Architechs for the Web Attends IAAPA Expo 2015 in Orlando

• Nov 15, 2015
• Dominic Parrillo

Architects for the Web has been serving the entertainment industry since 2000, and with more than 14 years of experience in the industry, we're considered the experts in web design, development, and digital marketing. Several representatives attended the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2015 in Orlando Florida.

Digital marketing is something that's relatively new to the scene, but in the past ten years, it's become surprisingly crucial to success, especially for the entertainment industry. For that reason, we'd like to offer the attendees of the Expo, and business at large, a few industry-centric tips for improving your websites, digital and online marketing.

Mobile Friendly Websites 

Having a Mobile-friendly website is increasingly important as more and more users move from desktops and laptops to their phones and tablets. Mobile traffic is set to outpace regular traffic in the near future, and more people now use mobile devices than traditional computers. Because people use their phones and tablets to research venues, prices, and information on the go, it's incredibly important to have a mobile-friendly site. You can go with a responsive design that changes based on the visitor's device, or you can use a separate mobile site that's custom-designed for smaller screens.

Stanford University is behind a large study showing that around 45% of people say a website's design is one of the most important criteria for deciding on a brand's quality, and with more than half of them visiting from mobile devices, it is extremely important that your website looks good on mobile.

Optimizing your site for mobile allows for a lot of things, but the most important is that it allows customers on mobile phones to research your business before visiting you.

Integrating with Facebook 

Another thing we noticed was that there's a strong correlation between social media adoption and success on the web. Facebook is the most popular social media site, and it's where the largest entertainment demographic calls their digital home. An active social media profile shows modern visitors that you're up to speed, capable of handling their needs, and offers them a place to check media, see reviews, or check information before visiting your establishment. This is incredibly important in a world where 81% of shoppers research businesses before visiting or buying from them. According to Edison Research, 80% of users prefer to research brands on Facebook first, which is just one reason to keep up a strong Facebook presence. Other reasons include social customer service. Edison's Social Habit shows that most consumers expect customer service questions and complaints to be addressed within 30-60 minutes, which just isn't possible with email. With social media, it's relatively easy to reply to chats quickly, efficiently, and easily. Digital media offers an easy way to drive brand and event hype through media and social promotion, but it's also significantly cheaper than standard marketing. Quite simply, everyone in the entertainment industry should be on Facebook.

While attending IAAPA is always amazing, 2015 proved to set an even higher standard of success than in years past. We enjoyed speaking with so many of the businesses displaying at the IAAPA show. One of the most enjoyable aspects of web development and digital marketing is learning about one's business and identify ways to grow the business. While we have extensive experience in web development and marketing for a variety of industries, we have learned that each business has a special something that makes them unique. If you are considering a new website or just looking to update your existing website, our team of digital experts is ready to help create it for you.