For more than 26 years, Versailles Group has created value for its clients, typically companies with revenues of less than US$250 million. Versailles Group’s senior level bankers have consistently proven that they can successfully close transactions that meet or exceed demanding clients’ expectations.

Click to visit the site

Click to visit the site

About MineralTree:

MineralTree delivers secure, online payments solutions to banks that are specifically designed to meet the needs of their small and medium business customers. The solution provides a simple, streamlined approach that brings new efficiency, security, and convenience to payments and cash management processes — at a cost that is easy to justify — while helping to enhance the bank’s customer relationships. MineralTree’s leadership team has a long track record of creating innovative solutions to long-standing problems in banking and financial services.

Learn more about MineralTree’s exciting partnership with Silicon Valley Bank.

About ConRes:

Continental Resources, Inc. (ConRes) provides high technology products, services and support to business, government and academia. Combining almost 50 years of high tech know-how and financial stability, ConRes is a low-risk option for organizations seeking to strengthen the ROI on their technology investments.

We use Merchant One mainly for eCommerce payment processing. Integration is a snap and the sign up process is simple. Their solution pops right into our technology to save us time and money. Our clients have been happy with the rates, customer service, and free equipment.

They invest heavily in future technology, allowing processing directly through a state of the art iPhone app. Our eCommerce clients also take sales over the phone as well, so the flexibility is key.

We would highly recommend Merchant One to any business looking to start accepting credit cards. Feel free to ping me directly with any questions.

Andrew Kolidas is co-founder of Digital Impulse – Google +

It’s no secret the competitive landscape for online marketing firms is quite thick and often very crowded at the top. A simple search for ‘Boston Web Design’ will yield a myriad of paid and organic results of companies touting their service offerings, features/benefits and of course, an easy way to get started. The selection process for most companies finding an agency typically follows this model:

1. Perform search for service needed (i.e. Boston SEO consulting agency)
2. Click on ten to fifteen companies – Quickly size up their website/landing pages and reach out to the top 8-10 based on initial impressions
3. Maybe 5-7 of those companies get back to you or seem legitimate enough to have follow up conversation.
4. Have that initial conversation with 5-7 agencies.
5. Narrow down to the top 3-5.
6. Create an RFP
7. Send RFP to top 3-5
8. View RFP responses from 3-5 agencies
9. Follow up meetings, conversations, revised proposals, etc.
10. Final meetings with top 2 agencies
11. Reference requests from agencies and subsequent conversations with references
12. Final decision on winning agency
13. Contract creation, revisions and approval.
14. Done.

Seems quite lengthy, doesn’t it? A quick estimate of this process could end up taking months and require a lot of resources to manage a rather simple RFP process. So naturally, the question becomes ‘how do I make my search for a digital agency a more efficient one.’ Here are some tips on how to make your selection process an easier one.

1. Are You The Right Size: Listen, if your Bank of American then most likely you know who the right agencies are for you and chances are you’re not searching on Google for a local SEO firm. However, if you’re a mid sized business then you should look for agencies that service companies that are comparable to your size. You should make sure they have 1-2 resources that are dedicated to your account and have them provide examples of clients that are similar to yours in revenue and employee size.

2. Vertical/Industry: Similar to size, make sure that an agency has experience in your vertical. Doesn’t necessarily have to be your direct competitor but working knowledge of a particular industry will drastically cut down the learning curve needed for an agency to familiarize themselves with your business and target audiences.

3. B2B/B2C: Similar vertical experience, it’s helpful for an agency to be well versed in designing and executing online marketing campaigns for both consumers and businesses. There are agencies out there that focus solely on lead generation for either B2B or B2C companies as well as agencies that do a mix. These campaigns will very much differ and finding an agency that has a sweet-spot for either category will typically yield better and quicker results.

4. Technology Experience: One of the first and most important questions to ask an agency is what type technology are they familiar with as well as communicating your content management requirements. This is most applicable for website redesign projects but you’ll save yourself time and effort if you simply ask ‘are you familiar with Drupal, WordPress, etc.’ instead of finding this later in the process that they only build in certain environments.

5. Budgets: Probably the most important question to ask an agency and likewise, the most important questions an agency should be asking a prospect. We all have budgetary restrictions – But being honest about what you can spend can help you quickly narrow down your options and find the agency that’s right for you. If you have 3k to spend, then find a freelancer. Over 10k, then look for a local agency. Have a big project and sizable budget, then search for agencies with the bandwidth and staffing to help see the project through to completion.

A question for the digital marketing professionals out there – How many times have you been in a new business or client strategy meeting and someone came up with an outstanding idea on how to increase online exposure, brand awareness, etc. through social channels. Only problem, someone had to actually create content. Like, twice a week for at least six months. And, it had to be original. Ohh yea, it also had to be distributed through a multitude of social platforms, partner sites, etc. This ‘outstanding’ idea slowly becomes the massive beast that no one wants to touch. Ultimately, it ends of up on the desk of an intern, loses momentum and eventually fizzles away.

For organizations without a dedicated resource, blogging and content creation can be a major pain in the ass and something that consistently gets moved to the Friday afternoon slot in iCal, only never to get done. While there are many characteristics involved in a successful content strategy, by fare the most important is discipline. Regardless of the frequency, blogging and content creation requires commitment and consistency, much like mastering the art of a free throw – Hence, the Ray Allen analogy. I’ve never asked Ray Allen this questions, but my guess is he isn’t a 90% lifetime free throw shooter by chance. He spent hours and hours crafting a rather mundane task: Shooting free throws. Here’s a quick glimpse at some key elements to becoming a consistent and effective content creator, with free throw shooting practice analogies to boot.

Find Your Form: Developing your voice is something that requires time, patience and thick skin. Sometimes your content will strike a nerve and many times it will not. Keep seeking out content that you think is compelling and eventually you’ll begin to find your own unique voice. You’ll be developing your own attitude and your writing style will soon be positioning your organization as a thought leader and expert in your space.

Stay True to Your Form: Have you ever noticed that some of the greatest shooters in NBA history have incredibly awkward forms? It’s OK to be a little bit quirky and original in your writing style – People will gravitate towards your voice as long as you stay true to it. Don’t abandon it on account of others saying you’re too far removed from your audience.

Shoot 100 Free Throws Before School: My high school basketball coach encouraged us (not required us) to shoot 100 free throws before school, everyday. Most didn’t, but I did. This taught me the value of discipline and how repetition can lead to perfection. This, more than anything else, is the most important aspect of developing a powerful content strategy. Developing a content schedule with yourself and others is an effective way to help you stay disciplined in your craft – But it’s only as good as your ability to stay consistent.

Find Someone to Rebound: We all recognize that client initiatives, deadlines and sales goals all take priority over content creation. It’s just the nature of the beast. A great way to stay disciplined and pump out content on an ongoing basis is to encourage others in the office to share some of the responsibility. Put together a content creation calendar and challenge others to participate in the initiative – This is also a great way to get different voices, thoughts, ideas and opinions into the mix. Making a case for the SEO benefits might help people join in

And finally, Go C’s.

I do think it is one of the most vital information and facts in my opinion. For grateful looking through the post. But choose to opinion upon a few common issues, The internet site fashion is wonderful, this posts is very good : Deb. Excellent occupation, kind regards

Hmmmm. Where to start?  ”Deb” was very complimentary, stating that our post had “one of the most vital information”.  She was “grateful looking through the post” as well.   Well said Deb!  It is not that often that a blog post can transform someone’s life.  We appreciate your candid feedback. Excellent Occupation indeed!

My accomplice and I really loved reading this weblog post, I was just itching to know do you commerce featured posts? I’m always trying to find somebody to make trades with and merely thought I might ask.

Anyone that has an accomplice clearly has to be taken seriously.  Is he trying to steal Cookie Crisp?  Ponzi Scheme?  We should just approve this comment over fear of retribution.  One thing is for sure… this guy seems like the ideal guy to “make trades” with.

Tune in next month for a new batch of hot spam.

As a psychology major in college I was always fascinated by the Rorschach test. How people perceived ambiguous situations was, in my mind, a revealing and fairly accurate way of judging their underlying personality traits and characteristics. In other words, their intentions. For those of you who need a refresher from Psych 101 here is how Wikipedia defines a Rorschach or inkblot test:

The Rorschach test (German pronunciation: [ˈʁoːɐʃax]; also known as the Rorschach inkblot test, the Rorschach technique, or simply the inkblot test) is a psychological test in which subjects’ perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both.

Where am I going with this, you ask?

During a website design new business pitch our team was given insight into how our competition was pricing the prospects project. This is almost never revealed but I think we were in good enough standing with the prospect where they felt comfortable sharing these numbers. What we heard was there were companies bid=ding 3k for this particular project (project was a full website redesign, e-commerce, SEO implementation, etc.) and there were some companies bidding upwards of 150k. Think about that. Everyone was given the same scope, or inkblot. Company A’s perceptions of this project was $3,000 in man hours and Company B’s perception was $150,000. How do you account for $147k in misperception? Here are a few reasons why:

1. Hourly Rates: Each digital agency has different hourly rates, although, you’d be hard pressed to find an agency (not a freelancer, an agency) that will perform quality web design/development and strategy work for under $50. As a business owner I can tell you that this hourly rate simply doesn’t pay the bills. Furthermore, some agencies see a project and assign a team of 10 employees where others will assign a team of 3-4, accounting for some variance in the project pricing. The natural question is: Will my project be more successful if 10 people are assigned vs. 3? Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this question.
2. Understanding Scope (or lack of it):  Simply put, some agencies aren’t good at understanding the scope of a project, and as a result, will under or over bid accordingly. In my years of managing new business efforts this is the number one reason why agencies lose their shirt on a project in the long run. It’s absolutely imperative that the right questions around functionality, revisions, content management requirements, etc. get asked prior to bidding on a project so that expectations are clear, assumptions are transparent and to protect the agency with fair pricing structure.
3. Desperation: Often times we’ve seen agencies grossly underbid a project to simply win on cost alone.  Very risky play but everyone has their reasons – Either they are eager to break into a new market/industry, are trying to save their business or simply willing to take on a project at below cost to gain momentum and put work in the queue. Regardless of the intention, it’s hard to compete with these situations and they often account for variance in agency bids.
4. Guy in His Basement vs. Big Agency: We’ve seen this time and time again, where a big agency will be bidding on the same project as a guy in his basement. As more and more individuals become savvy with search engine optimization and play in the paid media space, they are able to place well for various terms (web design Boston, for instance) and thus capture the leads that allow them to compete against the big boys. These individuals or freelancers will almost always win on price but will almost never win on results, creative expertise and the ability to handle multiple projects at once.

By now, most B2B companies have had enough time and sample size to understand what     the effectiveness of their social communities are. If managed and updated frequently,  marketers should be able to gauge the overall activity on each platform and if they are viable sources for new business or just another line item they allocate to the new intern.

On that note, how is that Facebook strategy working out?

True, it’s absolutely necessary to leverage the social space to present your companies products, services and philosophies. There’s no hiding from it. But the real value is in leveraging the right social communities for the right reasons. The ever-evolving world of social marketing requires constant testing, commitment and optimizing. Here are a few ways that B2B marketers can get the most bang out of their social buck.

1. Decide what platforms are the best fit for you: Gone are the days of ‘we have a Facebook page, so we’re on top of our social marketing.’ Most users on Facebook aren’t there to size up business or learn more about the benefits of manufacturing. Identify which platforms are right for you and commit to them 100% – Provide relevant and meaningful insight and engage with the right types of contacts through targeted communities like Linkedin and BranchOut.

2. Provide thought leaderships: Even if you’re in a niche-space, remember, there are others that sit in that niche space everyday. These people enjoy fresh content and understanding the emerging trends in that particular market. Performing a weekly assessment of your own industry/market and articulating this in an intelligent way will allow users to see you as the thought leader and continue to visit your social community on an ongoing basis.

3. Google+: As many B2B companies are discovering, Google+ is becoming an excellent platform to share and post content. As many B2B companies also now, Google is in control of the algorithm, hence the SEO benefits you will get by establishing a thorough presence on Google+. This platform may not be socially significant right now, so it’s a good time to leverage this community and stake your claim before others begin to hop on the bandwagon…. And they most definitely will.