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A Castle Fit for a King! |
| | The other day a prospect called us and asked for a proposal. He had engaged a pr firm who was getting him exposure in the press, but if you googled his name, nothing came up. He wanted a price quote to do SEO for his website. No problem, right? Here’s the catch: We checked out his website, which was comprised of a few pages of nice photos and a few short paragraphs of copy. The structure and foundation weren’t set up for optimal search. |
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Back In the Day You Sat in the Back |
| | Back in the day, if you didn’t want to pay attention, you sat in the back. Now this multi-tasking is so widespread, even professionals who should know better feel so self-important and entitled that they carry on with their business right in front of your face. |
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Are You Making Your Members Work Too Hard? |
| | Ever notice how the entire planet seems to be in a “do it yourself”, “find it yourself”, or “learn it yourself” mode? In lieu of the traditional customer service mentality, businesses and organizations now expect us to use their blogs, FAQs, and help links to figure everything out for ourselves, and get impatient when we don’t. |
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Question for not-for-profits: Is it time to rethink the printed magazine? |
| | Instead of getting a printed magazine, members are now getting reams of information in the form of tweets, e-blasts, facebook posts, texts—you name it, they’re getting it. And if those posts happen to hit their inbox when they are busy at work guess what? It’s getting deleted or slid to a “read later” folder, which may or may not happen. |
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The iPad—The Perfect Vacation Tool |
| | Many people tend to get intimidated by technology and change. They think they need to take special classes or have certain skills. What most don't realize though, is that using technology is as easy as getting cable tv. Simply think about making the things you're already doing, faster and more convenient. Like planning and taking a vacation! Fred and I visited Asheville, NC this past summer and we were an interactive ad campaign for how to use an ipad or iphone on vacation. |
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You Don't Have Time for Facebook? Really? |
| | Recently and numerous times I've had friends say to me that "I don't have time to Facebook", or "I don't need to Facebook. I have enough friends". I listen politely and nod as I don't want to come off as the crazy Facebook advocate, because while I'm on Facebook I don't consider myself a fanatic. |
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Harquin's Facebook Scorecard |
| | Everyone is jumping on the Facebook bandwagon because it’s free and easy to use. It seems like a no brainer to ride the wave, but if you are a business or a personal brand make sure you have a strategy and something relevant to say. |
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Dewey Sings |
| | Having our dog Dewey at work every day has unexpected perks. When things get tense we can take a walk or I can look at his fuzzy face and relax. But this takes the cake. Anyone who knows Dewey, knows he's not just a dog. He is a member of the Bruck pack. Here he is singing as my cellphone rings. It's usually the only way I know someone's calling! |
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Unique vs. New Visitors vs. Return Visitors |
| | We know it’s confusing! A quick and simple explanation for what you are looking for when reviewing your site stats. |
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BBBS Behind the Scenes |
| | Almost three years ago we embarked on what would be the biggest and most creative project Harquin had ever handled. A tv spot for Big Brothers Big Sisters that stretched a budget beyond capacity and pushed everyone involved to do more for less. |
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Analyzing Myself, Analyzing My Game |
| | I love playing golf for many reasons. Sometimes I play for fun and just the love of being outside, hitting the ball and being with friends. Often I compete, which is the real measure of what I am made of on and off the golf course. |
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Olympic ode to Canada Olympic Good-bye |
| | A reprint sent to me from another transplanted Canadian down here in nyc. I love this.
Sherry |
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Spending Your Website Dollars Wisely |
| | Nonprofits need to be fiscally responsible to their donors. But cutting costs shouldn't come at the expense of communicating effectively. What's more, in a time of ever-expanding media choices and niched ways to reach your target audience, using marketing dollars wisely is getting tougher. No surprise, then, that the Web site which not too many years ago was considered a frivolous add-on is now the centerpiece of any organization's communications strategy — or should be. |
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Estimates vs. Proposals |
| | Proposals and estimates. It's surprising how often these terms are confused when you're dealing with creative/marketing agencies. Knowing which is which will improve communications and get you what you need more effectively. |
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Planning for a new logo identity |
| | Logos look easy to do. Some stylized type, an illustration, and you'’re done, right? Not quite. Logos are a designers’ toughest assignment because a logo needs to communicate in an instant, an organization’s or product’s essence in its simplest form— and look great too. It is the first step in the all important "branding" process that all messaging will be built around. |
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The Difference between Web Designer and Web Developer |
| | The line between Web design and Web development can be a little fuzzy, but generally here is how the responsibilities usually differ. |
