No doubt you have heard copywriters and designers using a variety of lingo pertaining to fonts and typography. Serif versus San-Serif is the most common discussion, especially when combining font/type styles within a design project.

To help lessen the confusion let’s introduce some basics on the different font and typography definitions and provide some visual assistance.

Serif fonts and type, also known as Slab Serif or Egyptian, contain additional details (feet, loops, hooks) on the ends of the strokes. There are four groupings of serif type: old style, transitional, modern and slab serif.

Serif type is widely used in traditional printed material such as books and newspapers. Studies of on-screen (usually referred to as fonts) use are more ambiguous, suggesting that low screen resolutions make serif fonts more difficult to read and tiring the eyes.

It is believed that the serif type originated in the Roman Alphabet when lettering was painted and chiseled into stone for signage. Around the mid 1400′s printing was introduced bringing the handset blocks of type to Linotype systems using hot lead to create strips of type. This printing technology gave rise to new designs of typefaces.  Today, the selection of serif typefaces number in the thousands.

The first example people think of for a serif font or type is Times New Roman. This is the standard default font for most word processing programs and desktop publishing programs. We have included a showcase of a variety of serif font and type styles…some you may recognize but were not familiar with their names.

Allographics & Design specializes in web, graphic and social media design and consulting. If you would like to learn how we can strengthen your online branding and marketing or to book a workshop to better understand the major social media tools available for your business, contact us for more information.

Web Design and Social Branding Solutions – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Manufacturing businesses may have been waiting on the sideline to see how they could incorporate social media into their marketing. As social networking becomes the norm for businesses others, like manufacturing companies and trade services may not initially see how they can use Social Media for their company since the connecting topics may seem dry.

Whether manufacturing and trade companies would like to build customer relationships, offer better customer service or help educate their audience there are a few tools that help these companies jumpstart into the social Internet world.

Blogging

Companies can add a blog to their current website if it is not already built into the site’s framework depending on the programing or consider using a seperate blog. We do recomend keeping your blog on your website, but if this is not available the later choice will still help.

By creating a blog, the manufacturing company has the opportunity to create and share content that can be archived and organized for visitors. By offering content about advice, tips and education, the company can provide a valuable resource for potential customers in learning how they may like to use the service or product.

Blogging for your company offers your brand the opportunity to become the expert and voice for your business.

Videos

YouTube is a great visual information sharing tool that is often overlooked by the manufacturing and trade industries. Without marketing your product “In Your Face” style, these comapanies can offer how to and helpful tutorials on specific products and introdue new release information.

Yes, you can hire a professional videographer for special recordings, but you can also use simple mobile and hand held devices to share quick impromtu recording that can quickly be uploaded to YouTube and posted on your various online mediums.

Don’t over estimate how a branded YouTube Channel can both bring your brand and product to your audience’s eyes and ears.

Facebook/Twitter

Why not extend your website and blogs reach while also driving traffic to your site. Another way to share your brand and keep your company in the loop is to also provide an additional way to connect with your company and intereact via a Business/Fan page on Facebook and open chat on Twitter.

Mico blogging has become an easy way to provide ongoing, quick customer service while also sharing the content created on YouTube and your website. The key is that you want to share content, interact and promote very little.

Each of the tools are great for brand awareness and when they are used together, increase your presence on the internet. By branding your manufaturing and trade industry online you help brand your company, drive traffice to your site and ultimately increase your sales. Remember, as well as all these tools are by themselves or together, too much push marketing instead of interaction and sharing can sabotage the best social strategy. Be sure to have a plan in place so your strategy does not get hung up on unknowns and defaults to pushing out promo updates.

Allographics & Design specializes in web, graphic and social media design and consulting. If you would like to learn how we can strengthen your online branding and marketing or to book a workshop to better understand the major social media tools available for your business, contact us for more information.

Web Design and Social Branding Solutions – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

So as Facebook announces the over due public release of Timeline to personal accounts, the buzz is already starting about a Facebook Timeline for Brand Pages (Business/Fan Pages). Business Insider

What will this mean for Fan Pages? We really do not know. We will have to wait for the anticipated February 29th, FMC Facebook Marketing Conference to see what is in store.

BUT…in the meantime…some questions are going to come up as all of us speculate on the future of the current Fan Page layouts, especially following a major change only just made in early 2011. Here are a few questions many of us may ask:

• Will the 5 photo strip images be replaced by the large Facebook Cover? Surely this will happen, right? So much for the left side tower, but this will be much better for branding.
• How will designers and developers adjust to the new branding source. Not knowing the state of the changes…this will leave many scratching their heads wondering about the many apps developed for Brand Pages.
• What about custom landing tab pages? Since many developers and businesses count on these apps, it would only make sense that Facebook would continue supporting these features since they brought the iframe programs back. But that logic may not apply…we are talking about Facebook.
• How will the two column layout enhance branding for businesses? Will the About area replace an Info page with optimized content?
• How and where will Facebook provide the convenient left side navigation? Will it be located in a prominent location at the top of the page similar to the current About area on personal profiles? This may be a good thing…always preferred the old “Tabs” located on the top of the page myself.
• Will “likes” “talking about this” and “reaches” still be included on the Brand Pages? I can’t imagine Facebook not continuing this with all the major changes to the Insights metrics….but how will it look?

No doubt all these questions and so many more will be answered over the next coming weeks as news spreads. I for one am excited since I always felt the Timeline setup was better suited to Brand Pages, but it will be interesting to see how Facebook users will adjust considering the numerous complaints made with the Activities feed and Facebook Timeline for personal profiles.

Allographics & Design specializes in web, graphic and social media design and consulting. If you would like to learn how we can strengthen your online branding and marketing or to book a workshop to better understand the major social media tools available for your business, contact us for more information.

Social Media & Online Marketing Training – Oklahoma

Patrick Allmond’s Wild West Online Marketing CD

Are you just getting started with your website and social media? Would you like to sit down with Patrick Allmond and Focus Consulting but just can’t fit it into your budget yet? This is the best way for you to get started – a full 13 hours of online marketing expertise from our Wild West Online Marketing Radio shows.

Here is an index to each show:

2011-01-02 Episode 01, How to run your business from the cloud
2011-01-09 Episode 03, Online Video
2011-01-16 Episode 05, Measuring and generating free traffic
2011-01-23 Episode 07, Getting into eCommerce
2011-01-30 Episode 09, Facebook Marketing
2011-02-06 Episode 11, Buzzding and Online Reputation Management
2011-02-13 Episode 13, Intro to online advertising
2011-02-20 Episode 15, Call 911! My website needs a medic
2011-02-27 Episode 17, WordPress Plugin Extravaganza
2011-03-06 Episode 19, CRMs & Other Online Networking Tools
2011-03-13 Episode 21, The top 16 ways to screw up email marketing
2011-03-20 Episode 23, Getting New Customers/Prospects from your website & The Referral Engine
2011-03-27 Episode 25, Paid and Banner Advertising online

In addition we have included our own custom 25 page social media workbook as well as the Google Zero Moment of Truth. Both are great books, and we will help you get started in the right direct in online marketing.

You can purchase your CD Here: Online Marketing Radio Show with Patrick Allmond

Allographics & Design specializes in web, graphic and social media design and consulting. If you would like to learn how we can strengthen your online branding and marketing or to book a workshop to better understand the major social media tools available for your business, contact us for more information.

Social Media & Online Marketing Training – Oklahoma

Are you still trying to figure out what the new “talking about this” means on your Fan Page’s left sidebar? You are not the only one. It’s Facebook’s way of letting you and your fans know of your Fan Page influence.

Admins can monitor more user metric on the insights page in more detail and this is crucial to understanding your marketing strategy. Some of the activities that influence your numbers are listed below, but always keep in mind your goal is to create content that is engaging and helps build your loyal fan base. Numbers are a great way to measure, but don’t forget about the social interaction you want to develop to increse these numbers.

Facebook States: “People Talking About This”, indicates how many people are actually talking about your business to their friends.

• Page LIKEs
• Fan Postings
• Update and Comment Likings
• Commenting
• Question Responses
• Page Mentions
• Event Activity
• Photo Tagging
• Sharing
• Checkins

Based on the Ignite survey of social media use around the world, men and women use different social networks from one another. Although this Inforgraphic does not break things down by country, it is interesting to see that Facebook did not fall into the top 10 for men and curious how the numbers would be if the survey was conducted only in the United States.

Also interesting is that Xanga and Myspace fell into the top catgories for women too, indicating these earier social networks may still be popular with women if not as much in the US, at least around the world. And where is Twitter? How did it not fall into either list?

What conclusions do you walk away with when reviewing the information below in The Current State of Social Networking Infographic.

So is it a thumbs up or thumbs down for you and all of the recent Facebook changes? Two major changes to Facebook all within the same year, and some pretty significant changes at that with many in an uproar over them.

The question may be, who does like the new changes and are YOU ready for the new luanch of the personal profile Timelines? Give us your feedback on the latest Facebook changes.

Women business owners make up over 25% of the total number of companies here in Oklahoma, just under the national 29% figures. With over 80 thousand Oklahoma business women across our state, we are driving force to our local economy and community.

Women make up over 50% of the available workforce and represent 66% of the global spending. These are powerful numbers that support the benefits of starting a business, a key to job growth and our economy. Oklahoma is a thriving state that supports small business and the opportunities for women business owners to succeed is growing every day.

However in order to nurture these potential leaders, more successful women business owners need to be seen and out providing support as role models in order to be a stronger driving force for Oklahoma. We need to be training and motivating women to grow their business and in turn also be there for one another.

Our goal at the Women’s Empowerment Series Business and Leadership is to provide women business owners with that fire and motivation and jump start a new way of thinking in your business. With 12 specialized speakers and trainers, the conference is designed to teach women how to rethink leadership and entrepreneurship and ways to brand and market in the evolving 21st Century.

We would love for you to join us here in Oklahoma City, at Hillsdale College Auditorium (Moore) October 29th 8:30am-5:30pm to experience a full day of training with other business owners from across the state of Oklahoma. Business owners working in the trenches just like you and want to pass along their knowledge and wisdom with practical tools to walk away with and implement immediately.

You can visit our website at TrainWithShane to learn more about the conference and register by clicking on the red Register Buttons.