5 Reasons to Add a Blog

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Chad

Stand Out in the Crowd.

It’s a competitive marketplace. If your competitors aren’t currently blogging on their respective sites—that’s all the more reason you should be. Insightful blog posts offer a tremendous opportunity to establish credibility.

Invigorate Your Employees.

Not only does a blog present an opportunity to engage your audience, it offers a way to engage your employees as well. With your company blog, your employees can be a tremendous source for new ideas for content. People inherently want their voices to be heard. A company blog offers a productive way to accomplish this.

Be the Expert.

People utilize the web as their primary resource today more than ever, whether it’s to search for a new chiropractor, dining ideas, or to simply find the answer to some obscure question that’s on their mind. Wouldn’t it be great if they found the answer to their question in your blog?

Climb the Ranks.

Clients often seek our advice about what things they can do to help improve their search rankings. By consistently adding fresh content to your site, it provides a trickle down effect for not only driving additional referral traffic to your website, but it has the potential to significantly increase the number of links back to your site. And when it comes to improving in search results—quality links pointing to your website is a very good thing.

Get Social.

Having a blog on your site is a great way to tie in your social media marketing efforts. More and more businesses are creating Facebook and Twitter accounts, because well…they feel like they should be doing it. Yet, far too many businesses don’t utilize it as well as they should. By consistently adding fresh content to your blog, it presents a prime opportunity to link to the blog content via Facebook or Twitter, or whatever social media site you use. People love to share links to interesting, useful, or entertaining information. Why not be the source of that information?

Featured sites:

Nelson Manufacturing – Manufactures products such as: Horse Feeders and Cattle / Livestock Waterers

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Cornell College Gives Metro Studios an Extraordinary Opportunity!

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Connie Westpfahl

Cornell College requested a high-end multi-media presentation for the culmination of their “Extraordinary Opportunities: The Campaign for Cornell College” project, a five-year, $92 million effort to enhance the college’s endowment and upgrade its facilities.

Planning Ahead for an 18 Video Presentation

To announce the final dollar amount donated, Cornell decided on using three huge video screens to stretch across the ballroom at the Marriot. Six videos were scripted for the 3-screen presentation, which translates into 18 videos total. The videos included interviews from students and donors, footage and photos of the campus, and photos taken around the world from students’ global experiences. We shot some of the footage during the spring, prior to students leaving for the summer, and spent a considerable amount of time editing the 18 videos.

Check out our blog from the spring about the aerial shoot.

The Big Night

Preparation the day of the show included choreographing a rehearsal with the dozen or so presenters, not to mention setting up the 3 screens, playback computers, audio equipment and projectors. Two of the rear projection screens were 7 ft by 12 ft, and the center screen was 9 ft by 12 ft. The photos do not do any justice to the actual experience!

$105.8 million donated!

The presentation went perfectly, and the approximate 400 attendees were up on their feet when it was completed! It was amazing to have some of them come up and thank us for the wonderful videos! Congratulations on a great campaign, Cornell College, and thanks for asking Metro Studios to be a part of it!

For More Information:

http://www.cornellcollege.edu/campaign/

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Hot Topic: Google Instant

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Chad

Ever the master of innovation, Google has done it again. Google Instant was released less than a month ago, and has been a hot topic of debate ever since.

If you have performed a Google search in recent weeks, you are probably aware of how it works. As soon as you type the first letter into the search box, Google begins guessing as to what you are searching for based on not only the letters you type, but also takes things such as geography into account.

Let’s test it out, shall we?

I type “m”, and it instantly suggests the following search terms: MapQuest, MSN, Myspace, and Mediacom. Now, in an instant, I know that if I do a search for “m”, Mapquest.com is listed in the all-important first position on the first page of results.

I journey on. My search box now reads “me.” The search results change instantaneously, revealing Mediacom Cable as the new top positioned website. I add a “t” and presto, Metacritic’s website takes over first place. Finally, as my search phrase becomes “metro s,” Metro Studios assumes the top spot in the search results leader board.

Google Search for Metro Studios

Okay, so Google Instant is kind of fun, but what are the other implications? Will people begin searching differently? What does this mean for impression-based paid advertising when the results keep changing by the keystroke? And what does this mean for SEO strategy?

It’s easy to understand why this enhancement to the most widely used search engine in the world has caused such a stir.

How will it affect users? I think initially, quite a few people will find the new feature to be a bit distracting. However, in a sense, it might not be that big of a change. After all, Google Suggest has been around for a while, so users have already been introduced to some of the features.

What does this mean for paid advertising? One of the biggest questions was in regards to how Google would define impression counts for paid advertising. Google offers a good explanation here.

Is this the death of SEO? That couldn’t be less true. If anything, this should add to the importance of keyword optimization. This also reminds us that Google has been known to change things without much of a warning. What’s this mean? It means that SEO strategies continually evolve, and need to be diverse across multiple search engines.

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Featured website: Bench Solution – A Space-Saving Garage Workbench
It can also be used as a:
Craft Table
Sewing Table
Wall-Mounted Table or Desk
Scrapbooking Table

Get organized with the IdealWall slatwall system and slatwall accessories.

Posted in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Website Development | 1 Comment

10 Reasons to Update Your Website

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Chad
  1. Only one chance to make a good impression. It seems everyone goes online for research nowadays prior to making any big purchases. Potential customers will visit your site (as well as your competitors) and leave with a strong impression of your business – good or bad. Make sure it’s the impression you want to leave or you may never see them again.
  2. Get increased, relevant traffic. Perhaps your site isn’t ranking as highly for search engines as it once did. There are things that can be done to help your site rank well again. Over time, search engines reprioritize what is most important when ranking websites. It might be time to think about a website redesign or optimized content tailored to make your website rise in the ranks for Google, Bing, and other search engines.
  3. Time to get Social. Does your website have a blog? Can visitors easily add content from your website to their facebook, twitter, or some other social media account? Can they “Like” you? Viral marketing works, and it can work for you too. The key is to have a good plan, and follow through with it. But that’s an entirely different conversation.
  4. Make things more convenient for both you and your user. We’ve all been to a doctor’s office, and been required to fill out tedious paperwork…only to then wait even longer to see the physician. It sure would be nice to be able to provide this information ahead of time with either an online questionnaire or a downloadable form. Technology enables us to make tasks like these much more streamlined and efficient—for both the customer and the business.
  5. Clutter, Clutter, and more Clutter. A common mistake businesses make with their website is simply adding too much information. You run the risk of potential customers not finding what they need, resulting in a lost opportunity. Learn to categorize items into major and minor categories to help simplify the navigation process.
  6. Cover the essentials. It sounds basic enough, but you have to understand why most people visit your site. People visit websites for a variety of reasons. A primary reason is to obtain information. Are your products and services easy to find? Don’t require your potential customers to exert a lot of effort to track down a phone number, directions, or other in-demand information.
  7. Mobile Friendly. In the not-too-distant future, the number of mobile Internet users will trump that of desktop Internet users. This is a trend that cannot be ignored. For some businesses, it might be beneficial to invest in a mobile site that better meets the needs of mobile Internet users. At the very least, there are some modifications that can be made to the content and design of your current site that will make it much more mobile-friendly.
  8. Get started in e-Commerce. Buying and selling online has never been easier or more accepted by users. Once the programming is set up, you can add/delete/edit product and pictures yourself. Consider promotions, gift cards or a “company store” to sell your company apparel and gift items.
  9. Add streaming video or audio media. Let’s face it, most people will only skim your website (just as you’ve probably skimmed through this material) but they will watch your video because today’s flash and streaming video is fast and easy. That makes your website “sticky.” And if visitors spend more time on your site you’ll convert a higher ratio of your traffic into sales.
  10. Simplify your life. Don’t re-key information when online electronic forms can do the work for you. Online databases can share data and image files so you’re not using staff time to retrieve it. A secure log-in restricts access to authorized users.

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Featured websites:
Mi-T-M – Leading Manufacturer of Pressure Washers
Solar-Breeze – Floating Swimming Pool Skimmer. Read the robotic pool cleaner reviews
Bench Solution – The space-saving garage workbench and slatwall solution.
EZ Web Contacts – Wide selection of contact lenses and colors.

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Why SEO Should Matter to You

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Chad

Given the impact the Internet has on consumer decisions, and in particular, the role search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing has on the success (or failure) of so many businesses, search engine optimization (SEO) is alarmingly underutilized.

According to Netcraft, as of December 2009, there were over 234 million websites, with 47 million new sites added in 2009 alone. With an ever-increasing number of websites, and the soaring number of desktop and mobile Internet users, the competition for that top position in search engine results becomes all the more important.

A well-designed website, with concise, engaging content plays a vital role in the success and effectiveness of the site. However, if no one can find it in the first place, the website will be a complete and utter flop no matter how slick the design or eloquent the content.

There is some very interesting information from data leaked from AOL’s search query logs that reinforces the importance of SEO and getting your site ranked as high as possible:

  • The first ranking position in the search results receives 42.25% of all click-through traffic. The second position receives 11.94%, the third 8.47%, the fourth 6.05%, and all others are under 5%.
  • The ten highest ranked sites receive 89.1% of all click-through traffic, compared to 4.37% for the next ten.

As you can easily see, if your site isn’t ranking on the first page of your most important keywords, you need to drop what you are doing and consult an SEO expert!

At the very least, take a moment to see how your site is ranking for your targeted keywords. If you aren’t showing up where you’d like to be, don’t hesitate to contact us for an SEO analysis. A modest SEO investment can end up paying major dividends down the road for your business.

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Featured websites:

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Solar-Breeze: One Smart Robot

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Chad

Metro Studios has been working with an intelligent robot by the name of Solar-Breeze, and its inventor Denis Ruzsa and his business partner, Paul Sims, of Solar Pool Technologies, Inc. to develop successful marketing tools and strategies for this ingenious new product.

The Solar-Breeze pool skimmer, from Solar Pool Technologies, is a robotic swimming pool skimmer that uses free energy from the sun to keep pools clean by removing leaves, debris, pollens, dust, and even suntan oils from the surface of pools before they sink to the bottom.

It also reduces pool pump usage, which in turn lowers your energy costs, and is eco-friendly all at the same time.

This product is unique for the pool industry. It’s one thing to describe the many benefits this product offers to pool owners. It’s another thing to actually show them.

We created a 3-minute video that paints an effective picture of how easy this product is to use and the added convenience it provides to pool owners.  With Solar-Breeze, they can spend far less time maintaining the pool, and far more time enjoying their pool.

Judging from the Solar-Breeze pool cleaner reviews, the customers are enjoying the results, and are spending much more time in the pool than cleaning it.

Solar Pool Technologies utilized Metro Studios’ photography, video production, web development, SEO, and a partnership with Crosby Wright to help create a strong presence for Solar-Breeze in the market place.

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Featured sites:

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Is Your Site Mobile-Friendly?

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Chad

Technology is constantly evolving. With change, comes opportunity. The time to capitalize on that opportunity is now.

One possible opportunity is to invest in a mobile site for your company. Mobile Internet use is not a passing trend. Rather, it’s a certainty.

Keep the End-User in Mind

According to Morgan Stanley Research, by 2014 mobile Internet users will surpass desktop Internet users. People are consuming information on the go, and to create a successful website, you should always keep the end-user in mind—in terms of content and accessibility.

St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a prime example of a company keeping the end-user in the forefront.

St. Luke’s called upon Metro Studios to develop a mobile site that accommodates the needs of their customers. While the existing site offers a tremendous amount of information and insight, it wasn’t packaged in a way that offered quick and easy access to the type of information that was in highest demand from mobile Internet users.

In our meetings with St. Luke’s Marketing Department, we put ourselves in the shoes of a mobile Internet user to better understand what type of information he/she needs on the go, and if that information is easily accessible from their existing site.

Sometimes, Simple is Better

The result was a simple and clean mobile site that offers quick and easy access to information most important to a person on the run. St. Luke’s mobile site, http://m.stlukescr.org, offers three pages (ER & Urgent Care wait times; a campus map for quick directions, and a Contact Information page with “Click-to-Call” phone numbers). It also provides an easy-to-find link to the main St. Luke’s Hospital site for more in-depth information.

As an added convenience to users, if a person on a mobile phone tried to pull up the main website, it will recognize that the person is using a mobile device, prompting the following message to display at the top of the page: “You appear to be using a mobile device to view our site which is designed for desktop browsers. Click this message if you would like to visit our mobile-friendly site.”

SEO Facts for Mobile Sites

Google has a separate index for mobile sites, and the great thing for you is, it’s fairly empty. This presents a golden opportunity. With less competition, you stand a far better chance at being ranked highly for the key word phrases you are targeting.

According to eMarketer, Mobile Internet users are expected to reach 134 million by 2013. Adding a mobile site to your marketing mix can put you in a prime position to capitalize on this rapidly growing pool of mobile Internet users.

Now is the perfect time to analyze your site, and consider the steps needed to make it more mobile-friendly. Keep in mind that not all websites need a completely separate mobile site to be mobile-friendly. There are steps that can be taken to modify the design and content of your existing site to make it more accessible to mobile Internet users.

If you’d like to learn more about how to make your site more mobile-friendly, contact Metro Studios to find out how to get started.

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Featured sites:

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Metro Studios Tackles a High-Profile Project

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Chad

Metro Studios was called upon for the third straight year to shoot a high-profile series of commercials created by Terry L. Butz Creative for the Badgerland Chevy Dealer group in Madison, Wisconsin. The star of this latest series of TV spots features University of Wisconsin Head Football Coach Brett Bielema.

With just four hours to shoot video and still photography with Coach Bielema, we were able to create three different set-ups. In one, he’ll be featured in a staged news conference, fielding questions from “the media” about Chevy products. In a second set, he will appear to be on the sidelines of a game, thanks to the chroma key technique. The third set, Coach Bielema will be standing by the latest Chevy models outside of Camp Randall Stadium.

The commercials will air throughout Wisconsin.

Terry L. Butz Creative, located in Waterloo, Iowa, created the commercials for this project, and utilized Metro Studios for the production. Terry L. Butz Creative is a full-service advertising agency specializing in campaigns for the automotive industry.

Metro Studios also shoots a series of seasonal commercials for the Wisconsin Buick GMC Dealer groups featuring University of Wisconsin Men’s and Women’s Head Basketball Coaches, Bo Ryan and Lisa Stone. These commercials typically run during the winter months.

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Featured sites:

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Celebrating 25 Years…

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Chad

We, at Metro Studios, celebrated our 25th Anniversary this summer. We’d like to say thank you to all of our clients along the way, and to the family of employees who helped build Metro Studios to what it is today!

Beginning as a video production company in 1985, Metro Studios has evolved to become one of the most awarded production entities in Iowa and offers one of the widest arrays of advertising and marketing services you’ll find anywhere. With services ranging from audio/video, to web services, design, photography, brand strategy and more, you’ll find our positioning statement, “One place, so many solutions…” defines exactly who we are!

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Voted “Best in the Corridor”

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Chad

Each year, the Corridor Business Journal scours the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor searching for the best of the best in a myriad of categories.

We are honored and proud to say, Corridor Business Journal readers chose Metro Studios as 2010’s “Best Video Production Company” in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor.

The locally owned weekly business journal will split the ever-popular “Best of the Corridor” section into two separate issues this year. The first issue comes out July 19th and the second one on July 26th. Metro Studios will be featured in the July 26th issue.

A special thank you to all of our clients. Without you, this award would not have been possible.

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Featured sites:

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