skip to main |
skip to sidebar
When it comes to marketing it’s not how loud you shout it’s how well you make the connection.
I’m spending a week helping out with my 3 year and 3 month old grandkids and I realize the same is true in influencing people in our personal lives. I forgot the morning fights I had when my kids were 3, you know waking them up, what they will or won’t wear to school, how full the cereal bowl has to be, etc. It would be easy to shout and demand they do what I want but to what end. In a book about parenting to inspire values titled, Children Learn What They Live, the focus is the way things are said. If you shout one day how much louder will you need to shout the next to be heard. Any of us who have raised children know eventually they will tune us out completely. The ideal way, listen and understand the motives for the behavior and gently but clearly motivate.
Motivating clients is very much the same. First you have to understand your marketplace and find meaningful connections. Next you need to be consistent in your message. And last remember we live in a media cluttered world, delivering communications with simplicity and clarity makes all the difference.
–Ann Byne, Principal, The Byne Group
When was the last time you thought of yourself as being calm. For most of us these are anything but tranquil times. We’re inundated with information, overwhelmed with daily tasks and asked to keep pace with technology that keeps moving faster and faster. Personally I can’t tell you how often I have responded to email from clients without thinking through the correctness of my answer and even worse the flippant way I might have handled an issue with staff saying words that can never be taken back (if anyone reading this ever felt bruised, I'm really trying to do better).
A favorite quote of mine by James Allen an English poet from the early 1900s said it well. “The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good.”
What to do! A possible suggestion, lets continue to have the conversations, (either on- or offline) but lets give ourselves some breathing room before and after. Take time to take stock, breathe and yes be calm!
Any ideas on how you find calmness during your workday, please share.
-Ann Byne, Principal, The Byne Group
Hi everyone,
Guess what? I'm a finalist in the Chiquita Banana new label contest! The contest was to design a new fun label that will be featured on the bananas, without using any text. So I made the top 50… although the designs won't be officially posted on eatachiquita.com until August 23, 2010.
When it's up I am going to need everyone to vote for me. Top 18 designs get to be printed on the bananas!!!
–Dana Tandoi, Intern, The Byne Group
Hello everyone! I'm back!
Since I last blogged The Byne Group has kept me very busy. I've worked on such a wide array of different projects. Over the last few days I have been working on flyers for a local charity, made a few changes on a logo I've designed for an insurance company, designed a whole invitation package for a banquet event, and was on the set of a photo shoot.
Being on the set of a photo shoot is so exciting! There is so much that goes into taking a picture it's insane. All the equipment has to be set up just right, the model has to be sitting at the right angle, and the weather needs to be cooperating to get that "picture perfect" picture. It was really interesting to see the process of making that perfect picture.
This photo is from one of the shoots I was on for United Hospice of Rockland.
Back to work!
Dana
–Dana Tandoi, Intern, The Byne Group
10 Tips to Maximize Your SEO Using Keywords
Our clients are always asking us for ways to improve traffic to their websites. “One of the 'KEYS' to improving their SEO” we tell them, "is to use keywords correctly.” Here are 10 tips to help you unlock the keyword puzzle:
1: When setting up your website, make sure you have descriptive content on your home page that will be recognized by search engines. This means using words and ALSO phrases that pertain to your particular service or product.
2: A little research could be the KEY! Make a list of words and phrases that describe your service or product. Now go to your competitor’s site or a comparable service present online and see how they are or aren't utilizing keywords. Looking at comparable sites (if designed wisely!) is a great way to see if you're missing an important phrase or keyword.
3: Do a bit of research about how your customers or users might describe your service or product. You might be surprised that your definition and theirs contain different descriptions AND different keywords or phrases you may want to incorporate.
4: DON'T use slang or "industry" terms unless you provide an industry service or product. Use keywords that the general public would likely be using to find you.
5: If your service or product is contained to a "location," make sure that location is stated somewhere on your home page. We all hate when we pull up a service thinking it's local and it's halfway across the country. If your service is national or international... well, you should state that too!
6: Is your copy live? Images of text are not going to help your SEO. Make sure your keywords are not images but live text, including your menus.
7: A good way to "ADD" keywords to your existing home page is to put an additional list of keyword links at the bottom of your page that are descriptive and bring users to subsequent areas of your site. This is also a useful tool for your SEO when designing a new site.
8: DON'T over do it! In this case, less is more. Cramming as many keywords or phrases that are not relevant to your service or product can actually lower your rankings. Choose wisely, and if you are unsure, you can get help from experts (like The Byne Group), to guide you.
9: Now, make sure your hierarchy of web pages in your site also follow these rules and contain keywords and relevant phrases for your service or product. Follow all the same general guidelines as for the home page.
10: And finally, if this all baffles you, just call us at The Byne Group and we’ll help you unlock the keyword puzzle!
–Amanda Holt, Creative Director, The Byne Group
I’m a big believer in giving back to the communities we do business in, but is it also good for our small businesses bottom lines? I believe so! Giving back to the community can raise your business' profile and even bring you more customers or clients.
According to Umair Haque's article from Harvard Business Review, Why Betterness is Good Business. “Striving to do more good is associated with greater profitability, equity and asset returns, and shareholder value creation.” And he believes these new business models will help build companies with a purpose, and a mission that is truly understood by their customers.
And as successful members of the community, we have a responsibility to help those that are less fortunate and contribute to the common good. I really enjoy the intangible benefit of giving. Giving back to the community gives me a wonderful feeling of connectedness and the satisfaction of at least trying to make my small corner of the world a better place.
I think customers like patronizing businesses that give back and I believe that giving back has helped my firm move forward!
Have you found ways to give back, would love to hear from you.
–Ann Byne, Principal, The Byne Group
Hi everyone! I am Dana, the new intern at The Byne Group. Currently I am a Senior at SUNY Purchase where I am studying Graphic Design.
I have only been here two weeks, but have noticed that being in the working world is slightly different than being at art school. For one, I have yet to walk in and find someone sleeping at their desk from the night before. Also, design work goes in and out of the office in about two or three days. At school it’s more like six or seven weeks.
Despite the differences, I love my internship at The Byne Group just as much as being at school. They have truly welcomed me and made me feel part of their "group."
–Dana Tandoi, Intern, The Byne Group
Posts
