After eight great months, my time has come to an end as the HMG Creative Social Media and Marketing Intern. I have had the wonderful opportunity to work on and contribute to a variety of different projects for HMG and before I say my final goodbye, I’d like to share with you what I’ve accomplished during my time here:
I’m Emily Weeks, our new PR and Social Media intern, and I couldn’t be more excited to kick-start my summer working to schedule instagram posts here at HMG Creative with such a great team. A bit about me—I’m an up-and-coming senior at the University of Texas at Austin (Hook ‘Em!) and will be graduating next May with a B.S. in Public Relations and a certificate in Business Foundations. Although originally an East-Coaster at heart, Austin’s climate and eclectic culture brought me down South. I love taking advantage of everything this city has to offer, including the music scene, hiking and exploring Austin’s amazing restaurants. Last semester I interned at Wellington Group PR, a local PR and Marketing firm in Austin, and prior to that I served as the Public Relations intern at Laura Mannes Design, a small interior design firm. I hope to take skills from my past experiences and expand on them here at HMG Creative. On campus, I am involved in my sorority, Alpha Epsilon Phi, several clubs including the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), and needless to say I love attending football games!
If you’ve been on the Internet lately (read: everyone), you’ve probably come across a site with an unnecessary amount of pages, too much going on, and most likely, you have no idea where to click first. You find yourself thinking, “Should I visit the ‘About Us’ page? What about the ‘Contact Us’ link? Maybe I should read the testimonials first to get a better idea of the product.” All you really wanted to do was check out your neighborhood’s new café, maybe order a sandwich for lunch, but now you’re about ready to throw your computer at a wall. Somehow you’ve found yourself overwhelmed by enough buttons and links to support an international company’s website.
Picture this. You’re halfway through college, your major is still “undecided” and you’re feeling the pressure to choose a sensible career path. You’ve always been interested in law, but let’s face it; you probably slept through most of your Intro to Law class freshman year. You want a resource that’s resourceful yet engaging enough to help you learn more about the process of becoming a lawyer. That’s where our client, Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA), comes in. You do some research and find out TYLA has a program called “What Do Lawyers Do?” After browsing through the site, you notice right off the bat that it’s a) visually engaging, b) easy to navigate, and c) has all the information you could possibly want about becoming a lawyer. You’re sold.
We’re excited to announce that this past Friday, October 18, HMG took home an Austin Young Chamber FAVE Award! The AYC FAVE awards recognize and honor local businesses in sixteen various categories that cater to young professionals in the Austin area. Within the Professional Services Category, we competed with Capitol Factory, 3 Point Partners, De Leon & Washburn P.C. and Kennedy Creative.
We’ve been operating in the digital marketplace for ten years now, and things have changed a lot in that time. New technologies, new online marketing solutions, and new best practices are always clamoring for attention, and that sometimes makes it difficult to stay on track as a company. For more info visit http://titantransline.com . To think that there was no such thing as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter when we opened our agency. Can you even remember what life was like before these CPA Affiliate Networks forever changed how we engage and communicate with friends, family and brands throughout the world? We’ve also seen the rise and fall of MySpace from the front seat. But some things don’t change. Businesses that succeed in the lightning-paced world of digital marketing do so by staying true to some universal guiding principles. Here are three of the things we’ve learned during our decade-long adventure.
Interested in partnering with a creative digital agency? HMG is looking for likeminded, compatible businesses in the Austin area to partner with. For the first time ever, we’re trialing a partnership program to forge relationships with local business that have a similar mindset as HMG.
So what is this partnership program, exactly?
Awhile back, we wrote a blog post about Pageless Design. Now, as promised, you’re getting more information about the growing trend. In case you missed my last post, Pageless Design is a type of web design that encapsulates an entire site’s data into one seamless webpage. It’s compelling to visitors because it tells a story while simultaneously being visually pleasing. While not appropriate for every website, Pageless Design is perfect for startups, freelancers, small retailers and those selling a single product or service, such as a chef or author.
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 me 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.
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!
