Google always comes up with the best toys for your website. The latest is what is called NewsShow Wizard (http://code.google.com/apis/ajaxsearch/documentation/newsshow/wizard.html) This little tool helps you build the code to embed a Google NewsShow on your website. This is a slideshow of news that Google compiles for you based on different parameters that you choose yourself before Google writes the code for you. Let’s look at how it works.
At first site of the page, you will see several fields that you can fill. Among these are style (size and shape), search expressions, search topics, News edition, User interface language, and result set size. After you’ve made all the decisions, the code is right there for you to copy and paste.
The value of this tool is what? Not only is it neat to offer your visitors a little bit of news and culture while they view your products or services, but if you are entering the right search expressions and topics, it could draw new visitors that otherwise would not have seen your website. For example, a website like CODANK’s would use the terms “Charlotte Web Design” or “Charlotte Technology News”. This would lead to news stories about our industry eventually ending up on the page. Also, if you have a new website and not much content, Google’s NewsShow is a neat, clean way to spruce it up a little and add some more filler to your website.
Google’s NewsShow is not for everybody. It is always nice to see what Google is coming up with though and who knows… maybe having a scrolling news marquee is exactly what you were looking for to add some goods to your current web design. It’s also important to mention that for javascript and programming experts, the sky is your limit for this tool. Google provides extensive information and tips on how to make this work for your custom needs. CODANK is the leader of Charlotte Web Design and is ready to help meet your needs today. Give us a call!
Showing posts with label NewsShow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NewsShow. Show all posts
Thursday, May 14, 2009
E-mail Marketing
It is becoming the standard in the web design industry to make everything visually appealing. This holds true for almost everything in the technological world. If you are going to sell something, it better be arranged nicely on a neat website… its just the standard these days. So why wouldn’t this apply to e-mail marketing? It does.
Lets talk about colors and fonts. Just like your good website is designed, we should all employ the same methods when we start and e-mail marketing campaign. Your company colors are usually a good starting point. It’s not terrible to use some more to draw the readers’ eyes but we don’t want to overdo it. The same goes for fonts. Using the fonts that you already use for your website is a good way to make it look decent without racking your brain for new ideas.
Another good idea is to keep the general feel of the e-mail pretty simple. Find some good ideas for your subject line, write some informative, unobtrusive copy, and let those e-mails be opened. As I’ve mentioned in an earlier blog, a good idea for a subject line is to make it personal when you can, but send your potential customers an e-mail the same way you’d send a friend or a co-worker an e-mail. Excessive CAPS or asterisks are last generation’s tools and are almost always overlooked. When it comes to the body of your e-mail, make sure that it is very clear and intriguing. Most people are very busy these days and they barely want to read the e-mail they got from their mom. Use the least words possible and arrange them strategically so that the reader can see where the important information is and what they need to know. Remember that most people use an e-mail program that has a preview feature. This means that if your copy looks obnoxious, then people will most definitely delete. Most people feel better about copy when there is plenty of white space to rest your eyes on, excessive fonts and colors aren’t used, and headings and sub-headings display content in a hierarchal fashion.
Getting readers to open your e-mails, read them, and then follow-up is a difficult task sometime. Making your e-mails visually appealing can be one of the most important steps you take in promoting your e-mail marketing. Following the general rules of a good website’s design is always a good place to start. The good thing is though, that you don’t have to know everything about graphic design to get this job done, CODANK is experienced in designing successful e-mail marketing campaigns and implementing them in the most efficient manner.
Lets talk about colors and fonts. Just like your good website is designed, we should all employ the same methods when we start and e-mail marketing campaign. Your company colors are usually a good starting point. It’s not terrible to use some more to draw the readers’ eyes but we don’t want to overdo it. The same goes for fonts. Using the fonts that you already use for your website is a good way to make it look decent without racking your brain for new ideas.
Another good idea is to keep the general feel of the e-mail pretty simple. Find some good ideas for your subject line, write some informative, unobtrusive copy, and let those e-mails be opened. As I’ve mentioned in an earlier blog, a good idea for a subject line is to make it personal when you can, but send your potential customers an e-mail the same way you’d send a friend or a co-worker an e-mail. Excessive CAPS or asterisks are last generation’s tools and are almost always overlooked. When it comes to the body of your e-mail, make sure that it is very clear and intriguing. Most people are very busy these days and they barely want to read the e-mail they got from their mom. Use the least words possible and arrange them strategically so that the reader can see where the important information is and what they need to know. Remember that most people use an e-mail program that has a preview feature. This means that if your copy looks obnoxious, then people will most definitely delete. Most people feel better about copy when there is plenty of white space to rest your eyes on, excessive fonts and colors aren’t used, and headings and sub-headings display content in a hierarchal fashion.
Getting readers to open your e-mails, read them, and then follow-up is a difficult task sometime. Making your e-mails visually appealing can be one of the most important steps you take in promoting your e-mail marketing. Following the general rules of a good website’s design is always a good place to start. The good thing is though, that you don’t have to know everything about graphic design to get this job done, CODANK is experienced in designing successful e-mail marketing campaigns and implementing them in the most efficient manner.
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