Highlights

Both stories highlight our successes of 2011, including that we officially expanded into mobile and app design/development, had revenue 180% over 2010, and grew to 21 employees.

A couple highlights from the Minnesota Business article are about our business model: “[Rynchek] says working within the traditional agency model served as a catalyst for his idea to start a nimble, client-focused, results-driven agency, something that is an extension of the clients’ marketing arm.”

“We’re trying to build a new agency model—what I describe as a marketing technology firm.”  The story is on page 14 and we really appreciate this great article by Dan Emerson.

And referring to our move into mobile in The Line article, “We’re at the point where we’re optimizing the online side, and going heavily into mobile.  And that will be a point of differentiation for us.” Thanks to Elizabeth Millard for this great article.

Looking Back to Look Forward

We know our success in 2011 is due to a few factors:

• We have a great team that works very hard;
• We are passionate about the technology we work with and want to change perceptions of what is possible; and
• We are focused on statistics/trends and push our partners to invest in the technology as consumer use grows.

Our team has been pulled into exciting industry events and conferences this year as well including Minnesota Search Engine Marketing Association’s first event last week.

We are excited about what 2012 will bring.  We’re hiring, we’re bringing on more exciting clients and we plan to do twice as much as we accomplished in 2011.

Tools of Trade: SEO Edition

It was a great first step for the MnSearch organization and it was fun to pull together such a solid event to set the bar.  I’m looking forward to many attendees becoming members of MnSearch and growing the local search scene.  Twitter was a buzz (#mnsearch) with compliments and excitement thanks to Taylor’s SEO tool knowledge and Celarity blogged their event recap stating “If content is king, MnSearch is the palace.”.

MnSearch Event Photos

Even though I had a few things to do last night I managed to get a few pics and had some Spyder Trap team help to grab a few more.  Thank you to everyone that attended the event and I can’t wait for the next one in April!

You’ll find predictions covering web design, mobile, music, search, social and more below in our marketing and technology predictions for 2012.

While our crystal ball severely over heated from all of the predictions, there is no doubt this year will be another one full of cool technology and marketing integration.

2012 Staff Predictions

TABLET: I think we’ll see the integration of tablet PCs with more mediums.  For example in the same way Nintendo’s Wii is introducing a controller that resembles a Tablet PC, I wouldn’t be surprised to see things like cable companies adopt this theme to improve their TV / Video On Demand user experiences.
Joe Barhorst – Developer

INTEGRATION: Social, Digital & Mainstream Marketing collaboration.  Example being a Coke ad synced across platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and others.
Erin Moore – Project Manager

GOOGLE +: Since Google just introduced Search plus Your World, I see either a strong exodus from Facebook and Twitter to Google+ profiles, or many people being turned off by the new search and using Bing.
Alicia Neubauer – Social Media Intern

SEARCH & SOCIAL: Search engines will be pushing information from social networks towards the top of the search results.  This continues to emphasize a huge need for tools and apps to help combine and organize multiple social network platforms.
Travis Neiderhiser – Developer

WEB DESIGN: Responsive web design is going to be the major trend when designing/developing websites to suit multiple different devices.  I feel that companies will find this a huge advantage of having one website conform to any device without having to load content multiple different ways or for that matter having multiple budgets to support the design & build of different websites for their company.
Jeff Wagner – Creative Director

MUSIC: Technology focused on music sharing will engage music fanatics and freaks even more than the Spotifys of today. I’d love to see a solution connect the creators to the listeners on a tighter level.
Becca Tollefson – Project Manager

TV: I foresee interactive TV’s being the center of our media universe and this will gain even more traction in 2012. No longer will be the days of a central media server rather all media content will be streamed from a central source such as a TV to a more local device such as a computer, iPad or mobile.
Mike Rynchek – President

SOCIAL: The never-ending online social network and media coverage realms have continued to boom as we move forward in the age of technology. More companies begin to realize that connecting with the client and customer on a deeper level is more important than knowing “what’s hot” for the moment.
Lisa Ostrander – Executive Assistant

APPS: The app-centric approach to technology will increase and even spill over to the wider technology sphere.  This means increasingly specific apps that interact with other apps.  It also means a cohesive experience between devices.  As marketers and developers, it’s our job to sell an experience, not just any one app or site, and now more than ever it’ll be our job to make sure that is simple, cohesive, and engaging in an environment in the midst of dramatic transition.
Perry Govier – Developer

VOICE RECOGNITION: The integration of voice recognition technology, like Siri, into our daily routine. This technology will be used in everything from apps to make our lives easier, to selecting entertainment choices, to finding information faster and easier.
Jennie Eukel – Project Manager

MOBILE: 70% of Americans will own a smartphone (44% now).
Barb Vanags – VP of Finance & HR

VOICE RECOGNITION: More hands free technology on all devices. Apple always starts a trend, so I know we’ll see more devices with voice recognition like Siri.   I want my phone to know what I want to read and read it to me so I can drive and hear the stories I want.
Liz Tunheim – Social Media Manager

SOCIAL: Pinterest and its booming growth is going to find a beautiful way to deliver extremely relevant ads to you. Ads you, as a user, are happy to see because they will be integrated with the boards and pins of those you follow. These new “AdPins” will match the look and category of those items/products/yards/homes/quotes you would normally see on the boards you follow.
Jamie Lee Jacobsen – Lead Project Manager

FACIAL & VOICE RECOGNITION: Facial recognition software will allow for customized public display advertising based on age, gender, and other visible demographic metrics.  Also, this will become reality.
Tracy Henry – Search Marketing Associate

GAMIFICATION: There will be a bigger push towards “active interaction” through devices such as Wii and Kinect, which could influence everything from how we interact with games and movies to how we control our computers, or a presentation.
Travis Manick – Developer

MOBILE: Mobile devices will become as powerful as high end laptops. A user will have the ability to plug their phone into a screen and use it as a computer.
Ben Olsem – Designer

MOBILE: Consumers more and more are looking to utilize their smart phones (check-ins, deals, payments, etc.) and brands still know this. Last year was another large year in mobile adoption, but this year I think will be defined by consumers maximizing their mobile to better navigate all aspects of their lives (health, finance, social, etc.).
Nick Bryant – Senior Account Executive

SEARCH: Changes to search engine results and rankings continue to become more frequent at Google. Local, mobile, social and personalized results are all morphing at a rapid rate as Google mashes it’s technology and data across a massive audience.  Will it all be for the good of search or just the good of Google?
My prediction – Aaron Weiche

What will actually take hold in 2012? We might see all of these or just a few, but it’s easy to see that our industry is busting with innovation, growth and opportunity. No doubt this year will be another exciting one.

Do you have a prediction or comment to share on technology and marketing for this year?  Drop your comments below.

Focus On The Device

It was clear device integration will be bigger than ever in 2012. Users are becoming accustomed to receiving the same (or similar) content – no matter the device, no matter the location. I can tell you with certainty that the days of developing a website and mobile site/app in a silo are over. Just ask Pandora and they will tell you developing a cohesisive and consistent user experience is key to mass adoption.

At Spyder Trap, we have invested in making sure we are up-to-speed with mainstream devices and platforms (ie. php, iOS, Droid) along with less-mainstream devices such as the Nook and Xbox. These mobile, tablet and gaming devices are the future of digital marketing.

Getting familiar with all the new tech devices.

Healthcare and Technology

For the first time (at least in my opinion), health care was a major focus of the convention. Companies like Motorola, with their MOTOACTV solution, understand that technology has a role in health/fitness and are clearly trying to stake their claim. The ear buds track your heartbeat! Really? CES also played host to the Digital Health Summit, which showcased the rapidly evolving landscape of consumer-based health care.

Healthcare and Technology

I walked away from CES asking myself the following questions:

1. 1. Will Microsoft be back next year?
2. 2. If not, will CES be the same without them?
3. 3. Will 3D TVs finally take off?

The Conversation Hub

For more of my thoughts and reactions from this year’s event, check out my interview on The Conversation Hub.

I’m proud to serve on the founding board of MnSearch along with eight other experienced and energetic search marketers from various backgrounds.  Our over-arching goal is to serve as an incredible resource and connector for the search marketing industry in Minnesota.

The newly launched MnSearch.org covers more on our mission and board and you’ll be in the conversation with our Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles.

First Event, Lasting Impression

My role on the MnSearch board is that of events director.  I’m excited to have put together our first event for January 26, 2012 featuring Taylor Pratt who is VP of Marketing for Raven Internet Marketing Tools.  As a user of Raven Tools I’ve long admired both their product and service.

• Get all the details and register for the event.

Taylor will be presenting on Tools of the Trade for SEO and often speaks at SMX, PubCon and other events.  Bringing Taylor and Raven to the great (search marketing) north should be an outstanding evening and start to our events for 2012.  I want to help deliver topics, speakers and events that make attendees really look forward to the next one.   Have ideas? Just drop me a line at aaron@mnsearch.org or @AaronWeiche .

Professionals, hobbyists or those just wanting to see what search marketing is about are welcome to attend this event.

Conversion

In true search marketing form, we have an end goal.  We want to compel you enough to take the dive and become a member of MnSearch.  You won’t be just another point of analytical data to us, but a valued, informed and connected member of a great and growing industry.  We’ll have more information coming your way on membership soon.

Make sure you check out our first event, enjoy the networking, presentation, drink and food.  You have a home now for search marketing goodness in Minnesota.

Infographics are graphic representations of data and information that present complex information quickly and clearly. They can be fun and lighthearted, like one we created for Famous Dave’s last year, or address more serious matters like this latest design.

Infographics Can Educate

Children’s wants to educate the public on the seriousness of the flu and potential consequences for children that do not get the flu vaccine, so Children’s asked Spyder Trap to create this infographic.

An infographic that lives online allows the hospital to share this information quickly, easily and inexpensively with a wide variety of audiences. To create the piece, our design team took the information provided by the hospital and broke it down into attractive and easy to understand graphics. The result is a high-impact piece that tells the “story” of the seriousness of the flu virus.

Children’s has already started to share this flu infographic online with their social media channels, like Facebook, to gain awareness.

This blog post deals with adding a Google Shopping reporting feature that can be implemented to track and report analytic data related to traffic and purchases via your Google merchant feed, Google search and the Google Product search.

Separating Shopping Traffic From Organic

Google Analytics will help you track your major buckets (medium) of traffic including: direct, organic, CPC, and referral.  CPC (Cost Per Click) traffic could be referencing traffic from Google, just from the sponsored section of the SERP and not from the organic section we’re so familiar with.

In an unaltered format, your Analytics data is reporting all of the Google Shopping customers as coming from organic traffic. With the right customizations to your feed and Google Analytics, you can separate these sources.

This level of reporting is made possible by augmenting the Google Merchant feed to include UTM tags which instructs Google Analytics how to report the data.  This level of information is extremely helpful with making strategic online marketing decisions.  It now provides visits, revenue, transactions, average value, conversion rate and per visit value from Google Shopping visits.

In addition to this reporting, UTM tags can be used with many other sources such as display advertising and email marketing.

If your analytics are not set up for this feature, or even if you need assistance setting up your e-commerce site for the Google Merchant feed, feel free to contact us for help.

Bring a friend, a co-worker, business partner – heck, bring your mom – and get ready for beer, cheesecake, prizes, and a chance to rub shoulders with other great Twin Cities professionals and the Spyder Trap team.

When: Thursday, December 15
Time: 5:30- 9:00 pm
Where: Spyder Trap
118 E 26th Street Suite 203
Minneapolis, MN 55404
RSVP:  spydertrap.com/event

If you’re not familiar with TCTHH, they’re a group who brings together local business professionals every third Thursday of each month to network and check out a different business or venue.  In November, they met at Thom Pham’s Wondrous Azian Kitchen downtown, and a suite at the Minnesota Wild game in October. Don’t worry about wearing your finest ball gown or tuxedo: these events are laid-back and all about fun.

What’s On Tap?  Beer History & Samples

Did you know that beer was developed several thousand years ago, independently, in various regions around the globe?  Africa, China, North America, South America, Russia, Japan, and Egypt were all making grain-based beer, but only one culture was using barley, the predominant grain used to make beer today.

To find out which culture was the innovator, you’ll have to join Spyder Trap’s resident beer experts to give you the lowdown on beer history.  If you’ve ever wanted to travel around the world, we can sort of help you do that, but with beer samples and zero air travel. And if you come hungry, don’t worry: we’ll have some delicious appetizers along with tastes of Muddy Paws Cheesecake’s fare.

More Of Us To Love – New Staff & Office Expansion

If you haven’t been in Spyder Trap since mid-November (or ever, shame on you), you’ll be in for another treat: we’ve expanded!  We’ve taken over the first floor in addition to our send floor, doubling our office space.  And that’s not all – we’ve taken in several new talented people, and are now up to 22 hard-working employees, all of whom you can meet (we promise they’re friendly).

Social Fun, Prizes & More

Because we just can’t get enough of social media, there will be special incentives to use Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and the like at the event – those cool-looking pint glasses with our logo artfully placed on the side?  They just might be one of the prizes you can take home after stuffing yourself full of treats, beer, and good conversation.

Like us on Facebook and follow our Twitter feed—we might even have some pre-party incentives.

What better way to spend a Thursday night during the holiday season than with Spyder Trap, beverage history, and interesting people?  Act fast to RSVP – we’re filling up with lots of enthusiastic people ready to expand their social reach and have a good time!

• RSVP to the Spyder Trap December 15, 2011 Event

As the year winds down, maybe you’re looking at how to improve your website for 2012.   Here are 5 additions to your website that can grow your business online by adding just one or all of them.

1.  Flexible Content Management System

It’s hard to believe in this day and age of the web, but many websites still operate without a great CMS powering them.  Take advantage of being able to add pages, change content, add photos and more with a CMS.

There are many options for flexible, feature packed, search engine friendly and easy to use CMS’s.  If you are without a CMS or using a limited one, make the move.

2.  Get Visual With Graphics, Photos & Videos

While HTML text is the base of any great website for a user as well as the search engines, grow your content with visual media.  A simple photo gallery for any type of business can increase trust in your website and business.  Leveraging custom graphics, infographics or video to explain your services, showcase your products and engage users takes content to a new level.

Need media examples?

• Photo gallery for a specific type of service like building wood decks
• Create a custom graphic to show your process like buying real estate
• Create an infographic to illustrate your expertise like local search marketing
• Make a video that covers your expertise like Mint.com’s recent video on Food & Dining Spending

 

3.  Add A Blog

Blogging has numerous benefits for any type of business, organization or website.  A blog allows you to showcase your expertise, deliver current and relevant content, cover niche topics, post company or industry news and the list goes on.

Blogs give you the perfect platform to publish valuable content that increases search engine visibility.  If you need more convincing to add a blog read this or this.

4.  Customer Portal

Add a customer portal that allows your customers to log into your website and get account or other specific information vital to them.

Just as you check your online banking daily or weekly, you likely have a process, service or documentation that your customer would like to easily check at their convenience online.

Your client gets easier access to something they need and you get their attention more frequently.  Once you have this portal as a “touch point” you can leverage further pieces to deepen the relationship and value add.

5.  Live Chat

You can’t be enough places at once when you have prospects or clients with questions.  Adding a Live Chat feature to your website might be a communication channel your customer expects no different than a phone number or email address.  Services like Workface make adding this sales or service tool a breeze.

A Work In Progress
A great website that produces leads, relationships and customer service is not a one-time creation but a constant work in progress.  If you have other features you are adding to your website in the near future I’d love to hear what and why your choosing to add it.  If you need help integrating any of these for your website, our team of web experts can make that happen.

Citing the fact that HTML5 is the now and future of mobile they will “increase investment in HTML5 and innovate Flash where it can have the most impact for the industry.”

The BlackBerry Playbook (pictured above) was marketed as a Flash capable device, but that feature didn’t hold enough weight.  Just as Steve Jobs predicted, Flash and mobile are not a good team.  Adobe will stop development of its Flash Player for mobile devices in favor of native AIR apps for the major app stores.

What does this mean for Flash developers?

Let’s face it.  Even on PC browsers, Flash is a dying breed.  With a power of dynamic content and user-accessible content management systems, pre-packaged flash objects are losing their footing as a viable content option. Not to mention its detrimental effect creating search engine visibility, ranking and value.

Personally, I would love to see Flash begin to publish HTML5 and Javascript code that we developers can then drop into our projects. This would give us great access to HTML5’s vast feature set without having to learn a new medium, or scrap the years of knowledge and expertise we’ve put into working with Flash.

Flash already dabbles in application publishing, with options for exporting an iOS-friendly app file.  If they continue to push for standardization and accessibility for Apple, Android, and Windows Mobile application platforms, it could give us a great head start into creating applications for a new and powerful market.

With so many other tools a developer can reach for to build dynamic features, it would be great if Adobe’s refocus can bring some new wrinkles for us to use to bring mobile and web projects to life.