We Have Launched Pre-filled Values in Your Reminders!
We have a product update for you today! You will now receive better check-in email, reminders.
What does this mean?
This means if you (a team member) forgets to do check-in, you will still continue to receive your reminder but you will now also have friendly suggestions based on your usage of the previous week.
Now you can instantly add the description and check-in instantly based on previous data from the previous week!
Be sure to get your reminders activated and give it a try!
Have questions? We’re here to help. Email me at [email protected] and I’ll be happy to answer any feedback you might have.
The 12 Basic Principles of Agile Project Management [Hubspot Re-post]
To read the original post on the Agency Hubspot Blog, click here.Â
If you’ve ever played a sport or watched a corny sports movie, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the following: You need to focus on the fundamentals!
Maybe you forgot to “box out” on a rebound, or maybe you didn’t put your glove down and pulled a “Bill Buckner” on a ground ball.
Whatever the case, you were told to get back to the fundamentals because that would help you solve the problem. Why? Well, the root of the problem was that you forgot about the fundamentals in the first place. This quote from Jim Rohn serves as a reminder:Â
Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.
In the world of software development, the same rules apply. If you and your team are struggling with agile project management, it doesn’t mean that agile can’t work for you. Oftentimes, it just means that you need to get back to the basics.
And that brings us to the 12 principles of Agile project management. At a ski resort in Snowbird, Utah, 17 software developers reflected on what defined the core principles of agile development methods. Their goal was to uncover better ways of delivering software and to help others do the same.
During that meeting, the Agile Manifesto was born. Comprised of 12 principles, along with four core values, it provides the foundation of agile software development as we know it today.
Principle 1: Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software
Software is not built for the sake of building software. It’s built to be put to use by an end user to better perform tasks that were previously out of reach, solve a problem, do their job better or more efficiently, etc. But often, the highest priority of software development is forgotten.
So, how can you better align with this principle?
Shorten the distance between requirements gathering and customer feedback by planning less change at a time. This gives you more opportunity to steer the software in a satisfactory direction for the customer.
Principle 2: Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
You can implement changes now -- you don’t need to wait for the next system to be built or a system redesign.
Shorten the distance between conceiving and implementing an important change. And even if it’s late in the development process, don’t be afraid to make a shift.
Principle 3: Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
Previous development methods were front-loaded with tons of documentation under the guise of completing 100% of the requirements needed for a particular project. But towards the end of the project, the usual result was just that -- lots of documentation, but nothing to show for it.
Agile project management focuses on shortening the distance between planning and delivery. So, focus more on creating software rather than just planning for it. This gives you the opportunity to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the work.
Principle 4: Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
This one is crucial, especially because it doesn’t come naturally to most people. Co-location between business people and developers is usually the best way to handle this. You can also use communication tools for remote workers. It helps the two sides better understand each other and leads to more productive work.
Principle 5: Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
There should be no micromanaging in agile project management. Teams should be self-directed and self-reliant. Make sure you have the proper team in place that you can trust to complete the project’s objectives.
Principle 6: The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
Put simply, you want to shorten the time between a question and its answer. This is another reason why co-location or remote work during the same hours is key in agile project management. When teams work together under the same (virtual) roof, it’s much easier to ask questions, make suggestions, and communicate.
Principle 7: Working software is the primary measure of progress.
This is the primary metric an agile development team should be judged by: Is the software working correctly? Because if it’s not, it doesn’t matter how many words have been typed, bugs have been fixed, hours have been worked, etc. A good team needs to produce quality software -- all other measures are pretty much irrelevant if you can’t get it working correctly.
Principle 8: Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
When working on the same project for a VERY long time, burnout can be a common problem among agile teams. To prevent this, work should be done in short productive bursts because excessive overtime cannot continue indefinitely without impacting the quality. Focus on choosing the right pace for the team members. Usually, the best pace is one that allows team members to leave the office tired yet satisfied.
Principle 9: Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
Developers shouldn’t wait to clean up redundant or confusing code. Code should get better with each iteration. The agile team should use scrum tools and take time to review their solution. Doing this during the project saves you way more time than cleaning up code “later” -- which can also mean never.
Principle 10: Simplicity -- the art of maximizing the amount of work not done -- is essential.
Keep things simple and minimize the time between comprehension and completion. Avoid doing things that don’t matter -- such as the “busy work” that is so prevalent in corporate culture. Keep track of your team, count the hours worked in a fun way by using project management tools like Dashable, Trello, and InVision.
Principle 11: The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
A great agile team takes it’s own direction. Members don’t need to be told what needs to be done -- they attack problems, clear obstacles, and find solutions. It should be a red flag if the project manager has to micromanage.
Principle 12: At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
Inspect and adapt -- this is a crucial principle in agile project management. You’ve done things a certain way for a long time, but that does not mean this is still the best way of doing things. If there is a better way of moving a project forward, the team should implement adjustments.
Begin With the Basics
When you’re in the thick of an agile development project, it’s easy to get swept up in the fast-paced, ever-changing environment. But when you forget about the principles, the team and the project start to slip up.
Keep these agile project management principles in mind and you’ll be able to keep your team -- and project -- on the right track.
Which of these principles do you find the most important? How do you employ them in your agency?
Talk to me on Twitter.
Author @keswanberg
Did you know that the US loses $350 billion in low productivity from disengaged employees? Your team is your money. Download our guide on 9 values to cultivate in your agency.
If you’re leading a project in your agency, it’s pretty common knowledge that you will have multiple people demanding your time (and we’re talking upwards of about 10 or more people!). From coordinating tasks to helping resolve conflicts amongst your team members and clients, things do add up and it will seem like there is not a sufficient amount of time to get them done. Carrying tasks out with a time scale is the only way to make the project a success.
Might I mention that the above are just SOME of the challenges you’ll need to face to make sure that each job is delivered within the given time frame for your project to be a success. Like what? Every day you need to:
Prioritize tasks
Perform tasks around those priorities
Save time on executing each task (evaluate the critical path for the project)
Logically schedule the tasks
Effectively allocate resources
Budget the amount of time to be spent on various tasks, and
Create an effective work environment
And… Time management acting as your core function as a project manager.
Project time management can be overwhelming… luckily for you, you stumbled across this article to help give you some techniques and tools to enable yourself as an effective project manager.Â
Having a to do list.
To be an effective project manager, you need to ensure the tasks you are responsible for are, well, getting done on time. If you develop a habit of forgetting or overlooking some actions, your team can start to lose confidence in your management.
It sounds simple and we don’t want to make it super complicated because all the to-do list apps pretty much do the same thing (with an occasional pretty UI). Your list should capture all activities that you need to execute to meet your goals and commitments in the near to medium term. My main point? You need one. Download Clear or Wunderlist and sync it will all your devices.
If you’re looking to actually manage your team’s time and work flow, use a time-tracking software. Chances are you’re already using something like Freshbooks or Harvest, but it’s not actually tailored to your agency’s needs. Choose one that does. To top it off, include a weekly standup and have each team member go over their projects, and tasks from those projects.
Time blocking, and resource allocating.
Once each team member has identified essential tasks during your traditional standup meetings in your agency, allocate and block off each team members time. You should then of course, block off some time in your calendar to focus on each your tasks. You will essentially be scheduling time to complete each task so you know how long things take and can schedule enough time to do them. When blocking off time in your calendar to execute tasks, leave room to handle unexpected interruptions such as urgent tasks that come up from poor planning, or a team member who stops by to discuss some things with you.
Be strong you PMs.
For effective project time management, you need to learn to say “no”. You need to stick to the plan; it is super easy to get sidetracked on other things and soon your project cam fall apart. Some of the things you need to say no to include;Â
Inundation of telephone calls, emails, etc.
Too many informal office conversations
Procrastination
Too many meetings with no CTA’s
Micro-managing
Lack of technical knowledge
General work overload
Conflicting priorities
 Eliminate the unnecessary.
Much like only choosing the most important features of an application, only choose the most important tasks to spend your time. A crucial element of project and time management entails eliminating what does not need to be done. Sometimes, tasks are done by custom rather than what’s really needed. Getting rid of such tasks frees up your time to plan for all of the other things on your plate, and helps you manage your project better.Â
Create structure.
Apple has long used a schedule for annual product releases and software updates… I even thing it’s a type of secret formula for their near-perfect product marketing. Needless to say, having such a structure is fundamental to keeping your projects moving forward and your team members consistently innovating. Ambitious deadlines push people beyond their comfort zone and come in handy in case of unexpected delays.Â
Delegate responsibilities.
Do not shy away from passing on tasks to your team members and subordinates as needed. Bear in mind you are not superhuman, and if you try to do everything by yourself, you will often wind up not doing anything with the best quality and time frames. It can also lead to the feeling that you do not have faith in your team, and this can lead to animosity that only works to hurt your time deadlines and quality expectations.Â
Learn to make quick decisions.Â
It may sound obvious, but often we brood too long over decisions, second-guessing ourselves to a state of internal confusion. Hint: this isn’t the best use of our time. Note that the overall time spent on a decision means more overall time used on the project. The best approach is to adopt a culture of making trivial decisions quickly. Ideally, keep lines of communication open so that you give authorization as soon as your team members need it to move on with tasks. Above all, avoid procrastination and run effective meetings to brainstorm and solve problems. Make sure that the right people attend the meeting and stick to the point.
Tackle the difficult things first.
By this, it means looking at yours to-do list and striving to get the more complicated task out of the way ahead of time. By tackling them first, you can rest in knowing that the easiest tasks pending will not cause your grief if the clock begins ticking fast… and faster. Further, more complex tasks are normally the most valuable to the upper brass, which means getting them done ahead of time will be reviewed favorably as opposed to having them late over and over again. It also gives your team more faith knowing that the hard tasks have already been done, other than knowing the hard part is yet to come.Â
What time management techniques do you use as a Project Manager? Have you ever heard of the Eisenhower method? And do you use it?
Talk to me on Twitter.
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On the cusp of losing a client? Here’s how to catch the red flags
Agency competition is real. Often times your competitor next door has stolen a few of your clients due to cheaper rates or hard selling techniques.
You’re not the one to blame-- clients have the freedom to choose who they want to work with based on rates, experience, and plenty of other factors you don’t even know about. At the same time, you want to evaluate that your client is a good fit for your venture, but regardless of how hard you try, you will inevitably come across a problem client who seems great at the onset, and then somewhere in between things start getting sour.Â
So, what do you do to avoid these situations? Can you successfully manage a problem client without losing money? There are plenty of things you can do to avoid getting burned.
But what are the red flags, and how do you catch them early on?
Prior to accepting a new client, there are some red flags to look for…things the clients says, or does that are signs of more trouble once the project lands in your hands. If you find any of these red flags, it does not mean you should automatically terminate the relationship but it does mean you need to do a thorough evaluation.
“Can you just change a feature really fast?"Â
We have all heard it in the past… “Can you design a quick poster for me with the logo you’ve been working on?” or “or can you give me some social media images for icons?” In some cases, the client will say these things because he or she doesn’t really know the actual work involved. When you know in your head this is a 4-hour job that the client isn’t get billed for. In some cases, it might be used to downplay the work and force you to cut on the budget. So what do you do? Try to explain to the client why that particular request is time-consuming and insist that your price is the price. Based on how he reacts, you will know whether your relationship will last, or… not.Â
Setting unrealistic deadlines.
If your client starts demanding everything ASAP, or checks in on your project, like every hour.. you need to be wary. At times turning down such projects can be easy, mainly because what they want cannot be done within their timeframe. Other times that might not be possible. And guess what? You just sacrificed your current project to get it done. It’s important to keep in mind that a client like this will always be like this. He or she will expect the next project completed with the same level of urgency, and will always leave you scrambling with other clients. The bottom line; such relationship may not be sustainable. The suggestion? Only say yes when you can deliver or charge rush fees. This should clear the problem right up and make the client change in an effort to save money… If he opts out, that relationship is dead.Â
Questioning your standard rates.
Is your clientquestioning your rates and saying your competitors are cheaper?…
Well then this is not your ideal client. There is nothing wrong with a client telling you that they cannot afford your fees, but it is different is they are saying its super high. It’s an early sign of mistrust. There’s no solution but to let that client go. Don’t even give it a second thought!
Did they fire their last designer?
People in general only like to tell one side of the story and you will never know the other side. The original story may be the truth, but how can a person only trust one side of it! If it is true, you might be just the right agency to step in and save the day! Or… maybe the client has become too hard to satisfy…Â
You don't "get it."
You have done numerous projects in the past. You are awesome at listening to your client’s instructions and requests as well as coming up with an appropriate plan. In fact, you won an award for your true understanding of people and projects. But how come you have not yet captured what the client wants, even after several discussions?Â
The disappearing client…you haven’t talked for days.
You might have experienced a project that seemed to drag on and on forever, with minimal or no communication at all. Other times, you are sending mails and the client is taking up to 2 weeks to respond! (That is crazy!) So every 2 weeks you only get ONE gigantic follow up. It might come as a shock, but this can actually be a sign that the client is talking to other designers and is possibly shopping for better prices. Or another scenario: maybe they are too occupied to commit to the job. All in one, it is never a good sign.Â
Spec work: This is a sign of a client that asks for too much and never follows through.
“Can you give me an outline,” is a lot different than “Can you give me 10 wireframes so I can see that you’re on track?” Know the difference. This means a client is trying to see designs for their upcoming project prior to actually hiring you. Of course it’s good to have a few case studies and referrals to browse through, but you should win the job based on your experience and qualification as outlined in your proposal. It’s SUPER likely that the clients will have asked several web agencies to come up with the concept, while spending little time to enable any understandings of exactly what he or she wants.Â
What do you do when the above red flags pop up?
Evaluate then move on
If the above red flags sound even worse in your X scenario, then you need to stop giving the client any more headspace, cut your losses, move on, and learn from it.
What could you have done better?
Was it the communication? Is there anything missing in your client acceptance procedure that allowed such clients into your system? Were you not transparent on your time and billable hours? Do you need to get clients personal numbers up-front and review each one of them? How about asking for a 50% deposit?Â
Use what you have learnt from the lost client and leverage it for a better future. Remember, do not take it personally. It’s all the fun of the agency business.  Besides, now you have the time and knowledge to win that next big project.
What red flags do you look for when you feel like your losing your client?
Increasing your team's productivity is hard, here's 13 ways to do it right.
Why is instilling productivity tips so overlooked at the most opportune times? Maybe 4 times a year you will Google “how to make my team more productive.” Or you come across an article or helpful application that shows you how to make your team more efficient (maybe agile or scrum). Often enough productivity techniques get pushed to the side and aren’t considered a necessity for “right now.” But when you constantly practice productivity techniques, instill new softwares, and prioritize efficient workforce tools, you also keep your team motivated for high performance, and…
Cut payroll cost and generate more money.
Impress clients by staying on track, budget and track.
Have more time for growth, expansion, and internal revisions (and so much more!)
But here’s the real problem:
Employees can be resistant to change, they are emotional beings, and they get bored pretty fast. AND most commonly, you may think it takes too much time to instill these new practices so you decide not to use them.
The solution?
The benefit outweighs the cost, or in this case: time. Taking the time to constantly add more productivity tools and flows—yes right now—pays off and fortunately, we have done the homework and gathered 13 bulletproof tips on boosting your digital team productivity.
1. Give your team consistent and secure access to information (yes I do suggest the 'mysterious' cloud)Â
As an owner, you appreciate that timely access to information is key to productivity. So, if your agency network is occasionally down, unsecured or sluggish, you are suffering a huge productivity blow. Provide your team with a reliable and secure network based on intelligent switches and routers as well as backing up all documents on the cloud, Google Drive, and Dropbox. It allows workers to access information and all the tools they need in time to boost productivity. It also ensures that your team does not waste time waiting for files to load.
2. Give your team 24/7 access to their resources
To stay productive even when on the move or away from the office, your team needs to reach people and information they need, anywhere, anytime. Use tools such as Microsoft Project (if you’re a Microsoft user) or Resource Guru to give your team safe access to your agency network even when outside the office.
3. Ninja-Inbox 0
I scroll my Gmail account until its reading… well nothing – absolute zero – at least once in a week. For CEOs this is SO hard for you, I know it and I’ve seen it (getting 200 emails a day doesn’t help either.) So, I literally make it a point in my to-do-list. I have it as a top priority and each day it’s supposed to be reading zero, but this is too ideal. I don’t get to read each and every mail daily. So, once in a week works for me. Just think.. if you ignore your emails, you could stop work as your team waits for your input.Â
4. Book 3-hour meetings
Working in an agency normally involves interruptions, and you never get time to see the big picture. To boost productivity, book your team for a 3-hour standup meeting every week and discuss the project progress. Most agencies have theirs as 1-2 but doing 3 hour ones allows to expand your mind and not just focus on the tasks for the week. This is the time to come up with the best work approach, let everyone knows what his or her role is, and how it really fits in the big picture. The meeting will also help you eradicate redundant tasks.
5. Give everyone some time…off
Give time. As in, allow you team some time off. It may sound counterintuitive that a day off can inspire enhanced productivity but it is true. A well-rested worker will be more productive than one who is stressed, tired and teetering on the edge of a burn out. Reward your employees who put in 110% with a little extra down time.Â
6. Pay them what they want (almost)
Even your most royal employees will get demoralized if they feel they are not being paid at par or premium with their services. If your employees are in that state where they are constantly wondering how they are ever going to make ends meet, then they are simply not going to be giving their best at work. Productivity will diminish, so keep them motivated! Also, note that your workers will also compare their pay with what others of similar experience and skills are earning. You do not have to break the bank, but make sure you are shelling out enough to give them peace of mind. If you are not paying well for the hours you are asking them to come in, they will jump to your competitor, and you will be left with rookies. I guarantee it.
7. Embrace remote working
Allowing your employees to work from home or other off-site location can boost their motivation and hence productivity. It can allow them to spend time with their families, and to make good use of a full working day, particularly if they normally engage in long commutes. Note that your workers (who do not need to commute for an hour traveling into and off work) are more likely to work overtime and even during weekends if need arise to complete their work.
8. Create a feedback system
Saying “Nah, I don’t like that,” isn’t feedback. If you make it your commitment to give your workers and project managers feedback weekly, biweekly or even monthly, it makes it easier for your team to monitor their performance and to take corrective actions to attain their goals. Whether you adopt regular performance reviews or weekly one-on-one meetings to set goals and expectations, productivity will greatly benefit from regular feedback.
9. Offer cool devices and upgrades
If you facilitate your team to take advantage of customizable and affordable business Macbooks, smartphones, or tablets– you can realize up to 9 hours of enhanced productivity and encourage working on the go. There is also another awesome side benefit; these devices somewhat blurs the line between office work and home making employees more likely to do things such as answer calls or open mails even after work.
10. Feed your employees with (healthy?--nah) snacks
You will be amazed by how much productivity-boosting power you will get by offering your web agency team free lunch or holiday snacks. Staff meals enhance morale since they allow colleagues to talk more unreservedly.
11. Do your positive reinforcement duties
In one of the recent studies on employee motivation, it was revealed that 70% of workers do not need monetary gains to feel motivated. Recognition for work well done motivates them more than money. Do not be too tight with praise. If your team deserves it, say they are doing a good job but there is a line between too much flattery.Â
12. Don’t be another boring 9-5 office
Whether it be surprises during work breaks or elaborate employee appreciation events, your agency team will always remember those fun times and they will keep them strong during rough days. Further, your team social gathering allows workers to interact and bond. This energizes the workforce and reinforces how effort is tied to the bigger picture. Some ideas? Get a wii room and play Mario Cart at lunch, maybe even add in a keg for happy hours after work (like some advertising agencies do) or give ½ day Fridays!
13. Embrace the change you might not really want..
You might find it tempting to stick to established work processes, but these might be hurting your team’s productivity. Conduct occasional departmental process reviews to eradicate useless busywork. This ensures that your team is not wasting time on outdated tasks.
Are we missing any tips to keep productivity at an all time high in your digital agency? Which ones do you find to be most applicable to your case?
Things to Look for When Adding an Advisor onto Your Team
Does this sound like you?
You’re a UX/UI designer or Ruby on Rails developer who started to do freelance work on a per project basis for a brand new client. As time passed, you built a HUGE client base via referral where you soon started to outsource projects to more talent within your network.
Bam…2 years later… now you’re a small agency struggling to take care of business, marketing, sales, and finance.
Either during the first year of building your agency or as your freelance work expands into one, you are going to get stuck. Regardless of how many blog posts you read, webinars you attend, and how much you try to keep up to date, managing your web agency will feel like a battle, and your skills will be tested to the limit.Â
You will reach a point where you can no longer run your agency by relying on your knowledge alone. You will automate and systemize things to save time but you will realize that you are not seeing room for improvement, and your digital agency will stagnate. You may also develop self-doubt, and soon uncertainty may cloud in.
But why does this happen?Â
In business, there is always “too much to know.” and no matter how good you’re, you cannot know it all. At one point you will need to add an advisor to your team. This is not to be mistaken with a mentor who might be a personal friend and someone you don’t need to pay or people you put on retainer. Â
Advisors focus on business, mentors focus on you.
But who is a good advisor?
Simply put: Someone who knows more than you. They have done what you have done before, and actually got it right. Someone who will challenge you to take your agency to the next level and to give you not just ideas, but ideas that execute 100%. A third party will bring fresh knowledge to your firm. She or he will give you advice that makes you uncomfortable, moves you to action, and probably boost the growth rate of your agency. A business advisor should NOT be your peer; but rather someone whose brain power and experience in your niche clearly exceeds yours.Â
Unfortunately, with the mushrooming number of agency advisors setting up advisory businesses, it can be challenging to find the right one for your agency. Do not get me wrong, not all advisors out there are charlatans – most of them are real professional, but they might not be the right option for your agency and hiring them will be both a waste of time and money.Â
When adding an advisor to your team – keep in mind the following:
Ensure they “walk the talk”
Ensure your business advisor is competent in whatever field you want to consult (Finance, marketing, accounting, etc). Only settle for ones that are still active in your industry.
Ask them the big question: What is their guarantee, what are their KPIs? Hold them accountable and give them 3 months to accomplish their goals. If not, move on. Wasting too much time on an advisor who can only tell you “the big idea and philosophy” doesn’t know how to execute. Remember, you are not looking for a mentor, but rather an advisor.
If we “walk the talk”, we actually learn more hacks and cheats than if we just teach or are taught to. Another caution: if a person was at the top of their game five years ago, and has not been active since, their knowledge has become obsolete. Therefore, always settle for experienced, active practitioners with up to date knowledge.
Note* How long they have been in business is not a good measure; success is. For instance, someone who has been a CEO of Founder since 2012 and did all of his or her own marketing and achieved more SEO and leads, etc might be a better option than a CMO who has been in business since 2005 and hasn’t brought in as many clients. The secret; look for a business advisor who has helped other agencies achieve something your team would want to achieve one day. Not necessarily the oldest in the industry?Â
How will you connect with them?
Will you be communicating with your business advisor one on one? Online via Skype? Or via phone call?
Before settling for an online business advisor, make sure you have all the right equipment to reach them. For instance, if you will be consulting them via Skype, then you will need to buy a headset, and if you opt for video calling, a fresh haircut will come handy. If you will be communicating via Google Hangout, then you will need to arm yourself with a Google Hangout account.Â
The bottom line, consider the required infrastructure to connect with your business advisor. I mean, does it make sense if you live in Chicago, and choose a Chinese business advisor who can only meet your team online on his or her schedule? No. An advisor who makes a personal appearance once in a while or is within 4 hour time zones is better.
Don’t be afraid to try more than oneÂ
I’ve said it before and I say it again: make sure your potential advisor knows MORE than you. If you understand 100% everything they’re saying, then that means you’re on the same page and you’re just getting more of the same.. which is a great danger. Go ahead and try someone new. Of course you still need to have an idea about what they’re talking about otherwise, if you don’t know what you don’t know, you don’t even have a beginning point, or even the questions you need to ask to start with.Â
Ideally, ask questions that will help you establish whether the business advisor is only giving promises or is offering concrete proof of results or guarantees that he will deliver, such as a business he helped to grow, references and more. You should also try to get someone who is ready to get more involved by being there to give you more insights during implementation phase, otherwise, a business advisor who just gives you a rough idea and leaves you to figure it out, is NOT helpful to you agency.Â
The secret;
Do not just settle for the big online advisor celebrities and big promises just because your competitors are. Choose a business advisor who fills the gap in your agency development blueprint and knows more than you.
Are they compatible with your team
Something huge that I’ve personally seen is incompatibility between an advisor and the rest of your team. An advisor executes and needs to talk to other members of your team rather than just yourself to get things done. Some can be demanding with time and deliverables. What does their schedule look like compared to that of your team? Do they line up well?
Ideally, you want to hire a business advisor who will be there for your agency on an on-going basis. Whether you agree to meeting up once or twice a month is up to you. Overall just make sure they are there when.
Do you already have an advisor for your agency? What areas have you needed advice in?
Remember last year when Yahoo banned employees from working at home?
Well..
Despite the recent Yahoo ban, many web agencies are eager to reap the benefits of joining the remote workforce. Agency’s HR departments have increasingly been recognizing that good talent shouldn’t rely on an individual’s co-located physical presence and rather that potential employees should turn their talents loose to be productive in environments they feel most comfortable in. Narrowing your talent to within a 30-mile radius actually sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud -and you can, in most occasions, have talent 3,000 miles away, yet in the same time zone. Sounds like a sweet deal right?
Needless to say, remote agency work has become a HUGE trend. As long as you’re punching in the quota and getting work done it shouldn’t matter where exactly you work, right? Have you read Basecamp’s 37 signals book, Remote: Office Not Required? It’s a short read, but it basically summarizes that as long as you have a good internet connection + collaboration software, being a worldy remote worker isn’t too complicated.
In fact, it’s a win-win situation for both employees and employers if done properly. I bet you are reading this article and have at least ONE remote worker under your belt.
Am I right?
Perhaps it’s you, maybe it’s your brand ambassador, international sales director, or web design freelancer, lawyer, or whoever. It’s now become so common that pretty much every company has a remote worker in one of their many departments.
So you’re a remote worker. You love your job and you love that you can work from pretty much anywhere and so can your team.
There is a BUT coming. Getting work done from a remote work-station is not an easy thing that anyone can handle. You will be faced with a diverse and unique set of challenges, topped by a never ending list of distractions that always present themselves as more fun -than your actual work. Here is a rundown of five best practices to make working remotely a success… For you and your boss.
1. Connect with your team.
Connect and maintain clear communication with whomever it is you have professional working relationship with. I’m not sure what you do, but I am sure who you will be interacting with. Project managers, product managers, UX/UI designers, front and back end developers, consultants, or a client you’re working up a contract with. Set expectations up front. If they are pestering you at 9pm at night and that wasn’t agreed upon, then you need to do some re-thinking. Most importantly, ensure you are always online during working hours, available for your team, and check constantly for allocated tasks and projects. If you’re a remote project manager, man do you have a tough job, but it doesn’t have to be like that. Leveraging the power of services such as Allocate HQ, and ResourceGuruapp makes it easier to manage your team and resources for given projects.
We’ve said it before, and you probably already know, but maintaining perfect communication when you’re working remote is imperative. You can use tools such as Google Hangout, Trello, Basecamp, and Skype to enhance your agency communication. Â
2. Dial up old school and new schoolÂ
Another reality of remote agency work is that you will be “the person on the phone or the person on Skype.” Your workmates forget you (physically) exist unless you alert them. What’s worse, without the benefit of reading peoples’ gestures and body signals, it’s hard to figure out the best time to interject or make a point.
Follow-up emails: Pay attention to what individuals are saying, taking notes and make follow ups later.. If you can’t get a word in the call, writing a follow-up email with notes in your Mac notepad is your best bet.
Choose your spot breaks: Do not try to break the flow of a talk every time you have something useful to contribute... you hate when people do that to you, so now why would you do it to another person? An interrupting voice over the phone annoys lives attendees. Instead, jot down your thoughts and hold back till a natural break beckons in the flow of the talk. Once you have broken in, lay out your ideas in a single thread and ask for questions. My special rule of thumb? You should only own 1-2 moments during a call with multiple team members; just make them count.
Identify yourself: When you break in, always give your name. It is hard for all individuals in the room to recognize your voice. In fact, I personally get mixed up with literally any other woman who is on the call. To avoid this I always need to repeat my name.
Lead by example: If you are a remote web agency director and leader of the meeting, motivate people to dial in rather than pick a conference room. People do not realize that live meetings are key productivity drain. Think about the time you spend walking in and out of the conference room, indulging in small talks, waiting for squatters, etc. Show your co-workers that a well-managed conference calls can be top productivity drivers when done the right way. The meetings that I run, always commence and end on the same time. They have a defined agenda, and allocate time to each participant to contribute and ask questions – without letting them monologue the talk. I conclude with a “CTA” because it’s a terminology that web designers and developers understand. What is the call to action? What are the deliverables, who’s sending a follow-up email, and what actions are they responsible for?
3. Leverage an enterprise social network.Â
Most great innovations and ideas occur in the seams of the work day; chats in the company kitchen while making espressos and side conversations prior and after meetings or running into a colleague are mine. When you work remotely, you lose that essential connection, and you truly need a way of making up for the loss. Leveraging enterprise social networks such as Salesforce Chatter or Yammer give you a chance to re-create that collaboration. You can participate in any ongoing dialogue taking place every day in your web agency feed. For instance, I get feedback on my ideas, post interesting comments on my co-worker's comments, and share interesting articles- This beats the occasional forwarded email A TON.
4. Visit HQ once in a while and get your “face in the place.”
Nothing replaces a smile, eye contact, or a handshake. Go at least 3-4 times a year. I travel to my Chicago office once every 3 months, and let me tell you it’s necessary! You really need to enforce your presence with your actual humanness and personality. What to do while you’re in the HQ? Pack your calendar with meetings from workmates, including 15 minutes vignettes, grab coffee catch-ups and more. It’s actually a pretty funny tip, but making an email subject line with “Coffee next Monday?” get’s you some pretty high click rates and conversations with local clients in the area. And don’t be afraid to spend that company CC on dinner and drinks with key influencers- relationships and networking is priceless.
5. Boost your energy by not focusing purely on time management
If the mention of managing your energy and not your time inspires a sign of relief, good news… you are rational.
Managing your energy is the best approach because it is a factor you can manipulate. Time, on the contrary, is an elusive enemy; at times on our side, but at time it’s not.Â
Also, time is a finite resource, but energy can always be created. So, it narrows down to finding enough energy to get your work done the right way. Sorry for getting all science on you -but it does give some validation.
Here is how you should go about it. Establish simple rituals that give you energy, rather than drain it away. For instance, build 15 minute's walks into your morning work schedules. And stick to them-during your lunch go outside and get fresh air. Although they might feel like a conflict of interest to tear you away from your work and stop typing that last mail, that short break will get your blood flowing and your mind fresh. Boost oxygen to your brain and fundamentally boost your energy.Â
So only the few smart ones actually do this… but setting some time aside for meditation and exercise can also boost your sense of wellbeing, let alone enhancing your physical health. Remember that the secret is to stick to your schedule for this energy inducing power time in order to create effective, lasting results in your work lifestyle.
The Bottom Line
Working remotely can be positive if you use some best practices… And it’s not just a trend. You save hours in commuting.. and that alone translates into thousands of hours gained for time with family and personal interests. Remote work also helps modern web agencies access unlimited talents beyond the 50 miles radius of their location.
Do you work remote? How often does you or your team visit your Headquarters?
Raise your rates and keep your clients (but lose a couple)
One of the hardest things you will ever have to do for your business development is raise your agency rates. Whether you’re an initial freelancer who is building onto his or her team, or you’re an already established agency, at one point you are going to be adjusting your rates. It’s scary, even big firms are reluctant to do it. Once clients get used to paying a certain amount for your services, it is really hard to convince them to pay more for it.
Many of them will insist on knowing, “What extra services I am getting for the extra cost?”
At this point, you will have an uphill fight to take on, and you will have to fight it with you clients very, very carefully whether it be with flattery, compromise, or giving them something a little extra.
Let us start by pointing out the deadly mistake you should never make.Â
At no circumstance should you ever bill your client $300/hour for a service you have already delivered, and they are expecting you to do it for $175/hour.  That is far too much an “adjustment.” And have you really done your research with comparing to other agencies and their pricing? One of the best ways to lose clients in any business is to raise your fees and not tell them about it beforehand. It is bad business, and it will make you appear sleazy and untrustworthy. Whenever you decide to increase your agency rates, you should tell your client before billing it. Period!
So…
… Which is the best way to inform your clients of the new rates?
First, never mail your clients a notice with their January invoice. Chances are that most of them will not even read it, and when they receive your Feb invoice at the higher rates, they will be at your neck. Further, even if they do go through it, a written notice is very impersonal; regardless of how creatively you draft it. Most of them will see it as take it or leave it ultimatum, and most of your clients will feel offended that you did not put much of an effort to inform them of the new rates.
Instead, make a list of your agency clients and call your point of contact to inform them verbally of your fee increase. You can then write a follow up e-mail “confirming your telephone call earlier in the day,” so that your clients have something in record to remind them later on. If you have TONS of clients you could also send an email blast and automate it to everyone, but make sure you make it as personal as you can with merge fields.
In your conversation, explain the reasons you are raising your rates. In particular, keep underscoring the fact that your rates are, for example, at least 10-25 percent cheaper than what your competitors are offering and your quality is far beyond what a cheaper price will get you. It would also pay to tell them casually, “Kindly call me if you hear of anyone offering a better deal. I would be happy to offer a better deal to a valuable client like you.”Â
Is there a client you actually want to get rid of? It’s rare, but it happens to ALL of us, and you know exactly the client I’m talking about right now. Raise your rates, and ditch that client. Tell them about it. If they do happen to pay, well then you’re getting paid a little extra to keep the client around.
Take note of the following:
If you do include your rates in your website and marketing nurturing materials, ensure they are updated immediately to reflect the new prices. Nothing puts off a new client than hearing you offer a higher rate than they saw on your site.Â
Consider making your client feel special by offering an artificial discount. For instance say, “You should know my standard rates are usually $350/hour, but because you have done business with us for long, I would be willing to offer you a rate of $225.Â
The best time to increase your prices is when your clients are happy with your services. In the months before your planned price increase, be particularly diligent in proving your worth for the new rates – remember you out perform your services compared to your competitors.
More questions you should consider?
Are there clients to drop and clients to keep? If you have particular clients who are already stingy with your pricing, you already know they won’t be here for the long run, especially when raising your rates. They are preventing you from growing and opportunities by dedicated design and development hours to them. Drop those clients as they will only keep you where you are.
By what percentage have you increased your hourly rates? A random 100% price appreciation is a total shock. If you have taken this approach, do not be surprised if your clients shift to your competitors. The optimal rate by which you should raise your agency rates is very particular to each web agency, but the rate of more than 20% may sound like too much. Also keep in mind that you need to increase your prices by a significant margin so that you will not have to raise it anytime soon. We love Amy Hoy’s example of DOUBLING your rates and it can be pretty significant for growing your business. No client will be happy to be paying for a service that prices seem to increase month on month. In fact, if you do it, you will lose a lot of your agency customers. So, what if you take on a job at a low rate and you think you will need to increase prices significantly? The secret is to agree with the clients on regular rate reviews and utilize these.
Are your clients getting something extra? Agency clients are more likely to welcome new rates happily if there is something additional in the bargain. Consider something you can pack together with your higher rates that will cost you nothing or little, but has a higher perceived value to the clients. For example, maybe offering branding hours for free or giving copywriting services in addition to
 How do you convince your agency clients to accept your higher rates?
Successful individuals do not give up the very first time they hear a “NO!” If you do so, it can send a message that you do not value your services or you don’t have confidence in your abilities or skills. Remember what I said before, flatter, compromise, and give extra.
Regardless of which approach you take, you will most likely lose a client or two, because some client’s will just decide to punish you for your proposed price rise. And believe me, that’s a GOOD thing and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Just give them time, and they will probably come calling.
When was the last time you raised your company rates? By how much did you raise them?
Holiday Marketing for the Small Tech Agency.. Start Now!
And Boom! The festive season is here again; Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Kwanza, Hanukkah and more. But have you analyzed your agency marketing strategies to ensure you reap the most this season? Which Channels have been working incredibly well for you? On which platforms have you managed to create the biggest buzz? These are all questions any serious web agency will need to answer… and the timing is now.
We are entering the festive months of the year when (arguably) agencies have the chance to make the largest chunks of their profits. You know why? Many businesses want to develop mobile promos, in-app purchases, and maybe even microsites or a brand new app for their own holiday campaigns. See how the cycle circulates?
Agencies can benefit from the festive season in a slightly different way than companies like Macy’s, BestBuy, tangible or digital products do it. Whether it be email marketing techniques, special promo codes in your latest newsletter, or a special "CEO note" to your loyal customers reflecting on 2014. Small things DO go a long way..
CAUTION: Whatever strategy you choose to adopt to engage with your clients and to win new ones, you have to be genuine. More than any other time of the year, the festive season is a time when people crowd together – so, one unhappy client will get the word out to 100+, not the usual 16 more. Â
Holiday marketing can be a bit worry-some given the stiff completion your agency needs to keep up with especially when you’re selling services. We understand that you are always busy and for that reason, we have done the homework and prepared for you the top strategies, tricks and holiday marketing tips your agency should start implementing now.Â
Partner with your favorite charity/altruistic marketing
Holidays are normally a great time to launch your charitable activities. Take photos and upload them to your agency’s Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook albums. Ideas? Take photos of your workers participating in charitable events, and utilize your website and social media pages to share them. Your employees will appreciate the opportunity to engage in those activities, and your clients will appreciate your contribution. In addition to showcasing your agency as being social responsible and attracting clients, engaging in charitable activities can help you attract top notch talents. Plus it doesn’t hurt to build an even stronger community on your social channels. It shows you are altruistic.
Do not forget your loyal clients- make them repurchase or upsell support.
Note that loyal clients cost you less on each purchase than newly won clients. Yes we’re talking cost per acquisition both on and offline. Repurchases and upselling support plans are impressively higher. In fact LOTS of businesses also want to take advantage of the holiday season and might want microsites developed of mobile discounts developed in the OS… this is your calling.
Award your loyal clients with branded marketing items, but don’t be too selly. Alternatively, create a group lobby and take some candid shots of people behind your brand and share these with your clients – may be in a CEO note or Christmas newsletter. Share it to your email generated network. You can also include photos of your client’s appreciation event if you hold any, or any other photos you may have taken during a visit to a client's business.
Invest more in social interaction
A report by Facebook tells that social media interaction increase by 47% during the festive season. Here is how you should go about it
Deck the pages: Change your profile picture and cover image to reflect the season. It’s a great way to personalize your brand and to get your visitors thinking about the holiday and your brand. Also is a chance to offer a promo code but this really depends on how selly you want to appear to your clients and hot leads. Halloween is coming up first, so start preparing for a cover or sharable image with a special hashtag. #HalloweenFun
Do you have an internal in-house made app? Most agencies do. Create a contest for it. A sweepstake contest is easy to enter, and is mostly the best for digital agencies that are also selling apps. Users are more likely to share sweepstakes particularly during holidays. Ideally, use an app with an impressive refer-a-friend-feature and ensure your followers get a free entry every time they share. People are less likely to share if they think doing so dilutes their chances of winning. So, make it a win-win situation and your campaign will soon be echoing from the mountains.
Tailor ad/online campaigns: Tailor your campaigns to the coming festive season other than just doing a blanket holiday message. People are ready to spend, but there is also a lot of competition for the dollars. It’s time to stand out. It ALSO helps your holiday search and SEM i.e “Holiday discounts” or “development discounts.” If you don’t have the time to launch a festive season-specific campaign, why not offer a business consultation to anyone who likes your page anytime during this festive season?
Sell Mobile Marketing campaigns to clients during the festive Season.
About 30% of the traffic to a website now comes via mobile devices. And during this festive season, you can reasonably expect this traffic to go up. Your clients want to take advantage of this number, and so do you. Leverage these tips into your holiday marketing campaigns (especially if you build for mobile at your agency.)
Has your business optimized for mobile commerce this season, and is you site load speed good?
Need a microsite or creative gaming app to help sell your product in time for the holiday season?
Have you optimized for local searches? Get Holiday SEM for your business and work with the content in your site.
What operating systems is your business presence on? Research tells that iOS users have more incomes compared to their android counterparts. Come to us for your iOS app.
(For online ad agencies) DayParting: Research tells that during the festive season, tablet and smartphone searches are normally high at nights and weekends. As such, run campaigns at those times.
Forge strategic combinations with others in your industry
It’s possible that most of the agencies in your industry also rely on getting a good chunk of their profit during the holiday season. For instance, forge an agreement with a web agency that offers complementary services and promote each other with an abundance of developers and designers to get the difficult job done faster. For instance, clients are likely to buy an antivirus if it's recommended by apple for their devices than when the same antivirus is marketed by its developer. Similarly, an apple device marketed by Avast as the most secure is likely to see more sale than when the same device is marketed by Apple only.
Email
Research tells that 49% of emails are opened and read on mobile gadgets during the festive season, but only 33% of web agencies send email with links back to their business to mobile landing pages. I hope you can see the opportunity in this technique. Further, 71% of online shoppers tell that emails influence their purchase decisions, and 55% of online marketers agree to using emails as their first holiday marketing tip. Yes these stats are more accurate to ecommerce sites and stores with tangible products than agencies themselves, but if you are looking for a starting point, this is it. Imagine the possibilities.
What strategies have you been utilizing in your holiday marketing campaigns? We’d love to hear from you.  Tweet at us or shoot me an email at [email protected]!
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It’s been a difficult road for outsourced and offshore agencies over the years. I’ve seen most agencies try embracing the whole “ignorance is bliss” concept and say that it doesn’t bother them because “we still have clients and we make revenue.”
They’re absolutely right.
These agencies do have amazing clients and this has been a small step in the right direction, but we both know there’s more we can do to eliminate the “dirty word connotation.” With outsourced, there are also offshore and nearshore agencies, and if you’re an international agency this mean’s an even larger stigma. So where is the stigma now and how can your agency outsource themselves respectively?
Where’s the stigma now?
Agency outsourcing has received a lot of attention in political circles and media in recent days. In fact, in just six months, ranging between March and August 2013, there were 2,635 reports in US newspapers on service outsourcing - most of them focusing on the fear of job loss. In particular, there have been reports about jobs moving from developed countries such as US to developing economies such as India.
These concerns are not limited to the US. Similar reports were released in other developed nations such as UK; which released 380 reports on outsourcing in its newspapers during the same period. Media outlets in Australia have also published similar reports.Â
There isn’t one sole reason businesses are against outsourcing to your agency.
Some feel that outsourcing is unnecessary or a sign of weakness. “If a business cannot do it on its’ own, then there might be something wrong,” they argue. Others feel that outsourcing may result to loss of control and lack of transparency, “In-house development is the new trend, look Google does it- we need 1 or 2 developers!”
Regardless of the reason there are some things we need to face. With the rapid changes in IT and other business functions we are currently witnessing, trying to handle innovations such as cloud computing, app development, and every other change in a business’ industry internally is the surest way to lag behind the competition forever.Â
While it’s little known, outsourcing, if well managed, has a positive face will little negative impacts. For instance, remember the Apple IBM Global Partnership this past July? The terms are: Apple will gain by outsourcing the 24 hours customer support that IBM has developed over the years, and IBM will obtain key software support from Apple. Apple will have more time to dedicate to development of devices – as already evidenced by iPhone 6 and the soon to come Apple Smartwatch.Â
The #1 benefit of businesses outsourcing to an agency like yours is: it eliminates the need for businesses to maintain an in-house team of developers and the cost associated with training their own indoor team.Â
Clearly, outsourcing to agencies like yours pays but what are the best approaches to outsourcing respectively?Â
How can you outsource your agency respectively and avoid those misconceptions? We’ve thought of some of our own below, but we really want to hear from you.
Work with someone you know, and get referrals. It's all about creating valuable relationships despite peoples’ preconceived notions and good referrals from “someone who knows someone” is the best way to do it. It’s a butterfly effect you don’t want to lose
Have technical answers and a FAQ: This one doesn’t just apply to outsourced agencies but often the same questions pop up time over time again when in the “lead stage.” Use something like Zendesk or BeSnappy and have it up during client meetings. Not having the “right” answer to those questions can give your outsourced or offshore agency a bad name. And remember when we just talked about referrals? There’s a butterfly of bad recommendations there.
Have a clear contract: Be clear what you are responsible for and what your client is responsible for. Make sure everything between you and your client is agreed and written down from the start. If an unexpected invoice hits your desk, they can easily turn an otherwise cordial relationship into a bad one.  Sometimes people expect more than you're actually suppose to be giving. If you are charging a client on an hourly rate, ensure that you provide transparency and “time sheets” to show the number of hours they have worked for your agency. If you allocated 20 hours per month, how you splitting the time with your designers and developers? And more importantly, show your clients that you are actually working 20 hours on your business.
Don’t overpromise: The worst thing we’ve seen outsourced agencies do is OVERPROMISE! Don’t do that, later on it will haunt you if you can’t deliver, and your client will wonder where all of these promises went? It’s not worth overpromising to get that lead into a sale.
Play nice. Quality support is important. Don't get a bad rep or put on a negative image that a client can hurt you for the long run. Be specific, and friendly. You want to build a sound relationship from the beginning. Avoid sounding intimidating.Â
 How do you keep your own outsourced agency look respectable to clients? How do you avoid the haunting stigma it can bring (especially if offshore)?
I’d love to hear from you!
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We all know that online networking is an essential tool for creating brand awareness and in essence landing new clients. In fact, research tells that:
Companies that blog have 97% more inbound links.Â
Agencies that automate online lead management see a 10% or greater increase in revenue in 6-9 months
Lead nurturing emails get 4-10 times the response rate compared to standalone email blasts
The potential of winning online clients is huge, but how exactly are you (a web agency online marketer or agency owner who runs marketing) supposed to convert random internet users into actual clients? Let us explore 6 tricks you can use to land new clients from online networking.
1. Twitter & LinkedIn NOT Facebook
Implementing a digital strategy is hard work and takes more time than you can even imagine. Most agencies get fed up for it “not working,” but digital takes the patience of a Buddhist monk. I only recommend this if you have an in-house marketer doing the execution because doing this on your own is just too many hours logged. You can, instead, use your personal social media accounts with the same sort of strategy.
So..
If you have a marketing team, develop those business pages on social, but actually do it right. This is an area we have noticed most web agency marketers are making mistakes: A huge number of business pages are generally poorly designed brochure sites…Stop that! Engage, ask questions, mention companies who are likely to share, and post things your clients actually want to see, read, or use, with a digital strategy ALWAYS comes a content marketing strategy (think Slideshares with awesome content and SEO). Produce great things, and nurture your prospective leads with great things. The two top social accounts for agencies is, Twitter and LinkedIn, the organic-ness of these two tools is w
Why not Facebook?
With the recent changes in Facebook’s algorithm, web agencies without a budget will certainly not gain a lot from it – at least not like it was in the past. The new trick is to use Facebook pay per click to target individuals in particular niches and industries. Please note the date of this article because the Facebook algorithm always changes. Always. As of right now, organic posts are nearly impossible to get in your clients eyes. Ads for the most part in my experience still work and still have great target marketing target CEOs, CTOs, Product Managers, and application driven people.
I think the tweet below nicely explains it:Â
Engagement on 11 Million Fans Vs 50,000 Followers, same post, same time. - Facebook Organic Reach is 100% Dead. pic.twitter.com/PE1RUns1A5
— RHYS HILLMAN (@rhyshillman)
June 25, 2014
2. Online Networking
Friend, follow, or connect with online individuals with profiles that match your current customers. How do you do this? Simply flip through LinkedIn groups, Facebook groups and tech Reddit forums. This is where your personal social media accounts work best. Alternatively, utilize tools such as Socialmention.com or Followerwonk.com to find the right audience and individuals who are talking about your brand or related keywords. Be nice and shoot them a RT, comment on their post, answer their question or share something with them. By contributing in their conversations, you add value to their network and establish a relationship with them. Then, it becomes natural for you to follow them and for them to follow you back.Â
After connecting with potential clients on social media, do not directly bombard them with sales pitches. There are times to be aggressive in life, this is not one of them. Instead, go through their profile, understand them and identify their needs. Sometimes it even pays to plan and approach a potential lead in private. For instance, a pre-scheduled call is a great tool, but also a private e-mail or message where you reference the need of that client that you identified through your interaction (on social media), and how you web agency can remedy the gap is a nice step. This way you do not feel like a hard-selling salesperson but rather an online friend with a specific solution.
3. Get listed on Portfolio/Freelance Sites: Odesk, Behance, Dribbble, Folyo, etc
If you have some time on your hands, make use of it and put some listings up. Even if you’re “technically” not a freelancer, this still gets your name out there. The best thing about this is you can easily set up a referral system by getting profile reviews, increase your SEO by being present on different mediums with more of your keywords, and well, you’re basically targeting your EXACT market: People looking for web/mobile development services and/or design.
Here’s a few links you’ll want to be present on.
Odesk
eLance
Dribbble
Peopleperhour
Folyo
Behance
4. Build Strategic AlliancesÂ
Let’s be honest, in most cases referrals are your BEST bet. In fact I bet most of your clients came from a referral, right?
Establish strategic alliances with peers in your industry. Search for web agencies that serve in your target market, but do not offer the same services you provide. After connecting with them, build a relationship to generate referrals for each of you. Offer referral discounts internally. The 3rd party credibility associated with such referrals will greatly reduce the sales cycle not to mentions win you more referrals.Â
5. Spy.. but really, do it.
TowerData is just one of the leaders in the emerging discipline of social anthropology. You give them a list of email addresses, and they tell you who among your prospects are on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other niche networks. What they do on those networks, what their likes are and other vital details. With this, you are then able to target and market to them appropriately.
Some other spy tools to use?
Rapportive Chrome extention
Falcon
6. Use Cold Emailing Techniques
Using cold emails to search for clients online looks attractive, but it’s also SUPER tricky to master. You do not want to annoy people… but you also don’t want to loose your agency as top of mind. The good news? There is a clear difference between cold emailing and spamming; observe the following rules if at all you wish to use cold emails to land clients from online networking;• Research to ensure your cold emails are personalized
Use your client names in the subject lines where appropriate
Make the subject line as specific as possible. The more definite it is, the higher the open rate
Always deliver in your email body, what you promised in the subject line.Â
We suggest you use the following two resources to learn more on how to do correct email outbound lead generation:
Damian Thompson (LinchPin)
Kelly Azevedo (She’s Got Systems)
What online networking techniques do you use to get more clients? Are we missing any portfolios you should be present on? Tweet at us or shoot me an email at [email protected]!
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Managing Your Web Agency's Finances: Things to Avoid & Tricks to Adopt
Running a successful web agency takes more than good ideas and a creative, driven team. Unlike finance directors and CFOS in the old business models who only need to maintain a cash flow budget, know sensitivitie, manage the credit they are extending to their debtors, keep their payables up to date, reduce expenses and perform such other basic financial management tasks, you, a finance manager or director in a digital agency, needs to stay at the top of your game.
If you think this is a hype, look at the following statistic from a report by Anton Roelofse, the general manager of Business Partner Ltd; “34% of business failures are a direct result of poor financial management and 12% of the failures are because of poor record keeping,” On the contrary, the report tells that only 12% of these failures can be attributed to poor economic and political conditions. From these statistics, we can attribute more than 50 percent of business failures to poor financial management. If ever there was a powerful and succinct reason for you to focus on your agency finances management, this is it. Luckily for you, we have some financial management tips through which you can better manage your web agency's finances.
Managing that CC correctly:
Don’t Co-mingle: This sounds pretty obvious, but it happens quite often. Never mix your web agencies finances and transaction with your personal financial affairs. It punishes your agencies credibility in the eyes of creditors; it can cause nightmares when filing your tax return and it never helps with money management. In simple terms, do not go out for lunch with your agencies dime’s, or foot your personal bills with your agency finances. It is a wise way to avoid getting into trouble with tax authorities.Â
The solution? Have 2 credit cards: Have Two credit cards - one for recurring expenses, and one for daily expenses and emergencies. In any event, your digital agency should have a budget that ensures you have a handle on its expenses. Knowing your cash inflow and outflows will aid you avoid overextending your agency.
Limit the number of people with credit cards: Seasoned finance directors will tell you that we tend to spend more whenever we have money in our pockets. As such, limiting the number of individuals with credit cards in your firm comes in handy in lowering your agencies expenditure.
But do not cut on marketing: During times of financial crises in digital agencies, most finance directors tend to cut on marketing first. This is because its’ results tend to be less immediate compared to let’s say, production. It, therefore, looks like the agency can do without it for some time – this is a disastrous pitfall. By all means, during tough times your focus should be on marketing: Simply stop spending on wasteful marketing campaigns, but make your focus on marketing sharper. Ideally, issue your marketing staff with credit card with a limit on daily expenditure. This stimulates them to better manage your web agency finances. You should also have a credit card policy, and ensure everyone has a printed copy, and he signs it to indicate his willingness to comply with the terms laid out.
Monitor your business credit cards: Use a credit card monitoring services, such as Equivax, Identity Guard, Experian, etc to monitor your credit cards. You can also monitor them yourself. This helps you ensure that no one is using your digital agency credit cards fraudulently. Further, make sure to open your credit card reports as soon as they arrive in your mail.
Prepare for the fasting:
Are you feasting or fasting this month? In a weak economy, it’s very tempting for digital agencies to overspend. This is because the niche they are operating in is very dynamic. For example, one can safely argue that by trying to expand your agency during a financial crisis, you will have underestimated the cost and operational difficult that results. As a rule of thumb, keep the expenditure of your agency below its income. And avoid expanding during times of economic crises. Bear in mind that most of the opportunities that arise are mainly because some of your competitors have found it infeasible to operate in those markets. If you want to venture into them, ensure you have a solid financial strategy in place.Â
A good way to prepare to take such risky opportunities is fasting; during times of boom, save some funds. The savings also come in handy during times of tightened cash flow, such as when a creditor fails to pay in time. They ensure you remain liquid and that you're still paying your web agency bills in time. Thus, avoiding penalties while at the same time improving your firm’s credit score. This will payoff when your agency decides to seeks debt finances – you will obtain lower interest rates.
Further, look for extra opportunities to save your agency finances. For instance, your finances go towards either variable or fixed costs. By nature, fixed costs are like body fat’ you agency has to bear them whether there is money or not. But you can still manage them. For instance, try Skype meetings or using other communication tools, instead of travelling long distances for meetings. Find out whether there is quality open source software you can use, before buying proprietary software. You can also try bartering for much needed services with professionals with whom you have long working relationships. For instance, offer your accountant free marketing materials in return for a free tax return. The bottom line, make your web agencies expenditure lean, without hurting customers satisfaction.
Automate your financial management
A great way you can ease web agency financial management is to automate most of the tasks. For instance, set up electronic bill payment for everything; electricity, gas, cable, internet, etc. It will take some time, but it will help you eliminate future late fees. A wise way to achieve this is to give your credit or debit card company a list of bills that you want to pay each month, and authorize them to be paying them as they fall due. You can also instruct them to alert you whenever a certain expense goes beyond a certain level (the principle of management by exception). Doing this enables you to win rewards on repeated purchases, and eliminates the possibility of an overdraft in your bank account. Just ensure you monthly bills are not anywhere close to your credit card limit. Otherwise, if they exceed the limit, interest will be charged and possibly overrule all the gains.
Be careful, don’t substitute your oversight with automation. You will still need to check the bills for erroneous payments, expenses that have been flagged as outrageous’ and the reason they are so, etc. The earlier you discover an error in your agency finances, the faster you can get it fixed. At least once in a month, reconcile your bills with your credit card statement.
Talk to a finance expert. It’s easy for your digital agency to cut corners when it’s new, but getting the help of a financial expert goes a long way in making sure you are in full compliance with tax regulations. It also helps you avoid tax mistakes such as paying too much taxes or paying less which normally results to penalties. A consultation with an expert need not cost you a lot. In fact, most tax franchises will offer you the first consultation for free.
Finally, if you have not yet taken your web agency finances from desktop software to cloud accounting, it’s now the best time to make the switch. Even if you don’t “get” the cloud, it can save your data’s life. Cloud accounting gives you real-time insights into your finances that you access from anywhere at any time. It can offer a huge efficiency boost to small web agencies. It allows you the capability to dig into your agency finances at any time, and from anywhere, even from home.Â
What months does your web agency fast or feast? Which season do you peak at?
I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me an email at [email protected].
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5 Ways to Automate Your Agency & Save Hours Each Day
If you are an agency owner, life starts at 7:00 am when you sit down with that first cup of coffee, hoping to get work done and attend meetings on strategic planning, ideas on that next huge project, conduct detailed reviews of your staffing needs, and more. This is the type of long-term thinking that really helps businesses thrill in a competitive market. However, the moment you get to the office, you are hit with urgent calls from clients, staff issues, last minute meetings, checks, stacks of documents and other paper work that all needs your attention. Suddenly, its 7:00 p.m., and all you have done the whole day is fire fighting. You never get started on the big ideas and even if you do, you don’t get all the time you need. The good news, you can make tomorrow different. By following these 5 ways to systematize and automate your business, you can easily cut hours from your day and focus on the work that matters.Â
1. Create a marketing system by...
Anticipating your future needs. In an agency, EVERYTHING sounds like a priority and often times you’re throwing out marketing efforts as they come your way rather than sitting down to create a monthly or quarterly plan. You just don’t have time to execute everything right now and that’s okay. You don’t have to. But at least take a few hours a month to map out a plan.
This can be a break through in marketing automation. For instance, with an estimate of the customer and prospects you expect in your CRM database in 6 months, you will be able to outsource newsletters in sufficient numbers, so that whenever you need send them, you will only have to click the button and send. Knowing where you will be in six or one year is critical in marketing automation. You can use software such as Salesforce or Infusionsoft to help you forecast your leads.Â
Getting content rich: Automation only works if you have valuable information to give your clients. You get paid if you have high-quality content on your blog explaining your brand, pre-sales questions, and to inform your visitors on other aspects of your products and services. The good news? You can automate content creation by outsourcing from sites such as, iWriter, Demand Media Studio, Scripted, and more. The only work you have to do is figure out some topics for your audience, or one of your outsourced writers can do that for you. You don’t have time to write each week and you don’t have to. So when should you get a writer? Hire on a Friday, and then review and publish on a Tuesday (because as we know those are the days people read blogs the most.)
Automating social media posts: If you have been spending a lot of time on social media trying to build and maintain relationships, consider using bufferapp. It allows you to quickly upload blog posts, articles, tweet/update your Twitter account, Facebook pages, Linkedln, and other social media profiles at any time of day. When should you buffer? Once each week coordinate with the blog schedule and then buffer that evergreen content each day. You won’t need to worry about posting on social ever again although we do recommend you get notifications so you can keep engagement and a conversation rolling. Also buffering events as soon as they come can be super helpful. Do a tweet the day before an event, the day of, and a follow-up the day after!
Automate sales campaign emailing: You can save time by using MailChimp to design and send emails on all your online marketing campaigns. Best thing is now MailChimp let’s you automate it. Send a followup email to a lead a week later. Upsell your service 3 months after a client purchases. You don’t need to remember when to do it, but you do need to set up 2-3 days to plan out all your email automation campaigns. You might even want to hire a consultant like She’s Got Systems to set it up for you.
2. Managing your daily tasks (business and personal)
Increased productivity is usually the primary reason that fuels most digital agencies  towards automating tasks. It can also reduce human error thus leading to overall quality improvement, reducing the cost of human labor and save time. Luckily, there are numerous online tools, apps and services you can use to unload your brain, and create more time to invest in aspects of your business that touches directly on profitability.
Want to know a secret? All these “list/to-do apps” pretty much do the same thing! It is important, however, that you make a personal and business ongoing list. Then you can write down the ones for each day from your app and start crossing off. What are our two favorites?
Wunderlist. This app makes it easy to manage all your team’s projects from one central communication point. It’s also free, so that’s a plus.
Clear. This one I personally recommend. If you’re looking for something super simple and classic this is for you. It also integrates with your iCloud. So you can have it on mobile & desktop and everything is synced up!
Additional task automation apps you should take a look at are:
Any.DO
AnyList
Pocket Lists
3. Yes, you can even automate your customer acquisition.
If you had to pick one thing that really matters in your digital firm, it would be clients. Enough said. And everything you do, revolves around making them happy. Luckily, you no longer have to spend hours managing clients acquisitions. For example, if you take your time to sit down and map out all the communication channeled between you and your clients, you can then easily figure out communication points that recur and automate them. For instance, upon registering with your agency and team, you always need to send a welcome email to the client. You can automate this mail using MailChimp. Or if you have larger lists, integrate API’s and set up Zapiers (one of my favorite tools) for form opt-ins.
 You should also have a well designed and informative FAQ section that you can send on the fly – it automatically gives new customers the answer they need, and hence, they will not have to call you. You can also post a BeSnappy on your site so you can eliminate the time spent answering the same questions. Other apps you should use to help you automate customer acquisition include:
SproutSocial - Given that more than 53% of clients who ask about your brand on Twitter expect an answer within an hour or less, and that 38% of these potential clients will react negatively towards your brand if they don’t get feedback within that time, it’s good to invest in a social media management tools such as Sprout Social. We use this one less for the analytics and more for the message like inbox features to keep in touch easier.
Kissmetrics - Helps you understand what customers are doing once on your website. If you know what people are doing on your website you can better cater to them, right?
Unbounce - A non-developer/non-designer’s dream. Make amazing landing pages for your whitepapers or marketing campaigns, and automate form entries. Although if you’re a digital agency you might already have people who can do this for you. But let them concentrate on their projects at hand.
4. Build that strong contact list organically!
A strong contact list is the basis of all successful marketing campaigns. It allows you to know exactly who to target and cater for, and therefore, save time and make more money..am I right? Otherwise, if you are selling a SEO app, what is the benefit of marketing to a nutritionist? Don’t buy scammy lists. Organically get one person at a time.
Figure out:
Who you want to influence?
Where do they hang out? Target ads based on those mediums to a landing page with email opt-in. Boom more people want to read your content!
How are you going to follow-up? Call or email?
When are you going to follow-up? Are they a part of your email newsletter? Should they be?
Ultimately the best ways to do this are to join online communities within your audience or meet up in person. Ask them to meet for coffee next week.
5. Automate those finances.
Financial information is used for a wide range of crucial purposes such as evaluating performance, decision-making, and budgeting. The good thing, it’s possible to save time and reduce cost by automating the whole process from sending a catalogue to preparation of the financial statements. To achieve this...
Use invoice generator services – good examples are Invoice generator and invoice machine.
You can also use accounting software such as Quickbooks, FreshBooks, InDinero and Mint to automate your accounting cycle.
To automate financial proposal preparation, uses services such as Bidsketch.
• And for financial and sales forecasting, use services such as Zoho CRM, PlanGuru and Intuit QuickBooks.
As a golden rule, try to gain the most from agency automation, dedicate 20% of you budget on tools and 80% on the people who analyze them. Do not simply rely on the tools without clearly understanding why you need them nor buying them and having the right people using them correctly.
Are you ready to automate your agency?
How do you currently automate your agency and what tools do you use? We’d love to hear them so we can add onto this blog and help more people like you to systematize their daily routines. Send an email to [email protected]!
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3 Intense Workflow Management Tips for Digital Agencies
A fine tuned workflow is an essential blueprint to map out team members’ daily tasks and remove redundancies in digital operations. It moves your agency’s operational practices from simple to complex tasks. As such, the more you can effectively streamline your workflow as a project manager, designer, or developer, the more you can increase productivity for yourself and your digital agency. Here are 3 intense workflow time management tips to help you manage app development operations.
1. Map Out & Uncover Gaps.
How many times have you talked about “team collaboration”? Best guess is probably a ton. You worship the term and are often times praising it at the end of the project for its’ success. But I challenge you, how many actual times have you seen it practiced in your agency DURING a project? More often than not, you have collaboration issues and accepting this is hard. What can you do to make it better?
When you want to simplify app development, it is always helpful to sketch a flowchart illustrating all the key activities and tasks it requires. Mapping out all the processes helps you account for all steps, uncover gaps, highlight dependencies, identify and eliminate redundancies, and flag tasks in which improvements are needed. Often, app development workflow will cross-departmental boundaries necessitating collaboration with several departmental heads. So how do you enhance collaboration in such cases?
• Add “swim lanes” to your flowchart to show which activities in the process are being handled by different personnel, departments, or even suppliers marked as integral to the entire workflow. I don’t want to confuse you. This is different than using Kanban  or Trello boards for your project workflow. This is BEFORE you start using Kanban, and is more imperative to your operations. It allows you to know exactly who to contact about a particular task. It also allows the different personnel involved to know exactly what is required of them, and how their tasks fits in the overall work process. Hence, better collaboration.
• Consider E-signing or Instant Invoicing. Work processes normally come to a halt when key documents need to be signed off. As such, it makes great sense to handle them in the fastest and most efficient way possible. E-signatures allow team leads to sign documents from wherever they are. Have an invoice that you need to send? Don’t make signing checks a part of your daily routine. Use our platform or free apps for simple invoices like Invoice Generator or Invoice Machine to send virtual payments. Teleconferencing is also a better option for holding status meetings over physical meetings. It makes collaboration easy and saves travel costs and time. We suggest you purchase the best videoconferencing solutions in the market such as GoToMeeting, Cisco Webex Mobile, Join.me, or UberConference.
• Collaborate in the Cloud. Handling work process documents in the cloud gives team leads and workers the opportunity to collaborate better with workmates and clients. It also gets rid of most of the waiting associated with old document workflows.
Well, the above tips will help you manage collaboration, but how do you manage clients in your digital project?
2. Invest in Deliverables With Your Client
In digital agencies, interacting with clients is the line between make or break your business. In simple terms, do well with one client, and he will come for repeated purchases and send more clients your way. Do poorly, and forget it. So, how do you effectively handle clients in app development?Â
• First, invest time to learn and understand your client. Each client is unique, and so are his or her needs. As such, investing time to learn how they tick is not an optional activity. Fly to their city, take them out for coffee, and literally do whatever you have to, to get ahead of them. Get them in a room, pay attention, and have a full-length conversation with them. If your agency project managers aren’t doing this, then you’re missing out on nurturing your relationship and upselling them to support plans 3 months down the road.
It is best to commence with a casual chat, as this will give you an understanding of what the brand is about – it voice, strategy, and all other details the client may have in the subconscious. Do not pop immediate questions like, “Can you tell me about your brand?” If you do it this way, you will probably only get the technical details.
• Agree on deliverables and delivery time. One of the most challenging tasks in digital agencies workflow management is timing communications with clients. As such, it is wise to be as specific as you can on what your firm will do on its own, what you will do in collaboration, and how you will get it done. The first step in this is an agreement on specific deliverables, with clear and realistic timelines and due dates. From there, you will be able to set the main objective, break it down to achievable targets while allowing room for adjustment.Â
You then need to sit with the client and agree on operating procedures in a clear contract. Agree on things like: How fast the clients can expect you to respond to emails? What extras or remedy can you offer if they are not happy with the initial work? How often you will be communicating and more. Clients need couching not only on the technical details of the app, but also on working with you. So, make it clear, have it in writing, and stick to what you say.
• Only Say Yes When You Can Deliver. Never tell a client yes when you feel something is unmanageable. You need to be transparent and say no when something is outside your remit. Otherwise, you will raise their expectations and at the end of it all disappoint them. After this, they will never see the good in your work; even if it’s exquisite.
However, this does not mean you should completely cut off workaround in workflow management. If anything, doings so is the greatest sin digital agencies can ever do. Responding to an urgent request by a client improves his trust in you, but it also comes with its own inefficiencies through miscommunication, redundancies, reworks and clean-up after delivery. The secret is to weigh the cost vs the benefit and whenever you cannot deliver, wisely manage the client’s expectations. You can even offer to help them find someone who can do it for them.
3. Make the Most out of App Prototypes. Physical products from as simple as toothbrushes to as complex as performance cars benefit a lot from prototype development. Prototype apps materially lower the risk on a project and give better result and it is no different in software development.
As interface designers, you are often required to demonstrate the look and feel of the interface you design. Most often, you commence with a series of flat images, but even if these are pixel excellent and show even the most amazing details, they lack the context of user experience. Without which, it becomes very hard for your clients to understand the flow of the app in the way you have planned it. The best way to introduce context is by adding interactivity. This allows the client to play around with the app to get a grasp a feeling of how the app will work and to test the experience. Prototyping is a huge workflow and time management tip in digital agencies. Here are the benefits you will reap from using Apps prototype;
• You will be able to identify important design factors right from the initial stages of the project
• Because the mock-ups are visual, clients will easily understand what you are talking about, agreements will be reached sooner, and expensive misunderstanding will be avoided.
• With a defined user specification to follow your developers and interface designers will spend less time thinking about layout. They can focus on getting it done without fears of having to overhaul everything and change to something else.
If you are a designer or creative, invisionapp.com is one of our recommended platform. It allows you to transform you designs quickly into a beautiful, fully interactive prototypes loaded with gestures, animations and transitions for the web, android and iOS. Just one of the many recommendations.
How does your digital agency manage their workflow? We’d love to hear any tips or tricks that you use to make your agency more efficient. Enter in your email below to stay up to date on the Dashable blog.
Link to download here:Â https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dashable/id669216360
What can you expect from it? A newer look and feel with flat design. Expect a clean layout and easy accessibility. Track your time, give your client transparency, and manage your projects on the fly. Don’t forget to download Dashable on either your Android or iOS device if you don’t have it already!
Check out our Dashable website to learn more, or ping us if you have any questions on how our product can help you.
Note: You must already be registered on the Dashable web app to use the mobile apps.Â
I found a blog yesterday regarding a programmer that was having trouble marketing his newly launched product. Here was his reflection. I wanted to reply to Basil because other programmers have had the trouble of launching a product and hoped it would market itself.Â
Dear Basil,
You said in your Reflection,
"Marketing is hard. So crushingly hard. Also I was incredibly naive in thinking that the product was so good that the marketing would just snowball itself into action."
Realizing this sooner than later is for the better. After all, from your blog you mentioned you have been doing marketing tests for only 8 days. Yes, marketing is really hard, but it also takes time and unless you have a Marketing department it will be even harder. The previous things you have done are off to a really good start and I want to address them. But you want action now. Like I said good marketing takes time, but there are things you can do to get immediate conversions and signups for your product.Â
Get featured with press and blogs:
"Emailed a couple of blogs and review sites to see if they would review it. No response."
You mentioned that you tried to reach out to several different blogs to feature your product. They didn't get back to you. You need to know the right people or hire the right people to get you in contact with Press. Hire a Public Relations agency or a PR consultant to guide you in the right direction. You need brand awareness.Â
Go here:Â http://productivewebapps.com/blog/list-of-places-to-submit-and-promote-your-startup-or-site/ and enter in your Profile information to promote your site. Get deep. It will take about a day or 2 to fill out. Or you can pay $47 and submit your startup at www.submityourstartup.com This will create backlinks and increase your organic SEO.
Another option is affiliate marketing. There, you can pay people to write blog posts about you that are relevant to your niche product. Here are some examples of affiliate marketing programs for you to check out:Â http://voices.yahoo.com/best-affiliate-marketing-programs-beginners-3921884.html
Community management:
Your initial Tweet was off to a good start. But you know it takes more than that. If you're going to take a social media route (which I think you should to be present on most mediums,) you also have to be engaging.
Write 200 words about your product audience. Think demographics and psychographics. Who they are and what they like. Find people on LinkedIn that match the profile. Then find their Twitter accounts. (It sounds creepy, but it helps.) Then, start a blog with your product audience in mind.
Then, start a blog with your product audience in mind and think of key topics they would read. Make the blog good. If you don't have time to write, use www.hitlist.com and pay $20 for a blog post. Tweet out that blog and @mention people you found on LinkedIn above.
Engage in other social media presences to get more traffic to your website like Pinterest, Reddit, Instagram, and Stumble upon. Content is key, so make sure you have a list of blogs (in compliment to your product audience), PDFs, PPTs, or other interesting things to say on those mediums.
Online Advertising
"Next up: going to try adwords, find out more about SEO and keep pushing out updates to the app to fill out the feature requests existing users have."
SEM works and you don't have to spend buckets of money. Yes, you are right on with Google Adwords! But before you do that, use Google Keyword Planner and find out the 10-20 keywords that work best for your product URL. Find ones with low competition and high traffic. Then you can create your Google Adwords campaign and include some of the keywords in your ads.
Explore SEO Metrics tell you how you are doing. To keep track of the keyword rankings organically make a master keyword list and input it into www.moz.com. Moz takes the top search engines and tells you your SEO placement on each engine. Make sure when you write a blog post (See community management above) that you include these keywords in your tags. It also helps your SEO.Â
Facebook Advertising is also relevant here. You did not mention you had a Facebook account in your reflection, but you should. Facebook advertising drives a lot of traffic to your site and also creates engagement in your ads. Make sure you have a graphic designer friend, or just do something simple for the Display ads.
Once you've covered steps 1-3 for Online Advertising, you can start looking for other for other online advertising websites like www.buysellads.com to host display and banner ads. They can find where your target is most present and bring a lot of traffic to your site.Â
So Basil, I hope this helped. You are not alone on the lonely search for good marketing after launching a product. Many programmers have been there. Take care, and let us know how it goes :)
10 Insanely Easy Costumes for the Technology Geeks.
1. “iOS7 Gradient” or “Jonathan Ive”
Tie dye shirt? Make a gradient T-shirt! It might be a little harder to do, but if worse comes to worse, get it professionally printed, or just paint on the gradient by hand, then add a "7."
 2. “OS X Mavericks”
With this costume you have two options.
1. Die your hair as so, and Shave a big X in the back.Â
2. Wear all blue or green or paint yourself blue or green and put a huge white x on your tummy or back.
3. “Bringing IE back to life”
Go old school. Bring IE back to life and kick this costume off ½ zombie ½ IE.
4. “Candy Crush”
Either draw your favorite candies on 2 sides of a poster board or take this raunchier look below.Â
5. “Steve Jobs”
Running late to your costume party? Grab that black turtle neck and grab a pair of glasses. Go crazy and add a pair of New Balance shoes. That’s a super easy costume. It’s not too early to do this right? We love you Steve.
6. “Vine”
Wear a light green shirt or dress and wrap yourself in actual vines that are growing on the side of your house. Sound’s too good to be true, yeah?
7. “Google Glass”
Glue a USB to a pair of old glasses. It might just look the same. Kind of.
8. “Scrum”
Teach your fellow co-workers a lesson and literally just tape a paper of the methodology to a white t-shirt.Â
9. “Tinder”
That famous application that let’s you decide who’s “Hot” or “Not.” Put those famous “X and <3” buttons on a t-shirt. DONE.
10. “Zuckerberg”
Finally the easiest of them all. All you have is a printer. You’re naked. You have nothing to wear. What do you do? You print the Mark Zuckerberg Mask. Download it here.Â
