ImageWorks Studio Marketing & Branding Blog - Marketing by Design -Web Advertising Blog

Upcoming Webinar: Building and Promoting your Small Business Brand

2008-07-09T14:57:00.004-04:00

ImageWorks' Michael Delpierre will lead the team into a interactive Webinar which will address marketing and branding for small and medium businesses.

With the economy slowing down it is essential to "out-market" your competition and make the customer's choice of vendors an easy one. With a focus on increased revenue through proven marketing strategies and brand elements, this series promised to be insightful and will give you expert advice for promoting your business via online and offline strategies.

Sign up is FREE, but the information is invaluable.

Sign up now, don't miss it!

WARNING: This information could dramatically increase your sales!

Title:

Building and Promoting your Small Business Brand.
Date:
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Time:
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT
System Requirements PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.3.9 (Panther®) or newer

Space is limited.Reserve your Webinar seat now at:https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/742058323

Professional Web Design & Marketing Company Branding Agency

Marketing Innovators Partner to Maximize Analytics

2008-07-01T14:11:00.000-04:00

Washington, DC - July 1, 2008 – A recent partnership between ImageWorks Studio and one of the industry’s leading Google consultants promises big benefits for clients.

Lunametrics, a recognized Google Analytics Consulting Firm, has partnered with ImageWorks Studio in order to provide clients with a turn-key solution for utilizing this innovative new program. This collaboration allows ImageWorks to manage clients’ Google Analytics systems by maximizing customer-centric activity, as well as through the implementation of user defined variables, conversions goals, and marketing integration. Through Lunametrics, ImageWorks can now help customers optimize the Analytics they may already be using.

ImageWorks Studio is an award winning marketing firm specializing in building powerful brand images and reinforcing these images with ongoing marketing and promotional techniques.
Lunametrics helps companies fully utilize their web analytics to increase conversion rates and, essentially, to more effectively market online.

For more information on ImageWorks Studio, visit www.imageworksstudio.com.

For more information about Lunametrics, visit www.lunametrics.com.

Food Cost Solutions Partner Gains Major Marketing Edge

2008-06-23T13:03:00.001-04:00

Washington, DC – June 23, 2008 – ImageWorks Studio has announced a strategic partnership with Food Buyers Network, and plans to offer innovative marketing solutions to independent restaurants and regional chains.

ImageWorks Studio, a marketing and branding firm, announced today its partnership with Food Buyers Network, which will compliment the consultative- and membership-based services offered through the food cost solutions partner.

Food Buyers Network has also recently partnered with FohBoh, the largest social network for the restaurant industry. By adding ImageWorks Studio to their alliance partners, Food Buyers Network now offers cutting-edge marketing solutions, web site design, e-commerce and brand overhauls to its suite of services.

ImageWorks is a leading and award- winning marketing firm specializing in building powerful brand images, and reinforcing these images with ongoing marketing and promotional techniques.

To learn more about ImageWorks Studio, visit http://www.imageworksstudio.com/ .
To learn more about Food Buyers Network, visit http://www.foodbuyersnetwork.com/ .

Why Your Business Needs a Blog!

2008-03-20T16:39:00.003-04:00

Every business, regardless of its size, needs a blog. I know what you're thinking: But I have a professional image to uphold. How can a blog possibly attract new customers and how can it provide them with the information they need? The answer is simple: A blog can be one of the most decisive public relations tools in your marketing tool kit. Read on and Ill educate you on the basics of blogs.

What is a blog?

The term blog is slang for web log. Wikipedia defines a blog as a website where entries are written in chronological order and are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. The word can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. To get a feel for the wide use of blogs, consider the following: In September 2007, log search engine Technorati tracked more than 106 million blogs. Some notable corporations that use blogs are HP, Google, Microsoft and ImageWorks Studio.

Myths and Facts

No doubt the last thing you need is a lecture on the latest Web 2.0 strategies. However, I should correct a few common misconceptions about blogs, as well as why companies use them as an effective method for reaching out to their audience.

Myths

Blogs are used only by teenagers.

You need to spend many hours every day to maintain a blog.

You need to know HTML and have other coding skills to blog.

Facts

Blogs allow a company to control the editorial content of the website while restricting/blocking users comments.

Blogs can be updated as often as you wish. But to make them more effective and valuable to your audience, update them often.

Blogs require no knowledge of HTML or special coding. There are numerous blogging software packages on the market that are free.

Blogs allow companies to quickly get information out to customers, unlike traditional communication methods.

Blogs are an inexpensive way to effectively communicate and share information with your audience.

Blogs comprise text and external links, making them search engine-friendly.

Benefits of Corporate Blogging

In January 2007, Forrester released a research study centered on The ROI of Blogging The Why and How Of External Blogging Accountability by Charlene Li and Chloe Stromberg.

According to the study, some of the benefits of corporate blogging are:

Greater brand visibility in mainstream media on the Web

Word-of-mouth advertising

Improved brand perception

Instantaneous consumer feedback

Increased sales efficiency

Fewer customer service-driven PR blowups

The Outcome

Consumers are better educated today because of the vast amounts of information available on the Internet. Not only will a blog convey information to your target demographic faster and cheaper than traditional means, but when coupled with search engine benefits, brand visibility, and a value-based proposition, a blog should be an essential part of your marketing platform.

For more information, please contact sales@imageworksstudio.com.

Michael Delpierre is the managing partner for ImageWorks Studio, a leading marketing and branding agency. He specializes in branding and marketing strategies, copy optimization and generating revenue for his clients. To learn more about ImageWorks Studio and what they can do for you, visit http://www.brandsthatsell.com/.

ImageWorks achieves an internet traffic ranking in the top 2.21% of all web sites worldwide.

2008-03-04T16:15:00.004-05:00

Alexa Internet, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, recently ranked ImageWorks Studio with an internet traffic ranking of 2.21% of all the websites. Alexa ranks web sites based on visits from users of its popular Alexa Toolbar for Internet Explorer and from integrated sidebars in Mozilla and Netscape. Furthermore, ImageWorks Blog, http://imageworksstudio.blogspot.com, was ranked in the top 4.6% of Blogs worldwide.

What this means to you!

With ImageWorks being in the top 2% of all websites, we know how to build compelling brands that generate traffic which, in turn, generate revenue for you. Are you achieving your marketing or branding goals? Are your revenues and customer base growing at electrifying rates? If not visit us at http://www.brandsthatsell.com/

See how ImageWorks can maximize your brand’s full potential.

ImageWorks Studio announces their new "Small Biz Branding Pack" to help start ups and qualifying small businesses with brand develpoment

2008-03-02T09:42:00.002-05:00

Includes:

• 10 page or less custom designed web site
• discovery meeting
• branding blueprint
• web home messaging, calls to action & 2 additional pages of copywriting
• e-mail template design
• text logo and business stationery (add $1,900 for illustrated logo)
• oversized tri fold brochure or sales kit with insert

ImageWorks intends to roll the program out this month. The package will be around $15,000 and 0% financing and payment plans will be available to qualified businesses.

"We feel small businesses need to create a professional image and a user ‘experience’ that caters to their customers’ buying habits. Our new Small Biz Branding Pack is a perfect vessel for businesses to affodably start achieving this goal,” says Scott C. Margenau, Partner at ImageWorks.

To learn more call ImageWorks at 800 308-8573 or visit www.brandsthatsell.com

Website and Graphic Design Marketing Company

Budgets Being Shifted to Search Marketing

2008-02-13T15:48:00.007-05:00

Source: Advertising Age Fact Pack 2007. IntelliSurvey and Radar Research, Dec. 2006.

The biggest share of budgets for search engine marketing programs are shifted from offline marketing strategies (i.e. print, direct mail, TV, etc.) to search engine marketing. Below is the percentage of respondents who have shifted their budgets to search engine marketing.

Medium	% Responding
Print Magazine Advertising	20%
Direct mail	16%
Web site development	15%
Print Newspaper Advertising	13%
TV advertising	13%
Affiliate marketing	10%
E-mail marketing	8%
Conferences and exhibitions	8%
Print yellow pages advertising	8%
Web graphical display advertising	8%
Online yellow pages advertising	3%
Point-of-sale promotions	3%
Coupons	2%
Other	23%

Best Marketing ROI Strategies

2007-11-26T15:14:00.000-05:00

MarketingSherpa has just released a new marketing survey, published in their Search Marketing Benchmark Guide 2008, which indicated the top marketing strategies with the best return on investment (ROI).

Email marketing is considered the best ROI, with Search Engine Optimization and Paid Search Marketing (PPC) following right behind.

How Search ROI Stacks up against the others:

Marketing Tactic	Low Value Tactic	Strongest Tactic	Good ROI	Hard To Gauge
House Email Marketing	8%	25%	39%	8%
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)	6%	18%	36%	21%
Paid Search Marketing (PPC)	13%	16%	35%	9%
Public Relations	11%	12%	28%	30%
Direct Mail	27%	12%	27%	11%
Online Banners, etc.	43%	3%	16%	13%
Print Advertising	35%	4%	13%	29%

Source: MarketingSherpa, Inc. Search Marketing Benchmark Guide 2008. http://www.marketingsherpa.com/exs/Search08Excerpt.pdf

“Just Google It”

2007-11-21T10:29:00.000-05:00

A new lesson in classical marketing

By Scott C. Margenau

I caught myself using this seemingly overworked phrase…again…in the midst of a sales presentation: “Just google it.” I have heard this phrase on TV, radio and in conversations with friends…it's everywhere! In fact, Webster’s recently added the new verb ”google” to their dictionary!

Why is Google the first name that comes to mind when we think of looking for something?
Classical marketing laws would tell us it’s the “first in market…first in mind” rule. That rule points us to such brands as Coke, Xerox, Band Aid, Kleenex, Miller Lite), etc.

But we “FedEx” a package now—right? Many other shipping companies were in the market long before FedEx. We “google it,” not “Yahoo it”…or “MSN it”…or “Lycos it,” etc. So the first-in-market rule doesn’t seem to hold water in today’s fast-paced, high-tech marketplace.

Consider this modification to the rule:

“The first to make the biggest brand impact and reinforce its image with a great product or service will eventually become first in mind and in market…sometimes.”

OK, that’s better…and note that I left some wiggle room.

How do you keep that initial brand momentum in place?
After being marketed for decades, “Coke” is still used as a generic term. If you ask for a “Lite” and you get a Bud Light, you give the bartender the evil eye. And when we want to look something up…we “google it.” Why do some brand impressions last while others fade?
That’s because some companies continue to reinforce their “brand language” with smart marketing and advertising. And it’s because these companies produce very good products that are constantly improved and expanded upon.

For businesses of all sizes, here is a list of media we find highly effective:

· Web Site Overhauls—Make your site more compelling and maximize it for strong conversions, by helping customers find what they want, piquing their interest and having calls to action that match their buying habits. Internal and external research has shown that a very high percentage of web sites in numerous industries fail to achieve core objectives.*

· E-mail Campaigns—With a 56/1 ROI, they are the best way to keep in front of prospects as they go through a normal sales cycle.

· Online Advertising and Promotion—PPC, organic SEO, ads, social and viral campaigns…all work extremely well for most products and services.

· Impactful Print and Electronic Media—Echo your brand language and intrigue your prospect base from all marketing challenges.

· Blogs and Online PR—[LV1] Effectively use blogs and press releases to enhance your “online value” relevant to your industry (which Google loves).

· Trade Show Marketing—This differs from industry to industry, but these shows are a great way to get in front of a large percentage of your target market in a short time frame. Today’s shows are much more interactive and informative than those in the past.

What can businesses of all sizes learn from this?
Create great products or services, and make sure your marketplace is aware of and impressed by your brand. All companies need to continue to effectively promote their brands and their key advantages to their target customers and prospect base. This should be done by a reputable firm or agency through the use of innovative and compelling media and strategies.

For more marketing information and tips, visit http://www.brandsthatsell.com/.

*See studies from Forrester at http://www.forrester.com/. (Numerous studies concern Web site research.)

* “Since 1999, Forrester has evaluated the experience of more than 1,000 Web sites. During that period, only 3% of the sites received passing scores on our Web Site Review methodology.”—Bruce D. Temkin (Forrester)

Scott C. Margenau is CEO of ImageWorks Studio http://www.imageworksstudio.com/

Branding Explained

2007-10-26T12:08:00.000-04:00

Simply put, your “brand” or corporate image is the impression formed at every point of contact with your prospects and clients.

The dictionary definition of “branding” usually refers to the name and image of a product or service. However, in the business world we take it a few steps further. BNET defines branding as:
a means of distinguishing one firm's products or services from another's and of creating and maintaining an image that encourages confidence in the quality and performance of that firm's products or services.

We like this definition much better! It accurately describes the overall effect, goals and purpose of branding.

So how does branding affect marketing?
Ah, the great marketing/branding debate. We at ImageWorks Studio have long argued that marketing and branding are very similar and are, in fact, dependent on one another. We prefer the term “Brarketing,” a successful fusion of branding and marketing to promote and create value in a company’s products and services. Branding has slowly moved away from packaging and naming, into the realm of marketing. After all, to successfully brand a product or service, you have to market it well, and vice versa. Hence “Brarketing.”

The American Marketing Association’s new definition of marketing is as follows. (Notice that it sounds a LOT like branding.)
Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.

So think of branding as the creation/re-creation of tools and media used for marketing purposes and marketing as the planned execution of those tools and media.

Corporate Identity and the Importance of Branding
Perception is everything in the business world. Advertising professionals call it “outside perception” when it’s in the eyes of the customer. Everything that comes in contact with customers — brochures, direct mail, Web sites, advertisements, presentations, e-mails, signs, exhibits, salespeople, etc. — helps them form an opinion, good or bad, of your company.

Your brand begins with your logo, also known as your “mark.”

“Your logo is often where a prospect’s first impression of your business starts, and sadly, in many cases, ends.” -- Scott Margenau, President of ImageWorks Studio

A prospect should be impressed by your logo and be able to easily figure out what your company does. Your tag line should further define your market niche and stimulate the prospect’s curiosity.

A successful branding program is multidimensional, emphasizing the total customer experience. Companies often focus on a specific marketing project and forget the total package. Your brand must convince your prospects that you are the clear-cut choice to fulfill their expectations. This leads to credibility and anticipation, which will give you a huge advantage when it comes to converting sales.

ImageWorks can help you build a brand from the ground up or to rebrand a “tired” or outdated corporate image. Follow the links below to get started.

Website and Graphic Design Marketing Company Northern Virginia

703 378-0000

2007-07-19T16:48:00.001-04:00

Setting an effective marketing budget

One of the most important decisions that a small to medium-sized business has to make is how much money to spend on a marketing budget. Prospects often ask, “How much should I spend on marketing?” The answer is, “It varies by industry and business size.”

It is also based on how much you want to grow, and how fast.

Both SCORE and USSBA define the variable for a proper marketing budget to be between 2% and 10% of sales, noting that for B2C, retail and pharmaceuticals can exceed 20% during peak brand-building years.

Most companies underspend on their budgets, thinking that not to spend is to save. This, quite simply, isn’t true. You’ve heard it before, and it bears repeating – you have to spend money to make money. The trick is to spend your money wisely on a tailored marketing plan aimed at fulfilling your company’s goals. Keep in mind that your marketing efforts are directly correlated with your revenue, so now is not the time to be penny foolish.

Budget-Setting Guidelines

There are two main things to consider when setting a marketing budget:

The development or refinement of the brand and channels used to promote the brand. These include logos, Web sites, blogs, email campaigns, sales presentations, brochures, ads, etc.

The ongoing expense of promoting and advertising your brand to your customer base.

For most small to medium-sized businesses, the percentage of revenue dedicated to a marketing budget is determined by industry and size. Below is a chart showing what we have put together based on several creditable sources.

Revenue	Marketing Budget
Under $5 million	7–8%
$5–10 million	6–7%
$10–50 million	5–6%
$50–100 million	4–5%
Over $100 million	2–3%

Here’s an important consideration:

Every industry is different, so companies that sell to specific government branches or one that has an ultra-specialized niche may be able to deduct 1–2% from the above figures. If your company is B2B or B2C, you may need to raise your budget by 1–3% to see solid results. Retail and pharmaceuticals lead the spending, with many of these companies spending more than 20% of net sales. Overall average is reported as 6%.

Many other circumstances will merit an increase or reduction in your marketing budget as a percentage of revenue. Feel free to contact us to discuss this, or visit http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html.

During an initial branding build or a rebranding phase, you should have a higher budget, which can be reduced in the future. This will allow you to contract for all the media you need to make an impactfull brand impression.

Last year, ImageWorks clients spent on average spent between $50,000 and $120,000 building or rebuilding their “brand language.” The broad range reflects business size and industry.

Can I still grow my company with “baby steps”?

Sure. We call this organic growth, and it is how nearly every business starts off. Remember washing cars or mowing lawns for a few bucks? Next thing you know, your neighbor wants it done. That neighbor refers you to another neighbor, and so on. Many businesses grow their clientele on word of mouth alone, and are very successful.

But they usually hit a brick wall. That’s where building a solid branding campaign helps. To rely on partial branding or organic growth alone, you risk losing revenue from business you did not get because X% never discovered you or did not have their interest piqued when they interacted with your brand. Nor can you account for lost revenue from those who perceived your current brand negatively and left your site without you ever knowing it. This is why it is so important to build the brand correctly. Why risk millions to save thousands?

Why do so many small and medium-sized businesses fail?

One reason is that companies do not allocate enough money for marketing. Successful and highly profitable small and medium businesses (SMBs) know how to allocate adequate funding to marketing each year. SMBs realize that marketing, if done properly, brings back solid returns and vice versa—whereas not allocating enough in your budget for marketing could spell disaster. Think of marketing this way: It is a fundamental ingredient for profitability and growth.

For more marketing information, please contact sales@imageworksstudio.com.

Michael Delpierre and Scott C. Margenau, the key principals at ImageWorks Studio, a leading marketing and branding agency, contributed to this article. They specialize in branding and marketing strategies, persuasive content and optimization, and revenue-generating programs for their clients. To learn more about ImageWorks Studio and what it can do for you, visit http://www.brandsthatsell.com/.

7 Reasons NOT to try ‘handling’ your design and branding internally

2007-05-10T16:30:00.000-04:00

Whether the measure is cost, effectiveness or long-term ROI, outsourcing is the clear winner. If you want your brand to generate sales and profits, here are seven reasons to outsource:

1. Final Outcome - Profits as Proof. Agencies do not represent overhead to be justified. Agencies are deployed when the investment can be shown to generate profits, and they know they have to prove it every time. ImageWorks has a proven plan to combine image with message and smart marketing strategies to produce results. That result needs to be a solution that converts all your creative efforts into sales.

2. Track Record. How many brands has your in-house marketing person/team built and transformed into growth- and revenue-generators? Probably not many. The team at ImageWorks Studios has put hundreds of brands to work generating rewards for their companies.

3. Depth & Experience. Branding is a big job. One person can’t do it. It requires a first-rate team of marketing strategists, writers, designers, developers and media experts and many others. ImageWorks has them all, with well over 50 years of experience in management.

4. Cost. Hiring even a few experts in each of these fields will cost you well in excess of $300,000 a year. A creative agency like ImageWorks can offer turn-key solutions, including all services and products at a fraction of the cost of a less impactfull in-house solution.

5. Project Management. Every project gets a full-time project manager to assure fast and efficient communication and project fulfillment. Additionally ImageWorks has created a web-based project viewing, revision and approval system so you can check, collaborate and make changes to your projects 24/7. .

6. Environment. Our managers are able to collaborate with all of our creative talent instantly via our proprietary job management system. It allows us to try out new ideas, critique each other’s work, analyze and improve strategies, brainstorm, etc. Additionally ImageWorks has state-of-the-art hardware, network and software as well as a full network of professional vendors to assure marketing success. This quite simply isn’t available as an in-house option.

7. Truth. The job of an outside agency is to look at your organization objectively and tell you the truth about your strengths, weaknesses and needs. (We’re not afraid to tell the boss he or she is wrong!) It is well known that most companies have an “inside out” perspective of their business. As “outsiders,” ImageWorks is able to focus on the outside-in perspective – which is that of your customers.

ImageWorks Studio brings clients a team of experienced, top-of-the-line marketing professionals who wield creative excellence as a tool to drive sales and profits.

Scott C. Margenau is president of ImageWorks Studio, an award-winning marketing and branding firm specializing in online and off-line media. Visit www.imageworksstudio.com for more info.

Website and Graphic Design Marketing Company Northern Virginia

7 Essential Homepage Tips to Ensure That Your Site Converts Traffic into Sales

2007-05-04T12:17:00.000-04:00

Every company today has a website. But is your website compelling? Does it reach out to your potential customer base and convert traffic into sales?

Well, It Should . . .

On average, you have roughly seven seconds to get your message across before the end user abandons your website for one of your competitors’ sites. We have created simple guidelines for what should—and, more important, should not—be featured on your homepage, so that you can convert regular traffic into revenue.

1) Create a Powerful Homepage Message.
Your homepage message should be a targeted, benefit-oriented statement that outlines what you can do for the potential customer. In order to properly draft an intriguing homepage message, you will need to identify the inherent benefit to your potential customer base. No one wants to hear that you are “the best”; customers want to hear why your product/service is different and what it means to them. Put more simply, customers are asking, “What can you do for me?” Answer them.

2) Focus on Clarity.
These days, with so many people searching online for products and services, your homepage should clearly identify who you are, what you offer, your core competitive benefits, and your supporting text—all in a clean and easy-to-navigate user interface. Use graphics and pictures to help illustrate what service or product you provide, and how these benefit the customer. However, the homepage should be a “no-fluff” zone. A good rule of thumb for the homepage is “less is more.” Make it easy for the user to understand what you do. Too much verbiage, images, and graphics will only confuse the user. White space, good. Clutter, bad!

3) Make Effective Use of “Secondary Messaging.”
After you have presented your homepage message, you will need to incorporate “secondary messaging” on the homepage. This includes any additional messages that will be used to help clarify and drive home the points made in the primary message. Secondary messaging should also incite the user to take certain steps—that is, it should be a call to action. These calls to action could direct the user to e-mail the company for additional information, phone the sales rep, download a white paper, read a recent success story, etc. The secondary message will change from company to company (isn’t this stating the obvious?). A good marketer will know how to choose a penetrating secondary message.

4) Integrate Imagery and/or “Flash” to Emphasize Your Core Message.
Imagery and flash animation are important parts of your homepage. To help illustrate your company’s core competitive benefits, both strategies help customers visualize how you can meet their needs and requirements. Most people are visually oriented, so your imagery/flash will quickly convey and emphasize your message. Be consistent with what you are telling your potential prospects. Align your messaging with your visual strategies. Images and flash are also great ways to eliminate clutter; by adding a visual component to your website, you are alleviating the need for additional reference text.

5) Drive Toward a Specific Call to Action.
You have already heard a little bit about calls to action, but it is such an important strategy that we have also dedicated a specific section to it. Failure to convert online potential customers into sales leads is mostly attributable to homepages that lack primary and secondary calls to action on homepage. A call to action can be as simple as a link that states, “Contact us for more information” or “Tell us more about your needs and we will schedule a conference call.” Statistics have proven that if you can guide web users along your sales process, you will convert more of them into customers.

6) Know Your Audience, and Know the Audience Within Your Audience.
OK, so maybe you don’t know who Carl Jung is, but chances are, you either have taken or soon will take a Myers-Briggs personality test. Most people can clearly state whether they are an introvert or an extrovert; your website should cater to these and other personality types. Develop your website not only for an audience that requires what you can provide, but also for disparate personalities within that audience. Some people prefer to pick up the phone to find out more information about your products or services. Some may prefer to e-mail you instead. Others may want to schedule a meeting. Your website should cater to as many of these personality types as possible, or else you will lose conversions. Make it easy for the web user to contact you . . . using whatever method they choose.

7) Make Your Homepage Easy to Navigate.
You must lay out your website with easy-to-navigate options and buttons. If you are a service-based company, then put an “XYZ . . . Services” tab on the top navigation bar. If you sell more than one service, then enable a pull-down menu showing options for your customers. Allow them to select the page that they want to research—without having to click first to find out more (a big no-no!). Another strategy is to use sidebars to help users navigate as they read your content. You will also need to ensure that your homepage uses an interlinking strategy, so that if web users hit the wrong button, they can easily get back on track and find the information they seek.

The Bottom Line
Make it easy for a prospect to find out more about your products and/or services. Create a homepage that takes the guesswork out of it by guiding web users through the process, from understanding the message to taking action. Statistics have shown that the more clicks it takes for potential customers to find what they seek, the higher the rate at which they will abandon the website.

These guidelines will not only create a more satisfactory website experience for the end user, but will also convert some of that scrolling web traffic into genuine sales leads. And as we all know, the more sales leads, the more $$$. Give your website the much-needed attention it deserves. Your website should be your company’s most effective marketing tool.

For more information, please contact sales@imageworksstudio.com

Michael Delpierre is the managing partner for ImageWorks Studio, a leading marketing and branding agency. He specializes in branding and marketing strategies, copy optimization and generating revenue for his clients. To learn more about ImageWorks Studio and what they can do for you, visit http://www.brandsthatsell.com/.

ImageWorks welcomes Michael Delpierre to our Board!

2007-02-07T15:41:00.000-05:00

ImageWorks Studio has just announced that Michael Delpierre has joined the firm as Managing Partner. Michael brings extensive corporate sales, marketing and project management experience to ImageWorks. Michael has served in various sales, marketing and leadership positions for such companies as UUNET, Exodus, Cable & Wireless and Carlson Wagonlit/Sato Travel. Michael’s diverse experience in technology, consulting, and the government contracting sectors will complement ImageWork’s diverse customer base.

Michael will be responsible for growing ImageWork’s revenue, running day-to-day operations and managing ImageWork’s explosive year-over-year organic growth. Scott Margenau, CEO of ImageWorks, stated that “We are excited that Michael is joining the ImageWork’s team. He will allow us to serve our customer’s needs better by bringing in a different perspective into the business while managing our operations and spearheading our growth strategy”.

ImageWorks is a marketing and branding firm located in Northern Virginia serving all of the US and International clients. Their core services include marketing strategy, web and graphic design, logo, corporate identity, web applications and other offline and online media strategies. ImageWorks is one of the first companies to have a truly interactive online project management system for advanced marketing services. ImageWorks was founded in 1995 by businessman Scott C. Margenau. Contact sales@imageworksstudio.com or call at 703 378-0000 for more information.

Website and Graphic Design Marketing Company Northern Virginia

Virginia Firm Announces Revolutionary Marketing Programs, Made Fully Interactive via New Web Technologies

2007-01-04T11:30:00.000-05:00

ImageWorks Studio has designed the technology and process to allow for fully interactive branding campaigns using web applications, online project viewing, revisions, approvals, etc. based on trends consistent with getting noticed and getting prospects to interact using a step branding process.
(PRWEB) June 27, 2006 --

ImageWorks formulates creative services to adapt to new sales patterns for an increasingly web-driven culture. ImageWorks Studio in the technology hub of Northern Virginia has reformulated their creative services to maximize ROI for their customers as well as allow web-based client interaction, revisions, payments, approvals and more via a self design, web-based portfolio/project management system.

Understanding how prospects search for vendors and eventually choose a business partner requires a look back at the sales cultures of the past. The way you sell, the way you perceive information, what you require to make a sales-oriented choice -- all are vastly different from even ten years ago. Selling has changed dramatically since the Internet came to town. Sales cycles have shifted many times over the last thirty years.

A quick glimpse at the cycles of sales habits and techniques reveals information that is critical to mounting a successful sales campaign in today's Web-driven marketplace. Slick Willy and the Tin Man In the '70s and '80s, telemarketing and aggressive sales were the way to go, and companies aggressively competed for top sales people. A good salesperson could often boost just about any business to yield impressive numbers. It was an era of Tin Men and Slick Willies...but it worked.

The 1990s- The beginning of the technology boom…sales cycles once again shifted. A new era brought better-educated salespeople applying "push, push" sales techniques to a wide variety of products. Telemarketing still worked well and "networking" was the big buzzword. Your fax machine spewed reams of paper with endless offers for products and services; the consumer relied on the salesperson for information. Even in the late 1990s, Web sites were underutilized.

Coffee Is for Closers! The 1992 movie, "Glengarry Glen Ross", summed up the sales mentality of the time in two memorable quotes that still echo among sales people: "ABC -- always be closing, always be closing" and "Put down that coffee; coffee is for closers!" Not anymore. Not today. Most companies use automated phone systems, which act as gatekeepers to weed out telemarketers. Most offices post "No Soliciting" signs. Fax numbers are much less frequently shared, and few decision makers have the time to sift through direct mail.

The ImageWorks Methodology --

It's 2006. What Works?The first thing to consider is how people find information. Conventional methods such as direct mail print advertising, salespeople, and trade shows still work, but they need to BE reinforced with a powerful web brand. Most B2B and B2C searches for products and services are now done through search engines. To complicate things further, even if a company or product is discovered through traditional means, the next step, the "investigative" step, is almost always done via the Web. The Hub of your Brand: Outside-In Web SitesHow people perceive and interact with the information they find? If it's TMI (too much information), they're gone. If it looks unprofessional, they're gone....

And then there's the mistake that's made most often: web sites that are created from the inside out. The "message" of an inside-out Web site is developed from the insider's perspective rather than from the customer's point of view. A successful message must be created from the outside in; it must satisfy the prospect's buying process through intuitive design and persuasion architecture. Unfortunately, this is rarely achieved.

Without giving away our trade secrets, here is an outline of our new programs designed to maximize ROI and boost sales:

• Design all media to re-route customers two either 1. Your web site 2. Call your business.
• Re-format home page message and best use business categories.
• Brainstorming and Marketing consulting via new meetings and conferences
• Design and graphics to further promote core message of each page
• Interactive processes to intrigue/engage prospects.
• Optimize technical copy to increase response and interest via persuasive architecture and marketing optimization
• Add calls to action consistent with the 4 major personality types (Driver, Amiable, Expressive, Analytical)
• Web Based "project viewer" to view your work in progress
• Web Based Revision, Approvals

To learn more about customer-oriented branding and web marketing/design

Contact ImageWorks at 703-968-6767 or at www.imageworksstudio.comFounded in 1995, ImageWorks is an award-winning marketing and design firm in northern Virginia, serving all markets.

Press Contact: Scott Margenau Company Name: IMAGEWORKS STUDIO Email: email protected from spam bots Phone: 703 9686767 Website: http://www.imageworksstudio.com

Website and Graphic Design Marketing Company Northern Virginia

Building a Revenue Generating Brand

2006-12-21T11:30:00.000-05:00

How can your "brand" create more revenue?

By creating a powerful and compelling image that synchronizes your sales process with your customers’ buying habits.

Sounds simple, but in order to make this happen collaboratively among all web and print media takes creativity, innovative ideas, foresight and finely tuned talent.
ImageWorks Studio can help. If we build it, they will come.

Fact #1: Customers perceive information differently.
Today's customers are much more sophisticated in their buying processes. They have a vast amount of information to consider and can choose from dozens of options all at the click of a mouse. With over 80% of consumers visiting a company's web site BEFORE they make a purchasing decision - the image and message perceived from a customer's initial visit is critical to the sales process.

Fact #2: A paradigm shift has altered customer's buying habits.
ImageWorks has noticed a shift over the last 10 years in the way customers perceive information and in their buying process in general. The trend is common for most industries, because marketing essentially is the same, although it is certainly adjusted and customized per industry.
Print media is less relied upon…and most forms of advertising and marketing lead to a "web visit" rather than a sales call, meeting or even an order being placed. The "web visit" must be factored in as a mandatory step before most sales can occur. Customer's sales processes and web sites should be altered accordingly.
Successful marketing involves taking the time to discover what it is you do well and to exploit it in every media that projects your brand. It also involves making sure your selling process matches your customers' buying process. This is where persuasive content and imaging comes in.)

Its starts with a basic premise written in the 1930s:
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“It is as useless to try to sell a man something until you have first made him want to listen as it would be to command the earth to stop rotating.”
Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich

What does this mean? It means you better build up a darn good “case” and create substantial interest in your product or service BEFORE you even try to explain how your customers can purchase it.

How does ImageWorks build brands? From the ground up.
New companies and "experienced" companies alike need to update their brand continually. A powerful brand can't be abandoned and risk becoming "stale" through lack of updating and enhancements.

Good brands are altered frequently to stay ahead of the competition and continually peak their customers' interests. McDonald's didn't have Chicken Nuggets and Garden Salads in 1975, and Gatorade had only two flavors…they updated their brand, enhanced their products and perception of those products…and continue to do so every year.

Branding is about the total customer experience, and therefore must engage every aspect of customer communications.

"Branding is about more than the sock puppet. It's about the total customer experience. Companies haven't focused on the entire package."
Kelly Dixon, director of e-branding at Accenture in Chicago.

With over 12 years of hands on experience with SMEs and Large Businesses, ImageWorks has developed a unique result-oriented branding methodology, here's a brief overview:

Our system relies heavily upon your web site being the primary marketing and sales tool. The web site must be more than just informative, it must be compelling and set a sales procuring cycle in action.
We also rely on powerful and alluring brand development including well thought out designed media, advertising and marketing ideas (print, web, exhibit & PR) that attract prospects to your web site/office and/or phone.
Lastly we rely on a database marketing system that focuses on selling to the 80% of customers that represent the “just looking” percentage, as well as up-selling existing customers and generating referrals and repeat business. (The 20% representing the “buy now” percentage will already be in contact with you!)

Direct Benefits:
Increased response - Up to 10 times more on most advertising efforts!
Higher conversion rates - More customers will be attracted to and impressed with your “brand.” You will meet their buying habit needs through your intuitive approach.
Trackable results - Track your prospects and watch them become customers.
Bigger profits - More customers combined with building an overwhelming interest through your brand and message will lead to increased profits.
Generates substantial Repeat and Referral sales!

By Scott Margenau www.brandsthatsell.com

ImageWorks' Client, Shea Terra Organics, Featured in People, Cosmo Girl, Shape and InStyle!!

2006-10-25T15:41:00.000-04:00

Shea Terra Organics (http://www.sheaterraorganics.com/), a brand created by ImageWorks studio was recently featured as Angelina Jolie's favorite body lotion in People and InStyle. Additionally Shea Terra and their stunning designs by ImageWorks Studio were featured in Cosmo Girl magazine and Shape magazine.

ImageWorks designed an animated graphic theme to their web site, capturing the essence of the product's home land of Africa. The designs feature local and non local horticulture, fruits, wildlife, etc. Proceeds of each sale are donated to charity.

ImageWorks designed and developed the logo, over 50 product labels, an interactive web site, shopping cart, email campaigns, trade show exhibit and much more. Click here for samples: http://www.imageworksstudio.com/lounge/lounge_project_viewer.php?lrange=M-S

ImageWorks specializes in total branding solutions for SMEs.

http://offtherack.people.com/2006/10/angelinas_favor.html#comments

Website and Graphic Design Marketing Company Northern Virginia

What is Branding?

2006-10-11T23:05:00.000-04:00

Simply put - your “brand” or “corporate image” is the impression formed at every point of contact with your prospects and clients.

Branding is the combination of imagery and content. Perception is everything in the business world. We call this the “outside perception” in the advertising business. Everything that comes in contact with a customer, such as brochures, direct mail, web sites, advertisements, presentations, e-mails, signs, exhibits, sales people, etc., help to form an opinion (good or bad) of your company. Your brand begins with your logo - also known as your “mark.”

“Your logo is often where a prospect’s first impression of your business starts, and sadly in many cases, ends.” Scott Margenau, President of ImageWorks Studio

A prospect should be impressed by your logo and be able to easily figure out what your company does. Your tag line needs to further define your market niche and invoke the prospect’s curiosity.

A successful branding program will be multidimensional emphasizing the total customer experience. It must convince your prospects that you are the only clear-cut choice to fulfill their expectations.

"Branding is about more than the sock puppet. It’s about the total customer experience. Companies haven’t focused on the entire package.” Kelly Dixon, director of e-branding at Accenture in Chicago.

ImageWorks can help you build a brand from the ground up, or re-brand a “tired” or outdated corporate image. It’s never been easier… simply request your FREE “Image Check” at www.brandsthatsell.com

Website and Graphic Design Marketing Company Northern Virginia

Meet your branding goals and avoid a "Marketing Hangover"!

2006-07-07T09:05:00.000-04:00

We Have the Cure for Your Marketing Hang-Over!

Not that kind of hangover! And the hyphen is intended. We mean a marketing hang (pause) over. Marketing goals, ideas, and promises that have “hung over” from last year’s objectives, or even the year before!

You may have vowed to address your marketing concerns and goals, and maybe you have, but you’re still not completely satisfied. You need a more compelling image, one that’s driven to fulfill a sales procurement cycle and designed to build revenue.

It’s time to act! Many business owners and marketing managers see marketing as an expense; however, that’s an oversimplification. Sure, marketing’s an expense. But it’s also an investment that can pay huge dividends. Done properly, marketing will earn, many times over, the costs associated with it.

By how much can we increase your business? All businesses are different, as are their target markets and profit ranges. For some companies a 2 percent growth would mean millions, for others it wouldn’t justify the increased overhead. One thing we know we can do is attract more qualified customers, get them more interested, and get them to respond more often.

Here’s our 2006 TOP RATED marketing media:

Web site redesign—clear, benefit oriented, easy to navigate, and matching your customers’ buying habits to your sales process.
Interactive Presentations - via the web, email, meetings, net meetings, etc. the ability to display a message using time lined animations, graphics and text is a powerful tool.
Search engine positioning—hand in hand with web marketing, because the Web is how your customers will find you.
Trade shows—the hottest way to get in front of a large number of targeted prospects for a fair value.
Print ads—still perfect for target markets utilizing print media.
Leave-behinds and presentation collateral—more direct, more persuasive print media that more closely emulates the online experience, offline.
Logo and stationery design or enhancement—with a standards manual to streamline all branding efforts.

On the decline:

TV—has it convinced you to buy anything recently? For the small- or medium-sized company, it’s simply too costly for the rewards.
Radio—we don’t like the odds…yet. In the future? Maybe satellite radio.
Direct mail—with less than .07 percent response, this marketing technique should only be used for small, targeted lists.

Website and Graphic Design Marketing Company Northern Virginia

ImageWorks Moving After 10 Years!

2006-06-26T13:25:00.000-04:00

ImageWorks has announced they are moving to an office building at 3859 Centerview Drive Suite 400, Chantilly Va. 20151. Their phone numbers well remain the same. After spending the last 10 years in a retro renovated Flex/Warehouse building...the noise and problems with mechanical units finally took its toll.

ImageWorks' new office is in a brand new office building, with state of the art amenities. Dual T-1s are scheduled to be installed July 3rd, as well as Muzac on-hold and audio systems, new furniture, more sample exhibits, designs, samples etc.

ImageWorks thanks their clients, vendors, prospects and corporate spies :) for their patience during this transition to enhance our services and facility. ImageWorks is an awarding winning firm specializing in brand enhancements through innovative print, corporate identity, PR, web, exhibits, and interactive media.

ImageWorks features one of the worlds few web-based and fully interactive creative service agencies via self designed portfolio/project management systems, with web based viewing, tracking, revisions, approvals and client interaction. ImageWorks also features one of the world’s largest portfolios of jobs actually completed in-house., with hundreds of branding projects. To learn more visit http://www.imageworksstudio.com/ or call 703 378-0000

Website and Graphic Design Marketing Company Northern Virginia

ImageWorks to re-brand Remax's 5 time #1 Worldwide Agent...

2006-02-17T17:46:00.000-05:00

ImageWorks has embarked on the re-branding of Remax's #1 Agent over the last decade. The brand will include:

Logo And Corporate Identity Kit
New Website
Custom Listing Software For Displaying And Showcasing Real Estate Listings
Custom RETTS Real Estate Search Software Via MRIS (MLS) - Allowing Search Of All Homes In Desired Location With Custom Fields
Print Advertisements
Search Engine Optimization And PPC Campaigns
Trade Show Exhibits
Interactive E-mail Campaigns
Direct Mail Campaigns

To view this project as it progresses, please visit our Project Viewer here: http://www.imageworksstudio.com/index.php?page=lounge_Project_Viewer2
And search for Casey Margenau & Associates

2006-02-08T16:38:00.000-05:00

The Phenomenon of Selling
By Scott C. Margenau

Sales Tectonics
The way you sell, the way you perceive information, what you require to make a sales-oriented choice – all are vastly different from even ten years ago. Selling has changed dramatically since the Internet came to town.

Sales cycles have shifted many times over the last thirty years. A quick glimpse at the cycles of sales habits and techniques reveals information that is critical to mounting a successful sales campaign in today’s Web-driven marketplace. brrreeeport.

Slick Willy and the Tin Man
In the ’70s and ’80s, telemarketing and aggressive sales were the way to go, and companies aggressively competed for top sales people. A good salesperson could often boost just about any business to yield impressive numbers. It was an era of Tin Men and Slick Willies…but it worked.

The 1990s brought the beginning of the technology boom as sales cycles once again shifted. A new era brought better-educated salespeople applying “push, push” sales techniques to a wide variety of products. Telemarketing still worked well and “networking” was the big buzzword. Your fax machine spewed reams of paper with endless offers for products and services; the consumer relied on the salesperson for information. Even in the late 1990s, Web sites were underutilized. brrreeeport.

Coffee Is for Closers!
The 1992 movie, Glengarry Glen Ross, summed up the sales mentality of the time in two memorable quotes that still echo among sales people: “ABC – always be closing, always be closing” and “Put down that coffee; coffee is for closers!”

Not anymore. Not today. Most companies use automated phone systems, which act as gatekeepers to weed out telemarketers. Most offices post “No Soliciting” signs. Fax numbers are much less frequently shared, and few decision makers have the time to sift through direct mail. brrreeeport

Two strategic shifts have occurred in “sales tectonics”:

It’s 2006. What Works? The first shift concerns the way people find information. Conventional methods such as direct mail, print advertising, salespeople and trade shows still work, but they need to reinforced with a powerful web brand. Most B2B and B2C searches for products and services are now done through search engines. To complicate things further, even if a company or product is discovered through traditional means, the next step, the “investigative” step, is almost always done via the Web. brrreeeport

Inside-Out Web Sites
Which brings us to the second shift: how people perceive and interact with the information they find. If it’s TMI (too much information), they’re gone. If it looks unprofessional, they’re gone.

And then there’s the mistake that’s made most often: web sites that are created from the inside out. The “message” of an inside-out Web site is developed from the insider’s perspective rather than from the customer’s point of view. A successful message must be created from the outside in; it must satisfy the prospect’s buying process through intuitive design and persuasion architecture. Unfortunately, this is rarely achieved.

ImageWorks Studio tested over 100 corporate Web sites, and very, very few successfully branded a professional look and feel, with a customer-centered message leading to intuitive navigation and calls to action to encourage prospect interaction. brrreeeport

ImageWorks Studio
To learn more about customer-oriented branding and web marketing/design contact ImageWorks at 703-968-6767 or at http://www.imageworksstudio.com/.[BH1]

Founded in 1995, ImageWorks is an award-winning marketing and design firm in northern Virginia, serving all markets.

[BH1]URL checked: address correct, link live.
brrreeeport

ImageWorks Featured in Washington Post!

2005-12-30T14:27:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post Business Section featured ImageWorks Studio in an article about work place environments. You can read the article by searching on at www.washingtonpost.com and searching under ImageWorks. (Sorry I dont have the link at hand!)

ImageWorks, has not solicited PR, but nevertheless is featured in numerous online media, print publications and industry "gloss". Our founder, Scott C. Margenau has been named twice to the Who’s Who List amongst Local Businessmen and Entrepreneurs, and has been featured on local radio business talk shows.

ImageWorks currently boasts one of the area's largest online portfolios of high quality marketing and design projects for companies of all sizes, including government, Fortune 500, small and medium business, and NPOs. Additionally ImageWorks has won several awards, including Best in Print, Best Web Site Design and Best Trade Show.

Another unique advantage ImageWorks has over their (*cough) competition is a fully supported online review and approval process which allows online collaboration, revisions, tracking, job updates, status reports, search engine placement management, and much more. The powerfull management system was developed by ImageWorks in-house, showing their broad range of talents and services.

To learn more about ImageWorks Studio, please visit us at www.imageworksstudio.com Website and Graphic Design Marketing Company Northern Virginia

ImageWorks Releases New Luminents Line of Modular Exhibits!

2005-10-18T15:45:00.000-04:00

ImageWorks is proud to announce our latest addition to our exhibit line, Exponents. Exponents is a leader in custom and modular exhibit design and production, and creator of the innovative "Luminents" line. Samples can been seen here IWS Exhibits

or at www.imageworksstudio.com

ImageWorks announces their new WebFolio!

2005-07-14T15:58:00.000-04:00

Our web portfolio system is a custom designed application IWSWebFolio allows clients wishing to show images and content, case studies, testimonials of projects, items, designs, homes, charts, jobs, samples, art, etc. in a web based environment through a custom GUI that is created for each client to match their brand. The system features a web-based Admin system that lets you manange, edit and delete all of your projects. For more or a live demo visist us at httP://v4.imageworksstudio.com For pricing contact sales@imageworksstudio.com