CWI Media & Marketing now offers a very convenient and cost-effective, complete start-to-finish handling of a mass mailing postcard project. Send us your mailing list and we can have approved postcards printed, labeled, stamped and mailed within a week, saving you time and money. If you mail them yourself, you will have to pay the regular first class rate, unless you get a mailing permit and pay an annual mailing fee to the post office in order to obtain the bulk rate. Below is the cost breakdown:
Trifold/brochure
100 pieces = $115 or $1.15 ea.
250 pieces = $155 or .62/ea.
500 pieces = $270 or .54/ea.
Oversized Postcards (full color front and back)
100 cards = $84 or .84/ea.
250 cards = $130 or .52/ea.
500 cards = $180 or .36/ea.
Mailing Costs
Bulk rate for 100 - 250 cards = .26/ea.
Bulk rate for 251+ cards = .25/ea.
Service Fee
Cost for labeling, stamping, sorting, mailing cards = $40
There is a one-time design/set up fee of $35 that applies to first-time orders. All future orders would be for the printing costs only, assuming we use the same approved post card mailer (and mailing/service fees if applicable).
We are proud to announce that CWI Media & Marketing has partnered with Business Bullpen and upUPperiscope to form a new and highly unique online advertising platform designed specifically for local Virginia business wanting to reach local Virginia consumers. AdvertiseVA.com consists of five Web sites:
- The Butter Room - A weblog that provides the view from and of Virginia. Local Virginians cover technology, music, the arts, culture, food, and all things Virginia.
- myScoper.com - A free and easy, interactive calendar of events serving Southwestern and Central Virginia.
- TechHoops.com - The most comprehensive Virginia Tech basketball website. The home for hardcore Hokie basketball fans.
- VTHokieFans.com - Virginia Tech football news, information, commentary and a list of Hokie-friendly places to watch the games.
- The Water Heater - A space concoction in Roanoke.
Print ads in local newspapers can cost upwards of $1,500 for one full page ad for one issue. A pay-per-click campaign like Google Adwords can cost thousands of dollars per month and you only get plain text ads, plus you have to manage a complex list of keywords and campaigns. AdvertiseVA.com takes away all of the stress of online marketing. For less than the cost of a couple of full page print ads, you can run a full color 200×200 ad on all five of our sites for a full 12 months … that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days. Plus, we will send you an e-mail each week showing you how many times your ad has been displayed and how many people have clicked on it to get to your Web site. Can a newspaper or print publication provide those kind of statistics? For more information, visit www.AdvertiseVA.com, or call Gary Cope at (540) 522-1122, or send an e-mail to gary@cwimedia.com.
Note: I write for TheButterRoom.com and the following column is from my latest contribution to TBR…
If you follow the Social Media and Technology industries, by now you have likely heard of BusinessWeek columnist Sarah Lacy. Even if you have not heard of her before, you may have seen or read something about her on the news in the last couple of days. On Friday, March 7, she interviewed Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg at South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) and the keynote address has been described by many as a “train wreck,” a “disaster” and an “out-and-out bomb,” among other, less critical adjectives.
Now, as with all things, there are two sides to this story and Lacy certainly has her supporters and you can read their side of the story here and here. Both links are to bloggers who readily support Lacy, but I think the point they are both missing is that whether it is right, wrong or indifferent, perception is reality and in today’s social media world, the perception among the target audience at this conference seems to be that Lacy did a poor job both interviewing Zuckerberg and handling the criticism.
The interview was lengthy, but you can get a feel for how quickly it went downhill by watching the first few minutes. For a more detailed recap of the hostile exchanges between Lacy and the audience, read CNET.com’s article by Daniel Terdiman. It makes me uncomfortable just reading about the confrontational nature of the interview.
Which Web browser do you use to surf the Web? According to the most recent statistics, more and more of you are choosing Mozilla’s Firefox Web browser. If you have been paying attention to the Web browser battle between Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox, then you know that IE is losing about 6 percent of its market share a year for the past three years.
Mozilla first introduced its Web browser, Version 1, on June 5, 2002. In its first full calendar year of public release (2003), only 4 percent of Web surfers were using it compared to nearly 85 percent for IE. Mozilla improved to 5.5 percent in 2004, while IE gained a modest 1/10th of a percent (84.7). In 2005, Mozilla release Firefox, the successor to its Mozilla browser and that’s when the ball started rolling for open source browser. Between existing version of Mozilla and the new Firefox, Mozilla went from 5.5 percent to 20 percent of the browser market share, taking a huge chunk out of IE’s popularity.
Since that watershed year, Mozilla has continued to chip away at IE’s lead in the browser war and as of January 2008, Mozilla browsers account for 38.5 percent to IE’s 54.7 percent. After a quick look at the Google Analytics stats for CWI’s clients, those numbers are very accurate.
What is causing IE’s decline in popularity? Is it the underdog status and grassroots ad campaigning for Firefox? Maybe Web surfers are just trying to “stick it to the man” (i.e. Microsoft) for shoving IE and Vista down our throats. Another possible explanation is the increasing popularity of Apple’s computer line and the fact that IE no longer supports a Mac-compatible version of the once-mighty version. Instead, Apple comes standard with Safari, though I immediately downloaded Firefox.
Personally, I believe Firefox is a more user-friendly browsers and it supported the use of tabs long before IE, which was the major “selling” point for me. I am a habitual multi-tasker and I cannot stand to have multiple windows opened on my computer, so when I discovered Mozilla Firefox and its tabbed feature, I was hooked immediately and IE began collecting dust in my Program Files folder. When Microsoft introduced IE 7 in 2006, it came with a tabbed browsing feature, but it was too little too late for this Web surfer.
The other reason Mozilla has been so successful, in my opinion, is the fact that it is an open source browser, which means it allows developers to create cool add-ons that let users integrate into the browser so they can do cool stuff like add a weather bug at the bottom of the browser, add various tool bars, and much more. IE lets you do that too, but is much more selective about which developers it will allow to create add-ons or plug-ins.
From a Web designer’s perspective, Firefox is fully compliant with current CSS Web design standards, while IE continues to defy the World Wide Consortium’s recommended guidelines regarding CSS and other Web design coding standards. Often times, this forces Web designers to design Web sites with specific coding, or “hacks”, specifically for the IE browsers. This is a major headache. However, it is no surprise that we are hearing rumors that IE 8, expected to be release later this year, will be fully CSS compliant. I say “no surprise” because IE continues to lose market share in the browser war and they are finally realizing that they are no longer the dominant browser of choice. In fact, if they continue to lose 6 percent a year, Mozilla will be the most popular browser by January 2010.
Lastly, Firefox is widely considered a more secure Web browser. Because Mozilla is an open source platform, some of the best minds in the world are constantly testing it and improving it, making it one of the most secure Web browsers available today and it is all completely free. Microsoft, on the other hand, is not an open source company and maintains strict security measures to protect their IE browser, which is also free.
If you would like to try Mozilla Firefox, you download it for free here. I highly recommend it.
I’ve been reading up on the history of the “nofollow” tag as well as countless blogs preaching both the pros and cons, trying to decide when best to use it, and if I should use it at all. I won’t bore you with the background of the nofollow attribute; if you really want to read about it check out Wikipedia’s entry (for the record, I added the nofollow tag to the previous link - take that Wikipedia!). In a nutshell, the nofollow tag is designed to instruct search engine (SE) robots/spiders to not follow a link that includes the tag, and to not allow the linked-to page to receive a boost in page rank because of the link. Essentially, you’re telling the SEs that while you are linking to a site, you don’t want that site’s ranking to be influenced by your link.
The nofollow tag was originally intended to reduce certain types of SE spam. Though a non-standard HTML attribute, all four major SE (Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask) support it, but interpret it differently. Again, if you want more details, click on the aforementioned link to Wikipedia.
So, should I use nofollow tags? Well, here’s what I’ve decided to do with my sites: I plan to use the nofollow tag for internal links to non-relevant (to my intended audience) pages such as the “terms of use” page, the “site map” page and the in some cases, the “about us” page. This use is encouraged by Google’s Matt Cutts, who is the co-creator of the nofollow tag. And, well, if Google says jump, we all say how high … uh, not so much. But, in this case, I agree.
I have no problem allowing the SE’s to count my link in the linked-to page’s ranking. I kind of thought that was the point of linking? You link to a page because it is relevant to the topic on which you are writing, so why would you want the SEs to ignore the relationship? For example, I write for a couple of Virginia Tech sports-related blogs because I’m a big Hokie fan (class of ‘97 baby!), so if I’m writing for the football site and I add a link to the box score found on another Web site, I wouldn’t want to use the nofollow tag on that link because the information on that linked-to page is relevant to my topic and I want the SEs to know it.
Now, I could see an example, though rare, in which you would want to add a nofollow to a site, that while relevant to your discussion or article, may contain content you find objectionable, or that you do not agree with. This is an extreme example, but say you are a new reporter, or you blog about race relations in the U.S., and you are writing about a hate site that posted a particularly offensive article - well, you may want your readers to see for themselves what you are objecting to, but you definitely don’t want the Web site’s ranking to be positively influenced by your link, so in that example (rare as it may be), I would certainly add a nofollow tag.
Please keep in mind, I’m not talking about the comments people leave on your blog or site. For example, SEOMoz.org automatically adds nofollow tags to all comments left on their site and I completely support that decision because it makes sense. You don’t want some SEO celebrity wannabe spamming your comments with links to his/her blog or Web site trying to build up their ranking from a credible and legit site like SEOMoz. The nofollow tag was intended to prevent this type of abuse, though the argument has been made by many SEOs that it isn’t working because Google misinterpreted the intent of spammers in that they don’t necessarily care as much about their site’s ranking as much as they care about blasting as many people as they can with their crap in the hopes that a few clueless individuals will actually click on their links.
OK - I’ve given my thoughts, what about yours? Am I way off? Am I missing something? Help me out here - it’s the only way we get better!
CWI Media & Marketing is pleased to announce the launch of the new Web site for Anderson Audiology in Dublin, VA.
About Anderson Audiology:
Anderson Audiology Hearing Aid Sales & Service, Inc., strives to provide hearing care services of the highest possible quality, in an environment of true caring and concern for the best interest of our patients.
Visit their new site at www.hearindublin.com.
Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008 - Today, CWI Media & Marketing launched the new Web site for Winchester Cardiology & Internal Medicine - www.wcim.net or www.winchestercardiology.com.
About Winchester Cardiology & Internal Medicine:
Winchester Cardiology & Internal Medicine’s mission is to provide the highest quality cardiovascular and primary care services, ensuring that patients have access to the gamut of advanced diagnostic and medical treatments, along with receiving competent and compassionate care. Our team of board certified physicians and medical professionals will make sure that your best interests are at the heart of every medical recommendation.
Our group is made up of 16 physicians at four locations in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. You can rely on us to provide you with the highest level of cardiac care available through the expertise of our experienced specialists and staff at Winchester Cardiology & Internal Medicine, along with the Heart & Vascular Center of Jefferson.
By Gary Cope
President
We all know, or at least we should know, that products and services we see in an advertisements may not be exactly what we get. This concept is called “truth in advertising.” For example - you know those big, fat juicy hamburgers you see on all of the fast food commercials? When was the last time the hamburger you bought looked like what you saw in the TV ad? Probably never.
If you have ever shopped around for a low-cost, cheap Web design, chances are you have come across a great deal that lets you get a Web site for around $150. Wow! That sounds like a great deal - where do I sign up?? Oh, wait, I already have a Web site (www.cwimedia.com), but if you do not and are considering this deal, please read the fine print and ask a lot questions before you buy. This way you know exactly what you are getting. Also, it would be a good idea to get it in writing.
Generally, this offer includes 1-3 Web pages based on a template site, not a custom design. This means that other companies may have the same Web site design that you choose. It’s almost as embarrassing as showing up to a ball wearing the same dress as another woman … not that I would know (I’m a man and don’t wear dresses), but I hear it is rather embarrassing. 
If you are on a very tight budget and absolutely need a Web site (and who doesn’t?), a template certainly provides the cost savings. However, if you truly want your business to stand out and be unique, then a custom Web design is the only way to go.
Another important thing to keep in mind is how easy will it be for your to edit your site? Will the company be willing to teach you how to update your own site? Most do not. CWI Media & Marketing does (clever little sales pitch mixed in there). Customer service is very important, so make sure you know how the process will work to update your site. And, if you are registering a domain and/or hosting account, make sure it is in your name and not the name of the company you hired. You are paying for your domain and hosting, you should have access to it. This would allow you to more easily transfer your domain later, should you choose.
Have questions? Fire away at info@cwimedia.com.
By Gary Cope
President
We all know, or at least we should know, that products and services we see in an advertisements may not be exactly what we get. This concept is called “truth in advertising.” For example - you know those big, fat juicy hamburgers you see on all of the fast food commercials? When was the last time the hamburger you bought looked like what you saw in the TV ad? Probably never.
If you have ever shopped around for a low-cost, cheap Web design, chances are you have come across a great deal that lets you get a Web site for around $150. Wow! That sounds like a great deal - where do I sign up?? Oh, wait, I already have a Web site (www.cwimedia.com), but if you do not and are considering this deal, please read the fine print and ask a lot questions before you buy. This way you know exactly what you are getting. Also, it would be a good idea to get it in writing.
Generally, this offer includes 1-3 Web pages based on a template site, not a custom design. This means that other companies may have the same Web site design that you choose. It’s almost as embarrassing as showing up to a ball wearing the same dress as another woman … not that I would know (I’m a man and don’t wear dresses), but I hear it is rather embarrassing.
If you are on a very tight budget and absolutely need a Web site (and who doesn’t?), a template certainly provides the cost savings. However, if you truly want your business to stand out and be unique, then a custom Web design is the only way to go.
Another important thing to keep in mind is how easy will it be for your to edit your site? Will the company be willing to teach you how to update your own site? Most do not. CWI Media & Marketing does (clever little sales pitch mixed in there). Customer service is very important, so make sure you know how the process will work to update your site. And, if you are registering a domain and/or hosting account, make sure it is in your name and not the name of the company you hired. You are paying for your domain and hosting, you should have access to it. This would allow you to more easily transfer your domain later, should you choose.
Have questions? Fire away at info@cwimedia.com.
By Gary Cope
President
In an earlier CWI Connection, we showed you how to add your business to Google Local for free. To start off the new year, we want to help you get your business listed on yet another free service - Yahoo! Local. The term “Local” for both Google and Yahoo essentially refers to each search engine’s map search feature. For example, if I do a “find business” Google search for “coffee” in “pulaski va” the first result I get is Coffee Buy The Book at 10 W. Main Street in downtown Pulaski.
To see if your business is listed on Yahoo! Local, go to http://local.yahoo.com, enter your zip code and then search for your business. If it is not listed, go to http://listings.local.yahoo.com/csubmit/index.php and complete the form to submit your business to Yahoo! Local. This will help people find your business and it may improve your Web site’s SEO; assuming you have a Web site. If you have questions, e-mail me at gary@cwimedia.com.