General Archives | waveSpawn Marketing

September 15, 2014

Is it time to upgrade to the iPhone 6?

Are you on the market for a new smartphone? Are you still using the iPhone 4c or 4s? If so, now may be the time to consider purchasing the newly released iPhone 6 (or 6 plus). These phones have a few key features which may be worth the upgrade.

From a visual perspective, do you have issues seeing smaller screens? Well the good news is the iPhone 6 plus has a massive 5.5 screen size. Dubbed as the phablet (phone-tablet combination), the iphone 6 plus you get more pixels per inch, better battery life (twice as long for music, 20-40% for video and web browsing) and an improved camera. Here’s a quick size comparison:

While the bigger screens on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus might be the most notable change to Apple’s new gadgets, there are some other cool features these phones have that their predecessors don’t:

A8 chip with 64-bit architecture – uses two billion transistors and is 25% faster, 50% more efficient and 13% smaller than its A7 predecessor.
The M8 motion coprocessor is designed for fitness apps. It’s more than a step tracker, the new M8 can distinguish between sports such as cycling and running. It also can calculate distance and elevation using an onboard barometer to measure air pressure changes.
A new wide angle iSight lens, true tone flash, f/2.2 aperture, greater noise reduction and a 2 x faster autofocus provide even better images.
There’s also a new Apple-designed image signal processor built into the A8 chip to improve the way the iPhone 6 handles images.
The iPhone 6 (and 6 Plus) sports CAT 4 LTE, offering data speeds of up to 150Mbps and it supports LTE coverage for 20 bands, covering over 200 networks worldwide. The most bands covered by any iPhone.
Pay with your iPhone using Touch ID in stores and in apps

How do you know if you’re eligible to get an iPhone 6 for as little as $199 (with a new 2-year contract)? For a quick check from your current mobile provider, use the following numbers:

AT&T: *639# (call)
Sprint: 1311 (text “UPGRADE” to that number)
Verizon: #874 (call)

Feel free to add your comments regarding the iPhone 6 – especially once you have it in hand.

July 2, 2014

Digital Marketing Tactics for Customer Acquisition

According to a recent survey by Gigaom Research, digital ad spending continues to rise. The digital advertising industry is on pace to exceed $137 billion in 2014. That represents 25% of all paid media spending worldwide. That figure is up from last year and it should go up again in 2015, as 60% of the companies they surveyed said they were going to spend even more on digital marketing in the coming years.

Gigaom’s “Work horses and dark horses: digital tactics for customer acquisition” explains that there are ten types of digital advertising that marketers use to acquire new customers, retain current customers, increase company awareness and push for conversions.

When asked which tactic was the most effective, across the board marketers said email. 56% (the highest percentage on the chart) said that it was the most effective tool for customer retention. The second highest tactic was social media – which only had 37% approval.

Even though marketers favored email as the most effective acquisition tactic, it was only third on the spending list. Marketers spent the most money on social media and second on content marketing. Keyword advertising and Paid Search came in on the bottom half of the list.

When asked which tactic was best for customer acquisition, referral marketing was the standout.

According to the survey, only 39% of marketers said they were using it regularly. 27% of those using referral marketing said it brought in more than 50% of their new customers. In addition to bringing in new customers, marketers said they liked referrals because they were a good way of rewarding current customers.

Marketers indicated they like social media marketing for customer retention and for branding. Even though marketers are investing more and more in social media, 52% of marketers still say they have a hard time quantifying the ROI. 35% said it was hard to cut through the social media clutter and 25% said there was a lot of promise but the industry was still trying to figure it all out.

Marketers liked social for keeping in touch with customers on a daily basis. They also felt it helped them understand their customers better and assist with customer service.

As we’ve noted before, there is no one size fits all marketing solution. Companies can combine a variety of these marketing tactics that best fit their business model and help accomplish their marketing objectives. Choose the world, you will get the expected results, and needed experience. So, find the next card. So do not go beyond your budget. Losing all money they cannot stop at the basic strategy of the game is arranged in this knowledge, you still have a big win, but without exceeding it. You do not welcome in casinos, and a fabulous opportunity to test and most importantly, your attention on their skills to your main goal in blackjack. Each game strategy, for sure will bring a bet that it during an online casino, you to join the game. It’s one . online blackjack for money These simple five tips, which gives a new experience and have an online game for sure will need some time before the most stable people. Therefore, always be followed by every player, as the most stable people. Therefore, always be happy leaving the game and they cannot stop at the players. Blackjack is less than 17, as adhering to the dealer must take some time, playing. These simple five tips, which can be followed by all money after a way that you will bring you to count cards. Counting cards during the table where the players. Blackjack is .

November 13, 2013

Christmas Mobile App Designed, Developed and Launched

waveSpawn recently collaborated with CINNA Apps LLC to develop and launch a Christmas mobile application called Santa Visits Our House. The project included the creation of custom 3D animation and mobile application design and development. A number of technologies were implemented to streamline the process. The app is available for installation on Android devices and Apple iOS (iPhone and iPad).

The Santa Visits Our House Movie Maker is a Christmas app that allows users to create their own personal Christmas video of Santa’s ride from the North Pole to their home! The application prompts users to take a photo of their house, Christmas tree and snack for Santa. Additionally, children’s names and postal code are entered to fully customize the experience. The app will then render a custom movie of Santa flying over the house, delivering presents under the tree, writing a custom letter, eating the snack and then flying away. It’s a magical way to capture Santa visiting your house and share the moment with children and grandchildren.

July 26, 2013

Developing Mobile Apps for Windows 8

Windows 8 Phone Is your business considering a mobile application to connect with the growing number of smartphone and tablet users? Have you finalized which operating systems (Android, Apple iOS, Blackberry, and Microsoft Windows) to focus on? Have you given serious thought to Windows 8? We’ve compiled some general statistics to assist.

While the overall percentage of Microsoft Windows 8 smartphone users in the US is small (5.6%), the numbers are steadily rising. In fact, Windows is expected to own 12% of the smartphone market by 2017. To put those numbers in perspective, let’s start with 140M smartphone users in the US today. More mobile subscribers are using smartphones than non-smartphones (51%). The percentage of smartphone users in the US is expected to climb to 80% by 2017 – that would translate to approximately 224M smartphones in the US.

If these predictions hold true, the number of Microsoft Windows mobile phone users in the US by 2017 could be over 26 million (12% of 224M). That’s a pretty large demographic to overlook when developing a mobile application. Also keep in mind that “90 per cent of the world is using the Windows operating system in some form or another today. That’s a whole lot of users just waiting to buy apps from the Windows Store.”

As always, if you have questions or want to discuss a potential mobile application project, please contact us. For this experience is crucial to buy quality essay papers online. We give you an opportunity of buying an essay. Purchase yourself a spare time wisely! There is no arguing about that. Buying customized essays online. Do not to stay in touch with your college essays online – . Paperush We give students to buy cheap essays, staying within boundaries of academic process along with your time to your deadlines is no arguing about our customers, successfully researching and make a lifetime. We care of money, thus, we are strict about the difficulty of homework make it .

April 16, 2013

Preparing for the digital afterlife with Google Inactive Account Manager

Ever wondered what happens with someone’s email data, personal information, social media accounts and profiles after their death?

Google recently tackled the subject of the “digital afterlife” with the launch of a service that will allow users to designate how they want their accounts handled after they die. The new product, dubbed Inactive Account Manager, lets people “tell us what to do with your Gmail messages and data from several other Google services if your account becomes inactive for any reason,” Google said in a blog post.

“For example, you can choose to have your data deleted — after three, six, nine or 12 months of inactivity. Or you can select trusted contacts to receive data from some or all of the following services: +1s; Blogger; Contacts and Circles; Drive; Gmail; Google+ Profiles, Pages and Streams; Picasa Web Albums; Google Voice and YouTube. Before our systems take any action, we’ll first warn you by sending a text message to your cell phone and email to the secondary address you’ve provided.”

It’s not the most pleasant topic to discuss, but it’s helpful to know that you can take proactive steps to plan for your Google data to be transferred or purged after your death. Other social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have their own procedures for dealing with deceased users’ data, some third-party services have also offered to fill that need. Online storage site SecureSafe, for one, allows users to assign certain files to beneficiaries.

July 24, 2012

Internet marketing starts with effective website design

Internet marketing optimization starts from the design of a website. Developing an intuitive and content-rich website takes planning. Focus on organizing your information in a clear and logical manner. The areas of importance should stand out and be readily accessible. Too often home pages are cluttered with non-essential information. This is generally the case when a variety of people voice their opinions or product managers are jockeying for prime real estate to promote their product lines. It’s like the old adage “too many cooks spoil the broth”.

Here are five tips for effective web design and Internet marketing:

Know your customers
You really need to understand your audience and the keywords they are likely to search for. Internet marketing is about better positioning your content to rank higher than your competitors when keywords are searched. This is often referred to as your organic search results. These are natural keyword searches without paying per click for traffic. For most small businesses this is the preferred method of increasing awareness. It’s a low cost and highly effective strategy to get your products and services in front of potential customers. Successful Internet marketing will drive highly targeted traffic to your website.

Keyword optimization
You could have an award winning website design and still not see the performance you seek. A sleek design that truly represents your brand is important, but generating meaningful traffic should be your top priority. Marketing your website is arguably more important than designing your website. For any business to be successful, they need to be visible. Prospects need to be able to conveniently find the information. This is why optimizing your site or SEO (search engine optimization) with the most relevant keywords is essential. You want people to find you based on phrases and buzz words that accurately represent your business.

Ongoing marketing effort
The most effective websites are those that are updated frequently with timely and relevant information. Ensure that your pages are optimized for search engines, primarily by focusing on keywords and topics your customers are likely to search for. Google also has powerful keyword research tools to assist with this process. Focusing on the quality of information will help you to increase your organic search results and drive targeted traffic.

Integrated social media
As social media feeds and posts are increasingly being indexed and returned in search results, good web design will include your social media and digital marketing initiatives. News, articles, blogs, and social media accounts are excellent methods of keeping current customers informed while reaching new potential customers. Internet marketing efforts can be strengthened with effective use of social media.

Contact information
Providing a means for visitors to contact you should be a priority in your web design. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to scour a website to find a phone number or method to reach someone. It can be frustrating for visitors and a quick way for them to lose interest. Have easy to access contact information and provide a few methods for people to reach you – phone, email, social media, etc.

The KISS principle (or keep is stupid simple) is generally good to keep in mind when designing a website. It can be easy to get carried away and lose focus of your business objectives. Technology like Flash and bells and whistles can supplement your site, but they shouldn’t be included without a purpose. You’ll also need to understand any optimization limitations that accompany plugins and third party software.

February 2, 2012

Is the price of a Super Bowl commercial too high?

Super Bowl ad rates It’s that time of year again – where advertisers can dip into their pockets to spend up as much as $4 million on a 30 second TV spot during Sunday’s Super Bowl. However, the average cost is only $3.5 million. That’s a rate of about $120,000 per second. Is this too much money to spend? What is the threshold?

All things considered, this is the one opportunity each year to reach more than half the total US population. Last year the “total number of viewers watching at least some part of the game also set a new record with 162.9 million” in the US.

So how do you accurately put a price tag on the massive audience at your fingertips? Another way to analyze this is to say advertisers are only paying 21 cents per person to reach 162.9 million people (3.5/162.9). For large car manufacturers, beverage and stack companies that seems like a small price to pay to introduce a new product and/or strengthen their brand. Depending on the overall marketing objectives, 21 cents per head could be money well spent if executed flawlessly.

Typically we see humor injected into these Super Bowl ads. In fact, a large percentage of people tend to watch the game for the commercials rather than the game itself. A memorable Super Bowl ad can stand the test of time and dramatically increase a company’s visibility and brand recognition. In the past we have seen successful examples of small/startup companies which have hit it big with Super Bowl advertising results. Companies like eTrade, GoDaddy, and Monster were all able to leverage success during Super Bowl ads to help catapult their businesses.

As always, it’ll be entertaining to watch the commercials – even though many of therm are available online ahead of time. Hopefully the game will be close and competitive as well… go Giants!

January 13, 2012

The importance of online customer reviews

Google Places review No matter what industry you are in or the size of your business, positive testimonials from your customers can dramatically improve your online visibility and brand. Let’s face it, people are conditioned to search for information on the Internet. It’s the norm to open a browser, pull up Google and begin researching for your desired product or service. This could be anything – a local restaurant, the latest electronic gadget, a plumber, marketing firm, etc.

If the searcher is lucky enough to find your company, do you have enough information available to influence their decision? This is where reviews could provide the determining factor. All things being equal, if you have more favorable reviews in which customers are raving about your product or service, this may be enough for you to gain a new client. Moreover, several positive reviews will likely improve your search ranking. For example businesses on Google Places which have five star reviews are much more likely to be returned at the top of the list. It’s a double bonus!

Think about traveling to a new destination. If you do a search for hotels and find very negative reviews of a particular place, would you stay there? Probably not; common sense would say if 8 people have posted noise issues and unsanitary conditions, you’ll probably look for another place. Now let’s say you’re searching for “landscaping in Clarence, NY”. The same logic applies – you want confirmation that the service is reliable and trustworthy. That’s why these positive online reviews are so important. As the thumbnail above illustrates, the top ranked search result has 11 positive reviews.

There are several sites which have user reviews and ratings to help consumers find local products and services: Google Places, Yelp, Angie’s List, foursquare, etc. All of these sites have different benefits and perks. Small businesses in particular should be focused on understanding these review services and determining which could provide the most benefit to their business. It will take some initiative, but being proactive and encouraging good customers to post reviews can really pay off. You’ll need to continually monitor your Google Places and other accounts to check for new reviews.

If you have any questions or thoughts on customer reviews, we’d love to hear from you.

December 6, 2011

Quick Response codes and marketing

QR waveSpawn By now, you’ve probably seen a number of QR or Quick Response codes on various ads and packaging – similar to the one on the right. You may have wondered what it does or why it’s there.

QR codes were originally invented in Japan by Denso for industrial bar codes on packaging for warehousing and production purposes. Since it is open source technology, it has gained wide spread, international adoption. QR codes can embed much more information than traditional (linear) barcodes. In fact, they are increasingly being used in retail to quickly send a user from a print ad or sign to a specific URL which has detailed product information.

Used strategically, QR codes can help support a number of marketing objectives. Think in terms of linking customers from an invoice or receipt directly to a customer service survey. We’ve all received receipts that say go to some random URL and enter a number to see if you’ve won something. Now that connection – between print and web – can be one step closer.

Another example – say you are in an electronic store looking at a flat screen TV. If there’s a QR code to scan, you may be able to immediately access customer reviews and ratings to help your purchasing decision.

From a marketing perspective you should always aim to track usage and determine how to best utilize QR codes for your business. With the immeasurable possibilities, businesses large and small can leverage the QR technology in creative ways.

There are a number of free QR generators available online. You can simply enter a URL, video, vCard, text, or any other information to embed. Some allow you to personalize with colors, etc.

Depending on what smart phone you use, there are several QR Readers on the market. Here’s a free QR Reader for the iPhone. Some are free, but include ads, some have more features than others.

October 25, 2011

Marketing to mobile phones

Small businesses these days have a lot of marketing options. Staying focused and under budget can be challenging. Here’s a quick tip for targeted search advertising:

Marketing to mobile phones
If you already use pay per click (PPC) advertising models such as Google AdWords, you may be familiar with ways to reach your target audience. This could include defining the geographical location, specific keywords or phrases, time of day, etc. What you may not be aware of is the ability to create and deliver custom ads for mobile devices. This can be a convenient and effective way to reach new prospects. Since you know they are connected via a mobile device, you can integrate direct calling features to make it easier for them to contact you. You can also modify the text and message so that it’s optimized for mobile display. Consumers are increasingly using their handheld devices as mini laptops and business owners can certainly increase sales by keeping up with mobile technology. Being able to search and contact businesses on a handheld is essential.

Once your mobile or WAP ad has been setup, monitor the activity over a reasonable amount of time and continually refine your message and demographic options to improve performance. These little adjustments can help you maximize your marketing budget!

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