Based on Marketing and Psychology research certain colors have proven to evoke certain emotions in viewers. By aligning your message with certain colors you can create certain emotions in your viewers. For example, red is associated with "fast" and yellow is associated with "hunger". This is the reason why McDonalds, Wendy's, Burger King, Sonic, Popeyes, and Pizza Hut's logos are all made up of yellow and red. Here are some examples of other color emotion associations:
Color Meaning
Red
Red is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. It has very high visibility, which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red.
Red brings text and images to the foreground. Use it as an accent color to stimulate people to make quick decisions; it is a perfect color for 'Buy Now' or 'Click Here' buttons on Internet banners and websites. In advertising, red is often used to evoke erotic feelings (red lips, red nails, red-light districts, 'Lady in Red', etc). Red is widely used to indicate danger (high voltage signs, traffic lights). This color is also commonly associated with energy, so you can use it when promoting energy drinks, games, cars, items related to sports and high physical activity.
Yellow
Yellow is the color of sunshine. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy.
Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy. Yellow is often associated with food. Bright, pure yellow is an attention getter, which is the reason taxicabs are painted this color. When overused, yellow may have a disturbing effect; it is known that babies cry more in yellow rooms.
Use yellow to evoke pleasant, cheerful feelings. You can choose yellow to promote children's products and items related to leisure. Yellow is very effective for attracting attention, so use it to highlight the most important elements of your design. Men usually perceive yellow as a very lighthearted, 'childish' color, so it is not recommended to use yellow when selling prestigious, expensive products to men - nobody will buy a yellow business suit or a yellow Mercedes. Yellow is an unstable and spontaneous color, so avoid using yellow if you want to suggest stability and safety.
Orange
Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.
Orange is highly accepted among young people. To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red. As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite. Orange is the color of fall and harvest. In heraldry, orange is symbolic of strength and endurance.
Orange has very high visibility, so you can use it to catch attention and highlight the most important elements of your design. Orange is very effective for promoting food products and toys.
Green
Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Dark green is also commonly associated with money.
Green is the most restful color for the human eye and can improve vision. Green suggests stability and endurance. Green, as opposed to red, means safety.
Use green to indicate safety when advertising drugs and medical products. Green is directly related to nature, so you can use it to promote 'green' products. Dull, darker green is commonly associated with money, the financial world, banking, and Wall Street.
Blue
Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.
Blue slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness. As opposed to emotionally warm colors like red, orange, and yellow; blue is linked to consciousness and intellect. Dark blue is associated with depth, expertise, and stability; it is a preferred color for corporate America.
You can use blue to promote products and services related to cleanliness (water purification filters, cleaning liquids, vodka), air and sky (airlines, airports, air conditioners), water and sea (sea voyages, mineral water). Avoid using blue when promoting food and cooking, because blue suppresses appetite.
Purple
Purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. It conveys wealth and extravagance. Purple is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic.
According to surveys, almost 75 percent of pre-adolescent children prefer purple to all other colors. Purple is a very rare color in nature; some people consider it to be artificial.
Light purple is a good choice for a feminine design. You can use bright purple when promoting children's products.
White
White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection. As opposed to black, white usually has a positive connotation. White can represent a successful beginning.
In advertising, white is associated with coolness and cleanliness because it's the color of snow. You can use white to suggest simplicity in high-tech products. White is an appropriate color for charitable organizations; angels are usually imagined wearing white clothes. White is associated with hospitals, doctors, and sterility, so you can use white to suggest safety when promoting medical products. White is often associated with low weight, low-fat food, and dairy products.
Black
Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery.
Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown (black holes). It usually has a negative connotation (blacklist, black humor, 'black death'). Black denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color (black tie, black Mercedes).
Black gives the feeling of perspective and depth, but a black background diminishes readability. A black suit or dress can make you look thinner. When designing for a gallery of art or photography, you can use a black or gray background to make the other colors stand out. Black contrasts well with bright colors. Combined with red or orange - other very powerful colors - black gives a very aggressive color scheme.
If you have any questions or would like any help adding color associations to optimize your web page, please contact us at High Energy Media. We'd be happy to help you.
If you own your own company, you know just how valuable information about your audience is to the success of your business. One of the most effective ways to gain this information is through effective web forms tailored to your company's needs. Forms need to balance asking just enough questions, but not too many as to deter the participant from completing the form. At High Energy Media we specialize in creating e-Commerce web sites and form creation. We have found 7 simple tips to help you create effective forms for your website.
1. Design With a Purpose
Rule of thumb, keep it short and keep it simple. Make sure each question has a purpose and take the time to evaluate exactly what will be obtained from the participant's answer in exchange for his or her time.
Also, the structure of your form is just as important as the questions you are asking. We know three obvious, but important key points about our Western audience.
1. They read top to bottom
2. They read left to right
3. They navigate with the tab key
Here are 3 effective ways to format your form to meet the three needs above.
Left-Aligned Labels With Vertically Stacked Fields
Right-Aligned Labels With Vertically Stacked Fields
Top-Aligned Label
2. Evaluate the Questions
If you ask yourself the following questions while you are creating your form, you should be able to determine which questions are worth asking and which ones can be omitted.
1) What are you asking?
2) Why?
3) What does your Web design look like with and without the question?
4) Is the question something users want to fill out, or is it something they're required to fill out?
5) How much time does it take to answer?
6) Is it absolutely necessary?
Always remember to keep it short and keep it simple. These questions should help you determine the layout and content of your form for your specific situation.
3. Use Concise Descriptions for Personal Information
When you are requiring personal information like a participant's phone number or email address, he or she will be more inclined to share this information if you provide a short description explaining why are you asking for it. Below you will see an example of a form that uses concise descriptions to encourage users to complete the necessary fields.
4. Be Friendly
It might sound cheesy, but if your form is friendly and user oriented participants will be more likely to complete all the fields. There is a simple trick to do this; pretend like you are actually talking to your participant. A phrase like "What's your name?" is much more personable than "Full Name," Little changes like the way you ask for your information can make a great difference in how successful your overall form will be.
5. Divide it Up
Just because you have a lot of questions to ask, doesn't mean you have to throw it all on the users plate at once. Instead, divide the information up by similar questions and it will make your form look quick and easy to complete instead of time consuming. Below you will see an example of a form that divides the questions up by the user's contact information and the reason he or she is contacting you.
6. Include Meaningful Highlighted Error Messages
If one of your participant's forgets to answer a question or fills out the field incorrectly, your error messages should be clear and highlight the problem. You will lose the user's interest and information if she or he has to search for the problem. Below you will see an example of a form that uses error messages correctly and effectively.
7. Let the User Go!
Once your users hit "submit" they are ready to move on. Make sure you have a custom web page thanking them for their time and information. Also, if they are submitting a question or another response necessary inquiry, make sure you ensure them that they will be hearing back from you very soon. (Provide a time line if possible)
At High Energy Media, an Atlanta Web Design company, we are more than willing to answer any questions you might have about creating effective forms. Please contact us If you follow these 7 easy steps, you should be ready to create a well-designed, user-oriented form.
In Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, our hero, driving a massive steamroller at a snail's pace, bears down on a security guard, about 20 yards away. Despite ample time to move out of harm's way, the guard stays put, eventually flattened like the proverbial pancake.
 This is not unlike the scenario playing out between large marketing agencies and their outmoded, outbound marketing methods, and smaller agencies embracing inbound marketing. Big agencies see inbound marketing coming, but remain flatfooted.
The Internet disproportionately benefits small businesses, and that includes small agencies, too. With inbound marketing, smaller agencies aren't one giant sloth of a steamroller, but a fleet of quick-moving little ones.
This disruption boils down to business-model alignment, or rather misalignment, from recent shifts in marketing. Most large, traditional agencies excel at outbound marketing and their business model is aligned for that. They need a large, fixed staff and they charge accordingly.
But what happens when this comparative advantage is no longer advantageous? When what agencies do best (outbound marketing) is no longer best for clients?
Smaller agencies aren't wedded to old marketing methods They have no stake in preserving them. In fact, just the opposite since the new world order benefits them in several ways.
1. Today's marketing is about content, not distribution. You don't need big budgets for TV/radio/print ads. You don't need PR agencies' access to gatekeepers. Where distribution is a polo game for the elite, content is a scrappy, pickup game anyone can play. The challenge now is breaking through the cacophony of content online... but that just requires brains, not budget.
2. Marketing tools are freely available. No need for expensive monitoring tools only big agencies can afford when there's a myriad of inexpensive ones (e.g. HubSpot, Radian6, Cision). To create content, you don't need professional equipment or staffing. HubSpot's latest marketing video was born from a great idea, one hour of scriptwriting, and two hours of shooting using a $100 camcorder.
3. You can be a virtual, full-service agency. Inbound marketing doesn't require a huge, integrated staff. We built the HubSpot Marketing Services Marketplace as an eBay for marketing services (open to both HubSpot and non-HubSpot customers). It turns out that marketing agencies also use it to find collaborators for projects. One agency may be great at graphic design, offering call to action buttons or landing page design services, but collaborates with freelancers to provide clients with blog writing services or social media marketing services. Flexible staffing in the virtual agency model makes them more nimble, specialized yet general, and thus able to charge more competitive rates.
4. You can afford -- and win with -- guerilla tactics. Most big firms won't change their practices quickly, even if they see the steamroller (or in this case, many tiny steamrollers) coming. Smaller firms, unencumbered by a broken business model, have little to lose trying new things. Think outside-the-box to take capture business from traditional firms. Contemplate la carte jobs, which often lead to ongoing business. Embrace performance measurements (such as the ones on our Marketplace directories) and consider performance-based pricing from the resultant traffic, leads, or customers from your services.
We've had raging debates here as to whether PR is dead, Madison Avenue's future, how the marketing services industry is broken Parts I and II, and how we can help transform the marketing services industry. Not all agencies are in denial, but watch out for smaller, nimbler agencies already pouncing on the opportunities created by this market disruption.
Google announced an interesting new opt-out feature for Google Analytics today. From their blog:
Over the past year, we have been exploring ways to offer users more choice on how their data is collected by Google Analytics. We concluded that the best approach would be to develop a global browser based plug-in to allow users to opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics.
 At HubSpot, we often get asked whether someone should use Google Analytics. My typical response, when asked, is to say, "Why not? It's free, and it measures different data and presents data differently than HubSpot's marketing analytics." That has developed into the standard answer at HubSpot as we've trained more of our consultants and salespeople. As a result, many of our customers use our analytics tools and Google Analytics side by side. In fact, here's a case study a partner just published that shows data from both tools.
But, I'm left perplexed regarding the purpose of this new opt-out feature. For marketers, web site analytics is a key tool to help determine ROI of marketing activities and expenditures and help improve conversion paths on a site. It's a key pillar of the inbound marketing methodology that enables businesses to convert visitors into lead and leads into sales. And the data that is important is the aggregate number of visitors and users on a site. The aggregate numbers and trends are what a marketer cares about. But, what happens if a decent percentage of visitors opt out of being tracked?
- Leads and sales can't be tied back to marketing activities such as SEO, PPC, email marketing, social media, press releases, etc.
- Visitor, page view counts, etc. become inaccurate.
Furthermore, individual user's personal data is not needed in order to draw marketing conclusions, and Google doesn't actually collect personally identifiiable information through Google Analytics. They actually don't allow you to do it either. From their terms of use:
7. PRIVACY . You will not (and will not allow any third party to) use the Service to track or collect personally identifiable information of Internet users, nor will You (or will You allow any third party to) associate any data gathered from Your website(s) (or such third parties' website(s)) with any personally identifying information from any source as part of Your use (or such third parties' use) of the Service. You will have and abide by an appropriate privacy policy and will comply with all applicable laws relating to the collection of information from visitors to Your websites. You must post a privacy policy and that policy must provide notice of your use of a cookie that collects anonymous traffic data.
If I were completely reliant on Google Analytics right now for my business, I'd be questioning who really owns my analytics data? Google? Me? Or my site visitors?
While I generally applaud Google's significant efforts to help us little people maintain some vestige of privacy as we share more and more data with the borg, knowingly or not, I don't understand the point of this move. Is this a trade-off that needs to made?
It's an interesting issue. I feel like I'm questioning God when I question Google. I'm not sure I have the right answer, either. But, Google's move perplexes me, from the perspective of a marketer, especially. What do you think?
Updated 10:08 AM - The Onion has a hilarious take on this one.
Google Opt Out Feature Lets Users Protect Privacy By Moving To Remote Village (Found via bengriffithsme)
Update 10:20 AM - Patricio Robles from econsultancy says:
Needless to say, publishers using Google Analytics will probably not be thrilled at the prospect that certain data won't be collected from a potentially larger number of users. After all, when it comes to web analytics, more is better for most publishers.
Update 10:23 AM - Frederic Lardinois from ReadWriteWeb says:
If opting out of Google Analytics becomes a widespread phenomenon, this could have wide-reaching consequences for site owners. After all, having detailed analytics about your visitors allows site owners and publishers to tweak their marketing efforts.
Update 10:25 AM - Matt McGee from Searchengineland gets a comment from Google:
Webmasters may be concerned about losing the integrity of their Google Analytics data because it won't be tracking as many web visitors...
...Asked about the impact on web site owners, Google Analytics Group Product Manager Amy Chang sounded unconcerned. "Analytics reports will continue to provide advertisers with robust and valuable data to help improve their websites and advertising campaigns," she said via email.
Seems like a non-answer.
 Today, I received a YellowBook on my doorstep.
I just barely remember a time when I would have taken that YellowBook inside and given it a loving home in the closet next to my mom’s cookbooks, extra light bulbs, and flashlight. Now, it’s propping up my snow shovel so it doesn’t tip over. For me, this visual is a strong reminder of the risk traditional marketers are taking when they don't look to the future and react to the marketplace.
It’s impossible to tell you exactly what will happen next year or even 5 years from now, but I do know this: outbound tactics that worked well-enough in 2009 for your business will not work 5 years later in 2014. Companies must continue to evolve with the marketplace or face extinction.
As Augie Ray, Sr. Social Computing Analyst at Forrester points out, “2009 we witnessed the most profound evolution the marketing world has seen in fifty years or more. The pace of change is not going to lessen in 2010. Core elements that have driven marketing practices for decades--such as messaging strategy, mass media, PR, advertising, and others--will continue to change rapidly.”
Could this be the year when Inbound Marketing crosses the chasm? It very well could be. The signs are all there: Big Brands like Pepsi and Dominos have traded in million-dollar advertisements and PR campaigns for online communities and social media. Fortune 500 CEOs are warning vendors that Outbound Marketing is annoying. Small Businesses are blowing their competition out of the water by 55%, simply because they blog.
To prepare you for the rapid changes that are sure to come, I’ve asked some members of HubSpot’s marketing team and even Brian Halligan, CEO of HubSpot, to share their 2010 marketing predictions.
2010 Will Be the Year of Integrated Inbound Marketing.
The euphoria of social media marketing will turn into a hangover, followed by the epiphany that social media is just one tool, and the path to success is paved with a comprehensive inbound marketing strategy, not using individual tools. (@MVolpe)
Press Release Services Will Experience a Decline in Business.
As more companies adopt social media marketing practices and find more (free) ways to disseminate their news via social sites/networks, fewer will turn to press releases to distribute news and press release wire services will experience a decline in business. (@Pamelump)
Business Blogging Will Continue to Rise, Encouraged By Increased Awareness About Social Media
As PPC costs continue to rise, companies will begin to hunt actively for other, organic ways to boost ROI and target attractive keywords, eventually settling on blogging as a way to generate more organic leads. Social media will also help accelerate interest in business blogging next year. A recent report on Social Media Usage by the Center for Marketing research says that 44% of the Inc's fastest growing companies that do not currently maintain a blog, plan to start a business blog in 2010. Interestingly enough, in the same study, a whopping 91% of respondents also claimed that they use at least 1 social networking site for their business. I believe as companies begin to experience success using social networking tools, their desire to share and create their own content for these mediums will increase. (@shaxxon)
Inbound Marketing Will "Cross the Chasm"
2. Consumers will get even better at blocking out advertisements, email blasts, and cold calls.
3. Consumers will get even better at finding what they want in Google, blogs, and social media sites.
4. Google's growth will stall as Adwords becomes an "efficient" market.
5. Traditional advertising (tv, newspaper, radio) will shrink faster than in 2009.
6. PR & Advertising firms will either transform or start to go away.
7. Serious journalists like the NYTimes and Wall Street Journal will shrink, but will remain as relevant as ever.
8. Companies will start turn their marketing departments into production studios for creating content.
9. Companies will be even more transparent and even more authentic.
10. The economy will roar (not limp) back (@BHallign)
Google Will Disrupt the Mobile Industry Providing More Opportunities for Marketers.
Rumor has it, that Google will be putting their full force behind direct sales of a handset that works on the wireless network of your choice. They'll then take on Apple with their own Android app store by promoting it heavily. As more Android phones sell, they'll reduce the margins of all of the other maps players by giving away GPS-like maps and directions on your handset. They'll do all of this in order to move more local online advertising dollars to their pockets, leveraging their newly acquired mobile ad network.
For marketers that don't want to get left behind, you should start building mobile apps and positioning yourself on mobile networks. If you're a local business, you should get yourself in tune with Google's maps and local listing capabilities.(@Pc4Media)
In 2010, Content Director Is King.
The position of Content Director will be critical to any marketing department as they try to leverage existing resources (ie human, digital, content assistants) to communicate with prospects and customers (@JeanneHopkins)
Do you have a 2010 Marketing Prediction you'd like to share? Post it to Twitter with the hashtag #Marketing2010
There's no doubt that the multitude of social media channels encourages us to consume information in various ways, whether it be via video, audio, images, games or, ah yes - the written word.
But don't undermine the value of that last one. A new study conducted by the University of San Diego dispels recent rumor that the written word has died due to the rise of the more visually stimulating media like video and images. In fact, the study finds that the influx of new technologies is causing us to read even more than we used to, revealing that reading has actually tripled between 1980 and 2008.
So while many Internet critics may be quick to claim that the rise of the Web means the death of the written word, the new study stresses the exact opposite. And although the written word may be knocking at death's door in the world of print publishing, it's certainly alive and thriving on the World Wide Web.
So what does this mean for you and your business? True - it can definitely be beneficial to experiment with new media like online video and podcasting in your marketing efforts, but let's not forget about the importance of business blogging as a way to reach your prospects.
Blogging is one of the oldest forms of new media and inbound marketing, and it's not going anywhere. So if you want to take advantage of this increased reliability on the online written word by consumers, blogging is the way to do it.
What we can speculate here is that people are reading now more than ever because technology is making it extremely easy for them to find exactly what they're looking for; the increased ease of search is satisfying their informational needs. In fact, a study we reported on two months ago also found that most people who use the Internet are emotionally responsive and remembered content that they found by "searching." Therefore, businesses who are blogging and creating content that appeals to the needs of their target audiences are getting found and taking advantage of the increase in online reading.
So, fellow bloggers, I urge you to keep blogging and fulfilling the informational needs of your prospects. I have a feeling you'll reap the benefits.
Image via the University of San Diego Global Information Industry Center.
 In case you haven't noticed, MTV’s new reality show, Jersey Shore, is creating quite a stir. The latest drama occurred this week when the actual Jersey shore community, Seaside Heights, rejected the show's depiction of the seaside town claiming it portrayed the population as skimpy, rude party goers. Still, even with the controversy, this reality show about 20-something Italian Americans living in a posh beach home continues to thrive in conversation online.
If you have never been to the city of Seaside Heights in the show, it’s hard to imagine the culture being portrayed, so I can see why everyone is so curious (and why many families in the community are concerned). No matter how you feel about the show, Jersey Shore has developed a passionate niche audience and culture which has spawned a boat-load of conversations.
Since I’ve spent time living and working on the Jersey Shore, I felt qualified to share a few good marketing lessons that can be derived from MTV’s Jersey Shore phenomenon.
With that being said, I want to assure you that I don’t have orange skin or six-pack abs.
Add Some Personality To Your Marketing Mix.
I’ve heard break downs on each cast member of the show, and it didn’t take me long to realize that they stand-out because each person is a character. One even refers to himself as “The Situation." By having a distinct personality in your marketing mix, your audience will feel like they are interacting with a person, not a faceless company.
Be a Little Controversial.
I doubt anyone thinks that MTV was clueless about possible reactions to their use of the word “guido” and that video of a female cast member being punched. Though it's only been on a short time, Jersey Shore's steady stream of controversial episodes has generated a large amount of press for the show and spread the word far beyond their usual audience. While I don't suggest filming people getting punched to attract a conversation about your business (unless it's 1,000 frames per second with your coworker's permission in controlled conditions), I do think it's important to step out of the box every now and then and drum up some controversy. One of my favorite SEO/Branding bloggers, Lisa Barone of Outspoken Media does a great job of using controversy in a good way.
Capitalize On Buzz-Worthy Conversations.
In the past 3 days, I’ve received a number of emails about the Jersey Shore Name Generator and Alyssa Milano’s “Evolution: Jersey Shore” video (which is a spoof on Jersey Shore AND Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty.) In both cases, the marketing teams at Unlikely Words and Funny Or Die are capitalizing on the buzz around a current event or trend to draw in traffic. Create your own content that references the topic for your own purposes. (*cough, cough*)
Ultimately, it is hard to determine what will grab the attention of your target audience. But, when something shows up on the cultural radar, smart marketers should take a step back and analyze what they can learn from it.
Now it’s time to do more sit-ups.
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 I was a teenager who kept a journal.
Hiding the journal was essential to keeping it. After all, it kept my thoughts safe from the prying eyes of my mother and sister.
Over the years, nurtured by the sharing capabilities of the internet, I became less concerned that my parents and sister were going to read my journal. In fact, I left many of them at my house when I went away to college.
What changed? Well, the web allowed me to have more two-way conversations with my family and friends. Plus, by the time I left for college, much of that information in the journal was now grossly out of date or practically public knowledge anyway -- why was I working so hard before to keep it safe? I benefited more by sharing than I ever did by holding my cards close to my chest.
In 2010, Public is the New Default
If you’re company is entering 2010 with the same mentality as a teenager protecting her diary, you’ve come to the wrong decade. I know for some businesses, fear of losing an edge over the competition or fear of backlash prevents them truly embracing the spirit of the age. Earlier today, Eric Schonfield of TechCrunch wrote about this change saying it “represents a major shift in the social fabric, and it is only now just getting started. If you thought there was a lot of hair-pulling over privacy in 2009, just wait until 2010. Facebook’s new privacy policies which favor more public sharing, will be a big driver of this shift, as will the continued adoption of Twitter, which by its very design makes personal utterances public. Then there are startups like Blippy that go even further by turning every single purchase into a public statement."
Though Eric (and Techcrunch) have a tendency to makes this shift sound a massive headache, I am optimistic about the evolution of the web. It's transformed from a dark, Batcave like lair where you weren’t sure who Batman really is or what side he works for – into a transparent universe where information flows more freely. On the 2010 web, we know who Batman is – he’s Bruce Wayne - and he blogs and tweets about his adventures daily.
Become a Leader in Business Transparency in Your Industry
As your business enters the new decade, consider your options. Instead of simply following along, work on becoming the leader in business transparency for your industry. You could encourage customers to share their ideas and write about their experience with your brand in a public forum. Shoot videos that give an intimate glimpse into the way your company operates like this video about the importance of gluten-free equipment by allergen-free food maker Kinnikinnick Foods. Allow your employees to blog, build public relationships, and share their ideas about your industry with the world. Provide a way for your customers (and everyone, really) to peek in and see how your software is performing. You can even keep a Twitter list of your employees and encourage them to share their personality and represent your brand daily.
Or, you could continue to wait for a different world. Either way, we are definitely headed toward a new wave of transparency in 2010 – many of the social networks we’ve talked about this year have moved far and away from a private default (choosing to make some things public) to a public default (pre-selecting the things we want to make private).
Will your business be a window or a wall in 2010? One thing I do know – it’s way easier for your prospects to climb in through a window.
 It's a brand new year (and decade)! For many of us, this means prophesizing about what our future will bring and making promises to be a better person.
The same goes for your company. How will it live up to the changes the new year will bring? What kinds of inbound marketing goals will your business set to rise above the competition and become top-of-mind for its prospects and customers? To help you answer these questions, we've compiled a list of 5 must-read articles written by fellow bloggers who are also trying to prepare for the new year.
Author: Jennifer Van Grove of Mashable
To help guide small businesses' social media/online strategies for 2010, Mashable offers some great ideas of sample resolutions. At the top of this list? Reflect on industry trends. Jennifer encourages you to evaluate the major trends of 2009 that occurred in your industry and adopt some of the techniques that worked.
Some other ideas include setting new social media goals, going local by finding smart ways of incorporating location data, mastering Twitter lists and experimenting with new ideas.
Lesson: Learn from others' marketing mistakes, yet don't be afraid to try something new.
Author: Lou Hoffman on PR-Squared
Lou will make you smile with his tongue-in-cheek 2010 forecast for the communications industry, guest posted on Todd Defren's blog.
Among my favorites: journalists will pitch PR, social media will backfire on a political candidate and the Master's Golf Tournament will trigger another outbreak of articles about Tiger Woods. Some interesting thoughts, but of course, take them all with a grain of salt.
Lesson: Expect the unexpected.
Author: Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz
Gazing into his SEO crystal ball, Rand pulls out 8 of his own guesses for the new year. Discussing recent trends, he attempts to predict what's to come, including the fading of the real-time search fad, the continuation of personalized search, a merger between Yahoo! and Bing, and a dramatic increase in SEO spending.
Lesson: Recent trends can sometimes help predict the changes to come.
Author: Lee Odden of TopRank's Online Marketing Blog
Lee reflects on the 2010 predictions of eMarketer, a prominent Internet marketing trend resource, with insights into the future of monetization models, the effect of transparency on advertising, social and search, mobile, social commerce, public relations, social advertising, Twitter, video and mom/pop Internet usage -- you name it!
Some of eMarketer's interesting ideas include an increase in the Internet usage of the 55+ demographic, an expansion of social ad networks, the move of mobile into the mainstream and increased website transparency which will undermine online ad efforts.
Lesson: Expect to see more use of interactive mobile marketing in 2010.
Author: Kipp Bodnar of Social Media B2B
Kipp's list focuses on the future of social media. While social media was definitely a marketing/communications hot topic in '09, Kipp thinks 2010 will involve a shift in spotlight to more clearly connecting social media to business objectives and better understanding how to measure the direct and indirect ROI of social media.
He stresses that in 2010, social media will begin to creep more and more into the sales funnel, resulting in a more social media savvy sales team and increased support from social media in lead generation.
Hungry for more 2010 prophecies? Social Media B2B offers an even bigger list of prediction articles at http://bit.ly/6HAx4M.
Lesson: Social media isn't just a marketing tool.
Read HubSpot's predictions or tweet your own using hashtag #Marketing2010.
1. “Your Website” all your Business is Open to the World At all times (365 days a year, 24 hours a day).
Your work office may be open from 7-4, 8-5 or even 9-6, Monday thru Friday, Occasionally half a day on weekends; your website is open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. There are several different time zones that probably will affect your business, this is why being on the web makes it time convenient for everybody.
2. “Your Website” is Your Online Index or Catalog that can be updated at all times
a website is simpler, more cost effective and faster to change than print material. Your website’s size is nearly unlimited; this will give you the ability to provide users with a broad range of information. This will save money on printing and distribution costs.
3. “Your Website” can reach More Markets with a Global Audience
on the World Wide Web; you have the ability to be viewed by millions across the globe. This means your company has the potential to do business all around the world. The Internet is the most cost effective way to trade nationally, as well as internationally.
4. “Your Website” can improve Customer Service
Online forms, allow sales and information requests to be processed immediately and automatically, whether someone is in the office or not. The Online forms cut costs by allowing users to download important documents such as, invoices, proposals, etc.
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