DevelopmentNow is proud to announce the launch of a new-look Mr. Boddington’s Studios.
Mr. Boddington’s Studio offers a wide variety of Stationery for a variety of occasions-
Boddington also allows private appointments for hosts that go the extra mile to impress their guests.
At DevelopmentNow we’re proud to partner with Mr. Boddington and be a small part of his illustrious history.
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DevelopmentNow is proud to announce the launch of ZingDing, the web’s first socially integrated real estate search portal.
ZingDing – “Where do you want to live?”
ZingDing is a real estate search website that shows houses through interactive eCards. What makes ZingDing unique and great is the ability for users to search through their social connections on Facebook.
When buying a home it isn’t all about the piece of property. You want to know and feel comfortable about the people surrounding the deal: the real estate agent, the mortgage broker, the appraiser, etc.
ZingDing allows this and lets the Facebook-savvy user feel at home when looking for one.
To learn more check out this video - http://vimeo.com/41889548
Congrats to WoodHill Homes and Gilges Media for having the foresight to capitalize on Facebook and social media in a new way.
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Gamification is easy to describe through a classic video game.
They each start with a Problem
“Bowser has kidnapped the princess!”
Along the way, you can see your Progress
“You have just Leveled Up!”
As you succeed, your legacy is left behind as a Status
“You’ve earned a High score!”
This game probably wouldn't have sold as well.
It may be easy to look at gamification as something used in video games, but its usage goes far beyond that.
Remember when your kindergarten teacher gave you a star for that flawless rendition of the ABC’s you belted out? (I do.)
That’s gamification.
Remember how that free coffee or sandwich you earned by getting a small card stamped 6 times tasted slightly better than the ones you paid for?
That’s gamification.
Gamification can be seen everywhere. Take the hospitality industry-
Whether it be a flight, cruise, or hotel stay; the first time you interact with these companies, you’re offered to sign up for a membership rewards program. The game begins.
Earn enough points and you become a “Preferred/Platinum/Executive” member, gaining additional priviliges. You’ve leveled up.
New High Score!
An announcement comes over a P.A. system at a crowded airport gate. “Preferred members boarding now”. You saunter over and board early in front of other travelers, (lowly basic members and plebian non-members). You’ve announced your ‘status’. You’re no longer a noob at this game.
PortlandFit is a training program for runners and walkers of all abilities, each with an end goal of competing in an event. They utilize gamification to help their members acheive their fitness goals.
A color coded system divides runners by how fast they run. As runners improve they can move their way up to a higher color, (if that’s their goal and intention).
When you sign up for a program you get a badge. This is shared on your PortlandFit profile, and your Facebook or other networks if you choose.
This badge signals your first step forward, the game begins. Throughout your training, progress can be viewed through your profile; all of this building toward your big event.
Additional Great Perks when joining Portland Fit
We’re proud to partner with Portland Fit. Their program is a great way to keep people motivated and focusing on achieving their fitness goals.
It’s not difficult to see more use of gamification in the business world: a salesman is trying to complete ‘missions’ (selling 110% of quota for instance). Their progress is tracked, and the first one to ‘complete their mission’ earns Level 40 SalesmanElite status and a bonus.
Gamification: it’s not just about saving the princess anymore.
Portland Fit was Voted “Best Running Club” in 2011 by Northwest by Competitor NW Magazine
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Do you do your own taxes? Do you change your own oil? Cut your own hair? Even for the biggest micro-manager or penny-pincher, you can’t do it all yourself. If you could, you probably weren’t doing enough to start.
DevelopmentNow is unique in that we can jump in at different points in projects. Whether you’re already knee deep in your project and needing a boost or just getting started with an idea and investment, we can fast-track you to where you need to be. While other companies require that they host, (and you pay them to host), we are able to work at our client’s request with regard to hosting, source code control and other things that might otherwise stall a team up.
Recently, a client came to us most of the way finished with their Social Media project. Although the client was a very skilled coder themselves, they were stuck and could not launch. Days of frustration spent searching for a fix. He contacted us and in hours our expert had solved the problem. Whether it was past experience and expertise or just a fresh set of eyes that prevailed, the partnership was a win-win.
In-house IT teams have the advantage of being, well, in-house. Often projects come along where teaming up makes more sense for a number of reasons. In the ever-changing continually competitive Mobile+Social world, we separate ourselves by being able to seamlessly work with your guys to get the job done fast.
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Blogging FTW
Almost every firm these days is getting at least some leads from the tried and true cost-per-click (CPC) advertising. While these leads can be useful and having a continual stream of them is good business, some companies have chosen to think outside the search engine box. DevelopmentNow, mailed postcards to hundreds of different Sales, Marketing, and E-Commerce directors a few weeks ago. The postcards (below) compared a screen shots of the recipients’ website on a smartphone with a shot of their competitors’ mobile site. The heading read simply-
While CPC ads provide leads who want to talk with you, there’s no way to know if they have a need for you, have the budget for you or are even the decision-maker. This can waste both parties time if a lead isn’t realistic about what they can have done within their budget.
With our direct marketing campaign, DevNow was able to handpick companies we knew had a need to be mobile, had the resources to go mobile, and were a good fit. These postcards were sent out just before the holiday shopping season, so we focused a lot on the apparel and fashion industry hoping to catch companies wanting to get mobile. Direct marketing lets you choose the targets and get straight to them.
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind to for your next direct mail campaign a success.
Conventional internet marketing methods are yielding way to ‘old fashioned’ marketing strategies and methods. Progressive firms are making inroads by finding different ways to reach out to companies who are off the ‘Google Grid.’ It’s cheap, and it’s paying off.
*DevNow’s postcard used variable data to personalize the text as well as the screenshots used. While this is a more pricy option, many printing shops offer 1000 postcards to be printed and mailed out for as little as $400, or .40 a card. Our campaign was a success and after consistent follow-ups it brought in $10k+ in proposals and counting.
