effinitie wisdom

Think Before You App

Zak Stawski — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 23:03:15 PDT

Knowing that apps are projected to continue their upward trend in popularity, you’ve probably asked yourself if your brand should make one. If you haven’t decided yet, remember: only do it if you’re positive that your app can meet these two guidelines:

1. Your app has a purpose within your larger brand strategy. Be sure you don’t make an app just so your brand can say, “We have an app.” Apps (like all forms Read More

Food for Thought: Branding Fanaticism

Zak Stawski — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:35:34 PDT

Each weekend, I saddle up on my mountain bike and ride 24 miles round-trip to Trader Joe’s. I’m sure I look silly in my bike shorts and giant backpack, but what can I say?—I live far away, don’t have a car, and love the store.

It’s often hard for brands to secure this kind of cultish loyalty. So how did a brand—and not just any brand, but a grocery store—that only advertises through its Fearless Flyer direct mail campaign hypnotizRead More

An Objective View of Subject Lines

Zak Stawski — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:25:59 PDT

Even though e-mail is one of the oldest ways of connecting with others over the Internet, some companies are still asking, “How do we make sure that our e-mails get read?” That question’s really not too surprising, though, since e-mail has evolved to include spam filters and consumers have gotten great at tuning out advertising (and nothing says advertising more than a direct e-mail with a title that reads, “FREE SHIPPING”). Give ‘em a clever subject line tRead More

“Cheap” Vs. “Affordable”—Using SEO to Think Like Your Customers

Zak Stawski — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:15:51 PDT

The difference between the words “cheap” and “affordable” is much like the perceptual difference between the prices ninety-nine cents and a dollar: it’s a shift that can mean the world to the people marketing a product, while remaining a minor distinction to the people searching for that product. This, in essence is why SEO is so important—because marketers and consumers often consult different frames of reference in searching for the Read More

Lessons to take away from your bounce rate

Zak Stawski — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 07:30:38 PDT

In adolescence, a bounce rate might’ve referred to how much air time you could get on a trampoline. In website design, however, a bounce rate refers to the percentage of initial visitors who leave your page rather than exploring other pages on it. The formula is simple: bounce rate = total number of visits viewing only one page/total number of visits.

Ideally, you want a low bounce rate on all the pages of your website. Many websites, however, show the common trendRead More