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HMG Creative

Why I Loved Being an HMG Creative Intern

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Stacey Donelan

It seems just like yesterday I was frantically calling the office on my way in for my first day at HMG. I think I passed the office building about three times before I actually realized that was where I needed to be. Ha, what a newbie! After a friendly greeting, these eager beavers put my straight to work, which has been the best part of my internship—there was always plenty of work to be done. No matter how big or small, there was always something I could be doing and no, it actually didn’t require me to make a coffee run! There are many more aspects I loved about being an HMG Creative Intern that I’d like to share with you in one of my final blog posts.

I was more than an intern. Yep, you heard that right. Although you might assume I was just a coffee-running, copy-making, good-for-nothing but the grunt-work college student, I am very proud to say…you’re WRONG. My work was so far from this definition and half of the time I actually was referred to as a the HMG Social Media and Marketing “Coordinator.” Every member of the HMG team treated me with the utmost respect and as a true employee, something that is very rare to find at any internship and was truly appreciated!

They even used my ideas! I was always encouraged to present my personal opinions and insight. I was often invited to team meetings where I was asked to contribute my thoughts and ideas and I even took charge on two of our major campaigns. This has left me with great experience and the confidence to embark on my future careers.

Fun atmosphere. Coming into HMG office every week was always a joyful experience. The close-knit team welcomed me every day with a warm hello and provided me with plenty of laughter throughout the day. The atmosphere around the office was laid back and one of the best aspects of working here (in my opinion) was getting to wear jeans whenever I wanted! Who doesn’t love that?!

Gained a wide variety of experience. From social media and blogging to learning the foreign concepts of website development, I can truly say I have learned a vast amount of knowledge that I feel confident will carry me into this new chapter of my life as I start the search for a real career!

All in all, I couldn’t be more grateful for my time at HMG Creative. I truly appreciate all of the opportunities and responsibilities given to me as the Social Media and Marketing Intern and I can only hope that I will be remembered as a great intern. So as you can see, an HMG Internship is one of a kind, so my advice to you college students is: be on the look out for the next internship opportunity available and maybe you too can be as lucky as I was to experience it!

Easy Steps to a Killer WordPress Website

Posted on May 1, 2013 by James Trumbly

Think WordPress is just for blogs? Think again! WordPress is a great option for small businesses looking for an easy, professional way to create great designs for their website content. Let’s take a quick look at four easy WordPress design techniques for creating a killer site.

1. Choose a Theme
The sky is the limit when it comes to WordPress themes, but keep a couple of points in mind:

Choose a theme that meets your needs—The theme should reflect the personality of your company. It should also include any essential elements you need to present the type of content you have. Spend some time researching available theme options before you just pick one that strikes your fancy.
Consider your willingness to dabble in the code—If you are familiar with coding and enjoy tweaking things, you can choose a theme you love even if it has a few elements you’re not really happy with. If you’re the type of person who gets nervous just looking at a block of code, stick with a theme that meets your needs as is.

2. Customize Your Theme
Do a quick Google search and you’ll come up with thousands of widgets and plug-ins for your WordPress site. They’re the best way to customize your theme, incorporating special capabilities such as social media buttons and other common website elements. Just about any WordPress web design goal can be accomplished with the right plug-in or widget, so take some time to familiarize yourself with what’s out there and how to make it work for you.

3. Include Well-Chosen Images
We’ve all seen those mind-numbing, generic stock photos of people shaking hands or sitting at a computer in an office. Don’t be boring with your images. Choose something that directly supports the message you’re trying to communicate. If you can’t find something already out there, design your own graphic or snap some photos yourself.

4. Consider a Blog
If your business lends itself to a blog, WordPress offers a great platform for including one on your website. WordPress web design makes blogging easy. Regular updates are the key to a great blog, so don’t commit to one if you’re only going to post every six months.

Like any new platform, WordPress web design takes some experimentation and research to learn. However, it’s also one of the easiest ways to quickly design and format content for a small website. Need more help creating a killer WordPress website? HMG Creative can help you make the most of the latest plug-ins, widgets, and themes to create the website of your dreams.

5 Reasons why HMG is YOUR Creative Agency

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Daniel Alvarez

Local, as in—we’re from here, we work here and we employ here. As you already know, Austin is THE place to be; a thriving economy, a driven talent pool and all the BBQ, beer and live music you could ask for. Having our HQ here also helps connect us with some of the nation’s brightest entrepreneurs who are changing the way the Internet and its users operate. We’ve also had the pleasure to work with major staples in the local business community such as OneStar Foundation, WhaleShark Media and The State Bar of Texas.

When we say full-service we really mean it. We go past the web and focus on creating brands. We’re an extension of your business and work with you to create a lasting presence both on and off the Internet. From branding to email marketing to graphic design and printing, we have you covered.

Ten-year tenure. Say that ten times fast. Well, before you get caught up in a tongue twister, listen to this. We started in 2003 and haven’t looked back since. We’ve learned a lot from our successes but even more from our failures. These types of experiences can only be had over time and have been tried and proven over again. This is what we give you, a proven approach that has been molded and continues to mold with new technologies, new clients and new ways of thinking.

Okay, so we do branding, web and print. We’ve been blowing minds since ’03. We have a solid presence in the local community. But what does that mean to you, the business owner? It means nothing if we can’t deliver. Deliverability is the most important part of the process, because without it, we’d be out of business and you’d be pissed. So we avoid all of that by delivering a quality product that we stand by.

Coolness. Yes, I said it and yes, I meant it. We’re not only a happy bunch of creatives, developers, account executives, payroll administrators and interns; we are fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters. We are the person you saw during SXSW at the Dawes show singing every word of “When My Time Comes.” We are the person who bumped into you at Tacodeli who accidentally spilled the “roja” sauce on your shirt- sorry. We are the person who wears a legitimate fireman costume on Halloween and pranks co-workers on April Fool’s. We are the group of people who work late to deliver on a last-minute project. We are HMG Creative and we are your creative agency.

The Scoop on SXSW

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Daniel Alvarez

As the month of March rolls around, Austinites (and now, people from across the globe) are preparing themselves for the one festival that brings together over 50,000 locals, techies, musicians, hipsters, film makers, producers, celebrities and many more. Yes, South By Southwest or “South By” for those of you in tune with the local lingo has quickly become the go-to festival in North America. Boasting musical acts from over a thousand artists, countless indie movie premieres and hundreds of technology start-ups, SXSW feeds the souls of those in attendance.

In addition to the many fun-filled events, there’s a lot of business that goes down during the nine days that make up SXSW. And as a creative agency that specializes in working with startups, we take this time seriously, both as a networking opportunity and as a chance to help these young entrepreneurs realize their dreams.

Over the years, SXSW has been the launch pad for many major players in the tech and web-based industries. So much so that the third largest social network, Twitter, launched at SXSW back in 2007. The launch of the micro-blogging platform was so successful that Twitter’s servers became overloaded with users during the event. But not every story is as big as Twitter’s, there are hundreds of smaller companies making a name for themselves each year during the festival- and we’re excited to be part of that growth.

As a progressive digital agency with over nine years in the biz, we know how much hard work goes into building a reputable brand and a dominant online presence from the ground up.We can help get you to the next level through proven marketing techniques, creative web design/development and a plan of action that works.

Are you planning on visiting Austin for South By Southwest? If so, make sure you give us a call, Follow us on Twitter, or come say hi when you see us front row at The Flaming Lips and Green Day concerts!

HMG Welcomes Scott Mise to the Team

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Johnny Jeffers

HMG Creative is pleased to announce the addition of another cog to their creative machine, Scott Mise. As a formally-trained Graphic Designer (Abilene Christian University) and a self-taught Web Developer, Scott enjoys merging the disciplines to create comprehensive solutions for clients’ needs. With previous agency experience and a constant curiosity for developing web technologies, I’d say he brings a lot to our table. You’ve probably already seen much of Scott’s design work in restaurants and bars around Austin as well as on the web, and we hope you’re ready for more.

In his spare time Scott loves tinkering with Javascript and PHP just to see what’s possible. Also, as an avid Metroplex sports fan you won’t ever be able to pull him away from a game as long as Jerry’s, Cuban’s or Nolan’s teams are playing. Besides being glued to screens, Scott enjoys working or riding on any of his three, two-wheeled vehicles.

Our St. Jude Fundraiser in a Nutshell!

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Stacey Donelan

Valentine’s Day has come and gone and The Crew at HMG Creative has put on another successful campaign. The past couple of weeks have been dedicated to promoting social media interaction, through our Facebook and Twitter channels, in order to generate donations for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. From February 15 to midnight of Valentine’s Day, we were able to:

Gain 87 new Facebook Fans
346 Facebook Shares on St. Jude photos
500+ Likes on St. Jude photos
41 Retweets on Twitter for St. Jude tweets
24 New Twitter Followers

Through these efforts, we were able to bring in $300 to donate to St. Jude and we couldn’t be more proud! Although we did not reach our goal of $500, this is our very first donations-based initiative and we feel confident that this experience will leave us with the knowledge to create an even stronger campaign for the future. Not only were we able to share our love with children in need but we also created an incentive for those who helped us in the final push of our campaign. Those who shared the St. Jude photo during the last two days were entered into a drawing to win a $100 Apple Gift Card. We are thrilled to be giving the prize to Ms. Alayna Boyd, student at The University of Texas at Austin! (Who could be more deserving than a poor college student, right?!)

Despite the fact that the “Share the Love” campaign was able to stretch our social media efforts and gain more awareness for our company, what truly matters is that we were able to do all of this for such a great cause. It is our hopes that through our donations we will be able to further assist the children of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and that they will be able to enjoy their Valentine’s Days for years to come. We thank everyone for all of your help in making this donation possible!

Could Your Website Score a Touchdown?

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Amy Kauffman

It looks like the San Francisco 49ers couldn’t quite make it past the Baltimore Ravens in this year’s Super Bowl. In business, we also strive to pull ahead and stand out among leading competitors. Winning customers in a business arena can be a challenge. So, when faced head-on with competition, will your website stack up or are you just throwing a Hail Mary?

1st Down – Branding: Does your website and homepage reflect your product or services and who you are as a company? If the first impression of your website does not resonate with your demographic, you have lost their attention at kickoff. A cohesive brand image and identity is essential to gain credibility among your consumers or clients.

2nd Down – Layout: Ease of navigation is key to pull readers into your content without overloading them with data and endless text. Think of your layout like a game plan where you want clients to look, click and how they drive into your website will steer them to take action or forfeit the search altogether. Simple, organized layout wins hand over fist against dense copy, dozens of tabs and multiple, competing messages.

3rd Down – Subscribers: Capturing visitors is a must; and integrating email marketing is the first step to turning these new subscribers and leads into loyal customers. Make the call to action simple and provide something immediate of value. Continue educating and send relevant communication for these prospects to stay engaged with you and your company.

Touchdown! Fans: Done all of the above? Fantastic. Now integrate a blog and social media channels that your business utilizes. Get up close and personal with customers and clients, hear their praise and criticism of your industry and learn to be transparent- love this. Knowing your audience on a personal level will be invaluable, and the insights can leverage your business ahead of the game.

Extra Point – Content Strategy: From the copy on your homepage, to articles on your blog and pictures and questions asked on social media, creating a compelling message and valuable content unites all elements of your brand. Know your voice, where you want to position your business in the industry and your customers’ trust and loyalty will follow.

Need a conversion?
Think you may be lacking in one or more of these areas? No problem. Give us a call or shoot us an email today and we will get you and your website trained and ready for the big game.

Break!

A Year in Our Shoes – HMG’s 2012

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Daniel Alvarez

This is typical verbatim around this time of year. And like many of you, we at HMG had a very busy and productive 2012.

Rewind

We began 2012 in unchartered territory- Austin, Texas. Although we had built a solid presence in San Diego over the past 8 years, the opening of a new office in Austin came with just as many unknowns as certainties. We knew Austin was an up-and-coming city with a savvy talent pool. We knew it had some of the best music festivals and startup-related conferences (SXSW). And we knew that we’d be gaining some weight from the scrumptious Mexican food and finger-licking BBQ.

What we didn’t know was just as daunting. Would Austin accept us? Could we be as (or more) successful than we had been in San Diego? But in late 2011 we decided to make the move. Challenge accepted.

Fast Forward

As we look back at 2012 and our move to Austin we can’t help but think of how great the year and the city has been to us. We embarked on a journey that has brought us great reward both personally and as a company. We’ve acquired some unique additions to our team and have worked with some of Austin’s finest businesses.

In honor of the wonderful events that have taken place over the course of 2012, we’ve accumulated a list of our favorite 12. We hope you like them just as much as we do!

Hit Play

January- We kicked off the year with the opening of our Austin location; we cheered to good fortune, friends and rockin’ clients!

February- Founded in 1922, Taylor Linens produces quilts that are made of 100% cotton fabric and batting that are often hand quilted with fine, close stitches. We provided Taylor Linens with: Custom Email Templates, Printing & Collateral, and Web Development.

March- A good month for several reasons, SXSW and Spontuneous. The first is obvious; SXSW is a 9-day music, film and interactive festival showcasing the nation’s hidden gems. The latter is one of our most eclectic and entertaining clients, Spontuneous. Makers of an award-winning board-game that brings your favorite song lyrics to life.

April- RetailMeNot rates every single coupon and then orders it by its usefulness. Every store is then categorized and ordered by its popularity within that category. Their users ensure that the best deals quickly rise to the top, and expired or superseded coupons quickly drop down the list. We provided RetailMeNot with Web Development.

May- OneStar Foundation supports the nonprofit sector of Texas and its stakeholders through initiatives that increase civic engagement, research, rigorous evaluation, and nonprofit organizational excellence. We have provided OneStar with: Branding, Website Redesign and Press Releases.

June- Quick Fix Stock Charts is an online resource that provides insightful and annotated stock charts while enabling you to make time-sensitive, decisive, money management decisions. We provided QFSC with Branding, Custom Email Templates, Press Release, Printing and Web Design and Development.

July- PrimoDish is a group of developers that love food and thought there needed to be a place where you can easily find the best food around. We provided PrimoDish with a Website Redesign/UX. (Check out the new website we’re currently building them!)

August- After several months of steady growth we decided to begin a hunt for a stellar Business Development Consultant. We wanted someone who knew the industry and also knew how to build rapport and relationships with the right people. Enter Daniel Alvarez. With over 7 years of experience in sales and marketing, Daniel is our go-to guy for Biz Dev and Social Media Management.

September- There aren’t enough (good) adjectives in the dictionary to describe Stacey Donelan. She is assiduous, determined, creative and absolutely brilliant when it comes to her role as our Social Media Intern. Thanks to her we have built a solid following on our social networks and even created a fun-filled Christmas marketing campaign (see December). Stacey, you’re the best!

October- Every once in a while you stumble upon something so good you just can’t pass it up. In our case, Nick Welp was that hidden gem. His expertise in back-end web development is unparalleled and his knack for perfection paired quite well with HMG’s standards. Nick has helped in creating many custom applications and continues to lead our team of developers into the New Year.

November- As our stomachs prepared for the turkey and dressing coma from a hearty Thanksgiving meal, our developers prepared for an influx of new clients. But from what you say? Not what, who! John Wagner- ultimate selling machine. Hailing from Denver, John touched down in Austin hungry and ready to network. His over 6-year tenure in several managerial sales positions has given John a refined knowledge of B2B sales and project management. We look forward to see what else John has up his sleeve in 2013.

December- In honor of the Holidays and filled with the Christmas spirit, we decided to embark on an HMG-inspired 12 Days of Christmas campaign. Twelve days of absolute holiday giddiness and fun- if you follow us then you saw it. If not, click here for the recap.

The Holidays weren’t the only thing happening at HMG in December. As business demand grew and our list of clients expanded, we were in dire need of a savvy Front-End Designer. And we found just that in Jenn Buch- a West Virginia native, Jenn came to us with a portfolio rivaling our very own. She is not only talented but extremely creative, and our clients LOVE her work. Jenn, thank you for bringing your talents to Austin and more specifically to HMG!

Jenn puts the Creative in HMG

Posted on December 18, 2012 by James Trumbly

HMG Creative is thrilled to introduce Jenn Buch as the newest member of our Creative Team. This proud alum from West Virginia University graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design and a dual degree in Multidisciplinary Studies in Advertising, Art History, and Foreign Literature.

If you couldn’t tell, this girl loves design and, trust me, she can talk about typography all day long. Oh, and she secretly loves to learn a new shorthand in the Adobe Creative Suite. Lucky for us, Jenn will be bringing her love of all things design to HMG Creative.

Although Jenn is new to Austin, she’s exploring the city and taking full advantage of the “keep it weird” vibe. Hiking trails and artist markets? Jenn already feels right at home! So give her a warm welcome at jenn@hmgcreative.com.

On the First Day of Christmas, HMG Gave to Me: Business Cards Half Off…That’s Almost FREE!

Posted on December 13, 2012 by James Trumbly

We are embracing the Holiday spirit at HMG Creative by celebrating the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” For 12 days in December (starting today) we will have a product discount, fun videos and great marketing tips to get your business ready for 2013!

So… eh hem, “On the first day of Christmas HMG gave to me… 50% off business cards…That’s Almost FREE!”

Often the first impression potential clients have of your business is your card. Make sure you’re giving the right impression with a high quality card stock. We have many choices to suit your style including Satin Laminate and even high quality Recycled Papers. See our full line of options at HMG Printing. You can also give your card a check-up by reading our blog post from our very own, Rob Ridgeway, to determine if your card is “cardworthy.”

We hope you enjoyed our “First Day of Christmas.” And be sure to stay tuned for the next 11 days, you never know what else we might have up our Christmas sweater sleeves!

HMG Creative

Tag Archives:
HMG Creative

Easy Steps to a Killer WordPress Website

5 Reasons why HMG is YOUR Creative Agency

HMG Welcomes Scott Mise to the Team

Could Your Website Score a Touchdown?