It’s that time of year again friends, the Austin Young Chamber’s FAVE Awards are back! Each fall the FAVE awards recognize local Austin businesses in a variety of categories and this year the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on November 14^th.  As you can imagine, we’re so excited to have been nominated again and would love the honor of a back-to-back win – but we need YOUR help!

The ballot is now open for voting and it only takes a few seconds to complete. We’re nominated under the FAVE Professional Services Company, but feel free to cast your vote in as many or few categories as you like – we’ve been nominated alongside some awesome local organizations.

If you do vote, let us know! Give us a shout-out that you voted using the hashtag #HMG4FAVE on our Twitter or Facebook page and we’ll draw a winner to receive a fun Austin prize package. We sincerely appreciate your vote!

[button size=”large” type=”square” color=”standard” icon=”circle-arrow-right” url=”http://www.aycawards.org/vote/”]Cast Your Vote Now![/button]

There have been whispers and even yells in recent years that with the onslaught of digital marketing tactics that print “is dead” as a marketing medium. However, any smart marketer would tell you that the old school medium is in fact alive and thriving. You just need to know how to leverage its power. Let’s discuss a few features of print marketing that make it more powerful now than ever:

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You probably heard us buzzing about votes a few weeks ago and we’re pleased to announce the hard work paid off! This past weekend we had the honor of winning an Austin Young Chamber’s FAVE Award for you can try looking at lowhosting FAVE Professional Services Company for the 2^nd year in a row! We are unbelievably thankful for everyone’s support and votes – we truly couldn’t have done it without you.

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Austin holds a special place in our hearts. Not only is it our stomping grounds, it’s a city full of culture, music, outdoor activities, delicious food, a booming economy, awesome people and great weather. People are flocking here from everywhere, and we’re not the first ones to notice. Austin has been number one on Forbe’s “America’s Fastest-Growing Cities” list for the past four years. With such a wide array of activities to do and places to see best paper writing service , it’s no wonder people want to live here so badly. In fact, we love Austin so much that we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite things to do, see and eat in this incredible city.

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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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