3 Olive Studios Marketing Blog

Why I love Google Chrome

Besides it being faster, there are a few other benefits of Google Chrome worth mentioning. Some of these are in other browsers as well but Chrome collects them all in one place.

1. Numerous “homepages”
When I open Google Chrome, My Google Reader, My Gmail, and My Twitter all open (Chrome>Preferences>Basic>Open the following Pages)

2. Favorite Icons
When I create a new tab, all of my most visited web pages pop up with visual icons of the website.

3. Shortcuts:
Command Y opens the history of all your searches
Command 1, Command 2 … brings you to tab 1, tab 2 … in your google chrome bar

4. View and Change Code:
For web designers and web developers: The Inspect Element feature allows you to view and change the code of any page (right click>inspect element). It is like the addon “firebug” but it is built into Chrome

5. Google Toolbar

The google toolbar is built in to the google chrome search bar.

For more benefits of Google Chrome, visit: http://mashable.com/2008/09/03/awesome-google-chrome/
Watch the highlights of google chrome on youtube

Do you want to make an object a specific size in illustrator?

Double click on the object in adobe illustrator and the control bar will pop up*. On the right hand side click on “Transform”. Type in the height and/or width. To make sure the object stays proportional highlight the link icon.

*If for some reason it doesn’t pop up, go to window>control

Chit chat through cyperspace: Communicate to your visitors through your website

Communicate through your website:

Show that you are trust-worthy by letting your customers contact you, listen to you, chat with you, or even see you through these tools of website communication. You do not have to implement all of these features but I would strongly recommend having at least a contact form, an email address, a phone number and physical address on your website.
1. Forms: contact forms, info request etc..
2. Opt-in for Newsletters
3. Tell-a-Friend option
4. Online Chat
5. Audio
6. Video
For more information on how to implement any of these features, please contact a member of our team at sales@3olivestudios.com

You linking to me? Check back-links to your website

Use the 2 free tools below to see who is linking to your website. It is as easy as typing in your URL. You can also use these tools to track who is linking to your competitors – if they link to them, maybe they would be interested in linking to you too.

http://www.opensiteexplorer.org/
http://www.linkdiagnosis.com/

Hot! Hot! Hot! Google Trends

Google Trends is one of Google’s many tools in its SEO/Internet Marketing toolbox that is worth knowing about and implementing. It lists the hot topics and searches that people are searching for in Google in real time. For example, right now some of the Hot Topics are:

The Earthquake in Chile
The Oscars
World Cup Hockey.

Some of the Hot Searches are:

Crystal Bowersox Performance
Cruise shit by wave
race to the top finalist

How can this help market my site?

You can check the hot topics and hot searches in Google Trends for topics that might pertain to your business or industry but you can also search your own phrases and see if the volume of traffic is increasing or decreasing over a period of time. Once you have the search volume information for certain topics, you can include an article, a blog post or any other web content on your site that is increasing in search volume (people looking for more info) and therefore you can become a valuable source of information (and move up in the google rankings) for that search phrase.

In addition to Google Trends, it pays to keep your eye on current TV, print and radio news. If a relevant piece of news is getting a lot of press it might be worth addressing it on your website or blog.

If you have any questions about Google Trends please contact us anytime
www.3olivestudios.com
info@3olivestudios.com

Writing ad copy that sells: (Don’t start with a headline like that)

Follow these 7 steps to write better ad copy that sells. Check out the example below for a real-life example:

1. Create a headline with a hook: You want something that makes your readers want to find out more about your product, service, article etc..
2. Use one testimonial under the headline: People want to hear that other people have used and enjoyed this product.
3. Write casually: address you visitors in a letter-style format
4. Present the problem: show industry percentages or any other data you have on why someone might benefit from your product or service
5. Solve the problem: Show how your product or service solves this problem.
6. Motivate with urgency: offering a time-sensitive special can get people moving, but so can the simple words “buy now”
7. Assure your buyers: Show them that they are receiving a great deal with your product or service

EXAMPLE:Game of Hide and Seek: Your website vs. Google’s Database. Use our SEO services to win your game of hide and seek

“We used 3 Olive Studios to build our website and to increase our visibility on google for our mentoring activity website located in Boston, Ma. Now when you type in “mentoring activity Boston” we are the first listing! We have people contacting us to mentor because of it.”

– Urban Improv Mentoring, www.uimentoring.org

Hi out there,
We are here to help you create an online web presence. Whatever stage you are in, designing your website, developing your website, or looking to optimize your website, we can offer you free tips on our blog or set up a free consultation to discuss your needs in detail.
So many websites are built without considering Search Engine Optimization (see bottom for full definition). And so many other websites are built solely thinking about SEO. In both cases, you lack the full package. At 3 Olive Studios, we not only consider the design and proper coding, but we look at the why behind everything. Most businesses come to us with the desire “to be first on Google”. But really what they want is more sales, sign-ups, or whatever it may be, because, they are findable on Google and other search engines. We carefully evaluate the “why” in every design and marketing decision we make to produce a comprehensive website that is aesthetically pleasing and fully optimized.
The Winter Special of 50% off ENDS on February 1st so contact us at sales@3olivestudios.com for your free consultation.

SEO: Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” or un-paid (”organic” or “algorithmic”) search results as opposed to search engine marketing (SEM) which deals with paid inclusion. (Wikipedia)

Use These Top Tips To Create Movie Websites

Design Movie Websites

The number one purpose of creating a website for a documentary film is for publicity. Unless the documentary was in Sundance, filmmakers mainly rely on themselves to market their film. A film without a website or without an aesthetically pleasing website design falls behind in generating the online buzz necessary for marketing the film.

If you don’t feel like reading any further than some must-haves for your documentary website are: a logo with the title name, a Trailer, easy access to screenings or showtimes, bios, visually pleasing photos, and an overall aesthetically pleasing design. Click here for an example of a documentary film website.

Some tips to keep in mind:
1. Logo: The logo of the documentary website should be the title of the film. If you create a symbol or icon to represent the name of the film, you need to include the full title as well. Visitors should leave the site with the title of the movie engrained in their memory
2. Domain name: Some big production companies host all of their films on one main site. Personally, I think that each film should have it’s own individual website with the title of the film as the domain name (if possible). This once again reinforces the film’s title and helps visitors remember its’ name.
3. Design: A movie is a visual experience. The website design should be eye-catching and intriguing. You should leave the website visitors wanting more. You do not need to tell the whole story with your photos… Just hint at what they will see in the film. If you have high-quality photos to work with than including a photo as a background image can be highly effective. If your photos are not of professional quality than create an abstraction of the photos.
4. Trailer: If possible you want the trailer to be embedded in your site and you do not want it to open in a separate window. In a lot of cases you want some sort of border around your trailer so it does not look like it is just floating in the middle of your site (this goes for photos too). I personally prefer to start the trailer myself but some people have it playing as you get to the trailer page.
5. Social Media: Include a link to your film’s Twitter profile or facebook page if you have one. If you do not have one, it is worth taking the time to create and maintain one. However, the key word here is maintain.
6. Blog: Including a blog on your documentary website is a great way to give your visitor’s a way to comment on the film and share their thoughts. As an added bonus it helps with your search engine optimization, meaning that your website will be easier to find on search engines such as Google.

On a budget?

Here are a couple of tips to keep the cost lower:

1. Use a Wordpress blog. You can use one of the pre-selected wordpress themes or you can hire a web designer to create one for you. If you want your own domain name (i.e. www.yourdomain.com) you will need to pay for web hosting. One plus with wordpress, as with other Content Management Systems, is that you can edit the content yourself. CMS’s can be pricier to create but may be worth it if you plan to update your site frequently.
2. Put your trailer on you tube and include a link on your site to the trailer. It shouldn’t cost too much more to embed the trailer on your website but depending on your hosting capabilities it could make your site run more slowly.

For more information, contact info@3olivestudios.com or visit www.3olivestudios.com

For other tips on movie websites visit: More tips

Choosing Colors For Your Website: What different colors suggest to people

Personally, if I go to a website that is designed badly or is overtaken by a pattern or bright color, I will immediately ‘x’ out of it and move on to a different site (unless we were hired to redesign the website, of course).

Below is a list of the connotations that people make with different colors on the web:

Blue implies honesty, calming, and loyalty. Blue is one of the most popular choices. Complementary colors to use with blue: orange, yellow.

Red suggests passion, energy, and excitment. While this can be good for some sites, such as a salsa dancing club, it can be overwhelming and somewhat jarring for the majority of sites. Definitely stay away from it if you are a financial company.

Green suggests growth and nature. Complementary colors to use with green: magenta, purple.

Brown conveys genuineness, but also sadness. It could work on a website for a divorce lawyer or accident lawyer.

Orange conveys happiness, creativity, and playfulness.  Complementary colors to use with orange: blue, turquoise. Think kid’s websites: elementary school, or children’s museum.

Gray has a corporate and practical appeal. Works well with almost all colors. Perfect for more traditional and formal companies. Financial firms, law firms.

Black suggests authority, power, and elegance. If you have a lot of content to read on your website, I would stay away from a black backdrop because it is tiring on your web visitor’s eyes.

White stands for purity, peace and youth. It is neutral and clean.

If your website has a background image or a pattern make sure it does not overpower the content on the site. Same goes for color choice. A free excellent resource to create and compare color schemes is: http://kuler.adobe.com/

How To: Create a Multi-page PDF

How to export a multi-page document into a PDF :

To create a multi-page PDF, go to:
1. Acrobat Reader>File>Create PDF>Merge Files into a single PDF
2. “Add Files”- Choose the files you would like to merge into one PDF (in the order you would like them to appear)
3. Click “Combine Files” in the lower right-hand corner
4. And you have your multi-page PDF

A Need for Speed: Automate your moves in Photoshop… A dorky title, I realize

So busy you need an assistant? Think of Photoshop actions as your very own assistant. Photoshop actions allows you to record a sequence of commands (such as image resizing, hue alteration, filter application etc…) that you can save and access later on. No more repetitive tasks!

1. In Photoshop go to windows>actions. This will bring up the actions palette.

2. In the drop down menu of the actions palette (the little down arrow in the upper right-hand corner), select “new action”.

3. Name the action and assign a function key (for example,name: resize; function key: f1). Assigning a function key will allow the action or actions to occur everytime you press that key.

4. Press record

5.Everything you do after you press record will be part of this action until you press stop. So, for example, if you want to resize photos to 100×100, then (with a photo open in photoshop) press record, go to object>image resize>100×100>ok> and then PRESS STOP. If you assigned the function key ‘f1′ to this action, then every time you have a document open in photoshop and you press f1, the action will apply and it will resize the image to 100×100.