Photo courtesy of Natalie Schulte

It’s hard to believe it’s only been a year since I first walked in the doors at HMG, but in these twelve short months I can hardly believe the experience I’ve gained here. Right off the bat, I was told I wouldn’t be the typical coffee-fetching intern (been there, done that)—and I truly wasn’t. Despite joking around that if we ever got Franklin BBQ for lunch, I would be the one sent to wait in the never-ending line, I really felt like I was an integral part of the team; that I was more than just “the intern.” I was always encouraged to share my ideas and thoughts, something I feel is important in any working environment. I even got to develop and pitch several marketing campaigns, which has given me invaluable experience.

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If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that here in Austin, Texas, we work hard. And hard work deserves a little reward every now and then. Sometimes that reward comes in the form of a paycheck. Other times, it comes in the form of a beverage. Therefore, to follow up our Best in ATX blog post, we’ve put together a list of the best happy hour joints in the city where you can unwind after a stressful day at work for MyCasinoBonus.

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Blue Matrix Labs located in Austin, Texas is a company committed to providing innovation by developing world class, life-changing products that solve consumer problems. Blue Matrix Labs (BML), the powerhouse behind cutting edge brands like SHAGS, Pirate Energy and ZORBZ, sought out the HMG Creative team to develop and deploy an equally modern and intuitive web presence.

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Hi! I’m Callie Musick, the new Social Media and Marketing Coordinator at HMG Creative. It’s Day 1, and I can’t wait to jump in to my new position here. A little about me – I’m currently a senior (enjoying my summer break) at the University of Texas at Austin and will be graduating this December with a B.S. in Advertising with an English minor. Born in North Pole, and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, texas I migrated south after high school and have been enjoying everything the beautiful city of Austin has to offer for the past 6 years. On weekends you can find me soaking up the sun and wakeboarding on Lake Travis, stand-up paddle boarding on Lake Austin, or jamming front row at a live concert downtown.

Recently, I completed an internship with local street art collective, SprATX, as their Social Media and Marketing Manager in which I immersed myself in the brand and the family of artists to build their startup’s online presence. Additionally, with my past training as a marketing manager in the retail industry, I’m excited to bring my real-world experience and variety of interests to the team here at HMG.

At this internship, I’m excited to gain experience working from the agency side of things, and build upon my creative marketing, networking, and writing skills.

I know I have big shoes to fill here, and I’m looking forward to carrying on what Emily has created!

Feel free to shoot me a tweet at @calliemusick or email me at callie[at]hmgcreative.com

It’s always our pleasure to work with local non-profit organizations here in Central Texas and learn about their causes. When creating a website for these entities, we often rely on the functionality of WordPress for the back-end framework of our projects. In addition to the features mentioned in our previous blog Why We Use WordPress (And You Should, Too), there are a few components of the vastly popular platform that lend itself specifically to our use for these organizations that largely depend on their digital presence to promote and provide key functions in their mission of helping others.

Here’s 6 reasons WordPress rocks for non-profits:

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If you’re an avid reader of the HMG blog then you know we’re big on helping companies that help others. That’s right, we’re all about partnering with organizations that seek to better the world in one way or another. Whether by creating fun and innovative consumer products, lending relief aid to disaster areas or by developing a streamlined and intuitive software solution for students to apply for and receive scholarships, our clients are always improving the lives of their customers. AcademicWorks, featured in this month’s project highlight, helps over 275 universities improve their scholarship management processes by automatically matching students with relevant scholarships. With over 50 years of combined experience in the higher education industry, AcademicWorks and its staff deliver a truly unique and efficient way for students across the country to connect with leading universities in a seamless and all-digital format.

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Being a team of creatives, it’s probably not surprising that we seek to find inspiration in any medium we can. The Internet and social media make that all too easy, especially with platforms like Instagram that bundle amazing content from all over the world into one place. Here’s the rundown on 10 of our favorite Instagram accounts to follow:

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Back in April we met Dr. Lisa Gorn, the developer of Glucology and part owner of garcinia cambogia, an all-natural blood sugar dietary supplement. She came to HMG Creative adjustable dumbbells with the need for a complete online web presence with e-commerce capabilities that could handle the various purchase options Glucology offers. Dr. Gorn also needed a platform to communicate with her audience and keep them up-to-date with product news and related information. Reliability, responsiveness, and ease-of-use were additional critical factors we took into consideration when planning her new website design.
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This article was originally posted on Austinot.com

Austin is known for being one of the best cities for singles, making it a city full of first dates and hopefully many others afterward. Beyond the singles dating scene, anyone in a relationship has probably experienced how easy it is to get caught in a routine of go-to date night spots.

Whether you’re craving something new with your current SO (significant other) or looking for an impressive first date idea, here are a few local suggestions that break the typical dinner-and-drinks mold.

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First things first: What’s a landing page? A landing page is a page a visitor is directed to after clicking on an ad. It shouldn’t be your company’s home page. Instead, it should exist as a separate webpage with one clear message and purpose, leading visitors seamlessly from the initial ad to a clear call to action, and ideally – to conversions.

Whether creating a new landing page from scratch or trying to rework an existing one for better results, here are a few tactics you can use that have been proven to ramp up landing page conversions:

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