Create an App.

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CREATE AN APP

How to Create Your First iPhone Application

How do you know if your idea is a good one? The first step is to even care if your idea is solid; and the second step is to answer the question does it have at least one of the indicators of success?

Below is a list of items you’ll need (*starred items are required, the rest are nice-to-have’s):

■join the Apple iPhone Developer Program7 ($99) *

■get iPhone or iPod Touch *

■get an Intel-based Mac computer with Mac OS X 10.5.5,

■prepare a Non-Disclosure Agreement (here’s a sample8) *

■download and install the latest version of the iPhone SDK9 if you don’t already have it.

■a spiral bound notebook*

Action: Load up on your required supplies.

What skills do you bring to the table? Designing a successful iPhone application is a lot like starting a small business. You play the role of Researcher, Project Manager, Accountant, Information

Architect, Designer, Developer, Marketer and Advertiser – all rolled into one.

Remember what all good entrepreneurs know – it takes a team to make a product successful.

Skills Checklist

■Ability to Discern what works/doesn’t work in existing iPhone Apps

■Market research

■Outlining App Functionality (Sitemap Creation)

■Sketching

■GUI Design

■Programming (Objective C, Cocoa) (we assume here that we are creating a native application)

■App Promotion and Marketing

Action: Select skills that are a good fit for you to lead. For those roles where you cannot lead, hire professionals.

Learn from the good, bad and ugly in the App Store. Coming up with creative solutions in the app concept development and design starts with analyzing other (maybe similar) applications.

Action: Answer these questions:

■What problem does your app solve?

■What products have you seen that perform a similar task?

■How do successful apps present information to users?

■How can you build on what works and make it unique?

■What value does your app bring to your audience?

If you want to create an iPhone app, you need to understand the capabilities of the iPhone and its interface. Review the Apple Guidelines for UI design11 and list at least 5 features you’d like to

incorporate into your app.

Determine Who will use your app.

Talking with a developer sooner than later will help you scope out a project that is technically feasible and within your budget.

Making an Apple iPhone/iPod Touch app is not a venture that should be undertaken lightly. There are two significant investments that you must be willing to make:

Financial investment: you will need an Intel-based Mac computer with Mac OS X 10.5.5 Leopard for developing your app, as well as a couple of test devices (preferably both an iPhone and an iPod

Touch). Plus, you must be a registered member of the Apple iPhone Developer Program, which costs $99 for the basic edition.

Time investment: even the simplest iPhone app will take a considerable amount of time to develop. Yes, you could blow a simple app out your posterior in about two weeks’ time, but a true sales

contender could take a couple of months for development, testing, and distribution.

Granted, there are a couple of corners that you could cut for reducing development costs. You could harvest the extensive library of Apple sample apps for your code.Even after all of these cost-saving

efforts, however, you are still going to need an Intel-based Mac and a subscription to the Apple iPhone Developer Program ($99.00).

Search Engine Optimization

SEO
For many, search engines have come to be the primary source of finding information about both the online and offline world. Google alone claims a rate of one billion searches per day. Simply put, search engines are a part of our daily lives. As such, optimizing your website to reach Web searchers is now a vital part online success.

SEO is about removing barriers between the search engines and your content. To do this effectively you must concentrate primarily on your website’s accessibility and content while making an outright commitment to its long-term success. It involves a philosophical shift from the mindset of immediate gratification to a focus on long-term sustainability. You must demonstrate to the search engines that your site content is the most relevant and important to a searcher’s needs.

Accessibility: Well-Designed & Thoughtful
There is plenty that goes into the concept of accessibility when it comes to SEO. Great websites feature well-designed and thoughtful arrangements of page components for users while making those same components accessible to search engines. Websites with dated design methods and not employing even the most basic SEO techniques will be relegated to no man’s land — never to be found, much less appreciated by a casual surfer or active consumer.

As a Certified Internet Marketing Professional I can help you build a solid accessibility to your site.

Other options: http://geldesignsgroup.com/marketing.html

3 Important Trends

It’s time to turn our attention to another year. Another decade, actually, that will bring new challenges and new opportunities. Here are five important trends you can expect to see in 2011 and a few ideas to get you started on the right foot. Happy New Year.

 

Digital Couponing. One of the biggest stories of the year was Groupon turning down Google’s $6 billion buyout offer. Groupon is officially the Internet’s fastest growing company in history, but online couponing is not limited to Groupon; not in any sense. Local newspapers are in on the action and even very small websites are pairing up with local businesses to offer targeted coupons to their users. Get in.

To add a coupon or promo to your site, send us an email.

Of course, nobody wants to give away the store. The good news is that you don’t have to. While the current environment has trained consumers to expect a deal on almost anything, that “anything” is flexible. Think about coupons as an upsell more than a discount. Offer add-ins when spending thresholds are met, for example. Whatever your strategy, these coupons are here to stay for the foreseeable future and it’s important that your customers feel they are getting in on the deal.

Search Remains Universal. Of all the headline-grabbing material in 2010, search was not one of them. However, search is still a major factor of every online business. Take a look at any website, and you’ll find a search bar – even Facebook and Twitter have prominent search bars at the top of their pages. To add a search bar  to your site, send us an email.

Google still rules search but understand that search happens everywhere and for different reasons. That means optimizing for search on different formats and for different keywords, depending on the venue. A mobile search, for example, could lean toward location (the nearest coffee shop – for which you would optimize using location keywords and parameters) while a desktop search might be for product images. Social search will increase in relevancy for users, meaning that your social graph – your connections to consumers and other businesses, and the information you share and publish on these networks – will become a form of SEO in its own right. Stay relevant. To add a SEO to your site, send us an email.

Expanding Business Models. Finally, think beyond your current business offerings for 2011. The online business world is more competitive than ever. Very few businesses can thrive with the same model or the same product year after year – especially pure-play online businesses.

One of the great advantages of doing business on the Web is its speed and flexibility. As quickly as an idea arrives it can be placed and promoted on the Web. And just as quickly, websites can be shut down or sold. Ideally, you would like to open new opportunities related to your current business. Think value-added for your current customers. But don’t be afraid to develop something completely outside the box – that’s why microsites exist. We can help you finding affiliation opportunities. To add a microsite to your site, send us an email.

MORE »

NETWORK

COMMUNICATE  =
DISCUSS  + COLLABORATE  +  SHARE =
BETTER GOOGLE POSITION =
RESULTS

“Communicate and community have the same root, communicare, which means to share. . .We naturally gravitate towards media that enable us to communicate and form communities because that, in fact, makes us more human.”
Linda Harasim, Shaping Cyberspace Into Human Space.

DISCUSS – Use your mailing list, distribution group, and newsletter.
We recommend StreamSend is the most comprehensive and cost-effective permission based e-mail marketing suite available.

Is the one that I use, and you love it! Is probably the email that brought you here!

COLLABORATE- Use wikis and social bookmarks sites.
The essence of social bookmarking sites is this: individuals collaborate, over time, to determine tags (keywords) that best describe some Web-based content. like del.icio.us

SHARE - Use your blogs, KnowEm, PR 
Weblogs, or “blogs” for short, are a cross between a diary, a web site, and an online community. Blogs are usually quite informal, and they often reflect the humor and personality of their creator.

 

Email Campaigns: Five Things You Need to Know

Forrester Research reported that 154 million people in the United States,
approximately 67% of the online population, made online purchases
totaling $155.2 billion dollars in 2009, an 11% increase over 2008 sales.
More importantly, $917 billion in retail sales were influenced by online
marketing efforts last year. And the numbers are on the rise. Considering
that 98% of your website visitors leave your site without convertingii, and,
according to Forrester Research, 51-66% of your online customers
begins but doesn’t complete an online purchase, you can see how great
of an impact a behavioral retargeting email campaign can have on your
bottom line.

The idea isn’t new – web
advertisers have been using remarketing and retargeting campaigns for
years to ensure visitors receive appropriate ad content based on past search criteria.
Campaigns with relevant messaging based on subscribers’
interactions typically garner 30% higher conversion rates and prolong customers’ lifecycles, raise
subscriber value, and increase overall profitability.

As you develop your behavioral retargeting campaign strategy, here are
some things to keep in mind:
1. The campaigns don’t have to be complicated to work
2. It might take more than one reachback
3. Special discounts aren’t always necessary
4. Measure results beyond click-through rates
5. You already have all the data you need to get started

For more details on the five behavioral retargeting campaign strategy, contact us:
email us now!

www.SmartFurniture.com

GBB Green Business Bureau

 

How Going Green Saves Money

Does green business certification or going green equal expensive?
In fact, quite the opposite.

In this GBB report, discover how greening your business will help reduce costs and have a real environmental impact.

Join to get Green Certified

 Green Business: It’s All About the Money

As a citizen of the earth, you know that going green is good for the environment. But, as a business professional deciding whether to go green, you’re most likely asking yourself “what’s in it for me?”. The common misconception is that going green is expensive and its payback is vague and indefinable. So, why should you invest in something that has an intangible return, at best?

What if you knew that going green could give you a substantial, measurable payback? Would you make the investment then? The Green Business Bureau (GBB) helps businesses like yours realize the real financial benefits of applying sustainable practices to your every day business operations. In other words, we can show you the money you will save and the opprtunities for revenue growth that green businesses have. And, in green business, it’s ALL about the money!

When you join the GBB, you immediately realize a return on your investment with over $1,000 in new member benefits. As a GBB member, you can save up to 10 times your initial investment in going green by completing initiatives set forth in the our exclusive web-based certification engine. Our program is designed to make implementing sustainable business practices easy and actionable. Once you’ve obtained your certification with us, you have unlimited opportunities to market yourself as a green business, attracting new customers and growing by up to 1% a year. Learn more about the cost savings component of going green by downloading our white paper now!

10X Return on Your Investment

We have hundreds of initiatives – many that won’t cost you a dime – that result in real cost savings for your business. For instance:

• A $35 water filter can save you over $3,000 in bottled water
• Installing $150 in compact fluorescent light bulbs will result in an average annual savings of $2,500 over the same number of incandescent bulbs
• Recycling old cell phones and computers costs nothing, and your average return is $700

For an mid-sized office, these three minor changes to business practice will cost approximately $185, and result in a whopping $6,200 in savings – a 30X return on the initial green investment.

$1,000 in New Member Benefits

When you join the Green Business Bureau, your membership includes immediate benefits that give you an instant return on your investment:

• Free press release announcing your commitment to environmental sustainability – value $750-$1,000
• Membership in the Eco-Chamber, the leading green business advocacy and information organization – value $375
• Complimentary green directory listing – competitors charge $165 and up.
• Twitter blast to the Green Business Bureau’s 10,000 followers.
• Post to the Green Business Bureau’s more than 800 fans.

Membership in the Green Business Bureau begins paying you back for your commitment to green immediately. Join today!

1% Revenue Growth

Here’s what one member had to say about how green is helping him to grow his business:

“GBB has given us another tool and road map in our journey to becoming a leader in the transportation industry. We have received some tremendous support and attention from media, clients and vendors alike.  We have had to write ups in two major news outlets in the lower mainland.  Some customers in our marketplace decided to switch to eeko Couriers because of our environmental philosophy and strides to be green. Thank you for the support.
Mike Shektman
President, eeko Couriers

Green businesses are poised to take advantage of the ever-growing green consumer market – projected at $410 billion in 2010 and comprising 70% of the US population. As a member of the GBB, youll receive our membership seal to display in your storefront and on your website—so customers will know youve been certified by our nationally recognized program.

Don’t miss out on your opportunity to put a little more green in your own hands. Going green is all about the money! Learn more by downloading our white paper on green cost savings.

Search over 400 popular social networks and over 40 domain names to secure instantly your brand across the social web.

KnowEm was developed to assist everyone – from individuals to Fortune 500 companies – in discovering where their names, brands, or trademarked terms are available (or stolen) on Social Media networks. KnowEm will not only help you secure your name across the vast social media landscape, but we can also show you how to contact each site in order to have the name released and returned to you.

Click Here

Promotional Marketing

A little promotion can go a long way in your marketing efforts

 Putting a giveaway product such as pens, key chains, hats and thousands of other items with your company’s logo into the hands of your target market can be a powerful way to stay on their minds. A recent market research survey showed that while only half of the respondents could recall the name of an advertiser they had seen in a magazine advertisement, specially one time ad, more than three-fourths could remember an advertiser that had given them a promotional product in the last 12 months.  

When used effectively, promotional products can:

1. Keep your name in front of customers wherever they go.
2. Support your brand’s differentiating characteristics.
3. Expose your company to new audiences when people wear, use or display your products in public.

T-shirts, key chains, calendars and pens are tried-and-true promotional products: They’re inexpensive and everyone needs them. But be creative, either by choosing a distinctive product in a traditional category or seeking something unusual. Think of products that your clients use all the time.  

My advice for making the most of it:

• Determine a distribution method. You can distribute your products in several different ways-at a trade show, in your store(s) or office(s), through direct mail or at a private event, such as local affairs.
• Make your products and their distribution part of an integrated campaign that requires action on your customers’ part. For example, if you distribute at a trade show, send a coupon in the mail, which they can redeem for their gift.
• Think carefully about your logo and its placement. Sometimes a loud logo that blares your brand name is appropriate; for higher-end items, it’s often smart to choose a subtle, and thereby tactful, placement of your name. A loud logo can tank your investment by announcing, “I got this for free.”
• One way to keep your promotional products interesting and relevant is to keep up on consumer trends among your target demographic. But don’t enslave yourself to the latest fads; simple and proven products are usually a safer choice.

Why trash It When You Can Cash It?

How to turn your electronics into cash

If you’re like most Americans, you probably have a stockpile of old cell phones, laptops, or other electronics taking up valuable space in your home. It’s hard to know what to do with working gadgets you no longer need.

 A growing number of websites allow you to easily sell your old electronics for cash. They all work in the same basic way, although there are differences in details such as which products they buy, and,  how much they’re willing to shell out. I recommend Gaselle, Click Here

• Search for the product you want to unload.
• Answer a few simple questions about its overall condition and which additional accessories you have.
• Company will calculate an offer for you.
• If you decide to sell, you can print out a pre-paid shipping label. Some will send a box for you to ship in.