Choosing a Killer Avatar for Your Online Profiles
May 4, 2009 Branding, Social Media Marketing
When you first thought to choose an avatar, you probably didn’t put much more thought into it than hitting the browse button until you saw one that looked half ways decent and you hit upload. But nowadays, your entire online identity can be tied into your avatar, and it can become an iconic representation of who you are, not to mention extremely useful for branding purposes. So when you decide it is time to choose a new avatar to use across the various social media sites, here are some things to think of before you start.
Look at me!
Choose a pic that is just a good pic of yourself. If you don’t have one, go trolling through Facebook or Flickr tagged photos of yourself to see if you can find one to use. All of the pics I have ever used were taken by other people at parties, events or just hanging our. Some people use professional headshots, but do be aware it can give you a kind of “corporate look” which may or may not be the kind of image you want to portray.
Look at me with a twist
Instead of standard headshots, why not change it up a bit. Make your expression funky, add a background, change the way the perspective of the photo is or add something to make your photo just not the usual photo you see of people online. Here are some great examples of avatars with a definite twist to them which makes them that much more memorable.
Go logo!
A touch more boring, but can help for accounts with corporate businesses, is to go the logo route. While this might not be as effective if you are not as well known, it can be effective for larger companies. But if you are a one person show, definitely consider going with something more personalized than your logo. Logos as avatars, especially on sites where your personality really needs to shine throughout to get the maximum value, can really hinder you. You really want to be identified with you and not simply your company name.
Go logo with a twist
You can chose something different than just your standard logo… why not show your company logo in a different way from how normally someone would see it, or closer to how someone might see the logo in real life. Here are some great examples of how to still use your company logo, but from a unique perspective.
Something representative to your company
Think about something that could be used but that people familiar with the company would clearly recognize as being significant. Of course, you do need to remember that you will be left with some people going “Um, what?”. And for those of you not AdSense publishers, that is the new AdSense icon… it’s actually an ad unit if you look at it ;) The second example is probably a bit more self explanatory. Actually, many of the Google twitter accounts have avatars that are a spin on whichever program or app it is. And honorable mention goes to @majornelson who used to have an avatar showing himself holding a Gears of War Lancer.
Best of Both Worlds
If you are caught between wanting a photo of yourself plus a company logo, you can successfully do both. Here are some examples where it is done well.
Crazy gesturing
Some people are quite known for their wild and weird gesturing in their avatars, and will actually spawn copycats and clones when they pull it off successfully. Here is one example, and no I am not going to get into the debate of which one was the originator and which was the copycat, although I am sure the originator will pipe up 
Other unusual photos of yourself
Some people use images of themselves in situations that, well, are either just kind of too crazy to describe or so unique you wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself. And yes, that is DK in a headlock by Randy Couture…
Themes
Sometimes you notice that all of a sudden everyone on your Twitter feed has a theme going on, so feel free to do that. Examples include when many people used Santa hats or changed their avatars to have a pink tint for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Just do be aware that still wearing a Santa hat in your avatar in May looks kind of odd :) I was tempted to post some examples, but I will protect the guilty parties
Cartoony You
Then you can go the way of a personalized cartoon of yourself, although these aren’t nearly as hot as they were a year or so ago when it seemed everyone was jumping on board to get themselves cartooned up for blogs and avatars. Now you will see South Park versions of people, as well as Wii and XBox custom avatars used for people’s online avatars too.
Sex Appeal
Just how companies use “booth babes” in the expo halls to drive traffic to their booths, sex also sells when it comes to online avatars, and many companies will use the same approach for their Twitter & Facebook avatars too. And sorry to all the people who really thought that @rishil was a Jack Daniels loving chick!
Last Advice
If this is your current Twitter avatar, or you are using the default avatar on any social site, it should be noted that it is better to have a dancing pig in a tutu rather than the default avatar, because nothing quite screams newbie like the default avatar.
So when you are thinking about updating your avatar, think about all the different ways you can build your online identity through your avatar across a wide variety of social media platforms. While I was using Twitter for the example profiles (mainly because it shows both the avatar and the username together), you will find nearly all will use the same avatar across multiple social media sites, including Sphinn, StumbleUpon, Facebook, etc.
Try not to change your avatar too frequently or else people won’t immediately recognize it as being you, and try and make it unique so that people who see it at a glance know exactly who it is. The point is to build your profile with the same recognizable avatar everywhere, not change it once a week to keep people on their toes ;) Think of it as an extension of your personal brand.
Feel free to post your own favorite examples of social media avatars.
Buying the perfect domain name: twelve things to consider
May 1, 2008 Branding, Usability
In this day and age, it is becoming much more difficult to find a never-registered domain name, especially for top level domains. So the reality is that many of us are having to purchase domain names instead. So if you are considering purchasing a domain name, here are some tips you should follow, check and research to make sure your chosen “perfect” domain name really is as perfect as you want to believe it is.
Keyword research
If you are planning to buy a domain name - especially if it is in a market area you are new to - definitely take the time to do some keyword research to see what the most advantageous keywords are to have in your domain name. Check the keyword research section of my blog if this isn’t your strong suit and you need a primer.
Brandable
Does the name have brand appeal? You want people to not just remember the site, but to link to it to. And domain names that are brandable will do better. Think about it.. what is better, Google.com or Truly-The-Best-Search-Engine-Ever.com? Google has definite brand appeal - even if how they came up with the name was unusual… and shows that sometimes those spur of the moment domain name ideas that many of us come up with on a whim can really work out well in the end.
Check Archive.org
Did your desired domain name have a previous life as a XXX porn portal? Or feature hardcore spam with thousands of doorway pages? Do be aware that some site’s histories take so much work to rise above the past life that it makes much more sense to go with a domain with a clean history. Do be aware that some sellers might hide the previous life by banning the archive bot, so you’ll need to do further super sleuthing to discover what was there in the past. This also applies to domains that you are buying “brand new” because it could have been previously owned and the owner let it expire.
Avoid hyphens whenever possible
Hyphens are associated with old time spam, when you used to see buy-keyword-keyword-keyword-keyword-keyword-keyword-now.com (and no, that unfortunately isn’t an exaggeration!) If you absolutely have to use a hyphen, limit it to two or less, but preferably one. Every hyphen adds a level of spamminess perception, even if the intended site will be as white as the driven snow.
Domain length
A shorter domain name is better than a longer one, especially if you will be getting type in traffic. Avoid really long domain names whenever possible and try to stay under 15 characters if you can. If you have two domain names that are equal in your eyes except for the fact one is 18 characters and the other is 9, I’d go for the one with 9.
Go with a quality top level domain.
Whether it is a .com in the US or a .co.uk in England, go with a top level domain (TLD) whenever possible. No matter how you slice and dice it, Example.com or Example.co.uk sounds so much better than Example.biz
If you are not TLD, check what is on it
Many years ago a friend started a business targeting moms and their kids and went and registered her website with a .ca extension. She had the URL advertised on her vehicle, on mail outs, on her business cards, etc. Except there was a small problem… people kept forgetting it was .ca and went to the .com version instead, which happened to be a spyware ridden hardcore porn site. So if you can’t get the most common domain extension for your target market, check to see what it on it before you make your final decision to go for the alternative TLD.
What about misspellings and variations
Don’t forget there are differences with how people spell certain words in different countries. It is “search engine optimization” in the US but “search engine optimisation” in the UK. So if you are targeting worldwide, it can be worth the extra expense to buy those common spelling variations that type-ins might do.
Check backlinks
Not all blacklinks are created equal. Are there a bunch of incoming spam links? Or hate links? Or anything that could raise suspicions that something isn’t all right with this domain name?
Check for pages indexed
Any pages indexed, whether currently on the domain or still previously indexed? Generally, indexed pages is a good sign, then see if those pages rank for anything as an added bonus.
Trademarks?
A surprising number of domains are for sale because there are potential trademark or legal issues that the owner just doesn’t want to deal with. A quick search in the US trademark database will show up any trademarks that could be problematic in the future. You don’t want to achieve rankings and traffic only to lose the domain to a trademark holder, unless you are willing to take that risk because the benefits outweigh the risks in your eyes.
Double entendres
The often mentioned fictional Pen Island is a classic example. Pen Island.com sounds innocent enough. But put it all together in a lower case domain name, and suddenly you get penisland.com… Good old Penis Land. Another one, expertsexchange.com (Experts Exchange) is often mentioned when it comes to making sure you consider all double entrendres with that “perfect” domain name. It is better to discover the problems before you buy than to have someone point it out after you have invested time, effort and money into it.
When you are buying a domain name - especially when it could be a pricey one - you want to make sure you are not going to fall victim to a critical problem that could cause issues with your “perfect” domain name down the road. By following these steps, you should ensure that you have as few problems as possible.
Tags: domain names, domains, research, website
Why you should bid on misspellings of your company name & brand
Jan 15, 2008 Advertising, Branding, Google, Pay Per Click, Yahoo
Not all of us have hit the household status we all wish our company names had. So if you aren’t a Sony or a WalMart, have you ever considered the fact that someone might be trying to find your company or product and either spelling it wrong or searching for a slight variation because the person who recommended you pronounced it incorrectly? And even the best SEO can’t rank your site number one for every single variation of your company name or brand. The last thing you want to do is lose those potential customers to competitors, when they were trying to find your site in the first place.
If you are lucky, Google might direct some of those misspellings to your site via their “Did you mean: ____” hint that it shows above the results when they believe there is a good chance that someone made a typo. But you have to be pretty well known to have Google do that for all your potential misspellings and typos of your company name.
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Should a favicon be part of your online branding & marketing presence?
Apr 7, 2007 Branding, Search Engine Optimization, Usability
You know those little favicons, where people try and make something resembling their logo appear in a teeny, tiny 16×16 pixel image. They show up in the navigation bar of many browsers and also appear in browser bookmarks or favorites (hence the name favicons which was shortened from favorites icon). But while they definitely have the coolness factor, especially if you manage to capture your site’s look successfully in the favicon, does your site really need to incorporate one? The answer, surprisingly, is yes.
A few years ago, favicons were only seen on a handful of sites, either super geeky ones or big brand ones. But since then, favicons have been becoming more mainstream and much more common to see. So while they have been gaining popularity, some savvy marketers are using them for branding as well as to encourage repeat visitors. But how, you might ask?
How to Brand with Google AdWords & Pay Per Click
Mar 30, 2007 Branding, Google, Pay Per Click
Branding with pay per click ads is one of those hard things to track. When you are branding, you are not necessarily looking for clicks or conversions, although those can be seen as an added bonus. As a result, traditional methods of creating and tracking ad campaigns, as you would for regular keyword targeted campaigns, are thrown out the window when you are using pay per click strictly for the branding aspect.
With branding, it is all about getting your brand out there to be seen by as many eyeballs as possible… while paying the least amount possible. And if you are doing it correctly, your brand becomes known and easily recognizable within your market area, even if there is not the corresponding ad clicks to your site… something that tends to make some advertising execs very nervous. But in reality, it is not that much different from advertising through magazines where you have lots of eyeballs for branding potential, even if they don’t end up going to the URL listed in the ad.
Why brand with pay per click? First, if you do it correctly, you can get those eyeballs for a relatively cheap amount when you compare it to the pricing with regular keyword targeting. And if you have a recognizable logo – or one you want to be recognizable – you can also explore using image and video ads to compliment your branding campaign. But branding with pay per click, and particularly Google AdWords, is something that many pay per click advertisers overlook when considering their marketing efforts. However, following these steps will show how to easily start a branding campaign while spending the least amount possible on it.
