Remember your first algebra class? I know, I know, I just ruined your day with a bad memory—you’ll have to forgive me. You were probably 10 or 11 years old, and all of a sudden you’re trying to decipher variables and new vocabulary and get used to the fact that your teacher’s words are starting to sound a lot like a Charlie Brown special (wah wah, anybody?). Truth is, we’ve all been there. Stuck in a classroom with an instructor who’s a far cry from the world’s best at describing complex math concepts in terms we can actually understand.

Now think about this. Your customers are like students, and as a business owner, it’s easy for you to become the dreaded teacher in that scenario. There’s a chance you may be unknowingly presenting your services or products to your customers this way via your website. In the same way that it’s difficult for a beginner to be taught by an expert who isn’t good at simplifying information, a lot of websites built by business owners are built based on how the information logically flows to the owner, and not the customer.

Many business owners have a hard time realizing how someone unfamiliar with their product or service would experience their website. As someone so integrated into and knowledgeable about your field, it may be hard for you to imagine yourself as a person who is stumbling upon your product or service for the first time, and what their experience might be using your website. You’ve probably put so many hours and so much care into every detail. Could you possibly sit at your computer and experience your site as if you’d never set eyes on it before? Probably not, if we’re being honest… So let’s talk about user experience, because it’s something that few business owners understand, but it can make or break your conversions.

What is user experience, actually?

User experience is most easily examined by looking at user flows, or the individual paths your users follow through your website interface to complete a task. Each user flow takes them from their entry point through a set of steps towards a successful outcome and final action, such as purchasing a product or signing up for a service. While this all sounds fancy, it’s pretty easy to know when a website doesn’t have good user flow. I mean, chances are you’ve gotten frustrated with a website before. Think back to the last time you texted your spouse frustrated emojis or yelled expletives to the other room while in the throes of a non-user-friendly website situation. Yep, that was most likely due to bad user flow.

Knowing a site has bad user flow is easy, but knowing how to correct it isn’t as simple. But let’s start here: a few key components in understanding user flow are knowing how the user got to your website, what their motivation is, and how easy your site is to navigate for them.

Why should you care about possible user journeys?

It’s important to design a website with a consumer’s perspective and journey in mind. Prioritizing user flows and focusing on the ones that add the most value to the most potential users should drive your basic flow design. Whether you’re building a brand new website or looking to improve an existing user experience, a solid outline that establishes clear user journeys will keep you out of the pitfall of just having a bunch of individual pages with dead ends, and instead focus on fulfilling your users’ needs.

Think about it this way: if your goal is to close a sale, you should put a lot of thought and care into how that user will get from your landing page to searching items or services to putting items in a cart and finally to checking out or confirming an appointment. This means having a clear call to action for new visitors.

Once a user is on your landing page, it’s important not to leave them searching around a confusing website until they lose interest. Web consumers’ attention spans are short, and if your website is confusing or they don’t have a clear next step, they’ll just move on to the next site. If you’ve got their attention, show them a clear way forward. That’s what leads to conversions. While we’re here, it’s important to say that this doesn’t necessarily mean putting services and prices at the top of your website. Instead, show them your amazing product and educate them about why yours is the one they need, then give them a clear path to the service or product price.

If this all seems confusing, that’s because it is. But don’t fret, there are a few things you can do to educate yourself on these subjects so you can begin to optimize your website for conversions.

What can you do about it?

1. Educate Yourself on Website Content

Okay, so you may not know how to develop a website, but writing the content is a much simpler undertaking. It’s still important to keep in mind content writing isn’t just about the words you put down on paper. The best content writers rely on an understanding of the psychology behind digital behaviors, so do a little reading on that subject first. Once you’ve got a handle on how website visitors interact with content, create a plan for your writing that includes the more technical aspects such as tone of voice, sentence structure, length of paragraphs, transitions to other sections, search engine optimization (SEO) & keyword placement, and calls-to-action. Still not sure where to start? Here are a few resources we’ve learned from:

2. Research, Compile, and Test Possible User Flows

Spend time determining typical entry points whether SEO or AdWords advertising, or some other entry point. After, you’ll need to compile all possible user journeys and create sample stacked user flows. Then test, test, and test again. Which step in the flow does a good job taking users to the next step? In which step do a large part of the users drop out? You can measure this by using goal funnels. If you use Google Analytics, you can easily set up goal funnel tracking (as you can in most web analytics tools) for your user flow steps.

3. Research Your Clientele

Get an outside perspective by conducting client surveys. It’s recommended by professionals to spend time compiling a list of questions to ask your 20 or so last customers whose buying experience is fresh. Gather data, mull over it, and then survey again for a second round based on those answers to really optimize your survey.

Conclusion

These few steps should start you down the right path to creating a website content strategy that is sure to elevate your business above your competitors. It’s a lengthy process, but trust us, it’s worth it. Don’t have all the time in the world? You could just keep dedicating your time to what you love and leave all this nonsense to us. 😉

The bottom line is, content can make or break your business’s legitimacy, desirability, and searchability. Prioritizing your website content and developing good user flows will add the most value to your business and definitely increase your conversions, which we all know leads to a happy business owner.

If you’ve been a business owner for long, chances are you remember when the buzz about search engine optimization began. When internet databases like Google and Ask Jeeves first gained popularity in the late ‘90s, these search engines ranked pages by keywords, page titles, and inbounding links. Pages often gained high rankings by “keyword stuffing” and other simple on-site tricks. But by the time the mid-2000s rolled around, search engines began ranking pages based on the quality of content provided. And that’s when the topic of SEO took off. Major search engines like Google implemented huge changes to weed out websites that prioritized advertisement-based revenue over user satisfaction. And similar changes to Google’s algorithms are still happening today.

With all that said, we’re naming 2017 the year that traditional SEO is dead. So here are four reasons you should be thinking more about how your website performs and less about how it ranks on search engines.

1. The Internet is More Than Just Words

The intention of every major search engine is to create an easier way for website users to find the content they’re looking for. And in the early days of search engine optimization, the only tangible way to analyze content for its relevance was through words. But a website is more than just words, right? It’s made up of graphics and videos and links and structural elements. The limitation of traditional SEO is that it focuses on only one piece of an entire website: the words. While search engines may only analyze a percentage of the big picture, internet users don’t interact with websites the same way. Visitors see and experience every element of a website at the same time, and while the words are a huge part of that experience, they’re not the only element that matters.

Focus this year on establishing a holistic approach to the way you build or maintain your website. SEO is important—there’s no doubt about that—but at its best, SEO is only responsible for getting people to your site. It’s up to you what they do when they get there.

2. User Experience is Everything

While the latest Google algorithms consider more than 200 factors for ranking on its search engine, there are only a handful of factors that correlate with significant results. Many of these significant factors are used to determine the quality of a site, which directly affects page rankings. Factors such a dwell-time (how long a user stays on your site), bounce rates (when a user lands on your site and then immediately navigates away), and page views per unique visitor have major influences on page rankings. Now more than ever, user experience (or how users interact with a website) is critical.

Creating a website that is both easy to use and engaging will boost repeat traffic, increase conversions, and grow your word-of-mouth referrals. And doing so establishes the quality of your website with Google and other search engines by increasing dwell-time and page views and by decreasing bounce rates. At the end of the day, both your page rankings and your website conversions will increase, which means growth on both sides without any sacrifice to either.

3. Organic Traffic from Social Media Increases Every Day

Very few business owners doubt the power of social media anymore. In an age where the average person spends more time in a day on social media than they do eating or drinking, there’s no denying that social media matters. Social media is responsible for a massive amount of website traffic every day, and the percentage of website traffic from social media is constantly increasing. Many industries experience a large percentage of revenue coming from traffic that originated with social media, meaning that users are becoming more and more likely to find your business on social media than they are on major search engines. This is especially true for e-commerce businesses, who report an average of 26% of website traffic coming from social media.

A strong social media strategy creates an opportunity for a business to tell its story to people who would normally never get to hear it. Being active on social media is a proactive approach to raising awareness about your business because you’re meeting people where they are rather than waiting for them to look for you. It’s always important to have a great website, but getting people to your website is a major undertaking. Often times, a strong social media strategy is far more effective for driving website traffic than SEO.

4. Google Has Trust Issues

Remember what we said about “keyword stuffing” and other outdated methods for ranking pages on Google that became popular years ago? Turns out Google has developed some major trust issues since then. Now, Google uses an extremely complex system called PageRank to determine the trustworthiness of a website and its domain. This calculation analyzes factors such as backlinks, domain age, and domain reputation to establish how trustworthy your site is. SEO expert R.L. Adams says gaining Google’s trust can take years, especially if your website is relatively new, and gives some great tips of building that trust over time.

The bottom line is, boosting your page rankings (especially in a competitive industry) can be an overwhelming undertaking. Think of establishing strong domain authority as a 5-year long play. There are things you should be doing to increase it, but it’s not the only way (or even the best way) to grow your business.

Conclusion

It’s easy to get roped into SEO schemes that guarantee first-page placement for relevant keywords, but be cautious about placing too much value on paid methods for boosted page rankings. Many SEO companies charge more than $1,000 per month for their services, and while they often deliver on their promises, first-page rankings don’t always translate to increased revenue. If your website is not user-friendly and your content is not high-quality, chances are that all that extra traffic your website is getting is wasted effort. Prioritize creating a site that engages users and delivers an unforgettable experience, and you’ll quickly see your website traffic resulting in increased conversions and growth for your business.

If you’ve got questions about your digital strategy and how to best grow your business, contact us today to schedule a consultation.

In case you haven’t heard, we’ve announced two summer internship opportunities beginning in May of 2017. Get the details below of the programs available, and if you’d be a great fit for either of the internships, send your resumé and cover letter to hello@tangiblestrategies.com.

Creative Content Internship

This summer, we at Tangible Strategies are offering an internship position like no other. We’re calling all interdisciplinarians (you know who you are)—photography students with a passion for sculpting, graphic designers majoring in world history, creative writers who macramé on the side—get the idea? Our Creative Content Internship Program is best suited for individuals with a knack for communicating brand messages in new, innovative ways, whether that’s through engaging illustrations, interactive social media campaigns, or gripping photography. If you’ve got that interdisciplinary itch and a love for growing local businesses, this is the internship for you.

Ideal candidates are located in the Greenville, SC area, are seeking an agency-setting summer internship, and have both aptitude and experience in design, copywriting, and/or photography.

Responsibilities
Specifications
Qualifications
Preferred Qualifications

 

Business & Marketing Internship

This summer, we at Tangible Strategies are offering our first ever Business & Marketing Internship. We’re seeking strong candidates with a natural instinct for business growth and marketing strategy. Our Business & Marketing Internship Program is best suited for individuals desiring in-depth agency exposure and authentic business management experience. If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur with plans of operating a business post-graduation, this internship is a perfect fit.

Ideal candidates are located in the Greenville, SC area, are seeking an agency-setting summer internship, and are currently studying business administration, marketing, entrepreneurship, and/or related fields.

Responsibilities
Qualifications:
Preferred Qualifications:

 

In order to be considered for an internship position, students should submit their resumés and cover letters to Anthony Reese at hello@tangiblestrategies.com.

Website or no website: the millennial question. When you are constantly creating content and trying to advertise for yourself and/or your business, there are so many ways to do it. Do you want people to follow and interact with your brand or do you want people to buy and share information about your brand? Both can be incorporated into websites, even if you already have a strong social media presence. Why not incorporate the information that you already share into a comprehensive web presence with a website? Here are some ways to use your creative content to fashion a website that makes you and your business proud.

1. Easy as 1, 2, 3

One thing to keep in mind is that in the world of social media, engagement is key. You can have hundreds of thousands of followers, but still only a small percentage of people interacting with your posts. If you have a website link in your bio, people can learn about your brand and purchase products or services that they might not normally see on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

There are many website platforms that are easy to use, even if you don’t have more advanced web design skills. If you can hire a web designer, that’s great too! Some reliable website platforms include Squarespace, Weebly, and WordPress (but the more comprehensive versions do have expenses associated with them).

2. Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Everyone is online. And nearly every successful business has some sort of presence, so you want to use this to its fullest potential. Whether you are an amateur artisan with a small business on Etsy, a small business that occupies a niche in the system, or a larger business that tries to attract corporate clientele, your audience is clicking and scrolling and communicating through websites and social media.

One of the greatest parts about having a website is the fact that you can use your website as your building block for your business. Think of your website as your online business card. You can design it the way you want and show people what you and your business bring to the table.

3. Money Matters

From the cheapest website platform to the most expensive logo designs, there are options for everyone in branding and website usage. With that in mind, you need to decide what will be most effective for your business. Are you going for a simplistic and natural look like Squarespace or are you trying to link and archive a bulk information like on WordPress? Websites provide avenues for all of these, so it’s up to you where you want to spend your money.

For businesses who are trying to attract a larger clientele, consider hiring a web or graphic designer to show off your brand in a more unique way. For businesses that rely on statistics and products, consider how you can portray those in an eye-catching way. If your website looks impressive, people will remember you. We say not to judge a book by its cover, but with websites and social media, we are absolutely evaluating the friendliness and aesthetics of the pages that we follow and use every day. And the same is true for websites. Consider evaluating your website occasionally with guiding questions to help you determine its efficiency.

4. Catch Your Customer

In an age driven by digital interactions, it can be difficult for users to find your website in the first place. But when they do, it’s your job to make sure they never forget it. Think about how to create content in a way that gets people talking. If a user sees value in your company, they will share that value with other people. Whether it’s a tag on social media, an email sent to a friend, or the topic of office conversation, any buzz your website creates is going to increase your brand awareness. And that’s an invaluable thing.

Think about it this way: if your website delivers a beautiful user experience, where information is easy to find and content is engaging, people are much more likely to want to keep browsing around. Your customers want to see you, your business, and your products/services in a way that encourages others to brag about you to their friends.

5. The Right Place at the Right Time

We know that website creation and management is a time-consuming and tiring job. Guess what we say to that? It’s worth it! Whether you’re coming up with a strategy for the immediate future or the long haul, the way you present yourself online is absolutely important. If you’d like to come in for a consultation (and you can be at any stage in the process), let us know because we’re happy to help!

How do you want to be a different person in 2017?

Guess what? You’re rebranding! Not only does rebranding apply to people, it also applies to businesses. Rebranding for businesses means that not only will you be associating your brand or business with a new name, logo, or type of experience, but you are also changing the customer connection. For instance, if you think of rebranding as a resolution, it’s a way to change what you’re currently doing to make yourself or your business into a new and improved version. Rebranding must be effective, catchy, and relational in order to achieve its goals. We hope you consider these resolutions if you’re venturing into the daring world of rebranding:

Let’s Make A Change!

We’ve now established that rebranding is similar to making New Year’s resolutions: they are something that you want to change because you took this year, evaluated, and decided you wanted a different outcome next year. Is your reason for redoing your brand to change an old idea, attract a certain type of followers, or create a new customer identity? Regardless of the reason, these resolutions are pushing your company in a new direction.

This new direction requires qualitative input about the current status of your business. Involve as many people as possible in the brainstorming process: the company’s board/leadership, the employees, and the in person/online experts that deal with rebranding in your line of work.

Here’s an idea: create a focus group with each type of participating in the process, then create a larger focus group with people from different areas of the company. Have them write their own aspirations for the company, then compare and compile into a creative format to present all of the ideas.

Let’s Create A Purpose!

Once you’ve put all of the creative brainpower together and come up with a fabulous result, you have to make sure that your brand has a reason for moving in a new direction. Do you want to redo the name and logo or make a connection between the old and new design? When creating your own technique for rebranding, you need to decide what is important to keep and what is important to discard. Just like your New Year’s resolutions, you look back at the previous year and pick out your roses and thorns (positives and negatives).

Remember, this process is up to you. Not everyone is going to jump on board with the rebranding idea, and you might have encountered some dissent in the brainstorming process. Your decision should be based on a combination of the group as a whole with the most effective ideas coming to fruition.

Here’s an idea: write a purpose plan or mission statement. You now have many different opinions, so condense those into a few sentences or a paragraph that exactly states your goals for the next year. Resolution number two is all about using your innovation to spark excitement in others.

Let’s Start The Process!

So for the actual process: do you have colors or images for your business, do you want to keep or change them, or do you want to make something brand new? Once you’ve considered all ideas and articulated a direction, this is the time to do some visual research.

What brands do you admire? What mission statements speak to you? You want to connect the visual presence of your brand with the intellectual presence of your business. Find two or three businesses that you think do this really well, and research the meaning behind their branding. These days, websites and social media are all the rage, so make sure that you are creating this new brand with a visual appeal that translates through all icons and platforms.

Here’s an idea: in addition to your personal research, ask your customers what stands out to them about your current brand. What do you want them to see in your new one? Have a discussion with a few about the new ideas and see what they will now associate with your new ideas.

Let’s Make A Timeline!

Rebranding is a big project to accomplish, so you want to prioritize and allow a significant amount of time in your daily schedule to plan, as if it were another project on your business agenda. You also want to make sure that you’re streamlining all aspects of the process including promotional materials, online influence, and paper goods like business cards. These are the fun rewards of rebranding!

Here’s an idea: if you’re after a total rebrand, which means you’ll need to redo your website, social media, and business cards, try to accomplish the logo project first. Since your logo is the most attractive and shared aspect of your brand, you want it to speak to your customers. One of the most fun and time-consuming parts of the process is the logo, but it’s the immediate way that your business gains recognition.

Let’s Present The Product!

Woohoo! We’re so proud of you for finishing your brainstorming, purpose, research, and logo. What’s the plan now? Well, here comes the implementation part. As with resolutions, this can be a very personal accomplishment. You’ve poured your heart and soul into your work, and now it’s time to show it off!

Do you want to throw a launch party, do a brand reveal online, or keep the secret until your next big project? So many options to consider, but this part really depends on your company type and what will be most effective for your customers. Once the rebrand is live, you also want to confirm that all employees and connections with company have the same information. If you need to, you can create a rebranding guide to disseminate to anyone who needs the update.

Here’s an idea: if your business is in person with a storefront, host a launch party and invite family, friends, and customers to experience the rebrand up close. If your business is strictly online, post some teasers on social media to heighten the suspense.

Congratulations! You did it!

You’ve successfully rebranded! If you’d like to discuss any of these options with us, we’d be happy to help. We love to guide and create with you in this venture, and we hope that your rebranding experience is a successful resolution.

What’s in a name? Brand recognition, admiration, and connection. That’s why companies like Apple, Google, and Starbucks click so easily in our minds: they have names that are simple, easy, and immediate. Most of these companies, though, didn’t start out with the names that we know and love. We’ll explore how branding can grow a business in this post:

BackRub to Google

Ever heard of a search engine called BackRub? We haven’t either. Ever heard of a search engine called Google? Everyone has. Most people don’t know that the two are one in the same. In 1995 at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, Larry Page and Sergey Brin had a meeting of the minds. A year later, in 1996, they collaborated on a search engine called BackRub for Stanford students, but it ended up crashing the servers because it was too large.

Then came September 15, 1997. The two registered Google.com as an official domain, and the rest is history. Larry and Sergey wanted to create a way that people could organize and search information forever, and this is our first plan of attack any time we have a question to answer or a problem to solve.

Even if you didn’t know the origin of the Google name or its process, it’s a household fix. Anything you ever want to find out exists on the search engine, and we are so glad for that. Any aspirations to create an online giant? Take your branding inspiration from Larry and Sergey.

Blue Ribbon Sports to Nike

Have an idea to change the name for your company? Just do it. Nike wins the blue ribbon for one of the most normal-sounding names of all of the first misnomers of these giant businesses. Blue Ribbon Sports was founded in 1964, but not for the reasons that Nike exists today. Onitsuka Tiger, a Japanese shoemaker, used Blue Ribbon Sports as a distributor.

The Nike as we know it became official in 1971. The name Nike comes from the Greek goddess of victory. The genius who coined the Nike moniker was the first employee, Jeff Johnson. Thanks, Jeff, for a catchy and simplistic name, also known by the “swoosh.”

Whether it’s Nike, the swoosh, or the motto, Nike’s integrity remains the same. We love that a company can use its branding powers for good and create a great brand simultaneously. The Greek goddess of victory is certainly smiling down on Nike.

Qwikster to Netflix

Netflix is quick, and so was Qwikster. The admittedly strange name of Qwikster began the empire of streaming video service and even DVD mailing, which was a terrible disaster. It cost too much money, so it only lasted a few weeks.

In 2011, everything changed. Netflix became what we know today: the always-there, endlessly-enjoyable video service where everything on TV lives forever. You can find those childhood gems, those irresistible TV shows, and those obscure documentaries for your viewing pleasure.

What is the branding legacy of Netflix? Will it continue to monopolize the world of video streaming? What would we do without it? It’s magical that we can access that amount of information instantaneously.

Brad’s Drink to Pepsi-Cola

Who is the mysterious Brad? Caleb Bradham, a North Carolina native, was a drugstore pharmacy apprentice with an idea. Bradham’s Drug Store, his pride and joy, became the birthplace of what we know as Pepsi-Cola in 1893. Its original name was “Brad’s Drink,” after the man himself.

August 28, 1898 saw the emergence of the name, “Pepsi-Cola.” Just four short years later, the company was created and even trademarked the Pepsi name. As with most of these businesses, the combination of letters means nothing without the impressive qualities of the brand behind it.

The constant debate of Pepsi vs. Coke is one that will never end, but we applaud Pepsi for its innovation, its branding, and its commitment to humble beginnings. You can still visit the site of Bradham’s Drug Store to see where everything started. Thanks to Caleb Bradham, there is now a soda revolution.

Tangerines and Tangible Strategies

Want to know how we created Tangible Strategies? Check out this Instagram feature on our awesome boss, Anthony. He explains the creative decisions behind Tangible Strategies, the bright tangerine logo, and the memory factor behind names and logos.

Not only do we love the creative process and brainstorming about these fun things, but we’d love to help you too. Here is even more about the new direction our business is taking and our excitement for the journey.

You Name It, We Will Help!

Brand names matter. Whether it’s short and sweet or it evokes the feeling of the brand, the name is important. What did we learn from these brands? Most of these are not words that are in our normal vocabulary, but they stick with us, show us to the brand, and identify the way we associate with the brands on a day-to-day- basis. Do you want to change your business name? We can help!

Almost everybody has been there before (and if you haven’t, you probably know someone who has)—you’ve hired a web developer to build a site for your business, you’re three months into the project, and frustrations are running high. We hear stories like this all the time. Maybe your web developer has become unresponsive. Maybe they’ve promised to deliver a site by a specific date but haven’t followed through. Or maybe your site is already launched, but now it’s malfunctioning or causing security issues.

None of these situations are ideal, but the good news is you can avoid all of them by asking the right questions. We’ve put together a list of the top 11 questions you should always ask your web developer before signing that contract sitting in your inbox.

1. What is your process for building a website?

You web developer’s process can be one of the most telling pieces of information you receive before getting started. Not only is it great to know what each step of the process will be, but how your developer talks about their work method says a lot about the quality of service you’ll receive.

Look for a developer who provides a list of deliverables, each with their own due date. If the only deadline for the project is the site’s launch date, chances are that their communication and reliability are faulty.

2. What web standards do you follow?

This is a question that will quickly separate the professionals from the less reliable. Web standards most commonly refer to the best practices used for building websites. Whether your developer complies with the W3C standards, the WHATWG standards, or the Unicode standards, the overall intention of these organizations is to ensure that websites are compatible across browsers and devices. A web developer who stumbles at this question is one who likely won’t focus on creating a long-lasting website.

3. How easy will it be to integrate additional features/functionality in the future?

Even if you don’t plan to add additional features to your website, asking about the possibilities opens up an opportunity for you to get answers to other questions. If you don’t already know what platform they plan to use for building your website, this is a good time to ask your web developer. For most small business sites, WordPress is the best platform for a new website. More than 18% of all websites are WordPress websites, no doubt due in part to its expandability. Virtually any feature or functionality can be integrated into WordPress, which makes it a great place to build a stunning web presence, even if you want to start with a simple site.

Developers who build websites in other platforms such as Squarespace, Wix, or WebsiteBuilder are limited by constrained functionality. One of these platforms may be a great fit for you now, but as your business grows, you will most likely outgrow them. Starting in a flexible platform will ensure that adding additional features and functionality in the future is possible.

4. Will the site be mobile-friendly?

We know, we know, this seems like a question with such an obvious answer. It’s 2017, after all—who doesn’t build mobile-friendly sites? Unfortunately, an estimated 23% of websites in 2016 were not mobile friendly, and new non-mobile-friendly websites are built every day. Google even favors mobile-friendly websites, so it’s imperative that you assume your developer is keeping up with current trends. Ask your web developer just to be safe.

5. Are there any additional fees to build/maintain my website outside of your cost?

Many website platforms and third-party software (such as shopping cart plugins and advanced contact forms) require monthly or annual subscriptions that will be billed to you. In addition, all websites require an annual domain renewal and a cost for web hosting. It’s good to know what additional fees are not included in your developer’s budget.

6. Who will host the website/own the domain name?

Speaking of recurring costs, web hosting is a detail that developers commonly fail to discuss in their proposal. Many web developers sell managed hosting services directly to their clients at an overpriced monthly rate. Typically, this is an optional add-on to your website agreement, but many developers require that your site has to be hosted/managed by them. Seems backwards that someone else would own your site, right?

7. What search engine optimization (SEO) will be integrated?

Search engine optimization is undeniably something every website needs to have. Many developers will claim to optimize your website after development, but the definition of a fully optimized site is different for everybody. Ask your web developer for specific details regarding what SEO is being integrated. Is your developer adding appropriate HTML tags? Are they optimizing content for readability? Will they research the right keywords and use them appropriately? The more information you can get here, the better.

8. What security features will be included in the development?

With some of the largest cyber security attacks in history happening in 2016, the security of your website is more important than ever. More than 40% of cyber attacks target small businesses. While you may not be hosting sensitive information on your website, a cyber attack can cost you thousands of dollars in website repairs and recovery. Fortunately, simple security measures can prevent your business from falling susceptible to such attacks. So be sure to ask your web developer what they’re doing to secure your site.

9. How will my site analytics and traffic be tracked?

Website analytics are a powerful tool to measuring how people use your website and determining what content is most engaging. Site analytics are easily integrated into websites nowadays, so it’s something that should come as a standard with any newly built site.

10. Will you keep a backup of my site?

Very few web developers guarantee site backups without establishing a monthly service agreement. However, asking for a one-time backup of your site after it is launched is a great way to ensure that your investment is never lost. Regardless the cause, site loss is a risk every small business faces. Don’t allow the only copy of your website to be the one that’s live. If your site does go down, a backup can be restored within hours and get your online presence back to normal.

11. Do you offer technical support/training after the project is over, and how much does it cost?

One of the number one complaints we hear from small business owners regarding their website is that they don’t know how to make updates to it as their business changes. Many web developers now offer training, as an inclusion to website projects, on how to make minor changes. Ask about whether your developer plans to include this and how much ongoing support will cost in the future.

The Takeaway

Investing in a new website is a big undertaking. It’s a commitment on your part that affects your finances, your schedule, and the growth potential of your business. But going through the process of purchasing and building a new website does not have to be a headache. Taking the time to ask these simple questions can help ensure that your new website is a worthy investment that will last as long as possible.

Then again, maybe we’re biased in favor of beautiful websites that don’t break the bank. If you’re interested in a website redesign without a headache, we’re happy to answer any of these and other questions you may have. We’re a fan of small businesses, and yours is no different.

By now we’re sure your Newsfeed has been flooded with everyone’s renewed sense of change and organized plans to make this new year “better than ever.” In our fast-paced society, appointments get pushed back, we begin spending less time at home than we’d like, and throughout our days and nights we get Calendar reminders, phone notifications, and emails telling us to juggle it all right now, because that’s why we did it on our own in the first place. To prove that we can pave the way ourselves.

As business professionals, we’re accustomed to curveballs and how to best adapt to them. It’s our playing field. Admittedly, when we’re each balancing different projects at the Tangible office, we sometimes get so lost in trying to complete our own checklists that it becomes easy to get swamped. However, we find our focus again by pausing and asking each other for help when we need it most. We like to keep this same group mentality when we host GVL Connect, our networking series. We’ve found that the best connections and the best creations we’ve made have been from maintaining our relationships. We’ve outlined three key steps to strengthening your networking in the future.

Your next networking venture can be a transformative experience as long as you bear this in mind: Don’t simply take, the key is to give back.

1. Share, Retweet & Repeat

If you’ve just gone to your first networking event or you’re a seasoned guest, chances are there’s been a time where you’ve felt uncomfortable and you couldn’t find anyone that could answer all your questions in one sitting, in one night. Instead of networking to only serve you, try thinking of who all is attending. Perhaps it’s an interior designer, the cafe owner down the block whose posts you always share, or even someone in your field that just started to build their social media presence and could use some tips from like-minded colleagues. One of the easiest ways to grow your presence and show support for your fellow professionals is to try sharing their posts/blogs/tweets on your business or personal accounts. Think of it as a way of saying ‘hi’ with a quick nudge, so everyone knows you’re always open for connecting. In return, you’d be surprised at how much your networking approachability goes up just through a simple like or share.

Of course, your main focus should remain in keeping the genuine relationships you make with your clients. With practice, you’ll see how transparency and open communication in networking is integral to maintaining loyal partnerships. You don’t want to stand talking to someone who’s only going to “sell, sell, sell” you on themselves and not offer to hear your story or seek your knowledge. You also don’t want to narrow your target audience to just your field of work. There are opportunities to help you personally and professionally on every social platform, as long as you keep your eyes open. Strike a conversation on common interests and what you both can do to increase your online presence, together. The regrams and networking invites will soon follow.

2. Build Your Networking Cloud

After you’ve left the networking space for the night, take some time to peruse through the business cards and mailers you received. And follow up with everybody. Depending on what topic the event focused on, it’s almost always a certainty that all who attended work in a variety of fields. Like we mentioned before, connecting with other professionals in different areas of work serves to extend your skill-set in the long run. Yes, creating these connections is one of the best ways to expand upon your brand. Are you needing help with buying a home? Or maybe your logo could use some fine-tuning. (Hopefully by now, you know who to call—sorrynotsorry for the shameless self-promotion plug.)

If you find yourself feeling like the evening was a little lackluster, ask yourself: while networking, are you only searching within your comfort group or judging the “relevancy” of your conversations to your interests? This is the best form of self-sabotage and will gain you no allies or followers. Step outside your box and offer what you know and how your services can help them. We know this for sure: eye-catching email blasts and salesy phone calls will only get you so far, but true interest and honesty will always boost your brand further than any other effort.

3. Be a Student and a Mentor

During your next meeting with a client or even someone you connected with from the event, be sure to be as present and “off-screen” as possible. Your time and undivided attention will always be noticed and rewarded. Technology pushes us all to be fast and concise, but find clarity in face-to-face interactions where you’ll have the chance to ask as many questions as possible. Here’s where the magic happens that you can’t find in a website bio. Listening to the personal quirks and stories behind a business or business owner is absolutely crucial in becoming a better networker. By understanding their personal message, you’ll find opportunities to provide them with suggestions on how to best increase their client market and presence based on your own personal experience. This is a true service to those interacting with you, and by default ups your status and credibility.

By being present (both physically and mentally) at networking events, you will find yourself learning more and better help those around you learn. Think of this as an opportunity to play the role of both the student and the mentor, being humble enough to learn in areas you’re less familiar with and being generous enough to offer insight in areas you’re more familiar with.

The value of your craft is in your helping hands. Be sure to be willing to share advice as much as you’d like to take away advice. Your networking opportunities will not only widen, but your brand’s reputation overall will inspire others to maintain the same level of authenticity.

The Takeaway

Being strategic in how you choose your interactions during a network event is important but it’s more beneficial to build upon those encounters and turn them into meaningful relationships. In the end, it’s about how you carry yourself and your skills socially. Do this simply by smiling and being enjoyable company all around without attempting to hijack every conversation. Should a situation arise where your expertise is called for, be friendly and more than willing to offer your help. By lending a hand to everyone that you come across, you’ll have gained a genuine support group of likeminded professionals that will be happy to assist you in the future.

If you’d like to hone your networking skills further, come join us during our next GVL Connect event. You can follow along and keep updated with our upcoming events on our Facebook page.

Heads up: We’re always available for personal consultations if needed to help your business be ahead of the rest. Let us know if you have any questions or if you’d like to schedule a meeting.

Content creation is one of the key business components that, while the most important, is probably the most stressful. How can you always be expected to come up with new ideas all the time? And further, how can you keep these ideas innovative and fresh? Here are five ways to encourage creativity and innovation while still in the office:

1. Make a list of topics

Even if these topics don’t end up on your company blog or your LinkedIn profile, this is one of the simplest ways to start the brainstorming process. Inc. has a few different kinds of techniques for this. When you’re making this list, make sure to use whatever medium you are most comfortable with (whether that is sticky notes, computer, whiteboard, etc.)

2. Take a walk

As simple as this seems, sometimes it just takes getting up from your desk and taking a lap around the office. You might spark a conversation that turns into content, or you might see something that reminds you of this cool article that you read recently. This oldie but goodie New York Times article proves that a walk might just be your best bet to boost creative thinking.

3. Think about your audience

Who are you trying to reach? Are you writing a corporate post with references? Are you writing a personal article for your own blog? All of these options have different people that should direct your content creation. If you work or are near the people that might be reading your writing, ask them what they would be interested in reading. This might even add to your list of topics. Forbes does a great job of articulating some questions for you to answer about your audience.

4. Find your “content crush”

Who is the personal or professional person who you admire? You love their website, their social media, their blog, or whatever they create. Read, write, research everything that they’ve made or done that you really like. When you’ve done your background work, create a list of the reasons that you’re inspired by them. Maybe one of those reasons is something that you’ve been striving for, and this could kickstart your creativity too! Here are some #artgoals from visual artists that might help you get started on your content crush list.

5. Start writing

Content creation starts with just that—creating content. Nothing helps more than putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Some inspiration might ease your mind. The easiest way to keep writing is to start writing, so if you follow these steps (or create your own), you will feel empowered when you sit down to employ your creativity. We want to see those words published! The more opportunities you take to write, the more you open yourself up to people reading and enjoying your content. Five steps later, and now you’re off to write (or walk) your way to a better, more creative feed.

The lowdown: Since December, Tangible Strategies has moved from its office space in the Village of West Greenville, launched its brand new website, and undergone a good bit of internal restructuring. Needless to say, it’s been a crazy few weeks, and we want to make sure you’re caught up on all things Tangible as we ring in the New Year. So here are a few thoughts from our Founder and Creative Director:

Laying the Groundwork

We seem to be talking a lot lately at the Tangible office about the idea of settling—settling for just three cups of coffee in the morning because we’re trying to avoid caffeine overload (seriously, guys, turns out this is a real thing), settling for a tiny desktop Christmas tree because we were too busy with the move to fully decorate the office, settling for a presidential candi—wait, no, we’re not getting into that again. I think it’s safe to say that 2016 was a more-than-hectic year (for us, it marked our first full January-to-December succession in good ol’ Greenville). But honestly, for all its craziness, the last month of a rather long year was one of the most exciting and encouraging 31 days we’ve ever had. Which has got us thinking, maybe settling isn’t such a bad thing.

As many of you know, Tangible Strategies has been around since 2011, but for most of its existence, the business was a simple husband-and-wife venture with big dreams of far-off grandiose. In July of 2015, we moved the business to Greenville, SC from Western North Carolina and quickly realized that the demand for small business marketing in the Upstate was much larger than the two of us could handle on our own. So in January, we began building out our team, getting settled into an office space in the Village, and building a reputation as a true-to-its-name agency in a marketplace still entirely foreign to us.

A Year in Review

We’ve learned a lot since then, as you might imagine. In particular, we’ve learned that doing business in Greenville is all about who you know—and getting to know the right people is no easy task (in fact, this realization has been the primary inspiration behind our networking series GVL Connect). We’ve learned that project workflow for a team of two people looks nothing like project workflow for a team of three people. Or four people. Or five people. We’ve learned that possessing the capability to do everything does not mean one should actually try to do everything. We’ve learned that following through on promises really is as impactful as we always knew it was. And we’ve learned that partnership and collaboration are two things we simply cannot live without. Which is one of the many realizations that persuaded us to rethink our processes—and our work setting—a bit.

In case you’ve missed the details, Tangible Strategies now lives inside The Wheelhouse, Greenville’s newest cowork space along the Swamp Rabbit Trail. The Wheelhouse is a collective office space specifically created for marketing professionals and agencies, where freelancers and creative teams alike can work together on projects while maintaining their own brands and unique identities. A rather unique business model as cowork spaces normally go, The Wheelhouse acts as an agency itself, bringing in a steady stream of marketing projects and then turning to its tenants for executing the work on those projects. At its core, The Wheelhouse is designed to support the growth and development of other businesses while sustaining the same for itself. It’s ingenious really.

Making the Move

In October, Wheelhouse co-owner Jeff White approached our team after several recommendations pointed him in our direction. I was immediately enthralled with his idea for a new kind of cowork space and, after a few conversations, realized that the business philosophy behind The Wheelhouse lined up quite nicely with what we had been building at Tangible for the past five years.

And so there we were, faced with the prospect of an opportunity that would help grow our business, allow us to work on larger scale projects, and connect us with other local marketing professionals. You can imagine how long and hard we had to think about our decision. (I’m kidding; it was a no-brainer.) I’ll admit, we had our reservations at first, as none of us are particularly keen on big change, but the more we thought about it, the more this move made sense.

Experiencing the Benefits

After more than four weeks of working in The Wheelhouse, the Christmas-morning-like excitement has worn off and the new atmosphere is beginning to feel more normal. We’ve introduced the space to a handful of our clients, and we’ve even hosted a few networking events here. In the few short weeks thus far, we’ve formed new client relationships and watched the interior of the building continue to develop (re: the new garage door behind our table). A lot has happened in 40-ish days, but most importantly, we’ve been able to experience exactly how moving into The Wheelhouse is going to benefit our business, and we are super excited to share our findings with you.

Better Focus

Hands down, the biggest benefit to moving into The Wheelhouse is that we are able to spend more time doing what we’re great at doing. In the Village, we operated a full-time art gallery, a passion-driven project that allowed us to support emerging and student artists in the area, something we truly loved. In moving, we closed down the art gallery, which was bittersweet in every way, but in transitioning away from our role in the arts community, we’ve only now begun to realize just how much time and energy went into maintaining that presence. Redirecting that focus toward client relationships and toward our own needs has made us better partners of the businesses we serve on a daily basis.

Stronger Service

In addition to prioritizing our own business needs, we’re beginning a shift toward narrowing down what services we offer, focusing on the things we’re best at doing, such as websites and branding. We’re not a one-strategy-fits-all kind of agency—and we never will be—which means that our services are vastly different from client to client. This was never an accident on our part. We knew many small businesses were tired of trying to maintain relationships with half a dozen freelancers—one for their website, one for their social media, one for their graphic design, one for their email marketing, etc., etc.—and so why not offer to meet all those needs under one roof? At The Wheelhouse, we are surrounded by marketing professionals of every kind, which in essence means our team just got a lot bigger. We are able to offer the same solutions to businesses we always have, but we’re able to pass off the execution of services that we’re not as familiar with. Which means we are able to dial in on the services we do really well.

Richer Networking

Because of the structure of our new office environment, we meet new people every day who are operating businesses of their own in the Upstate. Meeting the entrepreneurs around us leads to a bigger network, which really means a bigger community to collaborate with. A larger, more inviting office space means more opportunities to do what we love more than almost anything: connecting people. We couldn’t be more excited to see how our networking grows in 2017, and we hope you’ll be a part of it.

Looking to the Future

So in many ways, moving out of our own office that was occupied by just our team and just our ideas can be perceived to many as a downsize in business—or, like I said before, settling. We do share spaces with other business professionals now in a way we didn’t before, but to us if this new space and workflow is “settling,” we’ll take that and more in 2017. For us, settling has taken on a new meaning. It’s requiring us to focus on what we are best at, rather than trying to do it all. Our choice to narrow down who we are as a business has led to a stronger team, a more precise focus on serving clients, and a substantially larger opportunity to connect with other small businesses in Greenville.