Posts by Johney Burke

High Performance Websites

Dec19
2012 Written by Johney Burke

At the beginning of October Imagine That were approached to put together a presentation for the Summit 70 Small Business Club. The Summit 70 Club is a great Summit County organization that host small business networking events and professional development meetings to help local  entrepreneurs  harness the power of connections, creativity and innovation to take their businesses to the next level. To find out more check out: Lake Dillon Theatre Small Business.

Here at Imagine That we love Small Businesses and startups partly because we still consider ourselves to be part of that brotherhood but mainly because we know that Colorado runs on small business’. According to the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce 97% of all employing businesses in Colorado are classified as small businesses. This is an incredible recommendation for the spirit of ingenuity and can do attitude in the Rocky Mountain State.

It is for this reason we are always delighted to help grow small businesses in our State and County. Obviously the best way for us to help is to be hired as you official digital marketing company and create a fully integrated cross platform strategy including SEO, Custom Website, Mobile Website and/or App and supported by a Social Media Strategy. If you are simply unable to budget for this sort of plan at present we still care about you and your business.

The presentation we put together for the Summit 70 club was crafted to give tips and advice to those businesses who recognixe the importance of  Online Marketing and wish to learn enough to get started on their own.  The running order of our presentation was: Branding Your Business Online – Define Your Brand, More Than a Logo, Brand Consistency, Brand Message. Design Best Practices for High Performing Websites – Usability, Conversions, Content Management, Growth of Mobile. Integrated Digital Marketing Strategy – SEO, Content Development, SEM, Social Media Marketing.

Overall we had an engaged audience with a pretty extensive question and answer format throughout. The presentation led to several new leads and even requests for us to present more regularly. The most rewarding thing was that a number of audience members came up at the end to tell us that the presentation really helped them understand how important SEO was or had a better grip on implementing a Social Media strategy for their business.

 

Posted in Creative Design, Digital Marketing, Imagine That Team, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media, Summit County Colorado - Tagged , , , , , ,

Breckenridge Race of the Santas December 2012

Dec03
2012 Written by Johney Burke

Digital Santas

Check out our Race of Santas Video at: Imagine That Team at the Race of the Santas Breckenridge

The Imagine That Team were proud to take part in the 2nd annual Race of the Santas held on the 1st of December on Breckenridge Main Street. The race was all about “fun and fundraising” with all the proceeds going to the very worthy Adopt an Angel program.

Founded in 1994 by the Silverthorne Police Department Adopt an Angel program provides a brighter Christmas for families and children who are financially challenged. With the cooperation of Summit County residents and retailers Adopt an Angel was able to provide Christmas presents for 562 children and 254 families last Christmas. To find out more about the program and how to contribute check out their website at http://summitangel.org/

3 Imagine That Santas

Due to the Race of Santas being held for such a worthy cause there was a massive turnout with over 200 people donning their Santa suits to complete the circuit for charity. It was a crisp winter evening with the sun dipping over the mountains as the gaggle of Santas milled to the start line at Breckenridge town center. The Imagine That team had brought candy to give out to the crowds who had turned out to cheer on their favorite Santa. (Which gives you an idea of the pace that the race was run!).

The 2 Mrs Claus

With much cheering, skipping, jogging and shouting we set off down main street to the delight of all the little (and big) kids who had turned out en masse. To see the kids eyes light up when one of the 200 Santas stopped to talk with them and give them a candy cane or 5 was the highlight of the event. Our Head Programmer and Co-owner Jeff was by far the most popular Santa in Breckenridge that evening. With his long white hair and beard, twinkle in his eye and jiggle in his belly kids and adults alike flocked to him to take pictures, whisper their Christmas wishes and get a hug from old Saint Nick. Besides Jeff the next 2 most popular race contestants were Ullr (God of Snow) and the Grinch.

Race of the Santas Breckenridge 2012

After the race there was a raffle and then milk and cookies provided at the red white and blue fire station. The real Santa then arrived to lead the procession to the lighting of the Breckenridge Christmas tree to officially start the holiday season in Summit County. Imagine That were proud to take part in such a worthy event and wish you and yours the very best this holiday season!

Ullr and Santa

Imagine That Santas Instagram

 

Posted in Digital Marketing, Imagine That Team, Summit County Colorado - Tagged , , , , , , ,

The Social Media (Presidential) Election

Nov05
2012 Written by Johney Burke

So everyone has their own opinion on the race to be America’s next president, and thanks to social media everyone can share these views with the world. The 2008 election was dubbed the social media election with some media sources nicknaming President Obama as the “Twitter President”.

The 2008 “social media election”: was a slightly one-sided as it seemed to pass by Governor McCain. This time, team Romney has made a concerted effort to compete with Obama across the social media gamut. Although Romney and Ryan have upped the Republicans’ game, many social media analysts are citing Obama being ahead in terms of following and engagement.

On Twitter, Obama has 21.5 million followers; Romney has 1.6 million. Obama has 31.6 million likes on Facebook; Romney has 11.6 million. The list goes on - Obama’s YouTube channel has 254,000 subscribers to Romney’s 27,000; Obama’s Instagram feed has 1.5 million followers, whereas Romney’s has only 68,000.

 

At first glance these figures seem to bode ill for Romney’s chances. But under closer investigation the question has to be posed “do likes mean votes? Social media is important – but not decisive – in the presidential election. It is a great way for candidates to share and connect with voters in a way that was never before possible. Each candidate is even sharing his campaign playlists through Spotify. There is however no concrete evidence that having the most fans and followers ultimately delivers the most votes.

What we can take from this presidential race is the ability to target demographics and subsections of the population by using the Internet as a tool. Social media, along with targeted Adwords and Facebook advertising, customized email campaigns, and online donation websites are playing an ever-increasing role in the leadership of America.

We draw comparisons with our own clients and continue to advocate the need for a well-rounded marketing strategy that encompasses all the above technologies. The fact that social has become an integral part of the election process proves how important digital marketing is becoming whether you are a Presidential candidate or a small business in Summit County Colorado.

Check out a great infograph on Social Media usage in the Presidential Election 2012.

Posted in Digital Marketing - Tagged , , , ,

Imagine That 5k for Cystic Fibrosis

Jul18
2012 Written by Johney Burke

Imagine That Team at Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides

Great Strides: Taking Steps to Cure Cystic Fibrosis is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s largest national fundraising event. Tens of thousands of co-workers, friends and family come together each year as one community for one cause…to help find a cure for CF. In 2011, nearly $38 million was raised to support vital CF programs

Here at Imagine That we like to get involved with local activities and charities in Summit County Colorado. Last Saturday our team took part in a 5 Kilometer walk/run to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis. Great Strides organize the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s largest national fundraising events all over the United States raising almost $38 million in 2011 alone.

Imagine That Team at Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides

Imagine That are always looking for great causes to contribute to and the 5k walk/run around the beautiful Lake Dillon in Colorado allowed our team to get some exercise in a beautifully scenic environment while also raising money and awareness for a great cause!

We had our Imagine That T-shirts printed up with our individual superhero characters on the front to promote ourselves a little while also raising awareness for an important cause and were ready to go.

Imagine That Team at Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides

The Shamrock Kid being impatient volunteered for the run which started at 8.am. The route took them round by the lake and up a hill. Johney did the run in 22 minutes 41 seconds and was living up to his alter ego by looking pretty green at the finish line.

Johney Burke (Shamrock Kid) at Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides

The rest out our team set off at 9 and at a much more civilized pace. It took Jeff, Tom, Wendy and Yvette almost an hour to complete the course and they enjoyed the walk immensely. Afterwards the team stuck around to mingle with the organizers and network with some potential clients.

Jeff Mcelhattan, Wendy Fellner, Tom Fellner, Yvetter Sirbu at Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides

[Cystic Fibrosis is a disease passed down through families that causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs, digestive tract, and other areas of the body. It is one of the most common chronic lung diseases in children and young adults. It is a life-threatening disorder.] Read more about Cystic Fibrosis.

Great Strides for Cystic Fibrosis Lake Dillon Colorado

Posted in Digital Marketing

Imagine That Teambuilding at Aspen Canyon Ranch

Jul16
2012 Written by Johney Burke

Imagine That Team7th July 2012

The Imagine That team spent last Saturday at our teambuilding event at Aspen Canyon Ranch. Teambuilding is vital for any company big or small. Getting to know your co workers outside of work and forming tight relationships allows you to improve your collaboration on team projects.

Here at Imagine That we value our team ethos very highly and can point to it as being the most important element to our continued success. This is in part down to teambuilding activities like last Saturday at Aspen Canyon Ranch.

Imagine That Team at Aspen Canyon Ranch

The team met down at the Ranch early on a sunny Colorado morn. The Ranch is nestled between the Rockies about 26 miles from Silverthorne Colorado and is home to horseback riding, fly-fishing, ATVing, Skeet Shooting, Rafting and Hunting.

After a brief but hard fought Table Tennis battle between the Big Cheez and the Shamrock Kid (which Ireland won) we had our growth strategy meeting in the authentic Western Lodge to discuss our continued growth in the front range.

Imagine That Foozeball Tourney at the Lodge

After the meeting concluded it was time to saddle up! The Imagine That team assembled at the stables to saddle their mounts for the winding mountain trail. Our excellent guide John led the team up a narrow winding trail through the forest and to the summit of the peak over looking the ranch.

Imagine That Horse Riding Aspen Canyon Ranch

The horses were very well trained although our Web Wizard Jeff Mcelhattan’s horse Ice had a strong temperament and didn’t like being passed! Jeff’s daughter Ivy was riding for the first time and was a natural falling in love with her placid mount named Kansas.

Imagine That Gang at Aspen Canyon Ranch

After trekking up mountains, through forests and forging rivers the Imagine That team were ravenous and we tucked in to delicious cheeseburgers and veggie burgers back down at the lodge.

Imagine That wranglers crossing the river at Aspen Canyon

After lunch it was time to ride something with slightly more “horsepower” (pun intended) with Polaris ATV’s being the vehicle of choice. Aspen Canyon have miles of trails stretching up through the mountain passes and it is an exhilarating experience to fly through the Colorado wilderness on their state of the art 4 wheelers. The guides at Aspen Canyon supplied us with wet gear and helmets and we set out to discover the Colorado back country in our ATV convoy. Yvette Wendy and Helena took to the ATVing instantly and were the most disappointed when the torrential downpour meant we had to turn back early!

Imagine That ATVing at Aspen Canyon Ranch

Imagine That Teambuilding ATVing at Aspen Canyon Ranch

Imagine That Team ATVing at Aspen Canyon Ranch

The day was ended with a team dinner of Teppanyaki at the local Japanese restaurant. We would like to thank Ryan and the team at Aspen Canyon Ranch for the great hospitality and reiterate that everyone of the team had an amazing time!

To see more photos from the day check out our Facebook Page.

If you would like to have a similar experience check out Aspen Canyon Ranch.

Posted in Imagine That Team, Social Media, Summit County Colorado - Tagged , , ,

The Online World…..for beginners

Mar27
2012 Written by Johney Burke

What is Marketing?

 

Imagine That Marketing

 

 

Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association as “the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.” Marketing is used to identify the consumers needs and wants and to appeal to them with targeted campaigns through a variety of different channels. Digital Marketing involves utilizing all of the available online channels such as Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Marketing to promote a marketing message. Online Marketing is becoming more and more and more popular and in 2012 is expected to surpass print marketing spend. A recent  eMarketer study claims that online advertising is expected to generate $39.5 billion in sales this year compared to a sum of $33.8 billion on print.  The 2 most  important differences are the measurability of digital marketing with each click and view tracked and the relatively low cost compared to traditional marketing channels.

 

 

What is a Blog?

 

Imagine That Blog

 

 

The term blog evolved from web log which was a personal journal published on the web consisting of a series of posts typically displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first. Blogs can be the work of an individual, group, or more recently a business or corporation. Blogs often have a specific theme or topic  and have become the most common way of sharing information, interests, ideas and beliefs on the web. Easy to use, free sites such as WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr have made blogging available to anyone with an idea or a penchant for writing. Whole business models have been built around blogs such as Mashable, Techcrunch and CopyBlogger. It has also become a really important tool for SEO generating a significant number of links and utilising the principles of blended and social searching to improve search engine rankings for linked websites.Blogs are also important from a digital marketing perspective as it allows businesses to connect with consumers and convey information in a more informal arena. Blogging is gradually replacing traditional news sources as the most common way to find information.

Posted in Digital Marketing, FAQ, Social Media, Technology, World Wide Web - Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Social Media part deux

Feb07
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Johney Burke

What is LinkedIn?

 

LinkedInLinkedIn is a business networking website with over 135 million members worldwide. It was founded in 2003 and has grown into a huge networking and recruitment resource for professionals and corporations alike. LinkedIn allows users to create an online profile that lists their experience previous work, education, interests and hobbies. Users can also upload their resume and integrate their Twitter, Blog and RSS feeds.  LinkedIn is about growing your personal network and unlike Facebook and Twitter users can only add people they know, have worked with or have connections in common with. LinkedIn is now recognised as the most powerful networking and job seeking tool online. Businesses use LinkedIn to advertise jobs and find suitable employees while individuals can increase their LinkedIn reputation by contributing to discussion groups on a variety of topics.

What is Google Plus?

 

Google +Google Plus is Google’s answer to social networking. It was released in July 2011 and currently has approximately 90 million users. Google Plus’ initial selling point was the ability for members to arrange their connections into various circles meaning they could share different content with different people e.g. circles for friends, family, colleagues. The main draw for Google Plus users is the fact that Google are gradually integrating all of their other services into the social network. YouTube, Google Maps, Gmail, Blogger, Google Alerts and more are gradually being included in the social network while Google search has been revamped to include Google Plus results. With Search Plus users can now view search results from their G+ network when searching for a keyword term. They can also “plus 1” a search result or website as a social recommendation to other users that this is a worthy site or result. Businesses should also have a presence on Google Plus as it is emerging as yet another way to connect with customers and potential leads.

Posted in Digital Marketing, FAQ, Social Media, Technology, Uncategorized

The Online World…..for beginners

Feb03
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Johney Burke

Social Media

 

What is Twitter?

 

Imagine That Twitter Page

 

 

Twitter is a free social networking  and microblogging service allowing users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters known as “tweets”. Twitter has around 300 million users and is used by a huge range of celebrities, sports people and successful business men to communicate directly with their fans. It works on the basis of building up followers with some of the most popular Tweeters having tens of millions of followers. Lady Gaga is the most popular with 18.5 million followers Justin Beiber has 16.75 million and Katy Perry with 14.3 million. See the top 100 here. Twitter has emerged as a hugely useful tool for brands with companies such as Dell and Best Buy using it as a way to provide direct customer service and feed back to customers. For all businesses Twitter has become an important element of any social media marketing plan.

 

What is Facebook?

 

Imagine That Facebook

Facebook is the largest social networking platform in the world with over 800 million members and counting. Created by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 and originally exlcusive to colleges Facebook has grown to become the largest social network in the world effectively ending the lives of Bebo, Myspace and numerous other similar platforms. In the last 3 years Facebook has become an informal business platform with brands attempting to engage fans through business pages. It is now a crucial marketing and lead generation tool and not having an active, engaging Facebook page can actually hurt a brands credibility.

Posted in Digital Marketing, FAQ, Imagine That Newsletter - Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Online World….for beginners

Jan27
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Johney Burke

This is the first of many blog posts under this topic.We all know that we had to start out somewhere on the web. There was a day when we didn’t know the difference between the Internet and the Web, what SEO stands for or  how to use Twitter. This blog topic will be for those people looking for a quick answer without the embarrassment of asking.

 

Web Explained

 

What is the Web?

 

The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. Simply put each website is a folder hosted on a computer server and each page on the website is a file in this folder. Each of these files has a specific address on the web which is known as the URL that allows users to access the pages through their web browser such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Internet Explorer. With a web browser users can access web pages that may contain text, images, videos, and other multimedia and navigate between them via hyperlinks.

 

What is the Internet?

 

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks. It is a network of networks that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless and optical networking technologies. The Internet is the hardware infrastructure on which the World Wide Web can operate by linking hypertext documents. It also underpins services such as email and more recently communications media including telephone, music, film, and television.

 

 

Web Browsers

Posted in Digital Marketing, FAQ, Social Media, Technology, World Wide Web - Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Website Findability; It’s More Than SEO

Jan24
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Johney Burke

In 2005 information architect Peter Morville (findability.org) coined a term to describe the perfect fusion of all the elements of website development that create an excellent user experience: findability.

So what does findability look like?  First, findability is not search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is mostly an external consideration.  It’s main goal is getting traffic to a website.  Once it’s done that job, SEO is pretty much out of the loop.  SEO is part of findability, but it’s a small part.

Figure 1: Factors in FindabilityFigure 1: Factors in Findability

While this list is not exhaustive, it is a good place to start in evaluating the findability of your website.

Usability.  Conduct a usability test on your website.  You don’t need to pay thousands of dollars to have a professional usability expert come and conduct one for you. Do one yourself. Find a couple people not familiar with your business or website and pay them $20 to spend 30 minutes with you as you watch them use your website. You can find a sample usability test at http://sensible.com.

Credibility.  Content matters most on your site. Is your content authoritative? Relevant? If you sell goods online, is your online store free of marketing hype, flashing “BUY ME” buttons, etc?  Your credibility is directly related to the trust and confidence it builds in customers.

Desirability.  There are two considerations in desirability: 1) does your website’s look and feel promote a good user experience?  2) Does the content help users solve a problem? If a website’s design adds “noise” to the user experience desirability is diminished.  Too much “happy talk” – words that don’t answer the user’s questions – also diminishes desirability.

Accessibility.  Can the blind or severely sight-impaired use your website? Is it accessible to people with movement disabilities?  Accessibility is taking center stage more and more as new technologies are putting the Web in the hands of disabled users.  Some states have passed legislation establishing accessibility standards.

Information Architecture.  Is the information on your website organized in a logical way?  Is the navigation clear, intuitive? Does your site provide a sitemap and search feature to help users find what they want?

SEO.  Can people find you on the search engines?  Has your website been optimized as much as possible for the search engines so your site is easily indexed?  Along with SEO, does your site provide ways for users to share information with others?

There’s a lot to consider in website findability. Take it slow. Commit to making small, but on-going improvements to your site and you’ll find traffic increasing and more customers engaging your business.

Posted in Digital Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, World Wide Web