We recently wrote about some of the advantages and that we’re the first Orlando Digital Marketing agency to have mastered the technology. We know because agencies have contacted us to help them with projects. We’re cool with that and glad to help when we can.

Our recent article not only found us some new Advertising Agency friends in Orlando and other places, but questions.

Setting aside the cool stuff, let me tell you the biggest reason again. Its simple, the cost of development and user experience UX. You can easily save $50,000+

A little history. Remember apps were developed back in the days before responsive websites and fast communications. It was not that long ago when there were few high speed WiFi hot spots and 4G mobile phones.

The lack of mobile friendly websites and slow communications required a separate app. Your phone did all the work, like running a single user game.

Today with high speed communications and even faster website technologies like AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) this has all changed.

Everyone who uses an app knows its always different from the website version. Take a look at a dating app or your bank’s mobile app vs the website and you get the picture.

Now with PWA the mobile app version and the website are the same.

Some of the questions we’re heard are “what about security, the app stores, compatibility, how do you do it, etc”.

First any cyber security expert will tell you that apps are much more vulnerable than today’s website firewall software. Phones have limited memory and storage compared to a massive secure server.

People have mentioned I’m going to miss all the users who search the app stores. As for the app stores, (ie: Apple’s App Store and Google Play) there is no issue. In fact they already realize its the future and are welcoming PWA. You can list your PWA as an app on Apple for $99 a year and Google for a one time $25 fee.

But you don’t even need the app stores, as you have already seen on the bottom of this website. You can create the app on your device right from the website.

Now for the last big item we heard about and that was compatibility across devices. This is an easy one. If you use Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or even Firefox you’re good to go. I strongly recommend Google Chrome and to stay away from off browsers like Safari. The off browsers have lots of other compatibility issues aside from PWA.

Oh, and I almost forgot, how do you do it ? We’ll contact us and we’ll talk about it.

Don’t think Progressive Web Apps are changing the game and saving money ? Then maybe you heard the one about leading the horse to water.

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For starters, Blue Island has been an expert in AMP and Structured Data for over 2 years. Most agencies are just starting to learn how to implement these technologies. Check out an article from their top Systems Engineer from almost 2 years ago on the topic.

But for today there is even more. Now it’s about the coming together of apps and websites coupled with AI (Artificial Intelligence). PWA or Progressive Web Apps can take your website and pretty much make it an app. That’s right your website appearing as an icon (shortcut) on your phone.

PWAs are mobile applications delivered through the web. PWA provides the customer with the same experience as an app but through a browser. The PWA has the look and feel of a native app. Additionally, when you encounter a PWA via a mobile Google search, you’ll be asked if you want to install the shortcut to the PWA on your phone. No more searching the App Store or Google Play.

A big advantage of a PWA is speed. The average mobile website generally takes at least 3 seconds to load. PWAs will load in less time, usually 1-2 seconds.

PWAs are also more dynamic than a standard website. They allow you to have a deeply engaging full-screen experience. As an example, the opportunity to order food, participate in a loyalty program or even get business contact info.

Apps sometimes also don’t have the same look and feel as a well-designed responsive website. It is not unusual to see certain features available only on the website version. Customers will have the same UX overall on the PWA as with the website.

But the biggest advantage by far is cost. In today’s market a full blown all the bells and whistles website may run $10,000 – $20,000 while most full featured apps will run in excess of $50,000 from start to finish.

If you are interested in taking mobile to the next level and don’t want to spend all the time, resources and hefty price tag of an app then Contact Blue Island today.

Orlando Digital Marketing Agency has brought the latest technology to the area. You now have a chance to leap ahead of the competition and save money too !

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In 1968 I had pen, paper, typewriter and whatever I had learned or stolen to bring to the writing table. Now, in 2019, we have the internet, so I have different tools and different circumstances, but I still find a certain frustration in not having an actual assignment to get me started.

I’m surrounded by great crew, great equipment, reasonable resources, a certain amount of creativity (some learned, some stolen, or maybe borrowed), a wide range of image-capturing technical skills and motivation to do great things. With these same resources, I have failed to start at least a hundred great projects, while at the same time I’ve found the opportunity to create at times, great film & video when challenged with an actual event or assignment.

I have a New Year’s Resolution for 2019: Get Out There And Make It Happen !

So, look for my drone to be flying in beautiful places in bright light, or my WaveRunner to be zipping through canopied swamps and rivers with a mounted 360º VR camera, or my seaplane to be traveling in remote, pristine environments (Go Pro and Lumix mounted).

I’ve practiced extensively over the years for dozens and dozens of aviation and marine industry clients, who’ve paid me handsomely to make magic for them. Now I’m going to take a little time to make magic for myself and anyone who wants to take a look. And remember this unforced creativity may be in many of us.

Follow us on Facebook @blueislanddigital or see my latest works on Vimeo. and YouTube.

Bradford Fuller is Creative Lead and Managing Partner at Blue Island Digital in Orlando Florida, as well as President, Creative Director and Director/DP at Florida Film & Tape in Orlando. Brad holds both FAA UAV and FAA commercial pilot certificates with SEL, SES, MEL, Instrument, Glider and Seaplane privileges.

The post Unforced Creativity May Be In Many Of Us appeared first on Blue Island Digital | AI - Strategy Digital Marketing | Orlando.

It seems like a no-brainer to simply take the position that we’ll only do the best quality, all the time. But there are a lot of factors that go into that. Just take cameras, for example. In the not-so-distant past, there were three choices: 35mm film, 16mm film or video, in a generally descending order of quality and price. Now that 95% of the work is produced digitally, the camera choices range from an iPhone to a $50,000+ ARRI Alexa, with at least 3 dozen viable choices in between. All have different features and benefits that suit the videographer’s needs.

Being a creative pragmatist, I look first at the final goal to define the needs of the mission. Simply put, that’s defined by who are you trying to reach, under what circumstances and with what medium.  Secondly, I look at the logistics (am I shooting on a sound stage or a remote mountain airstrip in Idaho), which will influence much of the budget and finally, I consider the budget, which is either dictated or influenced by the first and second considerations. Not so easy, huh?

To help define the dilemma, let’s say I’m doing a Coca-Cola commercial to air on the Super Bowl in HD or 4k, where the budget is not really a factor. For this production, I would insist we shoot in at least 4K digital or 35mm film with a crew of 20 or more. Here the budget could approach $1M. On the other hand, let’s say I’m doing a testimonial for a cooking product that’s destined to show only on the internet. This project only requires a crew of 2 – 4 and is going to end up on some form of easily managed digital media, possibly shot with a DSLR camera.  Does that mean it sucks? Not necessarily, though many internet-only videos are produced very inexpensively and are, shall we say, less than perfect. What it means is that the goal of the mission dictates everything else about the mission.

These factors are not just prevalent in the digital video production process, but these decisions need to be made every day, at every crossroad of the process of serving the client. Maintaining the goal of “the best product and service for that particular need”.

In the digital marketing world, not every website needs a massive SEO campaign, but certainly the ones that are in very competitive industries, like an HVAC company or other service company, certainly need a boost.  An established brand, such as in the exotic auto industry, like Porsche, does not. Someone doesn’t search “exotic car” to find a Porsche. They would just search “Porsche” or key in Porsche.com.

In summary, choosing the best quality and value with video production decisions is all about what you really need in the end. Define the mission and refine the approach. And remember, if you shoot the video on your iPhone, please turn the dang thing sideways!

Contact Us for a free consultation

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Perhaps a picture is worth a 1000 words. Do a Google search on “Thought Catalog” and look at all the cool additional boxes of information that come up. This is one example of how you can use a blog site.

Now search on “Food Network” and you get the idea.

Why is this important ?

For one thing you take up a lot of real estate on SERP so less room for competitors. You also provide a lot of information without someone having to navigate through your website (really good for mobile)

But perhaps the most important reason, Google will love you more. At the end of the day, if you properly use Structured Data, not even at the level of these elaborate examples, you’ll see some of your other content ranking better.

For local businesses you can establish your hours, your prices, contact information, etc. The name of the game is visibility

Now to the second big item for 2018, its AMP.

If you’re not familiar with AMP then do a search for a news story on your smart phone and you’ll see a little lightening bolt next to the title of a topic. This is an AMP page. We’ll you say, I’m not a news media outlet. There is a lot more..

When you create a webpage or a blog post a second version of the page needs to be created as AMP. If you use WordPress or Joomla, there are plugins available that will automatically create the AMP version of the page. BUT the page may not carry a lot of the attributes of the original page so you may need the help of a developer.

So whats the big advantage of AMP ?

AMP pages are  lightening fast on mobile and once again Google will love you more but there are a lot of cool tricks that can be done with Structured Data and AMP pages. As an example, you can have an image display with your search results. You can have sub menu options appear right in the search results.

But lets say you have an event or an announcement that is time sensitive, with Structured Data and AMP you can submit the page manually to Google and the page will rank instantly !!  (not waiting for a couple of days to be crawled) Think of the possibilities ?

AND because you can get better ranking on mobile, you will see a much higher CTR on AMP pages. My clients who experienced 3% on average, now say they see as much as 20% CTR on certain AMP pages. So bottom line, more potential customers.

That’s a lot of cool stuff BUT there is limited, and perhaps even more importantly, not really accurate information on how to get the most out of AMP and Structured Data. So be sure when working with AMP the developer can show you specific references of work they have done with AMP and Structured Data.

I can tell you the clients that I am working with and utilize it are finding it to be a game changer.

Blue Island Digital, Orlando is #1 in marketing strategies to the dating and relationship industries. For information on how we can help you reach your marketing potential, please contact us for a free consultation and analysis of your business.

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