October 27, 2011
Erin and Kara came here to be part of the account team and chew bubble gum, and they’re all out of bubble gum. (So they’re still part of the account team, which is good). Their humor, hard work, and mad potluck skills have made them very welcome additions.
Erin Miller
Where are you from?
Planet Earth.
What do you do at envisionit?
I’m a Project Manager. I make sure projects stay on track by keeping everything organized and bothering the development team.
Tell us something you’ve enjoyed about working here so far.
I am learning so much, and everyone is really helpful. The beer on Fridays isn’t bad either.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Rich.
Fill in the blank: I’m really good at…
Staring contests.
Kara DeWalt
Where are you from?
Oak Park, IL.
What do you do at envisionit?
I am an Account Coordinator focused on Magic Number.
Tell us something you’ve enjoyed about working here so far.
I love that everyone at EIM is very creative and there is a positive, dynamic atmosphere in the office. Having come from the financial software sales world, it is very refreshing to see people constantly brainstorming and thinking outside of the box.
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
My mother’s roast chicken with stuffing and cranberry sauce.
Name three of your favorite movies.
Sideways, Goodfellas, American Beauty.
October 20, 2011
Social media has become a huge part of every company’s marketing mix, whether you are a local business or a nationwide brand. It is important to have a branded Facebook page and a branded Twitter handle to communicate with your consumers directly. Many companies are utilizing Facebook to its maximum potential, but are you using Twitter to its full potential as well?
According to this article by Mashable, Twitter has over 100 million monthly active users, 50% of whom are signing in every day. That is a HUGE audience. But sometimes just pushing your Facebook posts to your Twitter account doesn’t cut it. So let me share some tips to help you maximize your success in the Twitterverse.
1. Utilize free Twitter tools
There are a lot of free tools that can help you utilize Twitter to its maximum potential. My two favorite are Hootsuite and Tweetdeck. These tools not only provide easy management of multiple accounts or brands, but will also greatly help with the other tips proved below.
2. Set up relevant live searches
When using Hootsuite or Tweetdeck you have the ability to set up live streams of searches using whatever terms you desire. As an example, lets say you are a hotel in the Chicagoland area. You can set up a search for “Chicago Hotels” in your Tweetdeck account. You will then have a live stream of all Twitter users tweeting about Chicago hotels, hotels in Chicago, etc. So if someone tweets, “What is the best hotel to stay at in Chicago?” you can quickly reach out to him or her directly with a response in a matter of seconds. read the full story...
October 19, 2011
A frequently updated company blog can accomplish several goals, including improved search engine rankings; driving brand awareness; increased website traffic; and helping position your business as an industry leader. But it’s not always easy to come up with ideas for blog posts. Here are six ways that might help. read the full story...
October 18, 2011
“What does a website cost?” It is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive from clients, peers, and employees – and one of the most difficult to answer. But perhaps the best way to answer this is to explain how we go about figuring this out for each and every client.
Lots of companies and individuals can build a website – design, write, code, set up hosting, etc. We do this, too. But it’s only part of a much bigger picture. At envisionit, we strive to create experiences that greatly improve our clients businesses and deliver the highest possible value to their target audiences. A website is a massive extension of your business – and in many cases it is your business.
With that in mind, the answer to this question can be achieved by considering four key ingredients: expectations, effort, experience, and results. Breaking these down into specific questions and then desired outcomes ultimately results in a defined value for your site and a compared cost for the services needed. read the full story...
- Expectations
Think about your site andyour business. What are your expectations? What do your consumers expect and want from your site? How about your employees? Do your company’s current goals and objectives match up with what your consumers need, and how is this translating to your website currently? You might have an opportunity to triple your revenue, mend your brand, generate global awareness, improve your company’s operations, and reach a massive and active audience. But don’t overwhelm yourself – keep it simple to begin with. Focus on coming up with a few key goals for your site; such as generating more leads, launching a new brand, or improving the delivery of a service or product to your consumers. Whatever you come up with, make sure these goals hold great value for your business and consumer base.
October 17, 2011
Stefan Wissenbach has a mission: to help others take control of their lives, achieve more in life than ever thought possible, and have a lot of fun along the way. To do that, he and his UK team created Magic Number — and sought an agency to help make this dream a reality. After months of hard work and collaboration between EIM and the Magic Number team, we are excited to announce the beta launch of Magic Number.
Watch the video!
In just a few easy steps, anyone can get their Magic Number — the amount of money they will need to make work optional when, and how they want. A fully interactive experience guides each user through their own vision of how they want to live: what kind of house they want to live in, how they want to spend their time, what they want for their family, and much more.
After receiving your Magic Number, the website provides insights and guidance to help make your dream a reality. Future releases of the website will provide enhanced tools for keeping track of your vision and goals.
In late 2012, a Goal Manager will be released, to help “break down your big endeavors into manageable tasks.” Upcoming releases will also include a Habit Tracker to help stay on task toward your Magic Number; and a Vision Board to help you visualize what’s really important to you, and to keep you motivated.
To celebrate the beta launch, Magic Number is giving the first 2,500 subscribers a free lifetime membership. That means you get your Magic Number, and get to experience all the great upcoming tools and features, free and forever. We’ve all signed up, and shared with our family and friends, and we encourage you to as well! read the full story...
October 14, 2011
What have I learned by advertising on Facebook? It’s really easy to place an ad in front of the demographic that you want to target…But if you don’t have the right image, with the right message, with the right product, that user is more than likely not going to click on that ad.
Learning 1) I can target your mom on Facebook
No really, I can…Facebook allows advertisers to target pretty much anything you have shared with Facebook. For example: I can target a 27 year old male that lives in Bozeman, Montana, is engaged to be married, has a college degree in marketing, likes to snowboard, listens to deadmau5, and likes Cadbury eggs. Advertisers can target their exact demographic down to a T, but that still doesn’t mean that person wants to click and buy something while they are on Facebook.
Learning 2) Ads should act on a users’ impulses
If someone is on Facebook, they are not on Facebook to buy an expensive item (anything that involves research into the item is a no-go). A Facebook user’s attention is not on the ads, but on what Stacie is doing on Saturday night, so the ad needs to really catch their attention. Facebook ads are almost like the check-out aisle in a candy store, the ads need to be impulsive so the Facebook user clicks on them. Remember that unlike Google Adwords, where the searcher is actively seeking information on a specific product, on Facebook, we are assuming that because of their demographic, they will be interested in our product.
Learning 3) Use eye catching images
Duh…I know it sounds like I am beating a dead horse with this one, but the images really need to draw the user’s attention from whomever’s status they are looking at. Bright images, with unique color schemes, that catch the eye more than usual will generate more clicks for your ads. read the full story...
October 13, 2011
Over the summer, Mike and Marlon started coming to our office five days a week to write and program, respectively, and our lives have been all the better ever since. Read on to learn Mike’s favorite movies, Marlon’s hidden talent, and what they’ve been working on so far.
Mike Phillips
Where are you from?
New Orleans, and Chicago.
What do you do at envisionit?
I’m the Senior Interactive Copywriter. I write stuff that makes people want to do things.
Tell us something you’ve enjoyed about working here so far.
I really enjoy the environment. It’s open, creative, and collaborative. Working on the Binny’s TV spots and getting to meet Tony Esposito and Mike Ditka was fun, too.
Tell us a story in six words.
My great-grandparents were notorious bootleggers.
Name three of your favorite movies.
Goodfellas, Amelie, Rushmore.
Marlon Harrison
Where are you from?
Born and raised in Chicago.
What do you do at envisionit?
Senior Developer. I develop seniors.
Tell us something you’ve enjoyed about working here so far.
Getting to watch a British man dance to Easy-E.
Fill in the blank: I’m really good at…
Changing a diaper while getting kicked in the stomach by a baby that thinks it’s funny.
My favorite thing about Chicago is…
The street grid system.
October 12, 2011
Today we live in a world without Steve Jobs.
The company Jobs started generates more revenue than the United States Treasury Department. Apple employs more than 49,000 people in an economy where the unemployment rate is 9.1 percent.
These facts leave us mourning the loss of a great American innovator and wondering what will happen to Apple Inc.
Jobs and Apple have given us the iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPhone, and iPad, but what else would we miss without Jobs’ insight? read the full story...
- Toy Story 1, 2 and 3. Jobs bought a company in 1986, which is now known as Pixar, for a mere $10 million. The first film released was Toy Story. About 25 years, 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes and three Grammy awards later, Pixar films have earned more than $6.3 billion worldwide. They also kept 27-year-old voice actor John Morris employed. (He voiced Andy. Look it up.)
- Creativity. Programs that work best on Macs are for the artistic, such as Adobe Creative Suite and Final Cut Pro. (Have you ever tried to use these on a PC?) Therefore, Mac computers are used in the most creative environments–Facebook, envisioinit media, inc., etc. Where would Mark Zuckerberg and Todd Brook be without the Mac?
- Revenge is a dish best served cold. John Sculley, who was CEO of Apple, removed Jobs from his position. In 2009, Conde Nast Portfolio ranked Sculley the 14thworst CEO of all time because he raised Macintosh computer prices causing a bankruptcy scare for Apple in the early 90s. Jobs went on to form Pixar (see #1 in this list).
While at Pixar, Jobs clashed with Disney CEO Michael Eisner. While Jobs searched for other studios to release Pixar films, Disney fired Eisner and purchased Pixar, making Jobs the majority Disney stakeholder.
October 11, 2011
Pack Expo, the premier event for the packaging and processing industry, wrapped up another show in Las Vegas last week. Domino Printing, a marking and coding industry leader, saw great success at this event, which was supported by a new microsite EIM built specifically for the show. The microsite is an interactive form that showcases Domino’s innovative technology and ease of use, all while collecting leads for the tradeshow.
One area Domino saw great growth opportunity was the Beverage industry, so the overall concept needed to speak to that industry specifically, while keeping the broader packaging industry intrigued.
Overall the microsite and supporting email helped keep Domino’s booth at Pack Expo full and fun! Check out the microsite now: www.dominoexperience.com
October 6, 2011
We’ve experienced a lot of growth over the past year, including the addition of a lot of great new talent. It’s time we introduce you to some of the newer envisionites! Be on the lookout for more mini-bios about the latest additions to the envisionit team.
Maria Kuznetsova, Graphic Designer
It’s clear the universe wanted Maria to join the envisionit team. Before she even applied for a position, she saw the office and liked the whole open creative collaboration-deal we have going on. As it turns out, she also designed the website for Blokes & Birds, where we had part of our 2010 holiday party. And now, she’ll be designing logos, websites, and print pieces for us.
Both form and function are equally important in her work. Her fine arts background in painting and studio drawing shapes the former, and her consideration for a user’s goals and overall experience is what leads the latter—so the result is a calm, aesthetically sound interactive experience. Win.
Tyler Beth, Web Marketing Manager
A connoisseur in the realm of SEO, Tyler came to us by way of organic search. Fitting. He looks at SEO as a big puzzle—putting the pieces together to raise rank so you can find it. But he’ll be exploring all of the pieces of SEO to do more than just optimize a site. Think social search, local search, mobile SEO, and social media strategy.
When he’s not SEOing websites, Tyler’s likely snowboarding down a mountain, following the ventures of the Cubs and Bulls, or going to a concert.
