Atlantic Business Technologies, Inc.

Category: User Experience

  • Should You Use Social Media Logins on Your Web Site?

    If you’ve visited a Web site recently that requires you to login to a customer account, you’ve likely been given the option to use one of your social media accounts to complete the login process. Using a social media login is fast, easy and fairly common. In fact, a recent study confirmed that in the U.S., 77% of Web site visitors have used a social media account to login to the site at least once and 65% use that option “always or often.” Here are a few additional highlights from the survey:

    • 53% of those surveyed say they use social media logins because they don’t want to spend time filling out registration forms
    • 47% use the social media login option because they don’t want to create yet another password to remember
    • 46% believe the sites that use social media logins will sell the data they collect
    • 42% say they believe the site will post to a social network without the individual’s permission
    • 86% feel that data collection companies should be more heavily regulated by the government

    In reviewing these numbers, there seems to be something of a paradox: Web site visitors are willing to use social media logins even though they believe the companies will misuse that information in some way. And many would be right to say that this doesn’t make sense. But it does seem to point out that in the online space, convenience and simplicity rule the day. And if you are building or running a Web site today, this should be your take away: your customers expect you to make social media logins available.

    Let’s take a look at four benefits of using social media logins within your site.

    4 Benefits of Using Social Media Logins Within Your Web Site

    1. Simplicity for the End User. As the study data points out, a majority of site visitors want to use social media logins because they believe it will save them time. You may have a lot of data you’d like to collect as part of your customer profiles, but your customers have already set the expectation: keep it simple. They do not want to answer all your questions and provide all the tiny bits of data you want to collect. If you make your registration process complex, they will likely abandon your site and move on elsewhere. So, if you want to retain those site visitors, providing a social media login option can improve your retention of customers.

    2. More Data/Better Data on Your Site Visitors. When you offer visitors the chance to use a social media login, you instantly gain access to a lot of profile data (depending on how you setup the permissions for your connection). For example, by allowing a visitor to use his/her Facebook account to login, you now have the potential to connect your visitor, your site and your own Facebook Fan Page together. This will allow you to see better audience demographics. It also improves targeting options for content and advertising. By using a standalone visitor registration process, you would forgo these options and your data would be less valuable.

    3. Identification of Customer Social Network Preferences. If you’ve tried to build a following on the various social network available today, you’ve likely encountered a common problem: finding out where your customers like to hang out. Sure, Facebook is a popular choice, but how much of your audience uses Twitter? Google Plus? LinkedIn? By offering a social media login option, you are, in effect, polling your audience to find out which social networks they prefer. You can use this data to refine your social media efforts and build a better connection with your customers.

    4. Lower Development Costs. Building a Web site with a registration process can be expensive. And the more you ask for from your site visitors, the more you’re going to pay for development. One way to minimize some of your development costs as it relates to the account creation process is to use social media logins. In many instances, the social networks have pre-packaged code ready to use that requires minimal effort by a developer to fit it to your Web site. This will save you time and money. All while providing your visitors with what they were looking for to begin with.

    A Word of Warning About Social Media Logins

    As noted above a large number of site visitors prefer to use social media logins. But that doesn’t relieve you of any responsibilities when setting social logins up for your Web site. We strongly recommend that you respect your customers and make clear the ways in which you will use the data gathered from their social network account. Your customers are already leery of companies that collect this data. Show them that you can be trusted by providing clear policies and practices within your Web site that respect their privacy while providing them with a good experience.

    Getting Started with Social Media Logins

    Social media logins can be very beneficial for your Web site. Not only do they make it easy for your visitors/customers to connect with you, they also lower development costs and provide a wealth of data and insight into customer behaviors. If you’re thinking of implementing social media logins within your Web site, feel free to contact us and let us help you through the process. Atlantic BT has experience helping sites of all sizes implement a social media login strategy that provides the benefits you’re looking for.

    About Jon Parks

    Jon Parks is a Sr. Consultant with Atlantic BT. With more than 15 years in the digital marketing and communications fields, Jon’s focus has been in  helping companies develop digital marketing strategies to achieve their online marketing goals. You can follow Jon on Twitter (@jonparks), circle him on Google Plus or connect with him on LinkedIn.

    *featured image photo credit: mkhmarketing on Flickr

  • Lessons learned from Apple and Pinterest about respecting your customers

    Previously, my colleague Jon Parks talked about the importance of being respectful when email marketing.  The concept of it being a privilege to be in someone’s inbox is something that applies to all forms of marketing.

    Apple goes a step too far?

    Take Apple’s recent marketing stunt for example.  They decided to make a splash by giving away a free album to every single one of their customers.  It sounds like a good idea – who doesn’t like free music?  Apparently, quite a few people.  Apple’s “step too far” was that they weren’t giving people a coupon for a free album or a link on a website where they could download the album, they were actually putting the album into the users collection.  20 years ago, this would be similar to someone going into your house and putting a free album into your 5 disc cd changer.  Yeah, it’s a free album but if you’re not into U2, you are going to be plenty pissed off that someone put music into your device without asking.

    Plenty of writers and internet commenters have asked why Apple didn’t just provide a link or the option to download the album.  My opinion is that that approach would not have been new or different enough to garner the kind of attention that Apple is seeking with this deal.  I don’t think that their intention was ever to make users angry but it was about doing something that hadn’t been done before so that people would talk about it.  Even with the complaining from a vocal minority, Apple is getting that attention.   From that perspective, the plan worked but that is only because Apple is one of the most well known and most talked about companies on the planet.  A smaller business trying a stunt like this could alienate enough of their customers that there would be an overall negative effect.  

    How Pinterest Left ‘em at the Altar

    In another example, Pinterest received some negative publicity for their marketing message to users who had expressed interest in wedding related content. Pinterest had the right idea. Their users were telling pinterest what they were interested in. It makes sense for pinterest to take that data and create a customer segment that they can market to. Their problem was with the message. They chose wording that specifically said “You’re getting married” when that wasn’t the case for many users.   This probably would not be a big deal if they sent messages saying “You’re buying a new car” to users with pins of new cars, but getting married can be a touchy subject to many people if they are single or still waiting for that proposal.

    In a more personal example, I purchased a device that extended my home theater pc functionality to another room in my house.  I was already a customer of the company and used their product in my HTPC so I jumped on the product and paid a premium to be an early adopter.  The product worked, pretty much, as advertised so I was happy.  That is until I started receiving emails from the company on a weekly basis advertising the same product I had purchased for a significant discount.  I understand that buying early comes with a cost but in this case, a 30% discount only months after purchase was making me feel like I had been taken advantage of rather than getting the benefit of a product early.

    It’s all about respect

    Whether your company has loyal customers like Apple or not, the marketing lesson to learn is that you must respect those customers.  Your customers don’t want to be bothered with offers that don’t make sense for their needs.  The messaging needs to be accurate and not make assumptions about the users situation.  Purchase history or interest should be a factor in the segments created so that users are not being offered products that they already own.  Just because it’s cheap and easy to email blast all of your users doesn’t mean that you should.   Treat your customers and their online accounts with respect and you’ll reap benefits in the form of loyalty and good word of mouth.

    About John Proctor

    John Proctor is a Senior Solutions Consultant with Atlantic BT.  John helps companies develop strategies that leverage Atlantic BT’s expertise in web and mobile applications.  Keeping up with the latest technologies helps provide our clients with best possible solutions for their needs.  Outside of Atlantic BT, John is a gamer, mountain biker, sports fan, tech geek, and father.

    *photo courtesy of Alex E Proimos on Flickr

  • Is Your Business Ready for mCommerce?

    Recently, InternetRetailer.com released their annual “Internet Retailer Mobile 500” report which examines the trends impacting the top 500 online retailers. The study found that by the end of 2014, sales that take place on smartphone and tablet devices– known as mCommerce– will approach $84 billion and represent about 21% of all online sales for these 500 retailers. Not to be outdone, research firm Forrester is projecting mCommerce to total 4 billion in the U.S. by the end of this year.

    $84 billion or $114 billion: either way you slice it, that’s a lot of transactions and a tremendous amount of revenue. So the critical question to ask: is your business ready for mCommerce? In this post, we’ll show you what you need to do to get your business ready for an mCommerce environment.

    Is mCommerce Right for Your Business?

    Just because mCommerce is growing at a rapid rate doesn’t mean that you need to rush right out and get ready for mobile shoppers. In some instances, your customers may not be ready to make the jump to buying from you on mobile devices. If that’s the case, you’ll be better off applying your marketing and development dollars to other, more effective areas. But, you may ask, how can you tell if it is time to make the jump to mCommerce? Consider the following:

    How much mobile traffic do you get today? A great place to start is to open up your Web analytics and take a look at how much traffic your Web site currently receive from mobile sources such as tablets and smartphones. Tools such as Google Analytics do a good job of breaking out this data so you can easily answer this question. Look at that traffic. Is it growing over time? Has it risen to what you would consider a significant level? Just having mobile traffic isn’t enough, so you’ll need to go one step further. Segment your mobile traffic and look at it for sales to see if you have any visitors currently trying to purchase from you on mobile devices. Are you finding any attempts? Is it growing over time? If so, you may have an audience that is ready to buy from you on mobile devices.

    Are your products/services a good fit for mobile devices? Would a reasonable person expect to be able to make a purchase from you on a mobile device? I recommend taking a dispassionate look at what you sell and try to make a purchase on a mobile device. Does it work? Would it make sense to complete the transaction that way? There’s a big difference between purchasing a book on a mobile device and trying to complete the purchase of a car via your smartphone.

    What are your competitors doing? Like any good business, you probably have a handle on what your competitors are doing. Take a look at their site. Can you purchase from them on a mobile device? Do they use dedicated mobile apps? Do they have a responsive designed site that makes it easy to buy using a smartphone or tablet? If your competitors are already inching toward mCommerce, chances are you will need to also.

    3 Steps to Getting Started with mCommerce

    So, you’ve looked around, checked the data and it seems like mCommerce is a good fit with what you sell online. The next critical question: how do you get started with mCommerce? Let’s take a look at three key steps to getting started with mCommerce.

    1. Mobile app or responsive Web site? Mobile apps are great for specific types of purchases such as booking and paying for a hotel reservation. In this instance you’ll need to make certain that the app framework will work well with your eCommerce platform. On the other hand, if you have a large product catalog, a responsive Web site might be a better fit.

    2. Involve a good user experience (UX) designer to create a focused design. Good design is important to creating a buying experience that will lead to conversions (sales). Whether you create a mobile app or a responsive site design, working with a UX designer can help you eliminate unnecessary design elements and clutter from the overall design. This creates a more focused experience for the buyer and provides a clear path to purchase.

    3. Get ready to measure your efforts. One of the best things about digital marketing is that you can measure your efforts. MCommerce is no exception. Prior to going live with your mCommerce offerings, you’ll need to develop a marketing analytics strategy that is focused on what you need to measure to evaluate success. Your mCommerce analytics strategy should be able to help you identify what parts of the mobile environment create the best results (sales). This data can be used as part of an ongoing effort to fine tune your digital marketing efforts to drive more mCommerce sales.

    Take the Next Step with mCommerce

    As you can see, mCommerce is an area with a lot of potential. And while many of the traditional concepts of digital marketing are applicable to mCommerce, there are a few specific considerations you’ll want to pay attention to as you explore this for your business. Atlantic BT has helped many leading companies create and establish their eCommerce presence, including mCommerce. Contact our consulting team today to learn more about how we can help you capitalize on this growing avenue.

    About Jon Parks

    Jon Parks is Director of Marketing with Atlantic BT. In his work with Atlantic BT and through the digital marketing consultancy, Dijital Farm, Jon has experience helping companies develop digital marketing strategies to achieve their online marketing goals. You can follow Jon on Twitter (@jonparks), circle him on Google Plus or connect with him on LinkedIn.

  • Evaluating Web Design Companies – 5 Disruptive Ideas

    Evaluating Atlantic BT

    Atlantic BT is an idea as much as a company. We know your project, no matter what it is, will need to disrupt existing competitors since every business segment is a “red ocean” of furious online competition. Instead of evaluating Atlantic BT in traditional ways (award winning design, SEO, customer service), this post suggest 5 new “disruptive” ideas to consider when searching for a web and software design partner.

    * Tech Agnostic, Solution Focused.
    * Innovative Process Engineering (like CQS).
    * Magic of Place.
    * Spirit.
    * Understanding.

    If your web or mobile application needs any of the 5 disruptive ideas listed call us at 919.518.0670 #6.

    We look forward to hearing about your project.

    Disruptive Idea #1: Tech Agnostic, Solution Focused

    We are “agnostic” to a project’s “how”. With more than 80 programmers, Internet marketers, graphic designers and project managers coming to work at the Atlantic BT Center daily we can program a project in any system. Instead of forcing round peg problems into square holes we customize solutions to fit customer online marketing and mobile communications needs.

    You want a company to be tech agnostic and solution focused.

    We pull ideas from a vast “application archive” created since our 1998 founding.  Chances are good we’ve built something similar since our designs span everything from fast minimal viable products (MVPs) websites for startups to redesigns for million dollar ecommerce platforms on Magento or .Net. Being one of the largest web and software development firms in the southeast means diversity of solution and thinking protects your project.

    Diversity protects your project’s ability to scale and evolve. Diversity is a CSF (Critical Success Factor) to developing “mission critical” web or software projects to disrupt and generate return.

    Disruptive Idea #2: Innovative Process Engineering

    We agree with Dov Siedman’s book How: Why How You Do Anything Means Everything. Process matters in creating great websites and mobile applications. From our GoTo Timer to Continuous Quality Score (CQS) our dedication to innovative process engineering and creative project management is clear. Our “Agile” project management process defines who did what and our Continuous Quality Score provides feedback used during all company “stand up” meetings every Friday, meetings that inspire and motivate. Innovative process engineering is proof a web and software design company can innovate on your dime.

    Disruptive Idea #3: Magic of Place – Atlantic BT Center

    We believe in the magic of “place”.  Bringing a company together in the same place daily is a valuable “throwback” idea. Atlantic BT team members create unique community every day at the Atlantic BT Center (across from Macy’s Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh).

    Many companies outsource large portions of projects. We prefer to “hire in” expertise needed. We ask these “deep category experts” to come together, teach, learn and improve because knowledge transfer takes place in many unplanned and unanticipated ways. Casual conversations in the hall or thoughts over lunch can make a difference. Some benefits created by being in the same building email and Skype will never replicate.

    Disruptive Idea #4: Spirit

    Spirit may be the most important aspect of “fit” between two companies where one seeks services provided by the other.  Atlantic BT likes challenge. We hire people comfortable in the deep end of the pool because they’ve been there before and may have had to learn to swim again and on the fly.  Much like our home city of Raleigh, NC, we are scrappy, confident and growing.

    Our 5th Inc. 5000 award (2013) as one of America “fastest growing companies” helped Atlantic BT achieve something less than 10% of Inc. 5000 accomplish. Getting on the Inc. 5000 list is an accomplishment. Staying on the Inc. 5000 list for five years straight is almost impossible. Winning a “growth race” is more meaningful when combined with Atlantic BT’s second year as a Triangle Business Journal Best Places To Work.

    Toss in an IndyWeek.com “Best In The Triangle” award for web and software design and Atlantic BT’s creative “can do” spirit is present and accounted for.

    Disruptive Idea #5:Understanding

    Web design companies pitch on three to five key ideas such as “award winning design”, “customer satisfaction” or “SEO expertise”. All important ideas, but how relevant is the past to your project? Your project is happening NOW and will be launched into the web of tomorrow.

    We suggest thinking like Venture Capitalists (VC) when evaluating web and software design firms. VC invest in teams not widgets. Widgets change, VC know TEAM is where return lives. Hire a team who sees your project’s dimensions, opportunities and possibilities. Hire a team who understands something that, at its core, can never be fully understood – websites and Internet marketing.

    The web is changing even as you read this. We’ve learned the folly of trying to collar the web. Better to float on a board capable of surfing any wave. We could match competitors in any static measurement, but we suggest adding new dimensions to your evaluation. We aren’t the only web design firm who can surf the web’s new waves, but no wave scares us and we match our ability to understand, change and create ROI against anyone.

    That said, we also know Atlantic BT isn’t a perfect fit for every project.

    Recently we referred a very cool project, The IndyWeek.com Give Guide, to a great competitor in Hillsborough. Why give up such a cool project? Part of “understanding” is knowing when a project can be better served. Calling a competitor, asking for help and letting a cool project go requires courage. Our loyalty is to our customers and their work. The courage of our convictions helps us understand not every project is a fit. When we treat our customers as we want to be treated our Continuous Quality Scores (CQS) stay high and a new generation of work finds us.

  • The Future is Clearer: How to Display High Resolution Textures on Apple’s Retina Display

    Yesterday here at Atlantic BT, we hosted the first meeting for our new local design community meetup group, Crop. Our first event was about discussing ways to design and develop interesting textures.

    For our Tips and Tricks segment, I gave a presentation on how to properly use your textures and display them on Apple’s Retina Display supported devices. Know how to properly setup your documents and use CSS3 media queries to achieve crystal-clear results!

    Presentation on Slideshare