Etsy: Hipster Crafting Haven and Marketing Smarty
Launched in the summer of 2005, Etsy, the purveying marketplace for hipster crafts, generated more than $2.4 billion in gross merchandise sales, had 1.6 million active sellers, and 24 million active buyers in 2015. I think it’s safe to say this New York based crafting empire must be doing something right within its marketing and advertising strategies. Aside from their inadvertent marketing from its members who are simply promoting their personal online shops, Etsy has made major strides in its marketing strategies. With heavy social media outreach, transparent blogging techniques, on location pop-up shops and craft labs – Etsy will continue to grow its seller and customer base. As a Florida marketing agency, we find inspiration for our own strategies everywhere including a million dollar arts and craft mogul like Etsy. Take some cues from this savvy craftzilla company and some of their marketing and advertising strategies: Be a social media powerhouse – From Twitter and Facebook to Pinterest and Tumblr, their social media empire is ever growing. Etsy directly promotes its users’ content and products, blog articles via its social media accounts. They have a strong online presence and are excited to tell the world about their crafty goodness. Have a “show and tell” of your own and represent your company on the social front. Tweet daily updates about new products or office happenings. Connect directly with customers on Facebook and share images and links from your blog posts, shop windows or product. Share some creative inspiration on Pinterest and add a PinIt button to your website or blog to optimize others to share your content. Create a youtube channel and engage customers on a more personable level. Let them see your face, hear your voice, and learn a bit more about the company they are doing business with. Focus on your local community with on-location events – This holiday, Etsy featured a craft pop-up shop in the trendy NY neighborhood of SoHo. Featuring celebrity artists, craft workshops and more; they even curated a hand painted wall mural above the shop. Outside of the holidays, Etsy hosts free monthly workshops out of their office lab. Let your customers experience your personal hospitality and get to know them face to face with an in-store event or a social night. Think of your mobile users – [quote]More than 50% of Etsy visitors are viewing the site from mobile devices.[/quote] Launching its first iPhone App in November 2011, Etsy reached over 100 million downloads in just four months from its release date. You may not need to go to the extreme of building an app for your business, but you should consider developing a separate mobile site to enhance your online presence or at least take steps to make your site a bit more mobile-friendly. Promotional ads and content to drive traffic– Etsy supplies their members with promo badges to support their personal Etsy shops which in turn encourages more visits to Etsy.com and increases overall revenue for the company. A great way to bolster your advertising promotions is researching new publishers that share interest with your customer base (blogs, websites and social sites) that offer ad space. Many offer affordable advertising packages to post small ads that can drive more traffic to your site and awareness about your company. What additional tips do you have for online marketing? While we’re on the subject of social media, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Youtube. We like to keep things interesting.
How three businesses are turning tech into sustainable business
According to a Washington Post report published on Tuesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that 2012 was the hottest on record for the lower 48 states, indicative of a trend of hotter, drier and potentially more extreme weather. The scientists reported that, while some of this increase is due to cyclical weather patterns, it is also due at least in part of the burning of fossil fuels, which is thereby contributing to climate change. While people have been discussing the potential dangers of climate change for decades, there have also been many reasons for businesses to discount their role in vying for economically sustainable business. Finding ways to reduce, reuse and recycle may be more expensive and difficult to enact, resulting in a string of complex issues for many companies that seek to keep shareholders happy by keeping the bottom line as low as possible. However, a new breed of entrepreneurs is vested in finding ways to revolutionize their respective industries, with an understanding that while costs may be higher in the short-term, the sustainable practices will cut operating costs and increase efficiency down the line. Specifically, some tech, media and marketing companies are now working harder than ever to ensure sustainable business. What follows are some of our Florida marketing agency’s favorites: Affordable Internet Services Online What sets AISO apart is not necessarily its services, though those are top-of-the-line amongst competing web hosting providers. AISO’s AMD Opteron servers, which are powered by IBM, use 60% less energy and generate 50% less heat than competitors. And, being located in the Palm Valley Desert offers another environmental perk – the company’s facility is 100% solar powered, and has been for 14 years. Peak-Ryzex Peak-Ryzex specializes in upkeeping and maintaining products that are still functional, but that would otherwise end up in landfills. In 2006, the Ryzex Group made a drastic move and got rid of all of its trash cans, leading to a business environment where the employees recycle everything – literally. Since it’s recent merger with Peak, we have our fingers crossed that the Ryzex family will keep its traditions alive and will spread them to other industries. ReCellular The name says it all. ReCellular is an online company dedicated to allowing people to buy and sell electronic devices that they might otherwise discard. Through a division called Securetrade-in, the company offers easy and efficient tools to help you assess the value of your gently used device, which you can then sell back to for someone else to purchase. They’ll even scrub and remove your data for you, in case you forget to do so yourself before sending it in. Once you’ve sold, you can use your extra cash to purchase a used device through another division called MobileKarma. Don’t know much about our Florida advertising agency? Check us out. You’ll be happy with what you learn. If you think your company can’t be green, too, take some inspiration from these companies and make small strides toward operating a green business. By going paperless, purchasing gently used equipment and recycling your own goods, you can do your part to help your company contribute to sustainability (and, at our Orlando advertising agency, we’ve learned that we can save a few bucks, too!).
12 things to do in Orlando before the world ends
12.21.12. The end of the Mayan calendar. Some believe all existence as we know it will cease that day; others see it as a more hopeful time in history—when the many “End of the World” Facebook events are finally removed from their calendars. Whatever the case, let go of your fears and throw inhibition to the wind. If the apocalypse is coming, at least have some fun before it gets here. Enjoy your last days on Earth by doing a few of the things in Orlando you’ve always wanted to do… and even some you’ve never considered. 1. Sing Karaoke. The venue: Big Daddy’s Roadhouse on Corrine Drive. The song: “I Will Always Love You.” And yes, go for the high note. 2. Treat yourself to as many roast beef sandwiches your heart desires at Beefy King on Bumby. Don’t forget the spuds (tater tots). 3. Sell your gold for cash to the “We Buy Gold” man on Colonial and MaGuire, then put it toward a monster-sized 3D flat-screen TV. Because if, by chance, the world doesn’t end, you’ll have it for the Superbowl. 4. Host a disaster flick marathon with your closest friends at the Enzian Theater on South Orlando Avenue. Order the truffle potato chips. 5. Visit one of Orlando’s icons while simultaneously watching the sky for falling asteroids at the Orlando Science Center Planetarium. 6. Drain yourself to complete exhaustion at SkyZone Trampoline Park in Clermont. You know… so you sleep through the whole catastrophe thing. 7. Perform your own routine at the SAK Comedy Lab on South Orange Avenue. Who cares if no one laughs… It’s the apocalypse, and they’re all going to die. 8. Drive to Blue Springs State Park to tell the visiting manatees that you love them and that you think they are beautiful one last time—even though they are some of the strangest looking mammals you’ve ever laid eyes on. 9. Walk into every store at the Mall at Millenia and loudly pronounce that you’ll take one of everything. Be extremely loud in Neiman Marcus. It’s a big place. 10. Visit Skycraft on Fairbanks to collect various electronics and industrial supplies. Not sure what they are? Get them anyway… in case your inner MacGyver emerges amidst the mayhem. 11. Take some of your leftover cash (whatever is leftover from #3 above) and treat yourself to a steak and lobster dinner at the legendary Del Frisco’s steakhouse on Lee Road. Heck, it’s the end of the world, so get drinks and dessert, too. 12. Risk it all. Ride to the center of the Lake Eola in one of the giant swan boats during the apocalypse and wait to see what happens.
Ten reasons why Florida is perfect for an advertising agency
Think Florida is only good for spring breakers or your grandmother’s retirement community? Of course it’s not – it’s actually an ideal desintation for a marketing company or advertising agency. Our Florida advertising agency thrives in the midst of a state known for its beaches, sunshine and diverse population. What follows are just a few reasons why Florida is perfect for your advertising agency. The Weather (of course!): Why commute for an hour in the snow to get to your office in a Manhattan skyscraper when you can instead work from your laptop on the beach? Florida always sounds like a good idea when your heater is on the fritz and you’re shivering from the cold. It’s Cheaper than Larger Cities: In the big cities, nearly everything is more expensive. People who drive often must pay hundreds of dollars just to be able to park each month. Even cocktails are more expensive – a cheap happy hour is virtually unheard of in New York City. If you’re looking to expand your agency, but want to build up your practice in a space that won’t break the bank, Florida might be great for you. Burgeoning Technology Communities: Though it may not be Silicon Valley, Florida is an incubator for tons of small businesses and technological startups. For example, St. Petersburg’s Gazelle Labs is actively serving entrepreneurs by encouraging community and mentorship. Tourism: Where there’s tourism, there’s marketing needs – and Florida has a ton of destinations. From Jacksonville to Key West, the state is full of sandy beaches, boisterous nightlife and family friendly adventures, and the companies that make Florida into a tourist destination rely on marketers to keep people returning year after year. Fresh Talent: With state-funded education programs and high-achieving college graduates who need jobs, Florida is the place to find and recruit the fresh talent from some of the best research universities in the country. Second-Best State for Business: ChiefExectuve.net calls Florida the second-best state for business in 2012. According to the website, the state ranks favorably for business in terms of taxation and regulations, workforce quality and living environment. As More Companies Invest In Florida, There’s More Money to Go Around: An influx in businesses in Florida means that more people are employed, and have more income to spend on lifestyle needs. All of these aspects of a recovering economy are good for marketers – more people will spend money on products and services to help grow their companies, keeping marketers busy with a steady client database. Diversity in Population: Florida attracts all kinds of people. From residents who have been in the states for generations to immigrants who are just learning English, marketers can make connections to all types of people. Ad agencies that specialize in products and services for the Spanish-speaking population may find as much success in Florida as they would in places like New York City and California, both of which also have high numbers of Spanish-speaking residents. No State Income Tax: In some states, people pay income tax rates as high as 11% per year in income tax. Imagine having $11 extra dollars to spend for every $100 on your paycheck – it goes a long way, fast. If you’re considering establishing a Florida advertising agency, we hope that we can persuade you that Florida really is perfect for businesses of all sizes.
BIGEYE volunteers help out at the Orlando rescue mission
On the Monday before Thanksgiving the BIGEYE team piled up in our cars and headed over to the Orlando Rescue Mission. We had the privilege to tour the facility and see some of the amazing things that are going on there. The Orlando Rescue Mission is one of the oldest and largest homeless service providers in Central Florida. Their programs are designed to lead the homeless to permanent independence as well as providing for immediate needs. BIGEYE volunteered in the kitchen and served a delicious lunch to the residents and staff of the Orlando Rescue Mission. We had a great time in fellowship and helping to provide a smile and a warm meal for those in need. Here at BIGEYE we have big hearts. Find out more about who we are on our agency page.
BIGEYE presents a Monstrous Halloween Infographic
BIGEYE presents important facts about Monsters in this latest infographic… For epic design work, contact our creative services team. Monstrous Halloween By BIGEYE Posted on October 16, 2012 Creatures of the Silver Screen Godzilla stood over 50 meters tall and weighed 20,000 metric tons. The 1st Frankenstein film created was a single-reel silent movie made in 1910. Nosferatu was the 1st vampire movie filmed in 1922. Signs of a werewolf: fur, unibrow, fangs, hair palms, long middle finger. Safest countries during a zombie outbreak: Australia, Canada, United States, Russia, Kazakhstan. The countries were graded according to their global location, topography, weapon access, population and “military preparedness” by the staff of LiveScience.
Post-Olympics Infographic
BIGEYE Creative, an Orlando advertising agency, brings to you a post-olympics wrap-up and some fun facts! Not trying to brag, but our design team at BIGEYE is pretty awesome. See what else we can do. Post-Olympics London 2012 By BIGEYE Posted on August 29, 2012 Interesting post games facts The Olympic Games Opening Ceremony: 7,500 volunteers. 40 million viewers tuned in. $42 million cost. Tickets as high as $3,139 and as low as $31. The Olympic Games Closing Ceremony: 3,500 volunteers. 21 million viewers tuned in. $23 million cost. Tickets as high as $2,340 and as low as $31. Total spent on the Olympics: $17 billion. Tweets of Olympic Proportions: There were more tweets in a single day a week before the 2012 London Games began than during the entire 2008 Beijing Games combined. 60% of the athletes from Great Britain & Northern Ireland were actively Tweeting during the games. Gabby Douglas, “The Flying Squirrel” was the most-watched Olympian athlete at the 2012 Olympics, beating out Michael Phelps by more than 11 million views! Queen Elizabeth II’s granddaughter, Zara Phillips, competed with the British equestrian team for the 2012 Olympics. She won the silver. The Olympic flag has five interconnected rings of different colors on top of a white background to symbolize the five major regions of the world. They are interconnected to symbolize the friendship from the international competitions. An Olympic city: London is the first city to host the Olympic Games three times. London has also hosted the Olympic Games in 1908 and 1948. The first modern Olympics was held in 1896 in Athens, Greece. It featured 280 athletes, 13 nations, 280 participants, and 43 events. The Olympic Games began in Olympia, Green 2,700 years ago as part of a religious festival to honor the god Zeus.
The 2012 Summer Olympics in London
Over the past 3 weeks I’ve laughed, cried, lost sleep, cheered on the underdogs and logged more television hours than I care to count. That’s right, I’m talking about the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. I found myself watching literally every sport—even sports I never knew existed—and cheering them on like I was an expert in the field! From rowing (my favorite since I rowed in high school) to diving, from gymnastics to even table tennis, I enjoyed every breathtaking moment. From Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated Olympian ever, to Gabby Douglas becoming the first African-American to win gymnastics individual all-around gold, these Olympics were full of amazing and unforgettable moments. If I had to pick two that were my personal favorites they would be, Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee from South Africa who made his Olympic debut, and the ever impressive duo of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings who won their third consecutive gold in women’s beach volleyball. Then there are the TV commercials. I must say that as a mom of a young aspiring athlete, the Proctor & Gamble “Thank You, Mom” ads got me every time. I couldn’t watch a single one without balling like a baby. I also loved the Nike “Find Your Greatness” ads. Again, as a parent of a young child, these reaffirm that you can be great without being an Olympic athlete. I absolutely love that every two years we can come together and cheer for our country, watching the best of the best attain near perfection, shed a tear for those who don’t, and proudly sing along when our country’s flag is raised and our national anthem is played for the world to hear. Only 540 more days until the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi! Written by, Laurie Sparks, BigEye Creative Finance Coordinator Let us know who you are rooting for and learn more about the BIGEYE family here!
Back to School Infographic: It’s that time again!
Super-Fun Back to School Facts! Created by the BigEye Design Team! We have a team of super-skilled designers, check out what they can do for you. Back to School By BIGEYE Posted on August 9, 2012 It’s that time again! Time to stock up on #2 pencils, notebooks, and new calculators. Will you be taking Biology or British Lit this semester? Trig or Tennis? Say goodbye to the summer and hello to long nights of pizza and page turning. The price of education: The average American is expected to spend $688 on Back to School supplies per student. Clothing/accessories are around $246, electronics are $218, shoes an average of $129, and supplies around $95. Together, school-age and college expenses rank among the biggest consumer events of the year! When parents buy school supplies, Moms shop more at discount store (71% vs. 62% of dads). Dads shop more at department stores (65%) vs moms (55%). Dads also shop more at electronic stores (33%) vs moms (20%). 48% of parents shop online at least one month before school starts. 72% of parents say their kids influence half of the items they buy. 27% of students, aged 12-17, were in gifted classes in 2009. As of October 2010, 72% of children ages 3-6 were enrolled in kindergarten. 12 million children spoke another language other than English at home in 2010. Start dates for Florida Schools and Colleges: Wednesday August 8, 2012 – Brevard County Monday August 13, 2012 – Seminole County Monday August 20, 2012 – Orange Lake Volusia County & UCF & Rollins Friday August 24, 2012 – Osceola County Monday August 27, 2012 0 Valencia College
BIGEYE is all about that Summer sizzle: Infographic
Summertime is here and in full swing! To celebrate summer our amazing design team has created this fun, fact-filled infographic for your reading pleasure…enjoy! All summer By BIGEYE. Posted July 30, 2012 Summertime is here and in full swing! To celebrate summer our amazing design team has created this fun, fact-filled infographics for your reading pleasure…enjoy! Summer Sizzle The dog days of summer have officially arrived. Impress your friends at pool parties and barbecues with these sizzling summer facts. Summer 2010 hot 100 #1 top hit Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen Arguably the song of summer 2012. The video has nearly 150 million views on YouTube and it continues to rank #1 on the Billboard hot 100 chart. Fresh Watermelon: A Summer Favorite The world’s top watermelon producing countries China 65 million tons Turkey 5.4 million tons Iran 5.5 million tons Brazil 1.9 million tons USA 1.9 million tons The largest watermelon was grown in 1990 by Bill Carson of Tennessee, weighting 262 pounds. The top five states in U.S. watermelon production, accounting for more than 75% of the total are: Florida, California, Texas, Georgia, Indiana. One of the more annoying parts of summer is the Mosquito. These pesky buggers have been around for 50 million years. So it’s safe to say they’re not going anywhere. Avoid wearing dark clothing to prevent the swatting. It’s been proven to attract mosquitos. OOO LA LA ! France’s Eiffel Tower can grow by more than 6 inches in summer due to the expansion of the iron on hot days. The world record for the largest sand castle is 31 feet, 10 inches high, completed by Ed Jarrett in 2001. It took 40 dump truck loads and 2,500 hours to complete. Summer Lovin’ The popsicle was invented on accident by an 11-year-old in 1905. More than 2 billion are sold every year! Today’s most loved popsicle flavor is Cherry. National Cherry Popsicle Day: August 26th. The sun shines an average of 709 hours in the U.S. every summer. Back to the beach The EPA recommends applying 1 ounce of sunscreen every 2 hours when at the beach and more often if you are swimming or perspiring. Sandy beaches account for over 1350 miles of Florida coastline. There is more than 8,426 miles of tidal shoreline in Florida, which is second largest in the United States. Alaska ranks the highest. Top 8 Florida beaches ranked by U.S. News and world report. Sanibel island Destin Fort Lauderdale Naples Miami Beach West Palm Beach Key West Fort Myers