Bing Design

You might be looking at the logo to the right and thinking, “Did Bing Design re-brand their logo again!?” No, we are happy with the way our logo turned out. But what you’re seeing is Microsoft’s identity for Bing, a new search engine.

To stay competitive with Google’s dominance in online searching, Microsoft has positioned Bing as a “Decision Engine”.

We have all heard when you need to look something up, to “google” it. In fact, google was added a few years ago to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a verb. Interesting point #1: I wonder why it’s not included as a noun too – isn’t a google a one with a hundred zeros after it? Interesting point #2: I see that Microsoft is already trying to verb-ilize ‘bing’ also.

Microsoft’s marketing gurus hope that Bing will evoke the same feeling as the sound – the ringing of a bell that signals the eureka moment when a search leads to an answer. The name is meant to conjure “the sound of found” as Bing helps people solve complex tasks.

Bing (the other one) seems to be focusing on searches related to:

• Making a purchase decision
• Planning a trip
• Researching a health condition
• Finding a local business

A “cherries-to-cherries” comparison of that Bing and this Bing shows a few similarities:

• We help clients make marketing decisions that meet their needs and fit their budget.
• We assist you with team outings. Yellow Springs is great place for a trip.
• We provide communication audits that help determine the health of your marketing efforts.
• We can localize your message in the new sense of the word – through social media communities.

So there you have it. The skinny about the Bing that’s been around for years, and that new startup from Microsoft…

This is a the beginning of a four-part series related to Bing Design’s focus on Branding, Interacting, Marketing, and Persuading.

The origin of brand dates back to cattle farming. A branding iron is a tool which uses the process of pressing a heated metal shape against an object or livestock with the intention of leaving a mark. A brand may consist of a letter, numeral, symbol, character or a combination of these. Branding irons are considered the trademark to prove ownership.

But, the use today isn’t really that different. Yes, brands are normally trademarked and anything from the product, service, brochure and people will have this brand somewhere on it to prove ownership, but the word brand is still often misused. A brand is a collection of symbols, experiences and associations connected with a product, a service, a person or any other artifact or entity.

But simply, a brand is how a person feels about you. It is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem. It’s their emotional interaction from the moment your brand provides the level of value, quality, and service that can engage your consumer.

Test your own brand: Spread all your marketing materials out on your conference table. Now, cover the logo. Is there a common linking between your collateral? If not, you are missing an opportunity to build your brand equity.

Advertising that discusses only features will never be as powerful at developing a relationship compared to advertising that highlights the benefits that matter to your consumers. Relationships go much further than slapping a logo on your communications.

One thing that helps to unify a team of professionals at any business is maintaining a consistent level of understanding. When there are many subject matter experts throughout all levels of a business, it can often be difficult for every department to be keen to the terminology being used.

This is especially true of newer online media. There are often terms and technology that we float around, that many of our peers only partially understand, or don’t at all.

At Bing, we organize team building meetings to help cross-train each other in aspects of our work that can be a bit fuzzy. This past Friday, I gathered a group to discuss Web and Internet Marketing Terms. We looked at words and phrases we often use, and better defined them with real examples online.

We broke the meeting down into three parts:

1. User Experience
2. Internet Marketing
3. Search

For User Experience, we talked about a few popular topics such as:

• Above the Fold – CNN.com is a good example of how all significant content on the page is placed so that it is above the bottom of the browser.
• Content Management Systems (CMS) – WordPress sites are great for content creators to submit content without requiring technical knowledge of HTML.
• Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) – CSS Zen Garden where you can see the same HTML change dramatically with CSS.
• Rich Media/Web 2.0 – as you can see on CBS’s website with episodes of CSI provides examples of Social Media; Usabillity; and Viral Marketing.

For Internet Marketing, we covered keywords related to Analytics – Conversion Rates; Cookies; Cost Per Click (CPC) – as with Google Ad Words; Cost Per Impression (CPM); Impressions; Mobile Marketing; Paid Listings; and Pay Per Click (PPC).

For Search, terms such as Algothrims – discussing the “Golden Triangle” that web analysts use to define user tendencies, Crawlers/Bots/Spiders, Ranking, Search Engine Markeing (SEM), and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Being better informed helps a company to be more versatile and aware of opportunities to help clients and business partners achieve greater success. Need a consultation? We’d like to hear from you!

View Larger Map

Click to download a map of the Town with our recommendations on the Best of Yellow Springs (240 KB).

Location, location, location.

We know that we’re lucky to work in one of the “10 Coolest Small Towns in America.” In case you get a chance to visit, here are some of the hot spots we recommend for eating, shopping and playing.

• Peaches Grill (104 Xenia Ave) – Enjoy the patio in the summer – or the libations all year long. Peaches has an extensive beer list for a small town hangout. And, they have live entertainment most weekend evenings. Recommendation: the beer sampler and pita chips.
• The Winds Café & Bakery (215 Xenia Ave) – Fine dining in a casual town with an adventurous menu that changes monthly and a healthy wine list. Pumpkin lasagna is a surprising fan favorite every fall. Closed Mondays.
• Ye Olde Trail Tavern (228 Xenia Ave) – Eat in one of the oldest buildings in the Village. Recommendation: get the pretzel bread for your sandwich enjoyment.
• Current Cuisine (237 Xenia Ave) – Grab the lunch special to-go (during the week) or make your own meal out of the eclectic and delicious deli items. Or, fill up on any of their fabulous desserts.
• Sunrise Café (259 Xenia Ave) – Great spot to start the day with breakfast – or to rest for lunch. Fantastic pancakes and omelettes and plenty of choices for leaf eaters. Closed Tuesdays.
• The Corner Cone Dairy Bar and Grill (101 South Walnut Street) – The Classic corner dairy bar with Frosty treats to go! (During the summer only.)  Also a great place can also rent bikes to tour the town starting at $8 per hour
• Bonadies Glass Studio (220 Xenia Ave # 1) – Gorgeous things galore! Bonadies specialties include carries a collection of unique glass jewelry, ornaments, artwork and lamps.
• Yellow Springs Pottery (222 Xenia Ave (King’s Yard) – Original creations from a most original town. Yellow Springs pottery is a retail cooperative of 10 members who produce a large selection of handmade pottery.
• Dark Star Books and Comics (237 Xenia Ave) – They carry 40,000 used books and an extensive collection of back issue comics. Buy and sell your goods here! And, say hello to the store cat, Mr. Eko.
• Kismet (249 Xenia Ave) – No boys allowed. Okay, not really. But, this is definitely a women’s boutique. Find unique clothing, jewelry, shoes and accessories here.
• Mr. Fubs Party Toys and More (252 Xenia Ave) – It’s a par-tay at Mr. Fubs. And we’re sorry if they’re out of fart machines. We needed them. Yes, all of them. They also carry unique brain teasers, plush toys and gifts.
• No Common Scents (1525 Xenia Avenue) – Herbs, spices and aromatherapy. Sniff. Relax. Ahh. It’s a great spot for a cup of coffee or tea and to catch up on your reading.
• Tie Dyed Gift Shop (125 S Walnut St) – You’re in Yellow Springs. Why not grab some tie dye? (When in Rome…)
• Asian Collection – Really cool Asian gifts and garb in really unusual building….
• Yoga Springs Studio (108 Dayton Street) – Get your zen on… Daily classes available for novice to advanced yogis.
• Main Squeeze – Offering the finest in fresh juices, smoothies, wheat grass juice and brewing & winemaking supplies.
• Little Art Theatre (247 Xenia Avenue) – This cozy theater has played some of the finest art, independent, documentary and Hollywood films for over 50 years. Monday is bargain day – just $6 a show! General admission (after 6pm) is $7.50 all other days.
• Glen Helen Nature Preserve (405 Corry Street) – Get out of town and roam 1,000 acres of preserved land. The Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center offers a range of environmental education programs to connect you with the natural world.
• Little Miami Scenic Trail – The Little Miami Scenic Trail is part of an 80-mile trail network that extends from eastern Cincinnati to Buck Creek State Park near Springfield. Part of the trail passes through Yellow Springs – and a public restroom. If you’re heading north, the restrooms are just across Route 68.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s 2009. Per New Year’s tradition, many  of us have made personal resolutions. It is also a good time to make resolutions in our professional lives.

Here are a few ideas to help you get started.

E-mail

• Clean out in your inbox and set up folders
• Action Folder – instead of leaving all your “to do” e-mails in your inbox, put them in an action folder
• Reading Folder – put your newsletters and non urgent e-mails in a separate folder; set up a filter to automatically place newsletters in the reading folder
• Change your send receive e-mail schedule so you have less interruptions

Meetings

• Decide if you need to attend
• Try to attend meetings only if there is an agenda (This is one of my professional resolutions – I will have an agenda for any meeting I set up)

Increase Your Professional Knowledge

• At Bing Design, we have subscriptions to Lynda.com and MarketingProfs.com. Take advantage of the opportunities offered by your company.

This is a short list, but a good place to start.

What are your professional resolutions for 2009?