A startup company in Rio Vista, TX is designing dock boards a new way. Brazos Manufacturing is using a computer modeling software called FEA or Finite Element Analysis to determine all facets of their design. Material thickness, weld placements break placement are evaluated and visual feedback is immediately available. It is amazing.
In the stone age when I was working in that industry, we would model by building. Sure our industrial engineer would run calculations and we would "sort of" know what to expect when we built the dock board or yard ramp. But the design regarding weld placements and a lot of geometry was only evaluated by building one and running a forklift truck over it a few hundred times.
My how times have changed. Watch this short video to see FEA in action. Go to http://brazosmanufacturing.com to see their full line.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Small Business Can Use a Big Approach
By design, I work with small B-to-B companies who are unsure how to use the web in their business. They range from having no website at all to having a brochure online. Many say "the web just doesn't work in our industry". I usually reply that it sure works for your competitor.
Much of the early work with clients is education about the medium and it's tools. I debunk bad information they have from any number of sources and sometimes have to backtrack into general (non-web business strategy). When I am lucky enough to gain their confidence we start the process. From that point they are only hampered by small budgets, lack of time to devote to the project and little or no photos, case studies or customer testimonials.
I try to give them a simple (strategic) model for them to implement regarding using the internet for their business. It looks something like this;
The goal of my business is to partner with companies that see this as a viable way to go to market. I find that if I will be honest, prove myself relevant to their needs, establish my knowledge about the process, they reward me with their business. HEY...that is the same thing Google does....maybe we are on to something.
I will try to write about each of the bullet points above. In the meantime, good selling.
Much of the early work with clients is education about the medium and it's tools. I debunk bad information they have from any number of sources and sometimes have to backtrack into general (non-web business strategy). When I am lucky enough to gain their confidence we start the process. From that point they are only hampered by small budgets, lack of time to devote to the project and little or no photos, case studies or customer testimonials.
I try to give them a simple (strategic) model for them to implement regarding using the internet for their business. It looks something like this;
- Build the best professional website you can to start with.
- Immediately start the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) process
- Discover and initiate a SEM (Search Engine Marketing) strategy (low hanging fruit first)
- Develop a habit of using the analytics to make decisions
- Realize the work is never done
The goal of my business is to partner with companies that see this as a viable way to go to market. I find that if I will be honest, prove myself relevant to their needs, establish my knowledge about the process, they reward me with their business. HEY...that is the same thing Google does....maybe we are on to something.
I will try to write about each of the bullet points above. In the meantime, good selling.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
User Experience is Google's Target
I have been watching the blogs writing about the changes that Google has made over the last couple of months and you just have to smile.
 |
| Google Hummingbird |
Because Google doesn't explain itself, any action they take is "spun" by a huge community. That community is populated mostly by self-proclaimed experts who, for the most part, want to profit from their pseudo-expertise. There are a few of the community who really study, analyze & interpret Google's actions and write about the underlying intent and give global advice. The surprise here is that over time the advice is consistent.
Google values good original content that answers the "searchers" questions. There are presentations that make for a better user experience and Google values those. There are online tools and communities that testify to a company's (or individual's) authority or true involvement in a subject or solution...Google values those.
As a small business person you are constantly being contacted by SEOs & marketers that tell you that if you will write a check they can guarantee you top billing in Google. RUN....it's a lie. You will figure it out but you will waste time and money.
SEO is a skill-set, not a magic bag. You study your customer, please them and you will please Google.
#seo #hummingbird #smallbusiness
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Some Things Remain the Same in the Midst of Change
I published this article in February of 2012. In light of #Hummingbird and other changes I reviewed the advice contained here and found the basics never really change....see for yourself........
My efforts on behalf of my customers revolve around the same issues that have always confounded business owners/managers. How to present your products or services to the right people, at the right time and give them a clear path to doing business with you.
- Internet Marketing History - Like most new things, the internet was over-hyped and could not deliver in the early 2000s. Many of you tried things (that cost a lot of money) and didn't work or other marketing had better ROI. In many conversations now I hear "the internet just doesn't work in our industry". Well - it works for your competitor. And they are getting better at it every day.
- Then & Now - There was a time when the "yellow pages" was a must for a local business owner. I was in over 13 books at one point with my company. Their value today is almost non-existent to most B to B companies. I pumped a lot of money into trade shows. Today you have a trade show anytime you want (and it is a lot more comprehensive). Direct mail was once a driver for business...today it is used to drive clients to your website.
- The New Minimum - We know that industrial customers buy differently than retail customers. Pew Research tells us that 97% of industrial buyers use search at some point in the selection of a vendor.
- You must be there - if you do not have a professional website with excellent content - you don't exist to a huge segment of the population.
- You must be found - seems like something I shouldn't have to say, but you would be surprised how many companies spend a lot of money with web designers and no one gives a thought to marketing it or making it search friendly. Like printing a beautiful catalog and sitting it on the interstate...hoping someone will find it.
- Your content must be relevant - clients who wind up on your site must see or easily find what they need to complete their task. Location, hours of operation, product specifications, easy ways to contact you are all absolute minimums...more is expected.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Who Do We Design For?
I have spent the last year acquiring knowledge and skills about web development and online marketing. There are many ways to apply these skills;
As I decide how I will go forward with my professional goals (which I have branded +G21 Buzz) I am reminded that good customer service is a the heart of every successful campaign. One of the podcasts that I listen to on a regular basis is starting a new series around the topic of building customer concentric websites vs client concentric. The dilemma is the client is your customer not his or her customer. If the client asks for design or function that will clearly not give the users of the site a good experience......how hard should we argue the point with our customer?
The client is the person we are trying to satisfy. However, is their satisfaction based in having the site exactly like they want or in having the site perform for them as they hoped.
Seems like an easy question and most gains are made in the long run. However, you had better be sure of what you can deliver if you have this argument with a client....you could deliver something that is not what they want nor does it do what they need.
- Building websites
- SEO - Search Engine Optimization
- Drip Marketing
- Local vs National efforts
As I decide how I will go forward with my professional goals (which I have branded +G21 Buzz) I am reminded that good customer service is a the heart of every successful campaign. One of the podcasts that I listen to on a regular basis is starting a new series around the topic of building customer concentric websites vs client concentric. The dilemma is the client is your customer not his or her customer. If the client asks for design or function that will clearly not give the users of the site a good experience......how hard should we argue the point with our customer?
The client is the person we are trying to satisfy. However, is their satisfaction based in having the site exactly like they want or in having the site perform for them as they hoped.
Seems like an easy question and most gains are made in the long run. However, you had better be sure of what you can deliver if you have this argument with a client....you could deliver something that is not what they want nor does it do what they need.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Internet Search Continues to Change
I published this article in February of 2012. In light of #Hummingbird and other changes I reviewed the advice contained here and found the basics never really change....see for yourself........
My efforts on behalf of my customers revolve around the same issues that have always confounded business owners/managers. How to present your products or services to the right people, at the right time and give them a clear path to doing business with you.
My efforts on behalf of my customers revolve around the same issues that have always confounded business owners/managers. How to present your products or services to the right people, at the right time and give them a clear path to doing business with you.
- Internet Marketing History - Like most new things, the internet was over-hyped and could not deliver in the early 2000s. Many of you tried things (that cost a lot of money) and didn't work or other marketing had better ROI. In many conversations now I hear "the internet just doesn't work in our industry". Well - it works for your competitor. And they are getting better at it every day.
- Then & Now - There was a time when the "yellow pages" was a must for a local business owner. I was in over 13 books at one point with my company. Their value today is almost non-existent to most B to B companies. I pumped a lot of money into trade shows. Today you have a trade show anytime you want (and it is a lot more comprehensive). Direct mail was once a driver for business...today it is used to drive clients to your website.
- The New Minimum - We know that industrial customers buy differently than retail customers. Pew Research tells us that 97% of industrial buyers use search at some point in the selection of a vendor.
- You must be there - if you do not have a professional website with excellent content - you don't exist to a huge segment of the population.
- You must be found - seems like something I shouldn't have to say, but you would be surprised how many companies spend a lot of money with web designers and no one gives a thought to marketing it or making it search friendly. Like printing a beautiful catalog and sitting it on the interstate...hoping someone will find it.
- Your content must be relevant - clients who wind up on your site must see or easily find what they need to complete their task. Location, hours of operation, product specifications, easy ways to contact you are all absolute minimums...more is expected.
- You must be there - if you do not have a professional website with excellent content - you don't exist to a huge segment of the population.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Stop Protect IP and SOPA
Your congress...our congress is about to make a mistake that will take years to unravel. It will put us on a censorship track that we badmouth other countries for. This video explains it .... watch...this is serious.
PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Happy New Year -
This is a favorite because my mom used to sing this .....it was a part of her "coming of age". It was released in 1947 and made popular by Ella Fitzgerald. This version by Zooey Deschanel & Joseph Gordon-Levitt is blowing up all over the internet..... Enjoy
What are you doing New Years Eve
What are you doing New Years Eve
Thursday, December 29, 2011
The Web Runs 24/7 - Traffic of all types.
Google+ user Liza Sperling "Seesmic" posted the following;
Every 60 seconds -
-More than 168 million emails are sent
-695,000 status updates and 510,040 comments are published on Facebook
-Google serves more that 694,445 search queries
-370,000+ minutes of voice calls done by Skype users
-20,000 new posts are published on Tumblr
-13,000+ hours of music streaming flows from Pandora
-More than 13,000 iPhone apps are downloaded
-6,600 images are published on Flickr
-600 videos (about 25 hours of content) are uploaded to
YouTube
See full post with cool infographic....
Every 60 seconds -
-More than 168 million emails are sent
-695,000 status updates and 510,040 comments are published on Facebook
-Google serves more that 694,445 search queries
-370,000+ minutes of voice calls done by Skype users
-20,000 new posts are published on Tumblr
-13,000+ hours of music streaming flows from Pandora
-More than 13,000 iPhone apps are downloaded
-6,600 images are published on Flickr
-600 videos (about 25 hours of content) are uploaded to
YouTube
See full post with cool infographic....
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Search Trumps Social - Confirmed Again
According to a new report from the Pew Institute - even when looking for a bar or restaurant only 3% of responders use social media to find a place to eat or drink. I find that amazingly low given the amount of talk and things written about the need for business to "go social". My rule of thumb has been if it is B-to-B then social is unnecessary. If it is B-to-C then maybe. But this makes me question even that. We all have to remember...when there are vast amounts of money trying to convince us to do something...be careful. Here is an excerpt from an article at www.SearchEngineLand.com
Restaurants, Bars & Clubs, Internet Rules
When it comes to finding information about bars, restaurants and clubs, 51 percent use the internet overall, with this breakdown:
search engines – 38 percent
specialty websites – 17 percent (e.g., Yelp, though that was not specifically identified)
social media – 3 percent (social networks and Twitter)
As for offline media, the breakdown is this way:
31 percent use newspapers (print [26 percent], online [5 percent])
23 percent word of mouth
8 percent rely upon local TV (traditional, online)
Restaurants, Bars & Clubs, Internet Rules
When it comes to finding information about bars, restaurants and clubs, 51 percent use the internet overall, with this breakdown:
search engines – 38 percent
specialty websites – 17 percent (e.g., Yelp, though that was not specifically identified)
social media – 3 percent (social networks and Twitter)
As for offline media, the breakdown is this way:
31 percent use newspapers (print [26 percent], online [5 percent])
23 percent word of mouth
8 percent rely upon local TV (traditional, online)
Monday, December 5, 2011
First Impressions Help or Hurt Us
From FindHow.com
Most people will judge you within the first second of meeting you and their opinion will most likely never change. Making a good first impression is incredibly important, because you only get one shot at it.
Princeton University psychologist Alex Todorov and co-author Janine Willis, a student researcher who graduated from Princeton in 2005 had people look at a microsecond of video of a political candidate. Amazingly, research subjects could predict with 70-percent accuracy who would win the election just from that microsecond of tape. This tells us that people can make incredibly accurate snap judgments in a tenth of a second.
How can you ensure people are judging you accurately and also seeing your best side? You never want to give people an inauthentic impression — many people can intuitively feel if someone is being fake immediately. However, any time you meet someone for the first time, you always want to start on the right foot. Here are a few ways you can make sure people’s first impression of you is a good one:
1. Set an intention. The most important thing to do for giving a good impression is to set your intention. This is especially important before any kind of big event where you would be meeting a lot of people — i.e. conferences, networking events or friend’s parties. As you get ready or when you are driving over think about what kind of people you want to meet and what kind of interactions you want to have. This can be an incredibly grounding experience and works very well to focus on what kind of energy you want to have for your event.
2. Think about your ornaments. Clothes, make-up, jewelry, watches and shoes are all types of ornamentation and people definitely take these into account when making initial judgments. I highly recommend getting some of your favorite outfits or ornaments together and asking friends you trust what they think of when they see them. For many men, they do not realize that their watch can say a lot about them. For women, purses and large earrings or jewelry can also indicate a lot to a new person they are meeting. Make sure that what you are wearing and how you do your hair or make-up says what you want it to say to the people you are meeting for the first time.
3. Be Conscious of Your Body Language. Body language is a crucial part of first impressions. Everything from your posture to how you carry yourself to the way you’re angling your body. Often, simply being aware of your body language can result in immediate improvements. Another way to examine your body language is to look at yourself on a video walking around a room. Subconscious cues to keep in mind include noticing where you point your feet, the position of your shoulders, and the way you shake hands.
4. Avoid bad days. People who go to cocktail events or mixers after having had a bad day typically continue to have a bad day. If you are in a depressed or anxious mood, others will pick up on this from your facial expressions, comments and body language. If you’re having a bad day, stay home! Otherwise, find a way to snap yourself out of your bad mood. I find working out or watching funny YouTube videos before events often gets me in a more social, feel good mood.
5. Be interested and interesting. If you are truly interested in meeting people and are open to learning about who they are, they will get this in a first impression. We have all had the experience of meeting someone and knowing instantly that they were dragged here by a friend and are just waiting to get out the door and head home. When you are meeting people for the first time approach others with a genuine interest in who they are. This is often contagious and you will have better conversations and lasting connections when you are interested because they become interested.
Most people will judge you within the first second of meeting you and their opinion will most likely never change. Making a good first impression is incredibly important, because you only get one shot at it.
Princeton University psychologist Alex Todorov and co-author Janine Willis, a student researcher who graduated from Princeton in 2005 had people look at a microsecond of video of a political candidate. Amazingly, research subjects could predict with 70-percent accuracy who would win the election just from that microsecond of tape. This tells us that people can make incredibly accurate snap judgments in a tenth of a second.
How can you ensure people are judging you accurately and also seeing your best side? You never want to give people an inauthentic impression — many people can intuitively feel if someone is being fake immediately. However, any time you meet someone for the first time, you always want to start on the right foot. Here are a few ways you can make sure people’s first impression of you is a good one:
1. Set an intention. The most important thing to do for giving a good impression is to set your intention. This is especially important before any kind of big event where you would be meeting a lot of people — i.e. conferences, networking events or friend’s parties. As you get ready or when you are driving over think about what kind of people you want to meet and what kind of interactions you want to have. This can be an incredibly grounding experience and works very well to focus on what kind of energy you want to have for your event.
2. Think about your ornaments. Clothes, make-up, jewelry, watches and shoes are all types of ornamentation and people definitely take these into account when making initial judgments. I highly recommend getting some of your favorite outfits or ornaments together and asking friends you trust what they think of when they see them. For many men, they do not realize that their watch can say a lot about them. For women, purses and large earrings or jewelry can also indicate a lot to a new person they are meeting. Make sure that what you are wearing and how you do your hair or make-up says what you want it to say to the people you are meeting for the first time.
3. Be Conscious of Your Body Language. Body language is a crucial part of first impressions. Everything from your posture to how you carry yourself to the way you’re angling your body. Often, simply being aware of your body language can result in immediate improvements. Another way to examine your body language is to look at yourself on a video walking around a room. Subconscious cues to keep in mind include noticing where you point your feet, the position of your shoulders, and the way you shake hands.
4. Avoid bad days. People who go to cocktail events or mixers after having had a bad day typically continue to have a bad day. If you are in a depressed or anxious mood, others will pick up on this from your facial expressions, comments and body language. If you’re having a bad day, stay home! Otherwise, find a way to snap yourself out of your bad mood. I find working out or watching funny YouTube videos before events often gets me in a more social, feel good mood.
5. Be interested and interesting. If you are truly interested in meeting people and are open to learning about who they are, they will get this in a first impression. We have all had the experience of meeting someone and knowing instantly that they were dragged here by a friend and are just waiting to get out the door and head home. When you are meeting people for the first time approach others with a genuine interest in who they are. This is often contagious and you will have better conversations and lasting connections when you are interested because they become interested.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Your Website Sucks
Take a look at this infographic. It says it all. See credits below -
HOW TO TELL IF YOUR WEBSITE USABILITY SUCKS?Business InfographicsTech & Gadgets Infographics
How to Tell if Your Website Usability Sucks? Obviously this infographic isn’t going to list every potential problem, or even most of them, but if your site is able to check off even just a few of the items on the infographic, it might be time for an emergency intervention. The things on this list are the things that keep users away from your site! Brought to you by ecreativeim.com.
If you’re interested in this infographic, you may also be interested in:
How to Tell if Your Website Design Sucks?
How to Tell if Your Website SEO Sucks?
HOW TO TELL IF YOUR WEBSITE USABILITY SUCKS?Business InfographicsTech & Gadgets Infographics
How to Tell if Your Website Usability Sucks? Obviously this infographic isn’t going to list every potential problem, or even most of them, but if your site is able to check off even just a few of the items on the infographic, it might be time for an emergency intervention. The things on this list are the things that keep users away from your site! Brought to you by ecreativeim.com.
If you’re interested in this infographic, you may also be interested in:
How to Tell if Your Website Design Sucks?
How to Tell if Your Website SEO Sucks?
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Small Companies Using SEO Can Shine
Setting up the navigation and layout and other design decisions for your website should be done with the user in mind first but followed closely by considerations for maximizing its ability to be found by the search engines. SEO (search engine optimization) is changing as are the benefits of being a well optimized site. Google changes the rules regularly as it tunes itself to improve it's product (search). But the customers are changing at the same time. Depending on where they are in their personal use of web tools they are all moving towards greater use and more dependence on electronic search results. Keeping track of both factors is crucial to competing in a world where having a strong web presence is no longer optional.
Surprisingly, a lot of large companies are not quick to see these changes and fall behind. They spend huge amounts on the sites and the marketing and don't use the latest knowledge in their efforts. A much smaller company can spend a much smaller amount and rank well or even dominate a market-space simply by paying attention and making effective use of search engine optimization..
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Check Your Website in Different Browsers
Something you need to do if you have a website even six months old. Open and go thru the different pages with a critical eye with at least three of the most popular browsers. Each browser renders the HTML code in your website differently and something that looks great in one might not even show in another.
A real problem right now comes from the recent release of the latest Internet Explorer by Microsoft. IE8. I have found a number of sites that are 2 to 7 years old that do not act as intended with this new issue.
Here is the statistics regarding the browser wars....as of October 2011...
| 2011 | Internet Explorer | Firefox | Chrome | Safari | Opera |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | 21.7 % | 38.7 % | 32.3 % | 4.2 % | 2.4 % |
When I evaluate a site I use IE, Firefox & Chrome. Chrome is my everyday browser. Contact me if you have a question about the difference in browsers.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Search on Mobile Devices
From Manta about mobile search;
More than 50% of online searches will be done from mobile devices in 2012, Google says. That means it's more important than ever to be found where customers are looking. If your site--or at a minimum, your home page--is not optimized for mobile, get it done. Also get listed on other sites that are optimized for mobile (like Manta).
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
SEO Still Beats All Others for Lead Generation
According to a report from 2011 State of Digital Marketing Report SEO is still the better investment for companies online.
Whether B2B or B2C, both groups of marketers agree that SEO has the biggest impact on lead generation. 57 percent of B2B marketers credit SEO as their primary source of generating leads, while 41 percent of B2C marketers said the same thing.
You can download the report at the above link or call Visual App and we can go over what this data might mean for your company. Your website is one of the primary building blocks for your customer service.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Interesting piece of data from digital marketing guy/VC Darren Herman: Just five companies control 64% of all online spending. (Incredibly, Google controls 46% of all online spending.)
One thing to note, says Herman: "With Facebook only now starting to monetize their platform, you can start to see how big an impact they could have on the dominance of the digital advertising landscape."
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-these-five-companies-control-64-of-all-online-ad-spending-2011-10#ixzz1cSqr6uAG
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Are Things Looking up for You
Hope this is true of all states before long:
Texas: Though its unemployment rate may not be as low as the other states we’ve listed thus far (it’s still 8 percent), more jobs are being created in Texas than in any other state. From April 2010 through April 2011, 254,400 jobs were added. Plus, more people are employed in Texas — about 10.56 million — than in North Dakota, New Hampshire, Nebraska, South Dakota, Vermont, Indiana and Illinois combined. Both the high job creation rate and the high number of jobs is in part due to the fact that there are more Fortune 500 companies located in Texas than in any other state.
Texas: Though its unemployment rate may not be as low as the other states we’ve listed thus far (it’s still 8 percent), more jobs are being created in Texas than in any other state. From April 2010 through April 2011, 254,400 jobs were added. Plus, more people are employed in Texas — about 10.56 million — than in North Dakota, New Hampshire, Nebraska, South Dakota, Vermont, Indiana and Illinois combined. Both the high job creation rate and the high number of jobs is in part due to the fact that there are more Fortune 500 companies located in Texas than in any other state.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
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