Trapster lets you report speed traps, people slow down, everybody wins

I just signed up for Trapster, a free application for your cell phone or PDA that lets you report speed traps - and alerts you to speed traps that others report. I am going to download it to my iPhone and see how well it works. You call an 800 number to report any speed traps. Your alert is relayed to the PDAs and phones of people in the vicinity. They can rate the reliability of the reports. You can add it to Google Maps using Loki. It is an intriguing use of presence awareness.

Maximize your web copy's message: the F-shape and eye scans

Want to write powerful copy for your website? Learn about Jakob Nielsen's studies. The usability guru once categorized the typical way someone reads hypertext as an F.

He found that most of us read text from left to right

==========>===================>==========>
then return ||
<====================<=================<==

then read down the left side
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
\/
then go to the right and back again
==============>=========>
| | | |
| | | |
| |==<=========<=======<==
| |
| |
\/
and then down the left some more, forming a visual "F"
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
\/

He also found that people, unsurprisingly, do not intensively read text (although they do scrutinize small text.) They scan the words.

How is this useful? Well, if you

1. emphasize the first two sentences of your text
2. use clear and powerful language at the beginning of sentences, the beginnings and ends of paragraphs. and
3. use bullets, subheads, and small graphics to highlight your main points

you will increase the likelihood your reader will get the idaes you want to convey.

Interesting expansion on the related usability concepts of eye tracking and heat maps here. I cannot vouch for the company's work, but their video example is very useful to better understand these concepts.

Authenticity

I received an email from a friend not too long ago. The title was "Asking for Help." I did not know this woman very well, but I liked her. Did I open the email? You betcha.

Why did I open it? Because that title was irresistible. It was simple, sincere, and direct.

I not only opened the email, I read it in its entirety. Then I forwarded it to a group of friends. Turns out my friend's niece has a genetic disorder and my friend wanted to host a silent auction to help the family manage the financial burden that comes with those challenges. She wrote a straightforward request for help, for an easily understandable reason, so it was very easy to answer it.

I think we have entered an era where authenticity and simplicity must be a part of your messaging. Potential customers are savvy enough to zip through fluff and hype generated by lazy marketers, salespeople and hucksters. Your value proposition needs to be valid, and it needs to emotionally and intellectually resonate with the prospect. That is, it should pass the BS filter along with the "I want to be a part of that" filter.

PS Emmy's journey is here, if you want to answer the call for help.

Quick search engine optimization tip: TITLE tags

Here is a quick boost to improve your website's results in search engines. Take a look at your TITLE tags. How?

1. Go to the page you want to view.
2. Click on the View drop down menu at the top of your browser.
3. Choose Source (in Internet Explorer).
4. Look for TITLE in brackets like this "<>" near the top of all that code. Read the text between TITLE and /TITLE. Both words are surrounded by < and >. The TITLE phrase is what you see in the title bar at the top of your browser.

To optimize:
1. Do recognize that the first 65 characters of your TITLE tag are the most important. Lead with your strongest keywords.
2. Do use plain English. The TITLE needs to be in normal English - sentence structure is optimal.
3. Do NOT stuff your keywords! Do NOT string a ton of keywords together and call it a title.
3. Do standardize your title tags. If you sell products, I'd lead with product, then product category, then company. If you sell services, lead with the service, the company and the call to action.
4. Do make every title different. Vary the products first, of course.

Make-A-Wish rocks

Call me Captain Obvious, but I think it's worth noting that Make-a-Wish does the work of angels. Can you remember dreaming as a child about a fairy godmother who would come and grant you a spectacular wish? I remember, greedy girl that I was, strategizing how to transform that one wish into an infinite number, so I'd be ready if I were ever lucky enough to find a genie in a bottle.

As an adult, I was lucky enough to volunteer with the Seattle office of Make-A-Wish for over two years. I managed their website and did whatever marketing the savvy, deeply compassionate, and whip-smart marketing director Sandy Rhyneer needed me to do. They was the most inspiring, competent and committed team I've worked with to date, and every visit to the office was fun-filled and irreverent.

The first week, Sandy asked me to call some "wish families" to ask if we could use their testimonials in the annual report. The first two calls were uneventful. On my third call, a woman answered the phone. With sad grace, she told me her five-year-old son had died the previous week but that we were welcome to use his wish story, because Make-A-Wish brought him delight when he needed ot the most. I hung up the phone, put my head on the desk and cried - for her loss, for that child's uncontrollably short life, and for the pure gratitude she mustered in the midst of her grief.

The majority of children referred to Make-A-Wish recover from their life-threatening illnesses. Waving your magic wand and granting a child's wish, unexpectedly and with no strings attached, answers a deeply-felt call. What better thing is there to do than to help a child suspend his or her suffering for a time while that child realizes his or her dream?

You can learn more about the national Make-A-Wish organization here. Seattle's website is here and Colorado's foundation is here.

They get many requests to volunteer in the office, so I'd look on their websites to see if they are specifically asking for volunteers. What they absolutely need is people who will host fund-raisers in their homes, work with companies to match donations, or simply give money individually. So, if you have talent, time or treasure to put to use, please consider them.

Official blog launch

Greetings, everyone! This will be the official blog for Amplify Marketing. I will be blogging on business topics related to marketing and technology. My goal is to provide useful information about cool tools and useful sites that help clients and friends extend your online presence and, ultimately, improve your business.