Archive for November 2011

Internet on the move. Why Mobile matters:

Posted by Justin Shimp

Nov

2011

Filed Under: Internet Marketing Marketing Mobile Search Engines SmallBox

Think back to your first cell phone. Mine was a black and white Nokia with detachable faceplates and a wonderful version of the game snake. Those days are long gone and I now have an iPhone that makes my first computer growing up look like a sad joke.

Not only is this little device in my pocket faster than the computers of yore, it also has the power to view just about every bit of content on the web. But have you tried looking at a website that hasn’t been optimized for mobile devices?

Mobile optimized verus not optimized for mobile traffic

It’s confusing. Images break, forms don’t work. A bad mobile experience means I’m almost certain to search for another site that offers a better user experience on my phone.

According to Google, I am not alone. Around 60% of people are unlikely to return to a site that’s not mobile friendly. User engagement increases by 85% with a mobile-friendly design. That is steadily increasing and for the most part businesses have been slower about catching up with technology than their customers.

In response to these numbers, Google has launched a information site called GoMo to educate owners of websites. The site provides data that makes it pretty clear: mobile browsing is here to stay.

Google’s findings are very much in line with the trends we see in our client sites. In fact, in reviewing a sample of the scores of websites SmallBox monitors, mobile traffic increased a whopping 230% in 2011 compared to 2010.

If you’re ready to get serious about mobile, SmallBox can help! Don’t be caught with a website that cannot be viewed by a huge percentage of your customer base. Contact us today for questions or quotes.

Giving Thanks

Posted by lydia

Nov

2011

0
Comments

Filed Under: Culture

In honor of Thanksgiving, we decided to take a moment to reflect on and share the things we’re thankful for here at SmallBox. We wish all of you — our friends, clients, blog readers — an abundant and rich Thanksgiving holiday. Tell us what you’re thankful for in the comments!

I am thankful for being completely challenged and overcoming lots of personal goals this year through the help and support of my family, friends and co-workers at SmallBox.
—JUSTIN

I am thankful to have a creative outlet at work. And for sweet potato pecan pie. Wait — did I just say that out loud?
—SARA

I am thankful to work in a place that allows me to utilize my strengths and skills, encourages my creativity, and challenges me to continually learn and grow. I also feel very blessed for the incredible people in my life — my husband and daughter, family, friends and co-workers — people that support and encourage me, but also challenge me to dream big and live the abundant life. Oh, and I’m thankful for all the yummy new recipes I can find on Pinterest.
—ELIZABETH

I’m thankful for an opportunity to have an impact for local businesses and local culture through my work. Also for beer… and Settlers of Catan.
—DAN

I’m thankful to live in a city where people actively support each other’s ideas and businesses, to wake up everyday excited about life, to work with great people that challenge me. I’m also thankful for my health since it makes everything else possible, for food, wine and vinyl records, to be married to someone that gets me and to be living in the time between the dawn of the Internet and the inevitable Singularity.
—JEB

I’m thankful for this year and the new things it has brought, that I got to marry the most amazing person I’ve ever met, that I have a job where I get to create on a daily basis, and that I have people in my life with which to share my thanksgivings!
—NEIL

I’m thankful I work at a place that doesn’t require a wardrobe of “business” clothes and that I get to work with my friends. I’m also extra thankful for my warm house and husband to share it with — and for the gas company’s budget plan.
—EMILY

I am thankful my job is more furk than work, that I often get to tap into my inner kid, that I have the love and support of TWO families (my actual family and my SmallBox family), to have experienced the unconditional love and loyalty of puppies and for the daily outpouring of patience, support and love from my bandmate and boyfriend, Brian.
—LEIGH

I am thankful for all that I have learned this year, for the opportunity to stretch and grow my creative self among a great bunch of folks (I’m looking at you, SmallBoxers) and for the support of family and friends, however near or far. And Beer Fridays. Oh, and shoe fives.
—LYDIA

Bike Lanes Are Marketing

Posted by dan

Nov

2011

5
Comments

Filed Under: Everything Else

Broad Ripple has lately been the epicenter for a hot debate on the necessity of bike lane design in Indianapolis. Considering that the majority of SmallBoxers ride our bikes to work (cough..cough.. we basically won bike to work day 2011..) and we partnered with our bicycle advocate homeboys, IndyCog, for 24 hour Web Project, you’d think we would be pumped about the addition of the commuter friendly lanes that were installed a few weeks ago… and we are. Even if they do make Broad Ripple Avenue look like a go kart track..

On a recent trip to work, I took a break from working through my mental to-do list and counted the smiling faces as I headed down the Monon Trail. There were only about 14 or so due to the morning chill, but it’s true that literally everyone I passed was smiling. It’s clear that our pedestrian trails are important to the city’s culture.

I believe small scale optimization efforts such as bike lanes on Broad Ripple Avenue inspire the base of citizens that the changes affect to project their endorsement of Indianapolis much louder than those who oppose them.

Why not give those of us who are passionate about seeing our city grow a platform to continue to market our love of Indianapolis? This endorsement will have a larger impact than any of the negative press. Seems to me these enhancements are “low hanging fruit” (insert other awesome business term here..) that will continue to fuel what could be the largest marketing opportunity this city has seen in decades: Super Bowl 46.

My point is: the growing number of bike lanes are just one example of how Indianapolis is quickly becoming a first rate city. I believe that these enhancements will bolster cultural growth and make Indianapolis more marketable than ever at just the right time. Now, just need to get that digital marketing strategy in order… I think I know just the right team…

(Photo by Curt Ailes from http://www.urbanindy.com)

Beautiful Brown County’s Beautiful New Website

Posted by tyler

Nov

2011

1
Comment

Filed Under: Design Development SmallBox

When we travel somewhere, whether it be for an extended weekend or longer, for work or for play, there are things we obviously want to know in order to make the experience memorable. What are the best places to eat? Where will we be staying? Is there anywhere to shop? What do we have to see and experience before leaving?

For Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), they knew a more user-friendly website that answered all of those questions and more for visitors would be key to their future growth.

The Challenge

For years, CVB knew their website provided valuable information to visitors, but content was hard to find unless visitors knew exactly what they were searching for. Navigation was unorganized and hard to manage. CVB wanted their visitors to find lodging solutions much more easily and quickly.

CVB needed a custom web solution that was clean and user-friendly – allowing customers to easily find lodging locations throughout Brown County. They also needed a solution that was easy to manage, provided valuable information to their customers and offered a fun experience. They wanted their customers to be able to search for and find valuable information easily.

Brown County CVB has partnerships with local businesses as well. Restaurants, lodging, shops and other multi-faceted organizations have pages and information on CVB’s website for people visiting the area. For years, CVB was spending countless hours inputting information from their valuable partners who operate businesses throughout Brown County. Anytime a partner needed an update to information, CVB was responsible for updating that on the site.

They needed a custom solution that allowed all of their partners to login and update their pages and information that was important to them and potential customers.

The Solution

After two years of deliberating on building a new web presence, Brown County CVB partnered with Smallbox. Brown County CVB knew they wanted an Indiana company to build their new website and after they learned about Smallbox’s success with the 24-Hour Web Project and involvement in the community, they felt that the partnership was a good fit.

Smallbox built an incredibly robust content management system that would provide logins and editing capabilities to CVB’s unique partnerships. Not only did Smallbox address Brown County CVB’s lodging concerns and make it easier for visitors to locate local lodging establishments, we applied the same technology and functionality to restaurants, shops and other organizations in the community as well.

Smallbox implemented multiple calls-to-action on Brown County CVB’s new website that drive traffic to upcoming events and an interactive map where visitors can browse all of the businesses and establishments by location.

The Results

In browncounty.com, Brown County Convention & Visitors Bureau now has a robust custom web solution that is extremely easy to navigate for visitors.

Whether you’re looking for a place to stay, shop, eat or see, or if you’re looking for things to do, it’s easy to find simply by browsing and making your way through the website. You can search by things to do, see, eat, etc or by location through an interactive map. No longer does a person have to know specifically what they’re searching for in order to find it.

Clear and easy-to-find calls to action blocks throughout the site help drive visitors to finding information and content they’re looking for.

Brown County is beautiful. CVB’s new website and CMS provide the tools they need to sufficiently show off Brown County. The Smallbox CMS is easy to update content with new photos, video or other media like a live “Leaf Cam” where visitors can monitor color changes in the trees and make trip decisions based around “peak times” throughout the year.

With the addition of partner logins, Brown County CVB team members save substantial amounts of time and resources from fielding requests to edit, exchange and create new content for each individual business on the site. Now, individual businesses and partners can manage their own content anytime they want.

Feedback from users has been incredibly well received. Brown County CVB partners predominately love the flexibility the site and CMS have to offer.

Check out Brown County’s new site here.