amg's blog

Have you been outside lately? It’s hot. Too hot, dammit. We need an Ice Age, people! If you are deeply, utterly, completely consumed and concerned with the increasing temperatures that face the planet (i.e. us), than read on. In honor of Earth Day, we’ve compiled a list of the ever-evolving steps we have taken to save the human race (after all, we need the Earth around to keep those Doritos factories running). Educate yourself, and  win over your hipster friends by reading Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

1. Everyday, we write inspirational messages to the planet, and then bury them in our organic dandelion garden
2. To save electricity (and prepare our bodies for the coming desert storms), we’ve removed all air conditioning units from the building
3. The previous step has dramatically increased our sweat production, which we will use to help restore the drought-ridden riverbeds surrounding our office
4. To encourage Mother Nature to “just chill out”, we are installing a massive speaker system in our parking lot, which we’ll use to blast calming tunes from our resident funk-star Mike Tallman’s band, Euforquestra
5. In an effort to combat heat waves, we’re installing wind turbines in the field behind our office building. Then we’ll truck in a few hundred tons of ice cubes, and enjoy the cool breeze everyday (…that it’s windy).
6. Every pen in the office is now green. Literally, not in the “we source our pens from organic pen farms” kind of way. That’s expensive.
7. We eat out at fast food restaurants everyday and save (some) of the grease to put into the gas tanks of our cars. Who said alternative fuel couldn’t work?
8. We’re starting a new “organic marketing” trend: Our office has been relocated. We’re now 50 miles away from all golf courses, supermarkets, hospitals, grocery stores, and paved roads. Sure, we’ll have to purchase massive SUVs to traverse over the rough terrain on the way to work, but getting away from all this pollution will really help us work at our best.

Have any more idea for us? Write on our Facebook wall, or send us a tweet! Unless you don’t care about the planet or something.

Worst. News. Ever. The joyful days of catalogs piling up on your kitchen counter, sifting through special sections of newspapers and flipping through coupon books may be nearing an end. Remember how fun it used to to be to sit around and go through every coupon, one by one, to find the few that were useful?

…Okay, so maybe not so much. But coupons have their benefits, and from time to time, they can save a ton of moolah. And they’re making a strong comeback, in 21st century form.

Sites like Groupon, LivingSocial, and Google Offers have become popular destinations for consumers wanting to get the best deals possible. Businesses have been lining up for a shot at these services, which offer a chance to expand their market share and brand.

The psychology behind these sites is nothing new, but it is interesting. Everyone wants to save money, but they are even more inclined to do so if there is some sort of limit on when and how they can achieve those cost-cutting measures. The tried and true concepts of scarcity, and social proof can be seen in these social coupon sites. By setting a limit on the amount of coupons available or havingg a countdown on the availability of the coupon, sales can skyrocket. And if everyone else is buying, why shouldn’t you?

Also of note is “transaction utility”, or feeling good about a good deal. If you are actively aware of the savings you are making by taking advantage of a certain offer, it is natural to consider yourself a savvy, forward-thinking consumer.

This isn’t to say that there aren’t some cons to the social coupon structure. Some businesses find that they can’t keep up with the increased demand of their product or services, and others worry that many of their new customers will never return.

These coupons aren’t guaranteed to boost you profits or make your business more successful. But they have potential.

As for dental labs, I think this business model could have some promise too. Does the future hold a potential social coupon offer for your lab or business? It’s certainly a possibility. Talk to us!

New notifications, wall posts, likes, and tweets. The internet seems to be constantly redefining and adding to our dictionaries. But what does it all mean? If you want to make a Twitter and Facebook for your company, what should you include? When should you update? How will you interact with customers?

With more than 800 million active users on Facebook, your business can’t afford to avoid a social media marketing strategy any longer. Fear not, AMG can help! With over 30 active business pages, and 47,824 (and counting) fans connected to those pages, our team of Social Media Ninjas is well-equipped to help you create a strong social media presence.

Start building a better relationship with your current & potential customers today. Call 800.264.7448 or email ben@amgci.com by 10/31/11 to receive two FREE Custom Facebook Tabs with any Social Media Starter Package!

Oh jeez.

Just when I thought I was done updating my parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, neighbors, and that guy in front of me in line at the grocery store about the most used social sites on the internet (Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, etc.), Google had to ruin my vacation to show off their newest golden boy, Google+.

By now you’ve probably heard about Google’s venture into the Narnia-esque world that is social networking, but you might not have much of a chance to use it yet. Featuring new lingo like “Sparks”, “Hangouts”, “Huddle”, and “Circles”, it promises to change how users share information on the web.

Still confused? The basics of Google+ are explained in this video:

Making Your Business More Relevant

So how can Google+ help with your business?

One of the primary features of the new social network is letting users separate people and businesses into different groups , or “circles”, which they can use to view the each group’s updates separately. This means that you can add a business to a specific circle and view that circle’s feed every time you want an update on what that business is doing. This focused effect will likely help your customers keep up to date on your Google+ activity more effectively then on sites like Facebook, where everything is pushed into one newsfeed.

Google+ also features the introduction of the “+1″, similar to Facebook’s “Likes”. If a user +1′s a Google+ post or any other link on the internet, it will show up on their Google+ profiles. Their friends will be able to see this and check out the posting or website themselves. The +1 feature may also have a large impact on SEO, with pages that have more +1′s being ranked higher on search results. In theory, get more +1′s from your customers, and you get more traffic to your website through indexed searches.

The Best Is Yet To Come

Currently Google has advised businesses to wait on making their own Google+ profiles. Within the next few months, it is likely Google will release a more dedicated experience for businesses, combining the best Google technologies (Like Analytics) with the rest of their already established social networking features, to create a full-fledged experience that will make marketing easier.

Stay tuned to the AMG blog for more, and we’ll keep you updated!

For all of the do-it-yourself designers, there are a few things to consider when taking on your next design project. The following are some of my design no-nos that should be steered clear from whenever possible.

Design No-No #1

Unnecessary drop shadows

Drop shadows are a neat effect that when used appropriately can add a little pizazz to your design. One place you do not want to use a drop shadow is on type. There are better solutions you can use to draw attention to your headline. The easiest would be to simply make it bold. When you put drop shadow on type, you sacrifice its legibility.

Design No-No #2

Underlining type

Also similar to the drop shadow, most people use the underline effect to draw attention to a certain part of their design. Again, when you underline the type, you sacrifice its legibility by putting a harsh line through all the descending strokes in the typeface. Instead, make it bold. Or, if you really want to get crazy, you could change the color.

Design No-No #3

The widow

I see this the most. A widow is when the last line of a paragraph is left with only one word.
Do your best to adjust the paragraph so this doesn’t happen. Sometimes this means adding
or deleting copy in order to make this work.

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If you take a walk around the AMG offices, you’ll probably notice at least two things. One of which would undoubtedly have something to do with our taste for sappy music (don’t laugh!), but another would likely be our active use of social media tools.

We still can't figure out these tools though...

It is important to understand that social media goes beyond simply keeping up with friends and randomly updating the world on where you are. The fact of the matter is that more and more people are using social media everyday, making the benefits of these modern communication tools and their potential to improve your business and your client’s loyalty to you greater than ever before.

For example, we keep getting sent coupons for All-You-Can-Eat buffets on our Facebook account. How, as food lovers, are we supposed to resist taking advantage of them? Through social media, these restaurants make their best effort to keep us aware of their presence, offering us discounts and special deals for our continued business, which makes us happy to oblige.

The concept of using social media as part of a marketing strategy is by no means a new idea. Following in the footsteps of the radio, television, and those often awe-inspiring messages found under bottle caps, it is the next logical step in delivering an informative message to as many people as possible. This ability to directly communicate with your clients enables the ability to build a sense of camaraderie with them, in turn increasing the likelihood they will continue to turn to you for their needs.

By reaching out to consumers and finding your fans, you can develop a relationship that would be impossible without social media. According to eMarketer, “at least half of Twitter and Facebook users said they were more likely to talk about, recommend, or purchase a company’s products after they began following the company on social media”. Facebook, Twitter, blogs (such as WordPress), along with many others can all assist in building brand awareness, loyalty, and announcing product promotions.

The idea is to engage your fans as much as possible. Make it easy for them to involve themselves in the business. Ask for their opinions, respond to their comments, and offer rewards for following your brand. The key to building brand loyalty is interaction, and by adding personal touches to your social media efforts you will make your business stronger.

Or just go here.

With over 700 million people on Facebook and 200 million on Twitter, the chances your customers have some sort of social media activity is very likely. By creating a strong online presence, you can help your business keep competitive in a crowded industry.

We are here to help our clients succeed, and we can help you develop a social media plan that works best for your business. Feel free to call or email us today to get started!

Look familiar? This is a QR, or  “Quick Response” Code, and it is changing the world of marketing. Using the camera on your cell phone you can quickly scan these barcodes and instantly access information about a company’s latest products, special offers, coupons, videos and more.

QR Codes can be easily added to promotional materials like direct mailings and are rapidly gaining immense popularity in the United States. The US Postal service recently announced a 3% postage discount for First Class and Standard Mail containing them from July 1, 2011 to August 31, 2011, so it’s the perfect time to give them a try.

Find out more about these excellent (and cost-effective) marketing tools here. Give us a call and ask about how QR Codes can be used to help you! In the meantime, relax and check out this interactive QR Code inspired music video!