If you’re a writer, it probably seems like the hardest part of getting your book into the hands of readers is, well, writing the book.

These days, though, writing is just the beginning of the journey, particularly for self-published authors. After the written word becomes the printed page, even authors with the weight of a major publishing house behind them must then begin the process of marketing their books—and themselves.

Since most authors consider themselves writers, not marketers, this can get a little overwhelming. What are the options? Where should you start? (How do you get on Oprah, anyway?)

We’ve been working recently with author and health counselor Dawn M. Adams to help design, publish and market her first book, Weight! That’s Not The Issue. Here are 5 key steps we’ve taken to help promote the book and introduce Adams to her audience.

Continue reading "Writing the Book Was Just the Beginning: 5 Ways Authors Can Promote Themselves (and Sell More)" »

Break out the Dom Perignon! CDG Interactive recently launched a new website for Mondial Assistance, one of the world’s leading providers of travel insurance and assistance products. Mondial Assistance France is part of a strategy to enhance and unify Mondial’s global web presence.

CDG has been working with Mondial Assistance to develop, refine and execute this strategy across business units in more than 30 countries. CDG created a solution that is flexible enough to support the demands of multiple languages and diverse cultural constraints and appeal to a wide range of consumers.

The global sites, including Mondial Assistance France, are using ZeusCMS, the new content management system from CDG. With its easy, intuitive interface and a variety of powerful features Zeus provides the Mondial Assistance team a great deal of control and flexibility in managing the site’s content, including multilingual versions of a site’s content. It also allows for easy content migration between country-specific sites. (Curious about ZeusCMS? View a free online demo.)

“With the launch of the France site, we've taken another important step in creating an engaging, cohesive experience for all of Mondial Assistance's customers worldwide,” says Scott Adams, CDG's President, “ZeusCMS allows us to easily replicate this experience in any country, in any language, for any consumer.”

CDG is in the process of developing more country-specific sites for Mondial Assistance’s other global business units. Until then, Vive la France!

Want to find out how CDG can improve your customers' web experience and increase your web sales? Contact us. We'd love to talk.

Imagine you’re a public relations professional in search of a job. You’re clicking through Craigslist when you see this ad:

“PR manager sought to execute association media campaign. Duties will include: contacting at least 7 radio stations per week (between 10 am and noon); purchasing banner ads on sites selected by PR director; launching a print ad campaign with the tagline “Building a Better Future”; pitching stories to the press (scripts will be provided). . . . . and other tasks as dictated by PR Director. Office hours are 8 – 5 pm; lateness will not be tolerated. For consideration, send cover letter, resume, five writing samples, six letters of reference, certified college transcripts, and Social Security Number.”

Would you respond? My guess is probably not. Not even in this lousy economy.

A job ad is the beginning of a dialogue between the employer and the eventual employee. This ad opens the conversation with a tone of micromanagement and mistrust, and eliminates any promise of autonomy. Most talented candidates wouldn’t bother to reply,

Think of your RFP as a want ad for a vendor. It’s an opportunity for you to outline your needs, identify your challenges, and articulate your goals. It should give potential vendors a solid understanding of what you want to achieve with the project and what their role will be. Here are a few tips on what to do, and what not to do the next time you sit down to write an RFP.

Continue reading "Writing an RFP for Results" »

Using Google Analytics to ask the right questions

In a recent conversation, one of our clients asked for more research on why their bounce rate has gone up in the past year. Their traffic has quadrupled and while their bounce rate has grown at a significantly slower pace, they still wanted to know if there was any specific cause. It was a reasonable question, and I set off into Google Analytics to find some answers.

The first thing I noticed was that their direct traffic was quite high – over 40%. Which gave me an idea – why not segment their traffic by source and see which had the highest bounce rate? Of course, I anticipated that direct traffic would be the lowest, since those are people who presumably intended to arrive at their site, while those who arrived through search and referring links are somewhat taking their chances.

Wrong. Direct traffic had the highest bounce rate.

Continue reading "First of All, You’re Wrong " »

On our way back from a client visit last Thursday, it was such a beautiful day, we couldn't resist a detour to the new Farmer's Market on Vermont Avenue near the White House. And we were delighted to find another CDG client - Firefly Farms - as one of the most popular vendors at the market.

Firefly Farms, a local Maryland goat cheese producer, is a long-standing CDG client, and a favorite vendor at local farmer's markets. My favorite was always the Buche Noire but now that I've been introduced to the Ginger, Almonds & Honey Meadow Chevre, there's some competition. By luck or happenstance, they are particularly well-situated at the market, right next to a wonderful local baker where you can get croissants or a great crusty bread to complement your cheese.  Plus, it's a great day when you can visit your clients, get some great produce and cheese, and be outside on a beautiful fall day.

The White House Farmer's Market runs every Thursday afternoon from 3 - 7 p.m. until the end of October. There's no decision yet as to whether they'll extend or re-new it for next spring yet. But it's worth a visit, and Mrs. Obama has been known to drop by to pick up a few things, so you never know who you might run in to.

Every week, I get a Google Analytics report containing key metrics for this blog. Scanning through the data is a great way to get insights into who's coming here and why.

Until earlier this month, that is.

Continue reading "Twitter vs. the Long Tail" »

One of the coolest parts of my job is taking everything I already know about the web and interactive and applying it to a new client project, while also trying to add something different and creative.

To put it another way, 1 part Experience + 1 Part Creativity = Innovation.

So how can I draw out that knowledge and spark new ideas? Here are a few methods I like to use.

Continue reading "Experience + Creativity = Innovation" »

Ever been struck with a fantastic idea, only to realize that you’re the millionth person to think of it? That’s the story of this blog post. In a recent meeting, a client who had just started using Twitter for his business asked us about the protocol for following other people. Was it “polite,” he wanted to know, to reciprocate by following them?

Ah—a lightbulb! Why not do a post on Twitter etiquette? Wait—we’ll call it “Twittiquette.”

Alas, a quick Google search revealed that not only was the idea unoriginal—so was the name. On the up side, though, a conventional wisdom is developing around good Twitter behavior.

So allow me to channel Emily 140-Character Post and present a few rules of Twittiquette for your business.

1. DO follow (real) people who follow you.
Getting right to our client’s question, it’s a good idea to follow folks who follow you. Not only is it “polite,” it will help give you insight into your customer base. You’ll know what they’re doing, what they’re thinking about, and—in some cases—what they think about your products and services. Of course, if a spammer starts following you, there’s no need to return the “favor.”

2. DON’T go berserk with promotional tweets.
People aren’t on Twitter to read mini-commercials. If you have something genuinely interesting or important to say about your business—like a new product launch or an upcoming event—then go ahead. But unless you want people to tune out your tweets—or worse—stop following you, keep it to the bare minimum.

3. DON’T be disrespectful to your clients
In my favorite Twitter morality tale, a hot-shot ad guy (ironically using the grandiose moniker of “KeyInfluencer”) tweeted disparagingly about the city of Memphis. He was in the city visiting a hugely important client, FedEx, to give a seminar on . . . wait for it . . . social media. Someone at FedEx saw said tweet and clued in corporate executives. FedEx excoriated Mr. KeyInfluencer, and it’s safe to say the agency/client relationship was highly frayed.

This is a dramatic example of the dangers of Twitter, but the lesson bears repeating: Don’t tweet anything that you wouldn’t shout out loud in the middle of Times Square. You never know who’s listening.

4. DO ask questions.
As Fast Company points out on its blog, Twitter is about conversation, not “pontificating.” By asking questions, you help spark a dialogue, and hey—you can learn something!

5. DO be transparent
Authenticity is the currency of social media. Avoid all temptation to set up fake Twitter accounts to cheerlead for your business. People will get wise to it very fast. And you’ll never regain your credibility.

There you are. Rules as timeless as saying “please” and “thank you.” What are your guidelines for good Twitter etiquette?

When Conde Nast is writing about Ritz-Carlton Hotels offering Give-Back Getaways, then voluntourism has become a bona fide trend. It may be an outgrowth of the president’s initiative for community service – United We Serve  or it may just be a general trend toward altruism combined with some really great travel deals. Either way, I'm all for it.

The Ritz Carlton program includes opportunities to assist with the greening of Beijing by planting trees, participate in a music therapy session for disabled children in Istanbul, protect the Everglades in South Florida, and help the National Park Service preserve and protect the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Voluntourism can also be a way for hotels to fill rooms – either during traditionally slow times or after a specific event that impacts tourism in the area. After Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, our client, the 4-star Hotel Maison de Ville offered a special volunteer rate to those coming to help rebuild. The offer jump-started their reservations and allowed them to re-open much more quickly than they would have otherwise.  And knowing they would have a great place to stay in the heart of the French Quarter probably reassured and encouraged some volunteers to go.

Concern about facilities is a frequent concern for voluntourists, according to Tara Cavanagh, program manager of InterExchange’s Working Abroad. [Full disclosure: InterExchange is a CDG client.]  “You always want to ask what’s included in the fees,” Tara said when we asked how potential participants should evaluate programs. “Does it include just the participation in the activity or does it include house and food? And if it doesn’t include food, how remote a location will you be in? Will you easily be able to fend for yourself?”

Other questions Tara suggested asking:

• Is there 24/7 in-country support if you have trouble?
• Is there an orientation before you get started?
• How do they screen the participant organizations?
• Where do the fees go?
• How structured is the program?

This last is important, according to Tara. “The only horror stories I’ve heard from other programs are when people who need a structured environment are put in a situation where volunteers have to take the initiative – like orphanages that are so over-run they just need the volunteers to pitch in wherever they see a need. But if you need a more structured program then make sure you choose one that offers that experience.”

If you’re looking for a volunteer experience of your own, InterExchange offers volunteer programs that run from 2 to 12 weeks. The shortest programs are available in Australia, South Africa and Namibia working with wildlife and conservation projects.

And of course, I’m always a fan of Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village trips (I just returned from my fourth trip – this time to Egypt). If you’re looking for a trip closer to home, they also currently have trips listed to Mississippi and Hawaii.

Are there any projects that tempt you? Where would you want to go to volunteer?

In a time of uncertain business prospects, Merkle's inclusion in several lists in Advertising Age's Agency Report 2009 is all the more impressive. Why?

Not only is the Columbia, Md.-based database marketing agency -- a CDG Interactive client -- ranked among the nation’s top 10 Direct Marketing Agencies, in the top 25 U.S. Marketing Services Agencies and among the top 30 Agency Companies worldwide, but it's the fastest growing direct marketing agency of the U.S. Top 20.

And among the World’s Top 50 Agency Companies, Merkle holds position 27, up from 29 last year.

We're pleased to offer our interactive expertise to such distinguished company. Congratulations!