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Search

Given the impact the Internet has on consumer decisions, and in particular, the role search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing has on the success (or failure) of so many businesses, search engine optimization (SEO) is alarmingly underutilized.

According to Netcraft, as of December 2009, there were over 234 million websites, with 47 million new sites added in 2009 alone. With an ever-increasing number of websites, and the soaring number of desktop and mobile Internet users, the competition for that top position in search engine results becomes all the more important.

A well-designed website, with concise, engaging content plays a vital role in the success and effectiveness of the site. However, if no one can find it in the first place, the website will be a complete and utter flop no matter how slick the design or eloquent the content.

There is some very interesting information from data leaked from AOL’s search query logs that reinforces the importance of SEO and getting your site ranked as high as possible:

• The first ranking position in the search results receives 42.25% of all click-through traffic. The second position receives 11.94%, the third 8.47%, the fourth 6.05%, and all others are under 5%.
• The ten highest ranked sites receive 89.1% of all click-through traffic, compared to 4.37% for the next ten.

As you can easily see, if your site isn’t ranking on the first page of your most important keywords, you need to drop what you are doing and consult an SEO expert!

At the very least, take a moment to see how your site is ranking for your targeted keywords. If you aren’t showing up where you’d like to be, don’t hesitate to contact us for an SEO analysis. A modest SEO investment can end up paying major dividends down the road for your business.

Metro Studios has been working with an intelligent robot by the name of Solar-Breeze, and its inventor Denis Ruzsa and his business partner, Paul Sims, of Solar Pool Technologies, Inc. to develop successful marketing tools and strategies for this ingenious new product.

The Solar-Breeze pool skimmer, from Solar Pool Technologies, is a robotic pool skimmer that uses free energy from the sun to keep pools clean by removing leaves, debris, pollens, dust, and even suntan oils from the surface of pools before they sink to the bottom.

It also reduces pool pump usage, which in turn lowers your energy costs, and helps the environment all at the same time.

This product is unique for the pool industry. It’s one thing to describe the many benefits this product offers to pool owners. It’s another thing to actually show them.

We created a 3-minute video that paints an effective picture of how easy this product is to use and the added convenience it provides to pool owners.  With Solar-Breeze, they can spend far less time maintaining the pool, and far more time enjoying their pool.

Solar Pool Technologies utilized Metro Studios’ photography, video production, web development, SEO, and a partnership with Crosby Wright to help create a strong presence for Solar-Breeze in the market place.

Technology is constantly evolving. With change, comes opportunity. The time to capitalize on that opportunity is now.

One possible opportunity is to invest in a mobile site for your company. Mobile Internet use is not a passing trend. Rather, it’s a certainty.

Keep the End-User in Mind

According to Morgan Stanley Research, by 2014 mobile Internet users will surpass desktop Internet users. People are consuming information on the go, and to create a successful website, you should always keep the end-user in mind—in terms of content and accessibility.

St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a prime example of a company keeping the end-user in the forefront.

St. Luke’s called upon Metro Studios to develop a mobile site that accommodates the needs of their customers. While the existing site offers a tremendous amount of information and insight, it wasn’t packaged in a way that offered quick and easy access to the type of information that was in highest demand from mobile Internet users.

In our meetings with St. Luke’s Marketing Department, we put ourselves in the shoes of a mobile Internet user to better understand what type of information he/she needs on the go, and if that information is easily accessible from their existing site.

Sometimes, Simple is Better

The result was a simple and clean mobile site that offers quick and easy access to information most important to a person on the run. St. Luke’s mobile site, http://m.stlukescr.org, offers three pages (ER & Urgent Care wait times; a campus map for quick directions, and a Contact Information page with “Click-to-Call” phone numbers). It also provides an easy-to-find link to the main St. Luke’s Hospital site for more in-depth information.

As an added convenience to users, if a person on a mobile phone tried to pull up the main website, it will recognize that the person is using a mobile device, prompting the following message to display at the top of the page: “You appear to be using a mobile device to view our site which is designed for desktop browsers. Click this message if you would like to visit our mobile-friendly site.”

SEO Facts for Mobile Sites

Google has a separate index for mobile sites, and the great thing for you is, it’s fairly empty. This presents a golden opportunity. With less competition, you stand a far better chance at being ranked highly for the key word phrases you are targeting.

According to eMarketer, Mobile Internet users are expected to reach 134 million by 2013. Adding a mobile site to your marketing mix can put you in a prime position to capitalize on this rapidly growing pool of mobile Internet users.

Now is the perfect time to analyze your site, and consider the steps needed to make it more mobile-friendly. Keep in mind that not all websites need a completely separate mobile site to be mobile-friendly. There are steps that can be taken to modify the design and content of your existing site to make it more accessible to mobile Internet users.

If you’d like to learn more about how to make your site more mobile-friendly, contact Metro Studios to find out how to get started.

Metro Studios was called upon for the third straight year to shoot a high-profile series of commercials created by Terry L. Butz Creative for the Badgerland Chevy Dealer group in Madison, Wisconsin. The star of this latest series of TV spots features University of Wisconsin Head Football Coach Brett Bielema.

With just four hours to shoot video and still photography with Coach Bielema, we were able to create three different set-ups. In one, he’ll be featured in a staged news conference, fielding questions from “the media” about Chevy products. In a second set, he will appear to be on the sidelines of a game, thanks to the chroma key technique. The third set, Coach Bielema will be standing by the latest Chevy models outside of Camp Randall Stadium.

The commercials will air throughout Wisconsin.

Terry L. Butz Creative, located in Waterloo, Iowa, created the commercials for this project, and utilized Metro Studios for the production. Terry L. Butz Creative is a full-service advertising agency specializing in campaigns for the automotive industry.

Metro Studios also shoots a series of seasonal commercials for the Wisconsin Buick GMC Dealer groups featuring University of Wisconsin Men’s and Women’s Head Basketball Coaches, Bo Ryan and Lisa Stone. These commercials typically run during the winter months.

Each year, the Corridor Business Journal scours the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor searching for the best of the best in a myriad of categories.

We are honored and proud to say, Corridor Business Journal readers chose Metro Studios as 2010’s “Best Video Production Company” in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor.

The locally owned weekly business journal will split the ever-popular “Best of the Corridor” section into two separate issues this year. The first issue comes out July 19th and the second one on July 26th. Metro Studios will be featured in the July 26th issue.

A special thank you to all of our clients. Without you, this award would not have been possible.

Metro Studios was contacted by Mi-T-M, a leading manufacturer and designer of an extensive line of high-quality industrial equipment, to create a new website that better met the needs of both Mi-T-M and its customers.

“When developing a new website in today’s online culture, it’s critical to ask yourself what your customers are looking for and what they are hoping to achieve by visiting your site,” Karen Anderson, Mi-T-M Marketing Manager said. “Metro Studios fully understood our goals for our new website from the very beginning.”

Mi-T-M felt their existing site was outdated in appearance, structure and presentation of content. “The visual design of the site did not reflect the quality of our products or the level of technology Mi-T-M uses in our manufacturing processes,” Anderson said. “The sleek, user-friendly design is a better reflection of Mi-T-M and its reputation as an industry leader.”

Mi-T-M, located in Peosta, Iowa, offers an extensive product line including pressure washers, air compressors, generators, and much more.  The previous website, however, was not user-friendly or easily searchable, and was not generating optimal leads as a result.

“Our products were not easily browse-able, especially if a visitor did not have a specific product model in mind,” Anderson explained.

The new site features improved navigation and an enhanced search function that makes it easy for customers to find the equipment they are looking for.

“Once our customers find their equipment, we make it just as easy to take the next step, whether it is asking for more information about that product or to connect them with a dealer when they are ready to purchase.”

“There are over 300 products on this site, so developing it in such a way to make sure our customers quickly find what they are looking for really was a team effort,” Anderson said. “Metro Studios’ development process took, what I thought was a daunting task, and made it into something that went beyond our expectations.”

Anderson is looking forward to a long-term, successful business partnership with Metro Studios. “Not only would I recommend working with Metro Studios, I am sure that Mi-T-M will partner with them on future projects.”

One of Metro Studios’ long-term clients, Muscatine Power & Water (MP&W), always challenges us to think outside the (cable) box for their projects.

Our task:
To create a humorous campaign aimed at increasing new cable television and Internet customers for MP&W.

After some powerful brainstorming, we came up with the underlying campaign theme of “expect company,” when you have the reliable Digital TV and Machlink Internet services of MP&W.

It was a dark and stormy night…

Okay, so the shoot day arrived, we had talent, props, and a warm sunny day…

Hmmm. So, how could we capture the satellite subscribers’ disenchantment with their service during a rainstorm?

Green screen wizardry!

Voila, they dodge raindrops on their way to their neighboring MP&W digital subscriber!

Seriously…what’s funnier than a dripping bag of Cheetos?

The three-month campaign blanketed the market with:
· TV spots
· Radio spots
· On-hold messages
· Direct Mail
· Print Ads
· Web Banner

The result:
MP&W reached their new customer goals midway through the campaign!

Gina Kutsch, the Communications Specialist at Muscatine Power and Water, had this to say: “The work that everyone at Metro did was outstanding. They really took a great deal of time making sure all of our pieces were just as we wanted. The professionalism and talent is fantastic - and that is evident in the outstanding response we have had to this media-rich campaign.. Muscatine Power and Water has always been very pleased with the work Metro has done with us.”

Picture if you will a gorgeous Spring morning, overlooking a beautiful college campus with eager students making their way to class…and our very own Kirk Hayden hovering overhead in a helicopter, shooting aerial photos and HD video at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.

Kirk captured some stunning photos and video footage while juggling two cameras and keeping the helicopter’s shadow out of the shot.

Cornell College is celebrating the immense success of Extraordinary Opportunies: The Campaign for Cornell College, which is their largest capital campaign ever. Metro Studios will be producing video elements of fascinating interviews with Cornell alum and grateful students, as part of the multiple screen video presentation during Cornell’s homecoming in October.

Click here to see more aerial photos.

1. Update your “About” page content.

When someone comes to your website, one of the most frequently visited pages is the “About” page. Unfortunately, your “About” page also tends to contain some of the stalest information on your website. In an environment where you have 60 seconds or less to impress a potential customer, having an up-to-date and interesting “About” page can play a key role.

Here are some quick and easy ideas for updating your “About” content:

• Change the format to question and answer. “Who are you?” “What services do you provide?” and “Why work with Company ABC?” are questions that draw the reader in.
• Use customer testimonials to describe your company. “Company ABC sold us 6,000 widgets. Not only were they professional and efficient, but they also provided awesome customer service along the way.”
• Make a list. Lists are easy to read – and easy to write. For example, your “About” page could be “The 5 Best-Kept Secrets about Company ABC”.

2. Change the most prominent visual on your homepage.

Has the image on your homepage been a photo like this for the past 4 years?

It’s time to branch out and use a different image. For people who frequently visit your website, a new graphic will catch their eye, and may cause them to pause and scan the rest of your homepage for new information.

3. Get an outside perspective.

Ask someone who is unfamiliar with your website to perform a handful of simple tasks on the site. For example, some tasks could include:

• Finding the details on your company’s most important product or service.
• Locating your company’s customer service phone number.
• Identifying the primary call to action of the website.

Make note of how difficult or easy these tasks are for a new user to perform. Your most important should be messages immediately clear to a new user. If not, you need to identify ways to make these tasks much easier to accomplish.

4. Identify your primary call to action.

Sure, you’ve got a website. And yes, people are visiting it. But, are you clearly directing visitors to take action? Do you want them to:

• Purchase a featured product?
• Learn more about a new service?
• Complete a contact form?
• Call your company?

Whatever it is, your call to action should be prominent throughout your entire website – especially on your homepage. For example, MailChimp.com provides 3 different places on the homepage alone where you can sign up for a free account.

On Apple’s homepage, their current call to action couldn’t be clearer: Learn more about the iPad.

5. Get rid of your website landing/entrance page.

The average user does not like fancy landing pages that keep you from immediately entering a website. In fact, most people find them irritating.

Here’s a real life example. When you go to the grocery store, imagine if an employee stopped you five feet from the entrance and asked if you’d really like to go in. Or, they simply delayed you from entering for 30 seconds with an awkward song and dance. It paints a pretty inconvenient picture, doesn’t it?

Give users immediate access to your homepage. Trust me, they’ll appreciate it.

6. Review your website analytics.

Website analytics provide a detailed analysis of the traffic to your website including where visitors are from, what pages are most popular, how long people are staying on the site, and much more. These statistics are also continuously changing - providing you with new insights into how to best improve your site.

If you don’t have analytical tracking installed on your website, you can sign up for free at www.google.com/analytics.

7. Create a sitemap page.

A sitemap is a single page on your website that outlines the site’s entire architecture. Essentially, it lists and links to every page on the site. Whatever your website’s size, a sitemap plays a vital role in helping visitors easily find the information they’re looking for.

8. Be social.

If your company is using Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site, make sure that it’s prominent on your website. Add icons to your homepage, or pull in your live Twitter feed so visitors can see your most recent tweets.

By connecting with current or potential customers through social media, you’ll learn how to more effectively reach out to them.

9. Choose a website point person.

The primary reason why websites become outdated, disorganized, and difficult to use is this: no single person has responsibility for the website’s content. Instead, pages are updated randomly by multiple people with a variety of writing styles and ideas.

When you give site ownership to one person or a select group of people, you can filter and control the content of your website. Update requests can be reviewed and edited by this person or team, resulting in a streamlined, easy-to-use, and well-written website.

10. Learn.

In a world where our attention spans have been reduced to 160 characters or less, taking time each week to read through an entire article pertaining to your industry or emerging web trends can give you a competitive edge.

In fact, you’re doing great if you’ve made it to the end of this article. So, pat yourself on the back, and then choose at least one item from this list that you can make a reality to improve your website.

It’s that time of year when predictions, goals and lists dominate the media. Who am I not to oblige? Here’s my list of Internet marketing trends that will dominate 2010:

9. Exponential growth of smart phone users.

Forget texting – Grandma’s downloading apps for her new iPhone. In 2010, smart phone technologies and operating systems will continue to improve dramatically – resulting in a larger base and variety of users. For example, when the Droid phone went on sale last month, it sold 250,000 units in the first week alone. Google’s Android operating system will continue to gain popularity – in fact, it’s predicted that Android will be the number two operating system in the world by 2012 (second only to Microsoft Windows).

The bottom line: Make sure your internet marketing efforts are smart phone friendly – for many people, their phone may be the only way your marketing reaches them.

8. Bing surpasses Yahoo! to become the number two search engine.

Since Microsoft’s purchase of Yahoo! earlier this year, the perennial number two search engine has continued to lose market share to Google and now Bing. Microsoft has heavily focused its marketing efforts on Bing – particularly through TV advertising. As a result, more and more users are looking to Bing for their online searches – while the sun continues to set on Yahoo.

The bottom line: Continue to optimize your website for Google’s search standards – it’s still the world’s most popular search engine. But don’t discount Bing. Keep track of how your company’s keywords perform on Bing throughout 2010.

7. More businesses focus their marketing efforts on social media.

Every day, more companies are creating business pages on Facebook. For example, on Facebook alone, Grey Goose Vodka has more than 100,000 fans and a vibrant community where fans can download and discuss cocktail recipes. That’s the way to do it. This year, Pepsi is withdrawing all of its Superbowl advertising in favor of focusing its efforts on a social media campaign with a charitable partner. That’s 23 years of Superbowl commercials and millions of dollars being shifted online.

The bottom line: Roll up your sleeves and learn more about social media marketing. You can do it well – you can do it poorly, but the worst response is to not take part at all. (Shameless plug: At Metro Studios, we’re more than happy to help you develop and execute the best social media strategy for your business).

6. Social media becomes more targeted.

It’s both the advantage and the Achilles heel of Facebook – virtually everyone you know uses it. But with such a large network, it can be difficult to connect with people who have similar interests to you. In 2010, we’ll see new social media sites that are targeted to specific interests and audiences.

The bottom line: Don’t assume Facebook and Twitter are the only social media options for your company. Find out if there are social media sites where you can reach your target market more easily.

5. A major company will completely screw up a social media campaign.

I’m going out on a limb here (but that’s what predictions are for, right?). I think a major company will take on a social media campaign and do it so badly that it will damage its reputation for years to come. We’ve seen hints of this in the past with AOL and Best Buy, but this is going to be a very special mistake.

Here’s why it’s going to happen - most of corporate America still doesn’t understand internet marketing, or what consumers expect online. In 2010, consumers expect personality, transparency, and truly outstanding customer service from businesses online. Corporate America’s standard marketing techniques will not work in the social media environment – and it will take a major campaign’s failure to teach this lesson to everyone else.

The bottom line: Watch and learn from their mistakes.

4. The blog makes a comeback.

In 2008, Wired Magazine published an article about blogs being a thing of the past in this age of Flickr, Facebook and Twitter. How did the rest of the world respond? People kept blogging. Yes, the use of Twitter and Facebook grew exponentially, but forums and blogs have continued going strong.
Thanks to smart phones and integrated web technologies like Tumblr, blogs are easier to create, maintain, and promote more than ever before. One blogging trend I do predict is that blog entries will be a) more frequent, and b) a little shorter as more people will be posting blog entries using their smart phones.

The bottom line: If your company blogs regularly, keep going! Consistency and new, relevant content are key when it comes to gaining a good blog following.

3. You (the consumer) gain greater control over who advertises to you.

Websites like Twitter have given advertising control back to consumers. The average consumer is no longer at the mercy of spam campaigns and marketing that misses the mark. Instead, through tools like Twitter and Facebook fan pages, consumers can choose who markets to them. If a marketing campaign becomes aggressive or annoying, consumers can simply “unfollow” or “unfriend” with the click of a button.

The bottom line: Make sure that the way your business is reaching out through social media is meaningful and effective – and above all – find out what your target market is really looking for.

2. Advertisers will ask for less, but know more.

Gone are the days where you’ll be required to provide your name, address, phone number, favorite color, and rights to your firstborn child when you sign-up for a promotion through a company’s website. In 2010, marketing departments are growing more savvy. They’ll ask for less information from you up front – but the information they gain through other outlets will reveal much more. You can expect to be asked for your Twitter username or to become a fan on Facebook, which will provide much greater insight into your demographics, likes, and dislikes.

The bottom line: Is your company promoting your Twitter and Facebook accounts on your website? You should be.

1. Coupon sites will rule the year.

It seems technology and the economy have combined to create an amazing opportunity for consumers through an old standby – coupons. Who doesn’t like to save money? In several of the e-mail newsletters I subscribe to, I’ve seen more coupons used. There’s no doubt that a demand for coupons still exists. In fact, “Printable coupons” gets searched over 100,000 times per month.

The bottom line: Add coupons to your online marketing plan. It’s a great way to increase sales whether you run an online business or a brick and mortar store.

Note: For the past several months, Mallory Fondell has worked as an intern with the Metro web team. To say she’s done a fantastic job would be putting it lightly. Mallory has been an incredible asset to our team doing everything from graphic design to coding web pages. As her internship draws to an end, it’s no secret that we’ll really miss having her around the office. Below is Mallory’s firsthand account of her experience at Metro Studios.

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Mallory Fondell (far right), works with two members of the web team on a project.

A few months ago, HTML was nothing more than a foreign language to me. I am not a computer science major, so as a designer, I never thought I would be learning the code behind web design. I was so wrong…

Having an internship in the Web Services department at Metro Studios was definitely a step outside of my comfort zone. I’ve never gone into something so blindly before, but it’s been more rewarding than I could have ever imagined.

My first few weeks, I got to witness how all of the “cogs in the wheel” turn in the web department. I learned about search engine optimization, social media marketing, HTML coding using cascading style sheets, and how to write content for the web. I was blown away with the talented people who work here and how close they are with each other. (The pool table is pretty sweet, as well!)

While shadowing each part of the web department, I got to observe a website go from just an idea to a functional, eye-catching site. After becoming familiar with this new language called, HTML, I was let loose on my own project!

There aren’t many internships where you’re guided through a project from start to finish, but at Metro Studios, that was their number one goal for my internship. It wasn’t about filing and making copies, it was about learning. The skills I learned at Metro Studios have made me more knowledgeable in my classes and a step ahead of my peers. I’ve even learned things that my professors don’t even know!

My time at Metro Studios was more than just something to fill my college requirement – it was an opportunity to learn something that I wouldn’t have otherwise. It was an opportunity to meet great people and build a diverse network of experts. It was an opportunity to build my portfolio and allow me to say, “Look! I did that!”

Internships are for stepping out of your comfort zone, ignoring your fears, and trying something new.

Metro Studios realizes that students want to learn, and with every opportunity, the people at Metro Studios will do everything they can to help you succeed.

Recently, I had the opportunity to hear Clint Runge give a presentation on youth marketing –specifically to Generation Y (people born after 1981). Clint is the Creative Director at Archrival, a youth marketing agency in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Clint’s presentation was full of thorough research and helpful information – and sparked my own thoughts about how we can effectively market to Generation Y.  Here’s my take on it.

Recognize the major differences between Generation X and Generation Y.

In order to understand how to reach out to Generation Y with your product or services, we first need to understand how Generation Y differs from their predecessors, Generation X.

• Generation X’ers grew up asking the question, “How can I be different?”. A typical Generation Y’er asks the question, “How can WE be different?”
• Generation X’ers have an attitude of exclusion.  Generation Y’ers have an attitude of inclusion.
• For Generation X’ers information was provided by encyclopedias and the mainstream media. For Generation Y’ers, information is people-generated through Wikipedia, Twitter, and more.

So what do these differences mean when reaching out to Generation Y?

Generation Y establishes brand trust through their friends (not corporations or advertisements).

No matter how memorable, clever, or funny your latest ad campaign was, it’s unlikely to create a deep sense of brand trust between Generation Y and your company.   Instead, Generation Y develops trust through their peers and friends.

So how can your company build trust with Generation Y? Create targeted internet communities (vertical social networks) that are related to your project. More and more Generation Y’ers are seeking smaller online communities built around common interests.  For example, Sneakerplay.com is an online community devoted to people’s love of sneakers.  Through the site, shoe manufacturers can learn more about what type of sneakers people love, as well as advertise their own products.

The first screen Generation Y looks to is their mobile device.

Unlike Generation X or even Baby Boomers, television and computer screens are not the “first screen” that reaches Generation Y.  For this generation, it’s their mobile devices.

How does this affect your business? It’s important that marketing campaigns geared towards Generation Y are mobile device friendly – because it may be the only way your campaign is viewed.

Brand loyalty is rare among Generation Y.

It’s difficult to swallow – but true. No matter how much you try, it’s unlikely that Generation Y’ers will remain loyal to your product or brand. Generation Y’ers are constantly looking for the next big thing and will willingly switch brands to get it.

So how can you keep business coming back to you? Focus on continually upgrading your products – and less on reinventing your marketing plan every three months.

For example, the iPhone was first released in June 2007, its updated 3G version was released in July 2008, and most recently, the 3GS came out in June 2009. While the iPhone’s marketing strategy has not changed dramatically over that time, its capabilities have grown and changed often -  keeping the iPhone at the top of the market as the “next big thing.”

Generation Y is drawn to causes where they can collectively make a difference.

Not only do Generation Y’ers ask, “How can WE be different?” they also ask “How can we MAKE a difference?”   Generation Y’ers have a strong belief in causes – but they have a limited willingness to get involved. They often choose causes that are simple to support and don’t require research.

Overall, Generation Y is drawn to causes where a collective group of people can make a difference, rather than one person changing the world.

Types of businesses that appeal to Generation Y’ers include Chipotle’s environmentally-centered philosophy, as well as MyStarbucksIdea.com where people can post new ideas for the company, with the most popular ideas being implemented.

What’s next?
The main takeaway for me is that marketing requires a different approach with different generations. Overall, you need to evaluate how your company is reaching its targeted generations, and adjust your strategy to most effectively reach those groups.

When it comes to the information that’s available on the web, how do you sort out the helpful from the unhelpful, the good from the bad, and finally figure out how to get the best use out of your new iPhone?

I stumbled across this gem of an article entitled, “15 Free Guides That Really Teach You USEFUL Stuff”.

And I’ve got to say, I’m impressed.  Here are a few highlights:

The Unofficial Guide to the iPhone
Learn how to perform both the most simple and the most challenging tasks, how to get fresh applications, and the latest tips and tricks for your iPhone. Download

Twitter: Best Practices & Tips
Still wondering what’s the big deal about Twitter? This guide teaches you how Twitter works, cool Twitter tools, and suggests interesting people to follow. Download

The Idiot’s Guide to Photoshop
Photoshop can be overwhelming to learn when you first start out.  This guide covers shortcuts, cheat sheets, and walks you through all the basic applications of Photoshop. Download

The Essential Guide to Buying a Laptop
Want to buy a new laptop, but don’t know where to start? Checkout the Laptop Buying Guide.  It will help you choose the right laptop for your needs and provides a look at the most recent models. Download

November is a time to be thankful. And at Metro Studios, we have so much to be thankful for.  The world’s best clients. Amazing co-workers. And another great year of innovative marketing solutions.

As part of our efforts to give back to the communities around us, we donate our time and marketing talents to many worthy causes around us.  Here’s just one example.

This month, Metro Studios will be launching a new website for His Hands Free Medical Clinic as part of our ongoing pro bono community efforts.  His Hands Free Medical Clinic provides free medical care to thousands of people each year.

We’re thankful for the doctors, nurses, and volunteers who freely give their time to the clinic in order to improve the lives of those in need.  And at Metro Studios, we’re proud to have even a small part in their noble efforts.

To learn more about His Hands Free Medical Clinic, or to get involved, please contact them at (319) 862-2636.

An interview with Kirk Hayden, photographer and videographer at Metro Studios

How did Metro Studios get started in photography?

More than 20 years ago, Metro Studios started out as a video production company. In the last five years, with the explosion of digital photography, a client would request that we also could provide a digital still of a video shot for photography use.

Clients found that our high quality stills looked better than even a standard photography shot. It was then that more clients looked to us for photography services, too.

How long have you been providing video production and photography with Metro Studios?

It will be 21 years in January.

How would you say Metro Studios is different from other photography studios?

We’re different in several ways:

• Our cost is typically lower, especially if we’re also doing a video shoot. For clients looking to have both video and photography work done – if they hire separate vendors, each will spend a good deal of time setting up shots. However, once we’ve set up a shot for video, often with a few light adjustments, it’s ready for photography – allowing us to reduce our overall cost.
• Metro Studios’ original area of expertise is in video production. Many people don’t realize that video production is harder to light and make look good than still photography because of the wide variety of shots and angles you’ll be shooting. As a result, our photography shots benefit from our detailed experience and outstanding lighting with video composition.
• We really listen to what our clients want and include them throughout the creative process.

What is your creative process for preparing for a photo shoot?

1. We start by listening to our clients. We find out what their marketing goals are, then work with them to create a vision for how their photography will achieve those goals.
2. We then provide them with as much of our expertise and guidance as we can. We work to develop a clear sense of what they want the consumer to walk away feeling, and then we put our experience to work to create a high quality shoot. We like to give our clients creative options for their shoots, since they’re not simply hiring us to point and click, but to create an entire mood for the photo.

Why do you think someone should use a professional photographer for their business, instead of simply shooting photos themselves?

Even though in today’s world, virtually everyone has a digital camera – but very few have the technical knowledge and experience that makes for great photography. Without professional photography, all too often, headshots end up looking more like mug shots, and product shots look like they belong on Craigslist instead of on your website.   For really professional photos, you need high quality lighting and composition.

What makes for a great shot?

There are two aspects to a great shot – composition and lighting. Our goal each time is to create a specific mood for whoever looks at the photo.

What advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a professional photographer?

• Be willing to experience lots of different photography situations. In most markets, you’ll need to be versatile – not specialized, so having experience in everything from shooting people, products, landscapes, and architecture will help you stand apart.
• Be flexible and easy to work with – always make sure the entire process is a great experience for your client.

Interested in talking to Kirk about photography? Contact Metro Studios today.

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