Plan first.  Design later. This weekend I was primarily an observer, yet a little bit of a participant, in a running email conversation between different parties engaged in creating a new website.  There were people with very specific ideas about what the site should do based upon how they personally surfed the web.  Then there was a designer engaged in the talk with a very pointed approach as to what the layout should look like.  And there was me, who fearlessly stated that I had “no i... Read Full Story

Do you or someone you know need a Twitter intervention? Twitter suits my ADHD personality.  I am the guy who cannot stand calmly in a line.  I am the guy who doesn’t use drive-through because it takes too long.  I am the guy who thinks, but does not say, “Are we there yet?” on every road trip.  So, yeah, I love Twitter.  I even get cute with it.  I actually used the phrase “tweet twaffic” the other day.    I’ve tried multiple tools put on the BlackBerry, up... Read Full Story

This isn’t just about the disturbing Domino’s Video Videos from juvenile associates who can’t tell the difference between a prank on their friends vs a real world crime  are not the issue we are discussing.  This post covers the responsibilities your firm should consider for the safety and benefit of your brand and your people.  Many firms have run helter- skelter into social media with little to no forethought as to what that could  mean.  Yeah, 2.0  can be a good thing to ... Read Full Story

Breaking up is not always hard to do. Over the past two years we have had numerous clients join our team after having a bad experience with another SEO or web marketing firm.  Sometimes their site has really been abused.  We have been engaged just this week by a start-up that literally got nothing but “here is what 4 landing pages should have on them” for $10,000! We also have people afraid to make a change because they have been frightened by their ex-SEO firm.  Fear, uncertainty... Read Full Story

Want to Friend Your Municipality? Over the past few weeks we have had the opportunity to meet with several municipalities regarding new websites or improvements to their current site.   Do you think of your municipality as living a pretty boring online existence?  Do you think the city really wants increased traffic count and conversion?  If you are one of the many citizens in you community yet to check out the old local.gov site, you might be surprised.  City site are getting hip!    In our ... Read Full Story

What would Email look like if it were invented today? Great article. Lots of “think-abouts” for your lunch break. http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/05/google-wave-what-might-email-l.html Read Full Story

“Why can’t I use all of my keywords on my homepage?” SEO 101, check your university course catalog, will teach you that creating a page for a visitor means making it specific and exact to a topic.  In other words, if they are looking for ice cream, don’t also make the page content heavy on hot dogs just because you offer those too.  This is the simple fundamental behind our trademarked Traffic Based Design theory.  The goal is to build great pages that attract and info... Read Full Story

“I’m a Ford guy!” “Oh, Yeah well Chevy’s the best!” Not too long ago, on the roadways of America, you saw predominantly US made cars.  That’s not my point.  The point is people didn’t just buy them and drive them.  They LOVED them!  They LOVED them to the point that arguments would break out at barbecues, racetracks and parking lots all over the country. I remember to this day my step-father and his friends bragging and bashing about the car bra... Read Full Story

“Why should I pay my people to write blog posts?” Have you defined the elements of a really great online (or offline) marketing campaign? Are they something like knowing objectives, defining the message properly, knowing the methods and distribution paths for the message, understanding the target audience, knowing how to measure response, identifying resources required…and determining ROI? You have to know ROI, right? How can any marketing professional not be able to answer ... Read Full Story

“The purpose of this meeting is to explain what it is your firm does.” It was very kind of one of our clients to introduce us to a new prospect.  We had worked with this client for over a year in service areas ranging from design to technical mixed with a heavy dose of strategic meetings and social marketing campaigns.  The relationship has been great, one of those win-win pairings where we seem to always be on the same track.  Equally there is a healthy respect between “the... Read Full Story