Long the bane of web designers and developers, typography on the web has been limited to a few default fonts (arial, helvetica, times, verdana, etc.). Any other typefaces have been relegated to graphics which aren’t doing your site’s SEO any favors. That era is drawing to an end with the introduction of @font-face.

From their site (www.font-face.com) “@font-face is a css rule which allows you to download a particular font from your server to render a webpage if the user hasn’t got that font installed. This means that web designers will no longer have to adhere to a particular set of “web safe” fonts that the user has pre-installed on their computer.”

Translated that means web sites can now find fonts on a server instead of having to pull them from a users computer. This gives designers a huge range of stylistic options, makes sites load faster because they rely less on graphics, and makes them more search engine friendly because more of the text can be read.

There are still some technical and legal considerations holding back the revolution. Browser support is catching up. Currently the latest versions of Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome support @font-face and Opera is planning to support it soon. This means that the majority of users would be able to see the correct fonts, and, as long as the site is coded correctly, users with non-supported browsers would still see a default version of the text. The biggest legal hurdle has been licensing issues. Many font foundries simply do not allow their products to be used this way. Others are starting to allow it at a price.

Fontsquirrel.com is leading the way with their @font-face kits. Code, font files, and licenses all bundled together and free to download. They also allow you to upload font files that are legally eligible and download a completed font kit.

As web sites become more robust in their design and technical execution, typography will become an even more integral part of the internet experience.

As Abraham Lincoln said, “You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.”

Are you trying to appeal to everyone? Your audience may be too all encompassing to develop a true following, for your marketing message to hit home and motivate. Seth Godin, who refers to fans/customers/clients/patrons with a common interest as a tribe, says there is no tribe of normal. To really get peoples attention and to have people gather around an idea, it can’t be too mainstream, too safe or too comfortable. The tribe tends to congregate around the edges of mainstream, but these are really the people who take action. This leaves the center, the safe middle ground unorganized and disconnected from each other.

So what does this have to do with Abraham Lincoln? Well, you can appeal to some people with your marketing efforts all the time, focus in and target the members of your tribe. You can appeal to all the people with your marketing some of the time, there are situations where your message needs a broader reach. But never try to appeal to all the people all the time with your marketing, you dilute the strength of your message and there’s no one in the middle who’s going to be reached and motivated to action.

Imagine you’re reading the paper, there’s a recipe you like with a barcode printed next to it. You take out your smart phone and snap a pic of the barcode and instantly receive a shopping list for the recipe and coupons for several of the ingredients. It may sound like science fiction but that reality is closer than you think. This is just one of the many ways you’ll see QR codes used in the future.

Use this code to visit The Awen Group

A QR code is a type of barcode, originally developed for inventory tracking because it would be read quickly. This “quick response” code has evolved beyond the warehouse and is now being integrated into mobile phone applications. Known as mobile tagging, a user takes a photo of the code with their camera phone and then, using a phone app, the data is decoded and the user is taken to the programmed URL. Any content that could be displayed on a web site such as photos, video clips, music, coupons, etc. can be shown to the user on their smart phone.

Combining easily accessible digital content with the traditionally static print medium opens up a whole new world of possibilities to advertisers. Print advertising has been steadily declining due to a variety of factors, one of which is the difficulty of measuring the effectiveness of print ads. By including a digital component, advertisers can track a users interaction with the brand very precisely. There are also educational applications for museums where exhibits could be connected to digital content through a code. Additionally, these codes are being adopted as a way of sharing contact information and are being integrated into social media as well.

While widely adopted in Asia, QR codes are just beginning to make an appearance in the US where tech firms and industry giants like Microsoft are racing to prepare the support system. Some codes require an app on the users phone, while others can be photographed and sent via text to receive the digital content. The applications are far reaching so watch for these QR codes to begin appearing in everything from print advertising to museum exhibits to business cards.

For more information, check out this article from USA Today

Building a loyal customer base is at the root of all successful businesses. Whether your selling a product, service or in the case of the music industry, yourself, you need to capture the attention of a group people and motivate them to action. On her blog “Church of the Customer, Jackie Huba uses Lady Gaga and her meteoric rise to fame as an example of loyalty. Here are some lessons to take away:

1. Give your fans/clients/patrons a name they can rally around. Give them an identity.
2. Make your fans a part of your mission, then it will be about something bigger than just being a customer.
3. Have a shared symbol, make it easy for fans to identify each other.
4. Treat special fans special. There are customers who are more than just regular customers, go out of your way to make them feel appreciated.
5. Use social media to your advantage to stay in touch with fans.

A little effort to develop these fans goes a long way. Word of mouth is still the best way to grow your business and you can be sure when your fans feel appreciated, they will tell all their friends.

Earlier we defined geolocation. Now lets explore the new world of “lo-so” or local social networks and how you can capitalize using location based marketing. There are many lo-so networks but the most popular are Foursquare, Loopt and Gowalla.  These are phone based applications that allow users to “check in” wherever they go. This alerts friends to a users location and can be linked to announce on Facebook and other social networks as well. GPS then confirms the users location. The game component (competing to be the mayor of a venue by visiting it the most times or winning badges for completing other tasks) of these social apps encourages people to visit more venues and check in every time.

Businesses are able to announce specials and promotions through these applications. Users will receive information when they check in and also through the venue profile. Foursquare even offers an analytics dashboard for venues to track statistics like unique visitors, time of day visiting, and most recent visitors. Punch cards and frequent visitor promotions are going digital. Social networks are growing and expanding beyond the computer screen in 2010 to drive previously virtual-only customers to brick and mortar stores.

For more great tips, read 9 Killer Tips for Location-Based Marketing.

Geolocation is the identification of a physical location for a computer, mobile device or web site visitor. This location can be determined a number of different ways such as IP address, WiFi location, or device GPS coordinates.

As sales of laptops and internet enabled mobile devices increase, internet users are becoming more mobile. This makes it more important than ever to your marketing efforts to know where your potential customers are. Giving users information relevant to where they are at that particular moment makes a lot of sense. Especially as social networking becomes more prevalent, geolocation will make it easier to meet up with friends, check out recommended restaurants, find a coffee shop nearby.

Here’s an example: You have a mobile application from your bank. This app allows you to pay bills, check your balance and find the closest ATM all on your phone. In the past to find the closest ATMS, you would have had to enter an address or zip code. Not very convenient if you are in an unfamiliar area. Now, this app could use geolocation to determine where you are and the closest ATM to your current location. It could even give you directions.

Another example is Foursquare – a phone based application that allows users to “check-in” at different locations. Your location is then shared across your social networks allowing friends to know where you are and what you are doing. It adds a social element to geolocation, allowing you to share the places you go and encouraging friends to explore your favorite places.

In addition to these examples, Twitter and Facebook are also currently developing location-based services.

With so much SEO time spent focusing on the right keywords and incoming links, it’s easy to overlook simple steps you can take to improve your web sites overall page rank.  Did you know that the length of time your URL is registered for can affect your site’s rating? Google and other search engines my penalize websites with domains that expire in less than a year. This criteria is called “domain stability” and search engines interpret a shorter length of registration to mean that your site may be temporary at best or even worse, spam. Ultimately, your site will be considered less relevant and not ranked as highly.  It is relatively inexpensive to register your domain for longer periods of time, so it is worth it to extend your registration three to five years or longer.

Lots of great advice in this article from Smashing Magazine on 15 Common Mistakes in E-commerce Design. Anyone who has shopped on-line has encountered some of these issues: confusing check out process, limited payment options, tiny or limited product images and mystery shipping costs. A great check list to review your e-commerce site and some great suggestions for solving to each problem.

A Call to Action or Marketing Message is a statement usually found near the conclusion of a marketing message that encourages the consumer to perform some action. For example, call an 800 number, email for more information, download a PDF, return a coupon before an expiration date or place an order. While your message may be clever or beautifully designed, the lack of a clear call to action will result in fewer sales for your product or service.

Check your competitors ads, check your own marketing materials. Are you giving the consumer a clear next step? How can  your message be more convincing or more compelling to your target market? Providing a clear call to action will only improve your marketing efforts.

A series of simple illustrations that define marketing, telemarketing, public relations, advertising, design and branding in terms of relationships by Marty Neumeier, author of ZAG. Only funny because it’s true.