Of all things, a local daily newspaper report was the initial source of information for me about this interesting start-up in my hometown. In fact, so far it seems that the local daily newspaper, according to my Google news search, is the first and only one to report on this new company.

But I have a feeling you may be hearing more about it. FLIMP stands for Flash Interactive Media Platform. It is a new offering from a company called Flimp Media, Inc. Here, from their web site, is what they say about their technology:

Flimp Media Inc. (FMI) develops next generation hosted and installed software platforms for rich media direct marketing, sales and communications. The integration of rich media (flash), web video and automated analytics is the foundation of the FLIMP microsite marketing platform. Using the FLIMP platform, users can quickly and easily manage digital assets, and create, distribute and track rich media marketing campaigns deployed through email marketing, search marketing, weblinks, websites and advertising. FLIMP microsites combine an interactive audiovisual experience with targeted distribution, viral messaging and comprehensive viewer tracking.

Check it out. I particularly liked the FLIMP video campaign examples they offer on their site.

Share This

I would have predicted that investor relations would be the last thing brought in to the sphere of social media. But as you can see by this news item, courtesy of IR Magazine, Dell has made the leap and the new site is growing in popularity. It is apparently an industry-first.

What I like best about this story is how it portrays Dell's seemingly easy transition to an IR blog. In answer to all the usual questions insiders and outsiders submit whenever the notion of an open corporate comunity comes up, Dell has a reasonable, logical answer. No, we don't post everything. Yes, people must be respectful. No, it isn't just for Wall Street types.

All too often in my experience, the early stages of blog development discussions in a corporate setting stall when doomsday scenario questions inevitably arise. "What if someone leaves a really foul comment?" The right answer: We moderate it. The wrong answer: We better not do this blog thing.

It all reminds me in a way of the fairy tale involving, as I vaguely remember it, the lovely daughter living in a home where there is an axe lodged in the parlor ceiling. For years the family worries that the daughter will never be married because no suitor can come in to the house for fear the axe may fall on his head. Eventually some normal person comes along and takes the axe out of the ceiling. Problem solved.

Anyway, congratulations to Dell for putting a little Inspirational Reasonableness into Investor Relations.

Share This

When a prospect comes to your website and scans your landing page, they decide in just a few seconds whether to bail or stick around. When making this decision, they consider two things:

• Does this page look hard or complicated?
• Is this page relevant to my search query?

Design, copy, font size, and form length all influence the former. To influence the latter, make sure your page (especially the headline) directly connects to the search term. Also, keep in mind that this isn’t your home page, so remove your main navigation. Simpler pages almost always work better for lead generation. The navigation draws attention away from your offer and conversion action. Worse, each link is an invitation for the visitor (which you paid for) to click away instead of converting.

Lastly, don’t try and collect too much information at once. If you met someone interesting at a bar, you wouldn’t ask for a ton of information like their annual income – you’d simply get his or her contact information so you could build the relationship over time. The same is true for landing pages. Every field you ask reduces your conversion rate, so collect as little information as you really need to route the lead and stay in touch. You can always collect more during your nurturing process.

I will be the first to admit that if I am directed to a site that does not immediately impress me I won’t even give it a second chance. Most visitors react this way, which should provide everyone with the motivation to create a good landing page, or else what is the point of pay-per-click advertising if your landing page ends up driving potential clients away!

Share This