Responsive Web Design (RWD) is a great solution for those looking to deliver their online content seamlessly across a multitude of devices. In fact, RWD can be a great tool for almost everyone involved in the web design process. There are benefits for everyone from the back-end coder, to the SEO marketer, to the end user. Many parties are involved in the process of designing and managing a website and all can stand to benefit in the long-run from responsive web design. In this infographic you will learn about how each of the various parties involved in a web design or redesign can benefit from using RWD. 

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In the world of social media, the term "vanity metrics" gets thrown around quite a bit as an effort to describe what has been labeled as superficial metrics (the # of page likes, followers, downloads, etc.), and therefore have been labeled as a waste of time to monitor. 

"Vanity metrics look good but fail the "So what?" test."

 "Vanity metrics are things people love to quote and obsess over, even though they're almost entirely useless to your business."

"Vanity metrics are all those data points that make us feel good if they go up but don’t help us make decisions."

Quite honestly, I’m tired of hearing about it.

Now, don't get me wrong, there is a hierarchy of importance when analyzing your social media strategy. A share or comment creates a much higher level of engagement than a simple like, and should be valued more. 

The Social Engagement Hierarchy

4. The like/favorite/rating

3. The comment/reply

2. The download/contest entry

1. The share 

The share becomes the highest level of engagement because not only does the user value the relation the content has to their lifestyle, but they trust that their own network will gain as much value from it as they did. 

But does that mean the number of likes on a piece of content, or the number of likes/followers on a particular account, does not matter? Absolutely not.

Put yourself in the position of a potential customer. Say that customer is looking at two different Facebook pages for local coffee shops. They've never been to either, but notice that one page has 1,200 likes and the other page has only 300. 

Which coffee shop are they going to think is more popular and therefore be the one they should spend their time and dollars on? These numbers matter. 

Content + "vanity" metrics go hand in hand; if your audience regularly connects with your content, they will most likely connect with your brand. If they connect with your brand, they more than likely going to show that connection through a page like or a twitter follow. 

Just because companies have mistreated these metrics as key performance indicators doesn't make them any less important to monitor.

Don't blame the metric, blame the operators.  

I’m becoming equally annoyed when it comes the simplistic undermining of measurement with regard to the various visual social channels.

At a recent networking event I attended, I raised the question of why it's difficult to access metrics from visual channels (particulary Instagram) on a large amount of analytics platforms. 

The answer I received? That Instagram is great for branding, but because it's not interactive it won't drive traffic, sales, or leads. 

And because of that "we don't monitor Instagram analytics because they are just another vanity metric."

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. 

Let’s take a brief look at the stats supporting Instagram:

 
Not too shabby for an application that has been around for just under three years.  

It's safe to say that visual content is the driving force behind developing effective social media strategies and is an overall cornerstone of social media content production. Heck, the Facebook Timeline was designed to make it easier to post and see photos...including Instagram photos!

Likes, comments and hashtags on Instagram, are not pieces of vanity metrics but rather a space for active conversation and community development. 

And with the high possibility of Instagram getting ads sometime in the next year, this audience is only going to become more and more important for companies. 

So why isn't everyone utilizing the importance of these metrics? 

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Piqora & Nitrogram get it.

Wieden + Kennedy gets it.

Not only is W+K the largest ad agency on Instagram, but they are also responsible for the launch and success of the official Oreo Instagram account. With the release of the Whisper Fight campaign during the 2013 Super Bowl (which they both developed and monitored) they were able to build a following of surpassing 50K in just over a day. 

Baublebar gets it. 

Using the #baublebar branded hashtag, the jewelery company features brand advocates throughout their site, encouraging the development of earned media.

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It’s often advised to brands and companies utilizing social media to always makes sure that whatever channel(s) you are utilizing, the content is adjusted to reflect the needs and desires of that particular social audience; the audience you are reaching on Twitter isn't neccessarly the same audience you are reaching on Facebook. 

If this is the case…then shouldn’t the Instagram audience, Vine audience, Tumblr audience, or any other audience in the visual social space be of importance as well? Don't they matter to your company? 

Let's Review: 

• All social media channels can be utilized incorrectly, at which time they become “vanity metrics”
• Instagram is a social media channel
• If not used properly, instagram can become another victim on the evil list of "vanity metrics"

Unless, of course, you take the time to measure and understand the levels of engagement you're getting on these visual social channels...as outlined in the Social Engagement Hierarchy.

BAM. 

                   (source)

This brand new, fully researched and illustrated 40-page ebook addresses company owners, executives and managers.

• Are you running a lean business? 
• What is lean marketing and what is its value? 
• Can you get more business online using social media and online marketing? 
• How do you reach new customers, increase your profile and grow your sales? 
• What does the research show, what are the metrics, and what is the cost benefit ratio?

Authored by Versio2 Managing Partner Stephan Burckhardt, who previously ran, owned and sold a CHF 12 million business and has consulted startups as well as mature companies in Silicon Valley and Switzerland, the Executive Guide to Online Marketing - A Lean Business Perspective attempts to answer such questions from a management and owner/investor perspective.

The Executive Guide looks at marketing return-on-investment (ROI), sales and marketing integration, leveraging traditional marketing, social media, content and email marketing, lead capture and nurture, search engine optimisation (SEO) and the benefits of an integrated online marketing strategy.

"Companies that wish to grow have the unique opportunity offered through the internet to reach new markets and previously untouched customer segments while spending less through lean marketing methods."

WHAT'S INSIDE

• The Lean Marketing Paradigm
• Marketing Effectiveness & ROI
• What Drives Customer Behaviour
• Online Marketing Today
• From Online Marketing to Inbound Marketing
• Get More Business Online
• Show Me the Money
• Looking Forward

The Executive Guide to Online Marketing will be out later this month – register early and be the first to obtain this valuable free download.

Welcome back to another installment of "90 Seconds of Design with The Beard,” featuring me, Spencer P, Lead Graphic Designer at SyneCore.

Today Apple announced the new release of iOS7 for the iPhone and iPad. Many people are talking about the advanced design that encompasses the features of each device. A leading word amongst all the talk is "flat design."

In this week's video I discuss the truth behind flat design and break down how Apple has successfully deployed this method of simplicity.

Want to see 53 of the internet’s best website designs? With the help of our Inbound Marketing partner HubSpot, we’ve put together this collection of some of the online world’s best company websites. Find out how to make a good first impression while also incorporating the latest online marketing principles. 

53 Brilliant Home Page Designs is free to download, but as a small taster, here are three of the websites deserving of a place in this collection. These websites were gathered with the help of our Inbound Marketing partner HubSpot. 

E-COMMERCE | LEGA-LEGA.COM

Uncluttered minimalist styling, retro visuals and fixed header are all website design trends that put the Lega-lega online shop right on trend for 2013. 

But style isn’t the only thing that makes a website great. We believe in optimising websites as part of a larger marketing machine. There are clear signs that Lega-lega is doing just that – an active and up-to-date blog, social sharing buttons everywhere, a newsletter, not to mention some impressive Call-to-Actions (CTAs) at the bottom of the home page.

ENTERTAINMENT | HEALTHLIFE.CO.UK

Resembling the single-page websites that we began to see last year, Healthlife.co.uk goes one subtle step forward by adding the fixed header. This gives access to the simplified navigation no matter how far down the page we scroll – and with trendy single-page websites, that could be a long way. This also creates somewhat of a hybrid between the traditional multiple page, content rich websites and the more modern, minimalist, single-page or infinite-scroll sites. 

As we mention in the caption for the screenshot below, the home page features Google Maps integration, but also a way for visitors to share their images via Instagram. This kind of interaction encourages social syndication, because many people also post their Instagram pictures to Facebook.

RETAIL | BUFFALOWILDWINGS.COM 

The Buffalo Wild Wings website displays another of the design trends for 2013 we identified in a recent Top Ten list, and that is a definite infographic influence. The website has undergone some changes, but this idea still remains. Bold colours, large fonts and plenty of graphics. There’s plenty of social media integration too, and multiple ways to connect, like and share.

Download our free 53 Brilliant Home Page Designs ebook to see the other 50 website examples, each with a short text explaining their virtues from a design, branding and marketing point of view. Just click on the CTA below or follow the anchor link text in the previous sentence.

Your company’s website is the face of your online presence, and is important for creating the right first impression. But what looked good when you first launched your website may not look quite as sharp today. Here are ten of the latest website design trends – how does yours compare? 

1. Dynamic, targeted content

Every year brings a new set of trends. In 2013, the shift has been towards behaviour driven smart design. This means that the behaviour and preferences of the target audience dictate the design style, and even the content, as with the new Content Optimisation System (COS) from HubSpot – read more about the key features here.

2. Minimalism

Smart design isn’t the only new trend for 2013. Something else we’ve also started to see in many new websites launched or updated this year is minimalism. The Microsoft ‘metro’ approach, which we see in Windows 8, the Xbox interface and Windows-powered smartphones, and all associated online marketing material, is typical and indicative of this trend. Even Apple is set to follow suit with the release of iOS 7 later this year.

3. Single website for multiple screen sizes

Ever more people are accessing the internet on mobile devices, creating a need for websites to look good both on full-size screens and on the small displays of tablets and smartphones. 

This is where responsive design comes in, a principle by which one website is coded such that it will adapt its layout and styling automatically, depending on the device it’s being viewed on – read more about the topic in What on Earth is Responsive Web Design?

4. Infinite scrolling

When it comes to e-commerce websites, infinite scrolling is in for 2013. Made famous by Pinterest, a social media platform website which currently has the third highest number of users in the world, infinite scrolling is a design wherein the content loads continuously as you scroll down. 

Essentially, pages can be endless, but this should not be confused with single-page websites, another design trend in itself.

5. Transparency

CSS, or Cascading Style Sheet, allows web designers to control a website’s entire styling – colours, fonts and so on – from one single file. The latest incarnation of this coding technology, CSS3, includes a way to control transparency (opacity) levels of graphics and text. Transparency levels can be used to create dynamic 3D kind of effects. 

6. Modular tile design 

Modular tiles (graphics containing text) are replacing internal text (anchor) links. Since pictures appear more attractive, these designs tend to increase engagement. Using this concept, we can create excellent ‘storytelling’ websites that encourage visitors to move from one page to the next. DigitalPodge.co.uk is a great example.

7. App-like interfaces

With the emergence of responsive design, web designers have taken to creating websites interfaces that resemble apps. Characteristics of such websites include clearly presented text and simplified content. Check out Microsoft SkyDrive.com for a good example of a website moving towards the app philosophy. 

8. Infographics 

Infographics aren’t new for 2013, but with the rising popularity of single-page sites and infinite scrolling, we’re now seeing websites appear that bear a striking resemblance to these popular data visualisations.

Online audiences tend to have short attention spans, but the combination of text and images that we see in infographics is more engaging than text alone. Moreover, we humans have excellent visual memory and imagery appeals to us – this is one reason why infographics and highly-visual websites are shared more across social media and aggregators like Reddit and StumbleUpon.

Check out Carbonmade.com for a superb example of an infograhic-style website:

9. Fixed headers

Fixed headers – in which the top area where the logo and menu normally appear remains fixed and does not scroll up – provide visitors with a website anchor while they scroll through pages.

Although the concept of fixed headers is not new and has existed in the design industry for some time now, this technology was never exploited to its full potential. However, in 2013 we’ve seen a lot of recognition for this highly practical design style. Facebook is one such proponent of the fixed header.

Fixed headers can be used on any kind of website, be it a blog, social network or business portal. It lends a subtle stability to the website and simplified navigation.

10. Large high-definition multimedia backgrounds 

Images and videos have established their importance to web design, and in 2013 we’re seeing more websites with large, high-definition visual backgrounds. As well as aesthetic value, a relevant visual background can give a visitor an instant connection to a website’s character and contents.

This design style is typical of portfolio websites of photographers or design professionals, but it also being used now for all manner of sites. CSS3 transparency allows designers to use full-page visuals as backgrounds, superimposed with informative content, thereby making it suitable for any online experience.

Hellohikimori.com is a stylish example – just turn your speakers down before checking it out.

Want to see more great website designs? Download for free our 53 Brilliant Home Page Designs ebook. Each example has been picked by Versio2 and Inbound Marketing partners HubSpot, with notes on why they’re so good at creating the right first impression.