Collaborate faster with your team

Central Desktop is a heavy-hitter in the online collaboration arena. It’s used by companies such as Sony, Adobe, J.D. Power and Associates and Greenpeace… just to name a few of their 275,000+ customers. It’s not difficult to understand why with it’s list of impressive features and affordable pricing plan.

What sets Central Desktop a notch above, in my opinion, is it’s quick setup on the user end. There’s virtually no learning curve and it seems as though user feedback must have figured heavily in it’s development. I’ve used similar solutions that fell short in the usability department, seemingly developed by IT people for IT people, leaving the average user bewildered.

Central desktop offers real-time collaboration for your team members. With the web meetings and audio conferencing features you can also collaborate with customers or partners by voice, sharing screens or remote presentation. Central Desktop also integrates with Skype (with voice supported), Yahoo, MSN Messenger, AIM, ICQ and Jabber, centralizing all your communication. If you’re an Outlook junky like me you’ll like to know that Outlook calendar integration is an option.

For your team’s document needs you can create, edit and store online docs and spreadsheets in a secure workspace environment. You can even collaborate on documents in real-time. Central Desktop also offers the ability to track document history and revisions. Their extensive search feature allows for full text and document search so you can find what your looking for fast, even if it’s in a document, a conversation thread or a different workspace.

Very important for me is the ability to access my workspaces form anywhere. Whether I’m at home or on the road, as long as I have an internet connection I can quickly and easily access my workspaces with no difficult setup process. Although mobile browser-based access is possible with a smartphone, it’s a bit cramped and not techincally supported so I have to knock the rating down half a star.

Soren Legal: An advertising case study

The Company

Soren Legal is a founding principal of the New York State Notary Association. They host a variety of workshops, services and community efforts that help aspiring notary publics prepare for the New York State notary exam and assist licensed notaries with day-to-day business issues. They have over 20,000 members and boast a 99% pass rate (versus the state average of 60%).

The Issue

Soren Legal’s marketing tactics included direct mail, fax campaigns and advertising on local cable channels. However, these strategies had proved only marginally successful in generating incremental sales. Soren needed to attract new prospects–specifically, test candidates– located within commuting distance to its workshops.

The Solution

Recognizing that online advertising was growing in popularity with small businesses, Soren Legal decided to run a test campaign on the Jivox Network. Leveraging all the tools provided by AdSlate, they produced two online video ads. The first ad was created using images and music from the AdSlate library; the second ad incorporated one of Soren’s pre-produced cable television ads. Both ads were placed via the Jivox Network on sites that targeted their desired

audience.

The Results

Within twenty-four hours, Soren Legal saw an increase in both inbound leads and page ranking on Google.

“The best thing about Jivox is that I know my video ad is being viewed by the right audience. Jivox allows me to target viewers by the town they live in, ensuring that I can target potential test takers within a 50-mile radius of our workshops. Jivox is now a core component of our marketing program because it is so easy to use and produces great results.”

- Mike Brown, President, Soren Legal Support Co., Inc.

JIVOX: the new BUZZ word

(NAPSI)-Reaching new customers can be challenging for most businesses. While tried-and-true methods such as newspaper advertising remain popular, a new ad medium has also taken the business world by storm.

Online video ads--short-form commercials that run on Web sites--are proving to be one of the most effective ways to advertise online, with some video ads generating twice the clicks of banner ads. In fact, advertisers report planning to allocate about 35 percent of their budget on the ads by 2012, according to Borrell Associates.

Small businesses are catching on to this trend, fueled by a host of do-it-yourself Web sites that offer inexpensive, locally targeted, online video ad programs. Companies such as Jivox (www.jivox.com) allow advertisers to get started for as little as a few hundred dollars per campaign and make developing an online commercial simple and fun.

For example, Princess Port Bed and Breakfast in Half Moon Bay, California used Jivox to create an ad with free video footage showing a couple holding hands and walking on a beach, with a link to a coupon. After Princess Portran the video ad, bookings skyrocketed, and 85 percent of new guests redeemed the coupon.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes time to produce your own ad:

• Keep It Simple--Viewers don't want to read large volumes of text on their computer screen. To stand out, your ad needs to be short and sweet.

• Call Out The Benefits--Research shows that people decide if they want to read more about a topic on a Web site in eight seconds or less. Ads that contain specific, immediate benefits, such as a promotion or discount, can be highly effective.

• Be Smart About Type Size--Use no more than two type sizes in one ad, with the largest type size on top. Also, never use more than two fonts and avoid using all capital letters.

• Use Relevant Visuals--The visuals in a video ad should communicate a relevant message. Clean, simple graphics are more likely to catch the eye of the viewer.

• Test And Retest--Set aside a portion of your budget to test different approaches so that you can see how response rates fluctuate when you change the visuals, call-to-action or price points, or add a promotional offer.

For more information on marketing your business, visit www.jivox.com.

Online video ads are short-form commercials that run on Web sites.

Business Success Story: A case study

Success Story: New Lifestyle Diet

The Company

New Lifestyle Diet is a community-based online service and meal program aimed at helping people lose weight and keep it off. As a 100% online company, Newlifestylediet.com enables customers to sign up for the service, get weight loss advice, interact with a personal lifestyle coach and weight loss buddies and order meals for home delivery – New Lifestyle Diet was eager to use online video advertising to get the message out about its innovative service. But the small company didn’t have the resources to launch a large video advertising program, so it turned to Jivox to develop and place a series of online video ads.

The Solution

Using Jivox AdSlate’s comprehensive library of images, videos and music and its hands-on self-service video creation platform, New Lifestyle Diet created a series of engaging video ads. The company created one video of a dog chewing on a giant bone, and paired it with some funny ad copy reminding viewers that “sometimes your appetite is bigger than you.” The message and images in the video ads targeted New Lifestyle Diet’s core group of potential customers, women within the age range of 25-48, and communicated New Lifestyle Diet’s approach to dieting in a fun and engaging way. The ads were then distributed to a geo-targeted audience on the Jivox Publisher Network, which reaches over 50 million+ viewers.

The Results

Within a month of launching the video ads, New Lifestyle Diet began seeing a surge in website visits and an impressive jump in new sign-ups. Because Jivox offers measurable reports on ad performance, New Lifestyle Diet was able to see which ads were working to reach viewers and convert them into customers – and which were not. New Lifestyle Diet was so satisfied with the results of its Jivox video ad campaign that it plans to launch more video ads in the near future.

“Jivox is incredibly easy to use, plus the company offered us personalized support and really worked with us to understand our advertising needs, our target audience and our key messages. Jivox has quite simply put our small company on a level playing field with bigger competitors, helping us compete head-to-head with massive brands like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.”

- Hamilton Erridge, CEO, New Lifestyle Diet

Express Employment Professionals: The Come Back story

Success Story: Express Employment Professionals

The Company

Express Employment Professionals, an Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-headquartered organization that has helped people find jobs and businesses find people and human resource services for 25 years, has more than 600 franchised locations in the United States, Canada, South Africa and Australia. Each Express office is locally owned and operated and, while backed by the expertise and support of an international headquarters, is responsible for marketing in its immediate community. One franchise owner, Steve Parker, is using the Jivox online video advertising platform to build brand awareness in a precise geographical area.

The Issue

Parker had tried a range of different marketing tactics, including running print ads in local newspapers, doing email campaigns and hosting events to promote the company. Parker found that it took about four to six “touch points” to attract and retain job candidates as well as recruiters, so he was interested in adding an additional marketing tool to drive these impressions. While he knew video advertising could deliver the additional marketing impact he needed, the costs associated with video ad creation and distribution had put this approach out of reach for his small business.

The Solution

Attracted by the affordability and targeting capabilities of Jivox’s approach to online video advertising, Parker decided to try the Jivox platform. He loaded pre-existing video advertising content secured from the Express Employment Professionals headquarters into the Jivox’s easy to use ad creative tool and then used the tool to add custom contact information about his San Mateo, California branch. The ad was then distributed via the Jivox Publisher Network to a precisely geo-targeted audience that encompassed the coverage area of his office. Leveraging Jivox’s targeting capabilities, Parker was able to focus his ads in an area approximately 20 miles by 15 miles on the San Francisco peninsula reaching from South San Francisco to Menlo Park, California.

“Jivox allows me to target my advertising dollars more precisely than any other marketing tool I’ve previously employed, ensuring that my ads reach people in areas where I can place them for jobs. Jivox distributes my ads on premium publisher sites, leveling the playing field and helping me build brand awareness for Express Employment Professionals against the other major staffing firms that have a big presence in the San Francisco Bay Area.”

– Steve Parker, Owner, Express Employment Professionals San Mateo, CA

WatchNBuy.com: The Success Story:

Success Story: WatchNBuy.com

The Company

WatchNBuy.com is an interactive, online service that showcases product videos that help shoppers make a more informed purchase decision. In addition to detailed product demos, WatchNBuy.com also allows the viewer to then purchase the product with a simple click of the mouse. The site offers a wide range of specialized products, from monogrammed diaper bags to artisan pottery and UV protective clothing for children.

The Issue

WatchNBuy.com discovered that, once a prospect viewed a product demo, they were very likely to purchase. However, reaching the appropriate target prospect with a unique product offering proved especially difficult. WatchNBuy.com had experimented with a variety of online advertising services and formats, but were disappointed with the results. Inefficient targeting, poor customer service and costly “pay-per-click” pricing models all contributed to their dissatisfaction. Yet, they knew that online was the best medium with which to reach their prospects.

The Solution

WatchNBuy.com used AdSlate by Jivox to produce an online video ad for a high-quality, low-cost, portable fireplace called MyBackYardFireplace. WatchNBuy.com utilized an existing product video that had been edited to fit AdSlate’s format. The ad was then distributed on the Jivox Network to those sites determined to efficiently and effectively reach the audience deemed most likely to be in the market for this particular product.

The Results

The key to success of WatchNBuy.com’s campaign? It was AdSlate’s ability to optimize the target audience. Working closely with WatchNBuy.com CEO George Siegal, the Jivox team refined the target audience strategy to ensure that the message was delivered to the most qualified recipients.

“The great unknown of selling on the Internet is how to tap into the right audience, and Jivox’s targeting capabilities are helping WatchNBuy.com solve that crucial challenge. Jivox is genuinely concerned with the success of our campaign, working with us to find a winning formula for repurposing our content on its advertising network and offering a pricing model that creates real value.”

- George Siegal, Chief Executive Officer, WatchNBuy.com

Five Tips for Creating High-Impact Online Video Ads

Smaller advertisers are beginning to use simple online video ads, tagged and indexed for search engine pickup, to connect with local audiences. The question is: how can small companies create the most effective video ads on a budget?

Jivox, a self-service online video advertising platform for local businesses, suggests that companies follow these simple strategies to create online video ads that generate results:

• Keep it simple. Simple, concise ads work best online for two reasons: viewers don’t want to read large volumes of text on their computer screen; and the online environment in which your ad will appear will already have a lot going on visually. To stand out, your ad needs to be clean and concise.

• Get to the point. Research shows that people decide if they want to read more about a topic on a website in 8 seconds or less. Ads that contain specific, immediate benefits, such as a promotion or discount, resonate strongly.

• Be smart about text. If you have a lot of text, you may need to vary the size of the type to allow it to fit into the ad space. If so, Jivox recommends no more than two type sizes in one ad, with the largest type size on top. Also, never use more than two fonts and avoid using all caps.

• Use relevant visuals. The visuals in a video ad should be eye catching but, more importantly, they should also communicate a relevant message. Clean, simple graphics are more likely to catch the eye of the viewer.

• Test and re-test. Video is such a flexible medium that it pays to experiment with different creative, formats and messages to find the combination that works the best. Set aside a portion of your budget to test different approaches so that you can see how response rates fluctuate when you change the visuals, call-to-action, price points or add a promotional offer.

“Whether you're a new advertiser looking to get started, or a marketing agency coaching your clients on best practices in video advertising, keeping these simple tips in mind will help you develop online video ads that get results,” said Diaz Nesamoney, CEO of Jivox.

About Jivox

Jivox, the self-service online video advertising service for local businesses, gives smaller and local advertisers access to online video advertising by making it easy to create, target and deliver online video ads. The Jivox platform combines a video ad creation tool, proprietary targeting technology, sophisticated reporting capabilities and a growing network of publishers to offer advertisers a complete, do-it-yourself service for online video advertising. Jivox is a privately held company based in San Mateo, Calif. For more information about Jivox, please visit www.jivox.com.