletter/blog subscriptions, product demonstrations, free consultations, case study downloads or special offers.

3) Benefits Over Features

People don’t like the feeling of being sold. Fast-talking salesman who focus on the “newest upgrade,” “latest add-on” or “groundbreaking update” appear to be trying to meet regulatory sales quotas without having made any sort of connection with their audience. Normally, it shows in their sales success or lack thereof.

With website design, generally speaking, when pushing products or services, it’s better to “show” rather than simply “tell.” Since features work on a factual level rather than an emotional one, their value is often viewed as confusing, less than applicable and, unfortunately, sales-centered. Testimonials or product demonstrations by way of shareable Internet video are excellent tools for website design experts looking to make some noise.

4) Useful Footers

Web users allocate about 20% of their attention to a site’s content found below the page’s fold. Though seemingly insignificant, they’re almost always looking for additional information. Apart from showing that your site represents a reputable business, footers allow your landing page to direct potential clients to other pages which may further interest them.

Even more important, footers often contain social sharing buttons and contact information for those serious about taking the next step to get to know you and your brand. Needless to say, when building a company from the ground up in this, the digital age of communication, an impeccable landing page is of the utmost importance.

Fusion 360 - Tips for Designing Landing Pages: How to Intrigue Potential Customers (Fusion 360 Web Development)