Now gaining a reputation for internet advertising, shortly after 9/11 a local travel agency sought Mike out. No one wanted to travel and they were hurting. Always up for a challenge, Mike took them on. His strategy was pretty interesting – particularly since this happened nearly a decade ago. Knowing that the need and […]
In case you missed our first newsletter this year, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of International Internet Advertising Services Inc., we’re doing a series on our history and the technological advancements that have impacted our world. The first few years of the new millennium were a crazy time. While the bursting of the dot.com […]
While Mike and James had done everything they could to prepare for the change from 1999 to 2000 that some thought would cause havoc with computers around the globe, Mike spent New Year’s Eve babysitting his servers, just in case. As it turned out, everything was fine. The office had moved out of the […]
By January of 1996, there were 100,000 websites online. Thirty of those were Mike’s clients, including a “matchmaking” service. There were now 36 million internet users. Computers at home still weren’t commonplace, but email was a must-have for government offices and most businesses. Of those who were “surfing,” 86% used Netscape’s browser. Internet Explorer […]
The first web page went live on August 6, 1991. It was created by Tim Berners-Lee to share information about the World Wide Web project which was intended as a communication tool for government agencies and universities. It ran on a NeXT computer at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN. By 1993, another […]
Joanne graduated from the University of Calgary in 1980 with a degree in Psychology. One of her classes was in Computer Science where she learned to code in Fortran. She still remembers the anxiety of her final project – making sure that the punch cards she carefully created didn’t get out of order feeding into […]
It’s a new year, a new decade, and who knows what 2020 has in store for us. While we often make predictions this time of year, in 2020 we’re going to take a look back. This year marks the 25th anniversary of International Internet Advertising Services Inc.; and, while our marketing materials focus on […]
If you had to write a job description for your website, what would you include? Thinking about your site as an employee is an interesting way to work through identifying the purpose and objectives of your site; and, on deciding how to measure its performance. Let’s try an example: As the core of our […]
If only those were magic words that could make an entirely fake negative review disappear. But, they are not, and will not. Although feel free to scream it out anyway. No, unfortunately fake reviews, which are almost always negative, take much more time and effort to deal with; along with a good measure of […]
Get your calendar. Find a half-day in the next two weeks and block it off for “Password Security.” Do it now, then you can read the rest of this article. Data breaches have become so common that it’s hard to even make a list of them all. At the recent World Economic Forum, it […]
I realized the other day that many of our articles seem to relate more to product sellers than to service providers. While marketing strategies can be very similar, there are a few things that those who only provide services need to keep in mind. So, this one is for you! Know the rules of […]
It’s time to plan your fall and winter promotions While there’s no rush to pack up your flip-flops, as long as the warm weather holds, it is time to start planning your fall and winter sales promotions. Here are some ideas to get you thinking, and we can help with the creative aspects as […]
A simple way to test your web content Quality content is one of the most important aspects of your website. Your potential customers rely on it, and search engines use it to index and rank your site. Borrowing a tactic used in the journalism industry, you can assess the content of your website by […]
Analyzing how users interact with your website provides valuable information about how to improve the site’s performance. Google Analytics, the one we use most often, provides a lot of data, but you need to interpret that data within the context of your overall goals, and objectives set for each page. Let’s look at some […]
Industrial psychology has long been the foundation of advertising. The use of different colours, for example, to elicit feelings of excitement, trust, or luxury. That bright red “SALE” banner is no accident, nor is the choice of blue for IBM, Facebook, or BMO. Whether or not we actually trust Facebook, knowing what we know, isn’t […]
Now that our cell phones are actually multi-function devices, setting them aside completely while on vacation may not be feasible. Not only do they serve as a camera for those holiday pics, they are also our time keepers, our route maps, and our kid trackers. So, if you’re not ready to leave the phone behind, […]
In our last article we talked about the power of positive customer reviews. But what do you do when a customer isn’t happy? Unfortunately, now and then, we all have to deal with one complaint or another, and there can be an upside. Here are seven steps for turning unhappy customers into fans. 1. Listen, […]
In days of old, nothing was more coveted than the word-of-mouth referral. People trusted their families, friends, and colleagues to point them to the best providers of products and services. Now it’s 2019 and consumers want to hear from as many people as possible about what they think of you. Take a look at these […]
I’ve just been reading about the technology behind what has been termed “deep fake videos.” I have to say, it’s scary. Our job is to help our clients promote their products and services, to help businesses grow. Yes, we want them to make a good first impression. Yes, we want them to highlight the best […]
Most marketers will tell you that social media marketing is a “must have” in today’s world. While we don’t disagree, we also know that a lot of businesses are not getting the most out of their efforts and expense. Like any other marketing tactics, social media marketing needs to be goal driven, strategic, and part […]
It does get a little murky sometimes, but generally speaking, an advertisement is something you pay for to be placed on someone else’s property. Off-line that could mean a billboard, a newspaper, or the side of a bus. What you’re paying for is to put your ad in that visible space. Online, the rule is […]
It’s officially spring and thank goodness. We can finally put away the heavy coats and fuzzy blankets and enjoy the outdoors. But before you pull out the camping gear, make some time to do your online spring cleaning. It may not be something you look forward to, but it’s important and could save you from […]
Search engines like Google offer advertising on their results pages, allowing you to jump to the top spot. There is a fee for this, but you only pay that fee when someone clicks on the ad and is redirected to your website or to a specific landing page created as a follow up to the […]
As I was researching the last article on consumer trends for 2019, I sensed another theme that no one stated outright, but seemed to be in the middle (or maybe the muddle) of all the forecasts: there is an emerging group of mindful and deliberate consumers, who are demanding more from businesses than their typical […]
While there is lots of technical work that goes into search engine optimization, the content of a website is equally important. The more you know about your customers, the better able we are to produce content that search engines will match with your customers’ searches. It starts with key words, and your front line staff […]
In the last two articles, we looked at seven seemingly innocuous situations and what was really happening. Now, we’re going to look at how scammers are still profiting from our basic trust in others, and what we can do about it. First though, don’t feel bad if you’ve been the victim of a scam. I […]
Oh, those scammers! Just when we think we’re on to them, they come up with an even more sophisticated ruse. In the last article, we listed seven situations that would seem pretty normal. (Review them here if you missed it.) Now, we’re going to reveal what actually could have happened. What went wrong: The email […]
There are a lot of predictions about what customers want from us over the next 12 months. What’s interesting this year is that there’s not a lot that’s truly new, and nothing is really “out.” Instead, it seems that what consumers want is a re-balancing of what already exists in terms of how we interact […]
The brand of your company has the same meaning to consumers that your character or personality has to your family and friends. Your logo is like your face. When someone sees your face, they recognize who you are, and they expect you to behave in the way that you always have before. Odd or uncharacteristic […]