General

Many businesses and people think that once their website is redesigned, that is it. Just redesign the site and sit and wait for all of the [insert goal of web site here: traffic, leads, subscriptions, etc.] to come pouring in. Despite the utopian thoughts, this is unfortunately not the case.

Your web site can be compared to a car – a common comparison when it comes to internet marketing. You can purchase a brand new car and 3,000 miles later, you need to get an oil change. About 20,000 miles later, you need to change your wiper blades and fuel filter, and 40,000 miles later you need to change your tires (note: these are estimated timeframes and I am not a mechanic . Point being: even a brand new car needs up keeping.

The same goes for a website. You might have just launched your new site with a fantastic, cutting-edge design in the best CMS with all the latest interactivity, but the biggest mistake you can make is to just sit back and watch the analytics. Continuous updates help to not only maintain it, but also make it perform better, be more recognizable to search engines, and keep users intrigued. This is no easy task, but it’s worth it. At PlattForm, our SEO teams look into our websites everyday – to figure out the proactive steps via the analysis of traffic and see what changes we can make that have an impact. Testing different elements of a site is not just “cool to do” anymore – it’s a necessity if you want to make substantial gains.

Testing is a perfect way to establish performance metrics for your website. From testing different photography and imagery to testing the content or fields of a contact form, constant testing of individual elements will allow you to pinpoint specific areas that affect traffic and conversions. At PlattForm, multiple teams within our Interactive marketing department test different aspects of many websites across the company. We then utilize our findings company-wide to establish best practices for all teams. This is why most of the sites we re-launch have higher conversion rates than their previous versions. But it doesn’t stop there. After the new site is launched, we continue to test and tweak different elements to keep that conversion rate creeping up and to the right.

Think about your conversion rate for a minute. Let’s say you are getting 10,000 visits per month and your conversion rate is at 3%. You are getting roughly 300 leads per month. Now, if you are able to raise your conversion rate by only .2%, you get 20 more leads per month (20 leads per month times 12 months = 240 extra leads!). Could you use 240 extra leads per year? Think about .5% or even 1% increases…

Continuous improvements based on test results need to be completed on an ongoing basis, and it’s becoming a huge part of web design and development. Many companies are capable of producing a great design – not many companies are good at building on that design to make it increase [insert goal of web site here: traffic, leads, subscriptions, links, etc.].

Behold the future. And it is good.

Fire up your smart phone (Droid, Blackberry, HTC or even your fancy shmancy new iPhone 4G) and keep reading.
 
You’ve heard of 1-800 numbers, Purls, Texting, and even the most ancient form of response – the reply slip in the #9 envelope. Introduce, the Quick Response code, aka QR code.

If you were at the Career College Association’s Annual Convention this year, you might have noticed that there was a funny block of black and white squares (similar to a bar code) on the registration form for the guitar giveaway at the PlattForm booth. If you happened to scan that with your smartphone, and applicable app, you would have been taken to a mobile-ready mini site that had several links to PlattForm related topics. Such as the “We’re not Gonna Take It” video, PlattForm’s main website, and several other informational pages. That block of squares is what is known as a QR Code.
 
Quick Response (QR) code is a 2D glyph that serves as, well, basically think of it as a paper based hyperlink. These customizable glyphs were developed by in Japan by Denso Wave in 1994. They are widespread in Asia, becoming mainstream in Europe, and are just starting to emerge in the United States. The QR code reader currently has to be downloaded as a third party application, but are starting to be included as standard issue on modern smart phones.
 
To use a QR code, simply take a picture of said code with your super cool smart phone, and you get magically whisked away, or in technical terms, redirected to a website using your phone’s browser. What’s even cooler, is that these codes can be scanned from computer monitors so you can transfer information directly to your cell phone.
 
QR technology provides cell phone users the ability to scan paper-based content using the cell phone’s camera to decode information, on a magazine, business card, gift card, coupon, or dah-dah-dah, DIRECT MAIL PIECE. Once the QR code has been scanned and decoded, the user has access via their cell phone to the information or destinations programmed into the block.
 
What can you do with a QR code?
Consumers are finding codes in magazine ads, maps, food packaging, posters, leaflets, business cards, emails, websites, billboards, on the sides of buses, and more. With these vehicles in mind, the current technology could be used in the following manner:

Encode a 2 page document
Enable an easy connection by a mobile device to a website. You could also encode a map with directions for company visitors
Link to a video
Track print-based media effectiveness – track by concept, list, creative, etc.
If you can put it on a website, you can direct them to it through scanning the code

PROS
· 70% of cell phones have cameras
· 2D reader software available for easy (and usually FREE) download
· You don’t have to type in a URL to navigate to a website
· Codes are cheap to create
· Fast way to provide complex information to mobile users
 
CONS
· Not widely used in the USA yet
· Probability of short term user confusion as 2D codes are known by many names
· Most cell phones in the US do not come with 2D reader software installed
· QR codes can not be edited, they must be replaced
· The more information you store in a code, the harder it is to decode.
 
So, get ready for the future. The most effective way to determine how QR codes can work for you – test them. Need some help? We’d be glad to fire up the Delorean and come visit.

Nope, I’ll guarantee you we’ve collectively lost our ever-lovin’ minds. That translates in to chaotic fun and unrelenting frivolity almost on a daily basis.

On Tuesday, we had a meeting of upper management. It happens four times a year. There are about 75 of us who help chart the direction of the agency. We all get together for a “what-the-hell-is-your-team-doing-that-we-should-be-aware-of-and-gosh-have-you-lost-weight-you-look-good” mind meld.

After 30 minutes of pleasantries and agenda items, we were informed that we were going to be broken up into groups of five … for a “team-building exercise”. In most companies, this announcement is followed by an eye-rolling, groan-inducing wave of insubordinate dissention. At PlattForm, the last time we had team-building, there was ice cream involved – so how bad can it be? Although – come to think of it – two recent group activities have involved trips to the emergency room … less I digress.

This time around we had a good ol’ fashioned scavenger hunt. You know, where players have to scramble to find an arbitrary list of miscellaneous items in an allotted amount of time. Our team was determined to win no matter what the cost or what laws we’d have to break.

While I’m familiar with the premise, I’ve never been on a scavenger hunt before. This one seemed even more ridiculous and more random than usual. My team went for the big ticket items. Get a picture taken holding a snake. Get an authentic recipe from an Italian restaurant. Bring back the mayor. (Believe me, he wasn’t happy about it.)
And the list went on and on.

Picture of a mullet. Concert poster. Bird feather. Origami swan. A lock of hair from a stranger’s head. Photo of a family with four or more kids.

I found myself walking up to complete strangers like a crazy person and asking for things. Most obliged and didn’t ask questions. Obviously they had been on scavenger hunts before. In the end, we ended up winning by THREE points over our nearest competitor. It was our gas receipt for $.50 that helped propel us to victory.

If your company hasn’t had fun lately … I’d strongly suggest a scavenger hunt. PlattForm’s motto? “That which does not kill us — only makes us win more gift cards!”

Think back to the first day of school, possibly where you didn’t know anyone, and you sit there staring at the wall, your hands, the desk or anything else to avoid eye contact. One would think this wouldn’t ever happen again once school is completely over but that is not the case.

As most new kids in class, you feel this anxiety of starting your first day in a new environment and ask yourself: “Was this the best decision?” “Will I get along with everyone?” “Why does it feel like I’m starting over again?” The anxiety just keeps building and building.

Lucky for me, I knew the moment I sat down on my first day with Jan that this was the place for me. I came from the event marketing world and had background in Higher Education, so it just makes sense professionally to combine my experiences into one. That is why I am excited to be at PlattForm!

How can I describe this place? Typical ad agency? Kind of, but not really. We dress more casual than most businesses, which means jeans are allowed every day of the week! On our breaks we can enjoy a game of ping pong, playing video games on the Wii, and even relax in the yoga room. We have random eating competitions between departments, video messages about fun events, and occasionally costume contests. PF is so much more than a ‘typical’ ad agency!

Everyone is on the same side, willing to put forth that extra 150% and strive to meet the needs of our clients. Not to mention, I was welcomed into the company with open arms and everyone is willing to takes steps to ensure my success.

A main goal within the company is to dive right in, get involved and progress quickly. Goals are posted all over the company, which is very motivating and inspiring. I have goals in my life but keep them to myself until they are achieved and then create new ones. Now, I have weekly, monthly, and annual: team, department, company, internal client and external client goals. It is definitely a shift from the average, “Set three goals and we will review them sometime” business style. It is actually refreshing to have a breakdown of these goals to really achieve.

Goal: writing a Blog. Mission accomplished!

Wow, over 2 months ago I started at PlattForm! Achieved a few goals, and with all the experiences I have gained I feel like I have worked here for years, but in a good way!

KC Magazine Honors Tracy Kreikemeier with selection to 50 Most Influential Women List

This March, our favorite Cornhusker fan finally gets her due. KCB Magazine announced its fourth annual list of the 50 Most Influential Women in Kansas City and it includes our CMO, Tracy Kreikemeier.

The publication’s selections were taken from nominations made by local business executives and ultimately decided by ranking the candidates according to the following criteria: business acumen, career advancement and/or entrepreneurial spirit; board affiliation; community involvement; and awards and recognition.

“It’s an honor … and it’s exciting, but it would have never happened without the support of so many other people who believed in me and who helped point me in the right direction when I needed it,” Kreikemeier said.

KCB Magazine, published by Anthem Publishing, Inc., is a monthly business lifestyle magazine available at bookstores and newsstands in greater Kansas City, and via subscription.

Tracy’s work ethic and sincerity in relating to her friends and coworkers here have already taken her to the top of the PlattForm organization and increased her profile within the career education sector. But outside our company’s walls, Tracy has been a quietly kept secret of corporate achievement in the local business community.

As CMO, Kreikemeier oversees the Client Services, PR & Marketing divisions of PlattForm. She is deeply involved in forming marketing strategies for PlattForm clients, and everyone knows she logs thousands of flying miles every month for client visits. But she is also responsible for guaranteeing consistent sales and marketing materials.

She said her favorite aspect of her job is people, both her PlattForm coworkers and the company’s clients.
While she’s not one to attract attention to herself (we had to convince her to go through with this article), the corporate world has taken notice anyway. Congratulations, Tracy!