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William Rice With less than one month to go
until the deadline for entering the 12th annual international WebAward competition,
we hope to provide a series of hints on how to increase your changes of
winning this prestigious Website award. Be sure to check our WMA blog regularly or subscribe to its RSS
feed for greater insight into putting your best foot forward and
winning a WebAward. 5 Tips to Impress the
WebAward Judges 1) Provide a Direct URL
to the entry - One mistake agencies that submit multiple entries
make is to create a page that shows all of the entries and uses the same
URL for all of the entries. It is much better to provide a direct URL
for each entry, the judges do not need a landing page to be impressed
with your entry, they just want to review the site and multiple sites on
the same page increases the chances that they might review the wrong
site.
2) Make sure the URL
works - The last thing you want is to find out that your entry
was not judged because the URL was invalid or the changed before the
site was reviewed. If the judges can't see the site, they can't score it
and it will be disqualified. One thing that causes a URL to fail is
nominators that include instructions in the URL like "www.webaward.org - click on the big
button". Instructions belong in the instructions field, not the URL.
3) Be brief and to the
point - The Audience and mission statement helps the judges
understand the goals of the site before the review. Their advice is to
keep the narrative short and sweet. Who is the site's audience? What are
you trying to accomplish with the site - direct sales, branding,
information, etc? What are some of the features that might not be
apparent? These are what the judges are looking for. 4) List the requirements
necessary to view the site - Some sites using the latest
technologies require specific versions of products (Shockwave 11.0 or
Adobe Flash version 9.0 for example) or the download of plug ins or
executable programs to review an entry. They will be more willing to
comply if they know what is expected when they review the entry form.
Also, let the judges know if your site only works on Internet Explorer
because they may be using other browsers. 5) Make sure the password
works - If the site is password protected, please make sure the
user name and password are active until August 15th. This point mirrors
Tip #2 - . If the judges can't see the site, they can't score it and it
will be disqualified. Passwords that change during the competition can
be updated by email Who has the Meatballs?
Congratulations to Valerie
Neuschwander of Web Associates, Gail E. Hageman of Sutherland Asbill &
Brennan LLP and Kimberly Brookes of Wyndham Hotel Group for being
selected to win a copy of Seth Godins book from last month's newsletter.
In addition, Margaret Lahey of Mailer Mailer responded to our blog
posting about a drawing and she was selected to receive a copy as well.
ad:tech Miami Drawing
ad:tech, the premier
interactive marketing event, comes to Miami this June and once again one
reader of Interactive Briefing will receive a complimentary full
conference pass. All you need to do to enter is email your contact
information to adtech@webaward.org. One person will be chosen
to receive the conference pass on May 12th so don't wait and enter
today.
Call for WebAward Judges
Each year, we look to add
experienced Internet professionals to the ranks of our WebAward Judging
Panel. We select new judges based on the number of returning judges, the
number of entries and the number of qualified applicants. Being a
WebAward judge is a valuable experience that helps the individual better
understand overall Web development and of course looks impressive on a
resume or corporate bio. If you or someone in your
organization would make a good judge, you can nominate them for
consideration to be named a 2008 WebAward judge by using the Judges
Nomination Form. If you have been a judge in the
past, you should have received an email with instructions on how to
participate this year. If not, please email me and I will look into it
for you. We Still Need Your Help
The Web Marketing Association
is a volunteer organization that each year produces the WebAward
program. We need your help in spreading the news about our call for
entry to other Internet Professionals. Our greatest marketing asset is
you our newsletter readers. You can help by: Emailing other professionals or
site owners and ask them to participate in the WebAwards. Blog about the WebAwards.
Either on your blog or industry blogs, write about our call for entry or
your experiences with the WebAwards. You can point them to our blog
posting for the Call for Entry the URL is
http://www.webmarketingassociation.org/blog/2008/04/web_marketing_associations_12t.html.
Tell others within your
organization. It is difficult to maintain contact with past participants
via email. People change responsibilities, email addresses change and
companies merge. Make sure the correct people within your organization,
including offices in other cities know about the WebAwards. The more
awards your organization wins, the more recognition you will receive.
With your help we can have the
most successful WebAward competition ever! Bill Rice
WebAward Competition - -- The 2008 WebAward competition Call for Entries less than one month away. Now is the time to enter! All entries received after the deadline of May 31, 2008 are subject to a late fee. Interactive Advertising Competition (IAC) Awards - --The 2008 IAC Awards winner have been announced and are posted on the competition Web site. Congratulations to all of our winners and your awards should have been recieved. Stay in touch with the Web Marketing
Association: 
Five Things to Consider When Drafting Effective Website Content - Chuck Murphy of Boston Interactive provides a few pointers on selecting content for a site.
Conferences are a great way to network and keep up with current trends and technology. Here are some of the conferences that the Web Marketing Association supports and will be attending. Route 1 to 1: The New eMarketing Essentials Route 1 to 1: The New eMarketing Essentials seminar from long time Web Marketing Association supporter ExactTarget is heading your way. ExactTarget's one-day seminar is coming to a town near you and will help you improve your email marketing program. You'll learn how to: Engage your prospects, Maximize your marketing ROI, Drive higher sales and Build brand loyalty. In other words, Route 1 to 1 is the fast track to email marketing success! In addition to informative ExactTarget presentations, top industry experts and analysts will provide one-to-one marketing technology insight, and ExactTarget clients will share real-life examples of B2B and B2C email marketing success. Here are the
remaining dates and locations: May 13 - Cincinnati, OH ExactTarget is the email provider for the Web Marketing Association. We hope you attend this exciting and beneficial program. For more information and to register, go to the ExactTarget Website. MarketingSherpa Selling Online Subscriptions Summit At the Selling Online Subscriptions Summit, , marketers will hear industry-expert speakers' from companies, such as Zagat Survey, AG Interactive, Encyclopedia Britannica and others, present ways to increase subscription sales and conversion rates through optimal landing page strategies and order process optimization. This year's panel discussions delve into revenue strategies to keep up with and support changing business models and Web 2.0 strategies for acquisition and retention. Pay Per Click Summit - San Francisco May
19-20 Pay Per Click Summit, leading educational internet marketing workshop is excited to partner with WMA and offer members a special 10% discount off registration. Learn the insider strategies from Microsoft, Google, Business.com and other industry leaders as they share secrets to maximizing online marketing opportunities, outperforming competitors, and increasing ROI. Gain top ad visibility at the lowest cost! REGISTER BY MAY 12th and SAVE $200 PLUS 10% (use code WMA10) Questions? 800.507..2958 ext.703. Ad:tech Miami ad:tech, the premier interactive marketing event, comes to Miami this June with a speaker line-up of top executives from Continental Airlines, Blue Shield of California, NBC Universal, ESPNdeportes.com, Procter & Gamble, Disney Latin America, American Airlines and Best Buy. ad:tech - it's where today's marketers gather to network, learn about brand strategy, Web 2.0, mobile and search, and tap into the pulse of digital marketing. Register at: www.ad-tech.com/miami. Save 20% when you use discount code: BRMIZ4. Search Engine Strategies Toronto Organized by world-renowned search authority Chris Sherman, SES Toronto delivers real-time actionable information you need to grow your business through search engine marketing; Search Engine Strategies Conference & Expo Toronto 2008 features presentations and panel discussions that cover all aspects of search engine-related promotion. Revolution's The Best Of Digital Marketing Monetise Your Digital Channels And Inspire Consumer Engagement By Capitalising on the Future of Digital Marketing. Reserve your place at Revolution's high-level review of 2008's digital marketing brand best practice, showcasing handpicked award-winners and pioneers from the hottest brand case studies, spotlighting new digital channels that are about to hit the big-time, and looking across the digital landscape to make sure you can create an integrated cross-channel campaign guaranteed to capture attention and keep ahead of the competition. Clickz Online Video Advertising Forum Interactive video advertising is one of the fastest-growing interactive sectors. What are the implications for marketers? Digital and traditional ad agencies are changing their notions of formats and strategies and are learning to work with interactive video technologies to produce and distribute compelling, effective content. Join ClickZ and its experts in this immersive, one-day forum when we uncover the strategies, innovations, tools, formats, strategy, metrics, and creative to building an effective online video campaign. This immersive, one-day forum is for senior advertisers, marketers, publishers, and content providers who are using or considering this very fast-moving medium. Its aim is to educate, inform and provide a comprehensive overview of online video advertising innovations, tools, formats, strategy, metrics, and creative. Early Bird Registration: SAVE $300 now through May 23rd Web Marketing Association members SAVE and additional 10% with CZ10WMA. SES San Jose Website Magazine If you're not already getting Website Magazine, you should be. There's no charge within the US and available for a small fee outside the U.S.(covers the extra shipping). It has great in depth articles that are helpful and well written. Use this link to sign up to receive the next issue. |
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