Animated talking heads for your marketing

This blog post could also be called "How to blow an hour on a Friday afternoon" because that is what I just did. Site Pal is a web site which lets you create a customized, animated talking character for your web site or Powerpoint presentations. It uses Flash technology so virtually anyone online can see it without needing to go to any trouble. Some of the characters are a bit disturbing and demented but with some care, you can create a pretty realistic looking character. I actually managed to create one that bore an uncanny resemblance to a (skinnier) me.

You can try out their full fledged demo at SitePal.com - which is how I lost part of my afternoon. Basically, you start by picking a character, and then you can change its hairstyle, add glasses, change clothes, change eye, hair, skin and lip color, add accessories and so on. You can turn things on and off - I prefer not to have the creatures eyes following my cursor, for example.

Then you pick a background for the character. Luckily, as a subscriber, you can create your own - some of the ones they make available are as unnerving as some of the characters.

Adding audio can be done in a number of ways, from type-to-speech (which still sounds a bit robotic) to recording your own, to professional voice over. You can even phone in your audio, if you don't have a microphone!

Publishing, which I haven't tried, can be done with a few easy steps, with the character posted into your web site, ebay auction or Powerpoint presentation. There are multiple levels of service, all cost effective, ranging from $10-$50/month, which dictates how much of this functionality you have, how many characters you can have and how customizable it is.

I could have put the banner ad with the default talking character on this blog page to demonstrate but didn't want to hit anyone over the head with it. All I can say is that if you have a moment, go check this out and make your own character with the demo - it's a lot of fun! This is VERY cool technology - I'm still thinking about how I could use it for myself, but meanwhile, I can think of a few ways and reasons my audience might. For example, I can see trainers using this in their presentations, as well as info gurus using it to deliver content. It's a no-brainer for services professionals making a character that looks like themselves to deliver a personal welcome message on their home page. I like the idea of realtors adding a weekly "market report" on their web site, using a character like this. It could also be used to provide a brief overview of a web site, directing people to areas of particular interest or attenting. I'm sure I'll think of more!

My only concern with this sort of thing is that like with anything, it can be poorly done. Some of the characters I saw in use were terrifying, making me wonder why anyone would inflict such a thing on customers. But usually, their web site was equally poor. Others had professional sites and well integrated characters. So, I think it really is, like all things, just a tool which can be strategically used well - or abused - depending on whose hands it is in. If anyone wants to chat about a particular use they might envison for their business, and want a techie designer to guide them, give me a call - I'm itching to try this!

Now, go forth and play... and let me know what you think!

Build a Mailing List While Speaking

Do you do presentations or speaking engagements in front of your target audience? If so, you have a wonderful opportunity to grow your opt-in relationship building mailing list in big leaps.

First, create a multi-lined sheet with room for name, company, phone # and email address, and photocopy as many sheets as you need for this audience (if you have an audience of 50, for example, you might need two sheets of 25 lines). Clip it to a colorful clipboard (in your company color?) and attach a pen.

During the presentation, tell the audience that you would like to give them a gift (a free report, an hour of free service, something of meaning) and it's theirs if they sign up for your mailing list. Assure them that you won't abuse their trust or privacy, but would like to be able to follow up with them about the topic you're speaking about. And let them know they can always request being removed from your list after they get the free gift.

Then send the clipboard out, starting with the first person in the first row. People WILL sign it - human nature dictates that no one wants to be seen passing it on, turning down a freebie, or appearing rude. They might ask to be removed later - but you've been given a chance to start building a relationship with them.

Now - here's the catch. You HAVE to do do what you promised within 24-48 hours of the event. Hire someone if you have to - but make sure those names get entered into your database or customer relationship management software and an email goes out to each one of those people thanking them for attending your presentation and attaching the free gift, or instructions for getting it, whatever it is.

Do NOT use this moment to sell - simply do what you said you would do. Going forward, you can continue to send them useful information, new products, invitations to other events, etc.

This strategy has worked very, very well for me every time I've ever spoken anywhere. I tried the "sign up sheet left on the table" and "form to fill out left on their seat" routine the first two times - and got 1-2 sign ups if I was lucky. Contrasting that with a 90% sign up rate the way I'm suggesting, it's the best strategy to follow if you're a speaker or presenter.

(c) Eileen Parzek, 2006

Eileen Parzek is an award winning graphic designer and writer providing digital and print graphic design and web design services. Always found at the intersection of information, creativity and technology, her business, Business Design Studio (www.businessdesignstudio.com) helps small businesses make a big impression, increase their reach and grow.
May be republished with full bio and credit link to http://www.businessdesignstudio.com