INTERACTIVE DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING

Website Development

The foundation of online marketing is your website. It needs to be smart, clear, interesting and informative. Web development has changed dramatically in the last couple of years. It’s no longer necessary to spend tens of thousands of dollars to have a programmer build each page with complex code that only a specialist can edit. This approach may be necessary in some circumstances, but today many sites are built on an open-source CMS framework. What’s that?

A CMS (Content Management System) site allows our clients free access to edit content such as text, pictures and data. You no longer need to pay a programmer to change available products or update information. You can easily do it yourself. We will help plan your site, design the overall look and navigation architecture and build all of the basic elements on platforms such as Joomla! or Drupal. We can provide you with a shopping cart, blog or product catalog—all of which ultimately can be fully editable by your company. Of course we’re available to do this if you prefer.

Today, many internet users prefer the flexibility of searching for information from their mobile phones. You have probably done this and discovered that most sites are not easy to navigate on your phone. We can help with that too by building your site to be specifically mobile-compatible. You’ll immediately notice the difference. Navigation is simplified and text is formatted to fit the small screens of mobile phones.

So how do potential customers find your new website? You’ve heard of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) before but may not realize how strong a marketing tool it can be. A few years ago (referred to now as the old days) you just added keywords to your site so search engines would find you and put your site at the top of the first page of search results. Today, the goal is the same but much more sophisticated. We can help you understand the power of this tactic and implement the best strategies to get your website noticed.

Finally, you should consider all the functionality available to get your website (and message) noticed. Flash animation, Email marketing, SEM (pay-per-click advertising), web banners, and much more can and should be incorporated into your interactive marketing strategy.

It’s a new world out there and Street Level Studio is ready to help you reach your fullest potential with interactive development and digital marketing.

Social Media

It is certainly clear to us, and probably to you, that there has been a fundamental shift in the way we communicate. The old communication model was a monologue. This meant we shouted our message to anyone who would listen, through print advertising as an example. The new communication model is a dialogue. Now marketers are having conversations with consumers as well as consumers having conversations with each other.

This is the key to interactive marketing and is fulfilled across multiple media, but mainly through use of the Internet. Recent studies indicate that only 14% of people trust traditional advertisements yet 78% of people trust the recommendations of friends or other consumers. Why is this?

First, let’s face it, people desire to connect. They like to know what other people think and feel. They listen to each other. Facebook should be proof enough as it’s ranked number one of the top 500 websites worldwide.

Second, technology has made communication easier than ever. Nearly two billion people use the Internet. 63% of all Americans have a high-speed Internet connection and 84% of those users rely on the web to get current news or information.

Finally, it’s simple economics. 65% of consumers say they have had a digital experience that has either positively or negatively changed their opinion of a brand. This is pretty strong stuff. Your brand will sink or swim on the Internet because people are talking with each other about your brand and it may vary from what you would like them to think.

How can you take advantage of this new paradigm?

We recommend you jump in and try it out. Listen. Participate. Engage.

Your website and use of social media is not like a brochure where once it’s printed you’re done marketing for six months. Interactive media takes planning, implementation and most of all, time. Time to create content, time to respond to your audience and time to analyze results. Just remember, your audience is out there online and your time will be well spent.

We’re seeing great success with many of our clients in the interactive marketing arena. Give us a call or find us on Facebook and we can help you figure it all out.