Actually, I was asked a great question yesterday: “How do you know when it’s time to redo your website.”

There are many reasons to update your site: refresh graphics, add functionality, restructure navigation, add a call-to-action – but the main reason we updated our site was because the message didn’t accurately reflect the high level of support we provide our clients.

Our previous website didn’t communicate the true value we were delivering to our clients. Yes, we still do websites, we still do PR, we still do corporate IDs – but we do those things as a part of an integrated plan to help your business succeed. We have also developed new programs for developing brand champions, helping companies get acquired or go public, raising capital, etc.

We help our clients determine the activities that will make the biggest impact to their bottom lines. We take a holistic look at their brand and company – and help them forge the plan that will make them competitive in their market.  Brand Iron works with our clients to drive short- and long-term revenue while identifying the activities that will make the biggest impact.

If your message has changed and you need to reposition yourself in the market, contact Brand Iron today. We’ll help you develop an integrated plan to drive short- and long-term revenue to your business.

1. Ability to update content and new pages in-house.

2. Greater visibility to search engines (SEO).

3. Quick and easy to update clients with up-to-date news (blog).

4. Ability to easily add new functions to your site (plug-ins).

Check out http://www.thenesbittgroup.com and see the power of WordPress. It might be a great fit for your companies needs.

We started doing Search Engine Optimization for our client, Columbine Label Company, in July. Since then, they have been experienced huge jumps in their web traffic. Traffic is great, but driving business through new leads is better.

This is the email I received from our client last week:

Brand Iron can help your business develop an effective SEO strategy. Every company has unique online goals, ie, 2nd handshake, resource for information, make online purchases, demonstrate expertise. A targeted SEO plan can be exactly the shot of adrenaline your company’s online presence needs. Learn more about our Web-O-Nanza™ program or call us today 303-534-1901.

In an effort to get the word out, Brand Iron is excited to announce the launch of a new site promoting Michael’s excellent speaking capabilities. This new site gives us more opportunity to feature Michael and how he has been shaping successful brands on national, regional and local levels for more than 20 years. Go to www.michaeldoyletalks.com to see what Michael is about and what his speaking expertise can do for you or your brand.

To learn more about Michael Doyle, Brand Iron and scheduling him as a guest speaker, please visit www.BrandIron.net or give our team a call at 303.534.1901.

Written by Michael Doyle, President of Brand Iron

Unfortunately, the famous line from the popular 90s baseball film, Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come” does not work when it comes to building a website. You need to define your website goals, which coincide with your business goals, and define how you are going to convert those goals on your website.

After the goals are defined, you need a website that is designed and programmed to be “SEO-friendly.” SEO-friendly sites are W3C web standard complaint, use proper document markup, and separate structure from presentation and behavior (we will go into this in more detail in my next blog entry). Brand Iron’s web development team designs and develops SEO-friendly websites on a daily basis.

After your goals are defined and your site is designed and developed, you need to ask the question, “who is your target market?” The answer to this question is easier than you may think…the individual you want to find your website most frequently is the individual who is searching for you! This sounds obvious, but trust me, more often than not, when people implement SEO they are solely focused on a higher page rank and are neglecting the most important target market, someone who is already looking for their company.

A 2007 survey by the internet data firm, comScore, found that 60% of consumers use the web as their first tool of reference to search for local businesses and 60% of those searchers make a purchase from the business’ website. A study by AOL and Henley Centre, a UK market research firm, states that 73% of survey respondents use a search engine as an important source of information when considering a product or service. This is a higher percentage than personal recommendations, TV and print media.

In order to have a successful online presence, you need a successful SEO/SEM campaign. Brand Iron’s “Web-O-Nanza” program is the perfect solution for your website. We map out your website’s primary and secondary goals, and come up with a solution to convert these goals into revenue via your website. We build SEO-friendly websites that target individuals who want to see your website.

Brand Iron is known for forging brands and driving revenue, now with our “Web-O-Nanza” program, we drive web traffic that also drives revenue. Contact Brand Iron today and we will “build a website that will make them come.”

Written By Andrew Hoffman, Design Bandit

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard recently from our partners, clients, prospects, leads, etc. that people are “just waiting to see what happens”. Unfortunately, most who take this “wait and see approach” end up losing time and results.

With things being tight and people and businesses being guarded with resources, it’s a more competitive landscape than ever before. People and companies are struggling and the weak are getting ravaged. Are you positioning yourself and your company to be as competitive as possible? Now is the time to take advantage of the current economic situation and propel yourself to be the leader in your field.

Since it is the beginning of the New Year, it is time to make a “New Start”.

Revenue
Let’s start the thing that most people and companies are in need of: Revenue. Have you evaluated your lead generation activities? Are you doing enough to fill your pipeline? Are you utilizing online marketing, networking, partnering, calling and mailings to get people to say “yes” to meetings or walking through the doors of your business?

Sales
Do you know what it is going to take to get prospects to convert to clients? Do you know what it is going to take to move them off the dime? Are you asking for the business?

Brand Positioning
Do you have the right message? …a strong call to action? … positioning that separates you from the competition? Do you understand not just why you are as good as the competition, but why you are better than the competition? Why should someone purchase you, your product or service over the competition?

Are you being pro-active and creating enough opportunities for you to reach your goals and objectives? Are you doing enough marketing and sales activities to make the numbers work in your favor?

If you can’t answer “yes” to all of these questions, it is probably time to get off the dime and make the New Year a “New Start” to reaching your goals and objectives. Brand Iron can help you develop proactive goals for 2009 and a roadmap of what it is going to take to get you there.

It’s time to get started and map out a plan to succeed in this New Year.

Written by Michael Doyle, Brand Iron President

1. Passion – This is the real weapon of a good designer, it cannot be imitated. A real designer is passionate about his/her craft; it is not just a job or a career but a lifestyle. Regardless of what you might say, first and foremost a graphic designer is an artist. Artistic intuition cannot be taught, passion cannot be taught; you either have it or you don’t and that is why not everyone can be a designer. Brand Iron is proud to have a passionate design staff that creates passionate work day-in and day-out for our clients.
2. Don’t just re-design, but re-align – You may have heard this in the past, “it’s outdated, your website needs to be re-designed.” There is more to it. Not only does it need to be redesigned, but realigned with the brand. Good design transcends technology, trends and must be aligned with your brand; something that I’m sure you’re neighbor’s 9th grader probably is not capable of.
3. Evolve – A lot of designers think that they get a degree and they’re set for the rest of their lives. Sorry to break it to you but it doesn’t work like that; the design industry is constantly evolving, the technology is constantly changing and in order to create successful design a designer must be constantly evolve with the industry. A degree is a good start, but it takes continuous research and learning, determination, attention to detail and hard work to be a successful designer.

As a business owner you should not expect anything less than what was mentioned above, and if you are, you are literally gambling with your livelihood. Perception is everything, and your brand needs to be perceived as the best. Quality branding is what Brand Iron does best; we forge brands and drive revenue.

Written by Andrew Hoffman

Of course this may be the understatement of the century. Currently, we are evaluating web presence for nearly 75% of our client base. There are many different ways in today’s economy to create web presence without stretching your budget thinner than it already is. Brand Iron suggests four simple and cost-effective ways to create an online strategy for your company.

1. Social Networking
Many of you notice your kids using social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, but did you know that industry professionals are utilizing those sites for marketing purposes? These sites are free of charge and are a great tool to leverage when trying to expand your partner network or get some buzz surrounding your business. For the more business-savvy professional, Linked In is a site devoted completely to the business world and your immediate connection to thousands of like-minded professionals in various industries.
2. Blogging
Keeping a blog tied to your company’s website is an easy way to make a larger presence on the web which will in turn boost organic search results of your company. When it comes to searches, the more words that you have “tagged” to your blog, the more it comes up in search engine results. By keeping your blog consistently updated with fresh articles and topics, you will in turn draw more traffic to your site.
3. Interactive Web Applications
Using interactive web applications is a hassle-free way to keep in front of prospects and current clients. For example, a WOWget (by Madden Media) is an application that Brand Iron is set to utilize in the near future. The WOWget allows the user to post video to his/her website and then link it to a MySpace, Facebook, or a Blog page. This is an interactive video that users can view through many different mediums.
4. Google AdWords
When on a tight budget, why not use advertising that will adhere to the guidelines you set? Google AdWords allows the advertiser to set a limit on how much is spent daily on their advertising. When a key word is searched through Google, ads appear on the right hand side of the screen. These advertisers specifically chose their ad to display when that key word is searched. Google keeps track of all of the click throughs to your sight each day, and when the budget number is met that day, say $10, Google does not post your ad on the right hand side of the screen. Each click through is cost dependent on the key word.

Here’s how it works…
– User searches a key word
– Ad is displayed on the right side of the screen
– User clicks through the ad
– Advertiser is charged for the click through
– Once the click through limit is reached ($10), Google no longer places the advertiser’s ad on the side bar

These are just a few ways to stay under budget and in the face of your prospects and customers in a tight economy. Contact us to learn about all of the cost effective ways to market and advertise while on a strict budget.

written by Nicole Salerno, Junior Brand Wrangler, Brand Iron

When designing for the internet it’s important to know how a typeface should be placed on the page. Letters, words, and sentences all crammed together are more difficult to read and understand. Paying careful attention to how much space you give your text is key for readability.

Lines of type that are too long (or too short) slow down reading and comprehension. Combine the wrong line length with the wrong type size and the problem is magnified.

The shorter the line length, the smaller the font should be — allowing more words to fit on the line. The longer the line, the larger the font can be.

• Choose a font size that your primary audience can read comfortably, like Arial 11 or 12 point.
• Apply the alphabet-and-a-half line length rule, 36 characters.
• Balance line length with type size for readability.

In the end, the decision to restrict line length is a philosophical one. From a design standpoint, a measure that is comfortable for reading is good practice. One of the fundamental principles of the Web, however, is that users should be able to structure their own view.

Stick with Brand Iron and we’ll make sure your message reaches your target audience no matter how much (or little) you have to say.

written by Marni Myers, Creative