Blog

Changes

Dave Tufts — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:31:00 EDT

Friday is Will Bond's last day at iMarc.

Will started at iMarc as an intern over 7 years ago. After graduating from college he became a full-time Developer, then a Senior Developer, then our Technical Architect, and eventually iMarc's Director of Engineering. Through it all, Will has always been the guy who takes the time to understand what the real problem is, then figures out an elegant and innovative, yet pragmatic, solution.

We're going to miss Will. I've personally learned a ton from Will and have enjoyed watching him grow both professionally and personally. While it is sad to see him go, we all wish him the best.

But this isn't a sad story.

There's great news.

Jeff Turcotte has been promoted to Director of Engineering at iMarc. Jeff has been with iMarc since 2006 and brings so many positive qualities to the role of leading our engineering staff. Jeff is one of the most creative people I've ever worked with. Jeff has the unique ability of being able to visually communicate a user-focused solution while also planning the complex behind-the-scenes programming strategy to get it done.

So we wish you well Will. And we welcome Jeff as our Director of Engineering.

Crash Course in Wireframing

Marcel Moreau — Fri, 9 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

Last night, I gave a talk at the monthly North Shore Web Geeks meetup in Newburyport. The talk was titled Crash Course in Wireframing. About 20-25 people hung out in the Port Tavern’s upstairs room, enjoying cocktails and talking about the web. Are you close to Newburyport, MA? NSWG meets the third Thursday of every month. Come on down.

What We Talked About

The presentation revolved around what wireframes are, why they're useful, and tools used to create them.

What are Wireframes?

Wireframes are web site blueprints, void of design. They're usually black and white and convey all components on a web page, from copy to navigation to calls to action and so forth.

There are generally two types of wireframes used in the industry:

Lo-Fidelity Wireframes: These wireframes are quick-and-dirty. Rarely is real content used. Rather, lo-fidelity wireframes block out spaces in an interface. They are great for internal/external brainstorming.

Hi-Fidelity Wireframes: Ideally, hi-fidelity wireframes are deliverables that use as much real-word content as possible. An entire page is mocked up and important parts of the page should be annotated so if any stakeholder views this independent of a review meeting, the document should make sense to them.

Benefits of Wireframing

Efficiency: Wireframes can be turned around faster than full design comps.
Focus: Design can illicit a lot of emotion. Wireframes help clients objectively focus on a user interface.
Spark: Reviewing wireframes with clients can uncover more site requirements. Knowing these additonal requirements before design and development is very helpful.
Team Helper: Get other members on the team to work in parllel has clients approve templates.
Content: Clients can better understand earlier in the process where their content just won’t work. Maybe they have too much or too little.

The Presentation

Check out the presentation to see everything we covered.

Scrolling, clicking, and the fold

Dave Tufts — Wed, 7 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST

The Fold – we have many conversations about what content appearing "above the fold". Important and engaging content typically belongs towards the top of most pages. However...

Designing around the mythical fold can be counterproductive.

The term "above the fold" comes from newspapers, where the most compelling story appears on the top-half of the front page. The folded newspaper, displayed on a newsstand, hopefully piques the interest of passersby. This strategy rightfully assumes that the public is too lazy to pick up the paper without first seeing something that engages them. This concept works for selling newspapers, but shouldn't carry over to the top 600 pixels of a web homepage. On the web, we can't assume that users will first land on the homepage. Also – thanks to a scrollwheel or the flick of a finger – there is no effort involved in scrolling below the browser's initial viewport.

The entire page is above the fold

If anything, the next page – the page you haven't clicked to yet – is what's below the fold. What takes effort at the newsstand is picking up the paper and turning it over. On the web, it's clicking a link and waiting for a new page to load that takes effort. Scrolling takes almost no effort. Everyone can do it. (See ClickTale's 2007 Scrolling Research Report – Visibility and Scroll Reach)

Research shows that the vast majority of users do scroll but only click to 3 or 4 pages. On the web, it's better to think of "the fold" as any entire page that the user might land on first; and "below the fold" are other pages.

Cluttered design discourages scrolling

In The myth of the page fold: Evidence from User Testing, CX Partners found that page design has a signifant effect on whether the user actually chooses to scroll. One way to discourage scrolling is to cram everything at the top of the page worrying about the fold. Unfortunately, this practice also muddies the message and discourages overall conversion.

Instead of worrying about the fold, the smart designer will:

Include appropriate content that serves the purpose of the page;
Prioritize content with a logical plan;
Design pages to not discourage the natural practice of scrolling. "Less content above the fold may encourage more exploration below the fold" – CX Partner's Design Tips to Encourage Scrolling)

With such a variety of screen resolutions – phones, iPads, laptops, desktop displays – figuring out where the viewport ends is futile anyway. But, by cramming tons of content towards the top of a page, designers discourage scrolling and perpatuate the myth of the fold.

What other experts say

In 1994, usability guru Jakob Neilsen did argue against scrolling. That's almost 20 years ago. We don't live in that world anymore. Your website doesn't look like these anymore.

As far back as 1997, Jakob Neilsen revised his recommendation:

"In more recent studies, we have seen that most users scroll when they visit a long home page or a long navigation screen. This change in behavior is probably due to users getting more experience with scrolling Web pages."

– Jakob Neilsen, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9712a.html

By 2010, Mr. Neilsen was advocating for scrolling pages instead of forcing users to click:

"In fact, if you have a long article, it's better to present it as one scrolling canvas than to split it across multiple pageviews. Scrolling beats paging because it's easier for users to simply keep going down the page than it is to decide whether or not to click through for the next page of a fragmented article."

"People will look very far down a page if (a) the layout encourages scanning, and (b) the initially viewable information makes them believe that it will be worth their time to scroll."

– Jakob Neilsen, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/scrolling-attention.html

Paddy Donnelly has a beautifully designed essay about how successful pages can start with something engaging, build up interest as the user scrolls, and offer "the prize" at the bottom of the page. As opposed to starting with "the prize" and filling the rest of the page with waste.

"Don't live in the old world of pushing all your quality content on the visitor at once because they've only got 4 seconds before their attention drops (or whatever other statistic is doing the rounds at present).

Think about the ultimate journey you want them to take. Entice them in, make them actively want to scroll and read on, and on, and on. Guide them with your excellent content and let them explore your site. Tell a story with your content. Space it out a little and you will have some happy visitors who actually want to be there!"

– Paddy Donnelly, http://iampaddy.com/lifebelow600/

Jared Spool's company User Interface Engineering studied the pros and cons of longer pages that require scrolling vs shorter pages that require clicking.

"In the trade-off between hiding content below the fold or spreading it across several pages, users have greater success when the content is on a single page."

"Users may tell us they hate scrolling, but their actions show something else. Most users readily scrolled through pages, usually without comment."

"One criticism of long web pages is that they hide some information, forcing users to scroll. Short pages may avoid this potential problem by showing more (or all) of an individual page, but the information is still hidden — on other pages. Users must still click repeatedly to get to the desired information."

– Jared Spool, As The Page Scrolls (Jul 1997), http://www.uie.com/articles/page_scrolling/

UX Movement's Why Scrolling is the New Click (Jan 2012) talks about how it's often better to have a longer page that scrolls over splitting content into multiple pages.

"There are advantages and disadvantages to both scrolling and clicking. However, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for scrolling. Scrolling is faster for users than clicking. With mouse wheels and touchpad swipes, users can scroll through content with a flick of a finger. Compared that with clicking, where users have to find the link, read it, target it, click it and wait for the page to load.

Users get content in the order that it’s designed on the page with a glimpse of everything. With clicking, users can skip a link and go to the next one without ever visiting the pages they skipped.

Scrolling keeps users in their reading flow. They scroll to continue reading until they read the end of the page. Clicking breaks the user’s reading flow because after they’re through with a page, they have to stop and click the link to the next one. Users also don’t have to wait for a new page to load, which can further break reading flow. All they have to do is scroll to the next section."

– UX Movement, http://uxmovement.com/navigation/why-scrolling-is-the-new-click/

Conversion Rate concludes that when user's don't scroll it's not because they don't want to, it's because of the design.

"In split tests, long pages often beat shorter pages. But for a long page to be effective, the reader must be aware that it’s long. If the user doesn’t scroll—either because they don’t want to or because they aren’t aware that the page is long—then all of your hard work has gone to waste."

"Long pages are effective, but only if your users know that they can scroll, and are given compelling reasons to do so."

– Conversion Rate Experts, http://www.conversion-rate-experts.com/scrolling-tips/

From Kara McCain: Can we all stop arguing about "the fold" now?

Conclusions

Users will scroll, unless the design is not crammed with content above the 600 pixel line.
It's better to have a longer page about a single topic, than spliting it into multiple pages that require the user to click.
Prioritize your content and give users a compelling reason to stay engaged. This holds true wether you're goal is for the user to scroll or click a button.
When debating a long page that scrolls versus splitting content into smaller pages that require clicking, scrolling is the path of least resistance to keep your users engaged.

☺ – "I'm about 3,600 pixels down from the top of this page. If you're reading this, you probably scrolled"

Novelty fatigue

Robert Mohns — Tue, 6 Mar 2012 14:02:00 EST

Instant message exchange just now:

Jared: Have you ever checked out: http://wearehunted.com/a/#/remix/:
pretty good mix of new electronic
Robert: i want to be interested but i'm burned out on all the music streaming websites that have launched in the past year and not interested in trying any more.

Spotify, Grooveshark, MOG, Turntable, Rdio, Pandora, Rhapsody, Last.fm, DI.fm, Maestro, Jango, Slacker, Shoutcast, Blip.fm… Internet radio and music discovery has been done to death over the past decade, but especially in the past year.

Just as we don't need yet another social network – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the Google+ wasteland are plenty, thanks – I definitely don't need another music service. It takes time and energy to learn, without the promise of anything new. And I'm tired of it.

All those services trying to get us to try them? Noise. And listening to noise is fatiguing.

If something truly worthwhile comes along, that signal is going to have a hard time getting through that noise.

William Strunk didn't go far enough

Robert Mohns — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:30:00 EST

In 1918, William Strunk wrote in The Elements of Style “a sentence should contain no unnecessary words.”

A century later, it's still true:

Cutting word count in half doubles comprehension
Mobile content is 2x harder to read than desktop
Desktop reading is 20–25% slower than paper
Users read only the first 2 words of a paragraph as they scan down a page

Strunk didn't go far enough. Don't just “omit needless words”. Cut everything. Then do it again. Readers will appreciate it.

Website Resolutions

Katie Mack — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:32:00 EST

Now that 2012 is well underway, I imagine some of your personal New Year’s resolutions to tame the bulge, fit in fitness, or spend less money have taken a substantial hit. A fact of life is that some resolutions are much easier to commit to than actually undertake.

Is a site redesign among your company’s New Year’s resolutions? Like so many other resolutions, identifying the much-needed overhaul to your site is easier to do than figuring out how to implement. Many companies begin with the Request for Proposal (RFP) process. From our experience, a well-crafted RFP helps you start strong and stay on course.

iMarc’s president Nils Menten shared his outline of How To Develop an Effective Web Development RFP in a blog post from 2009, and his guidance still applies today. I encourage you to read the full blog post here. Recommendations include the need to:

Define the goals of your project;
Identify the target audiences;
Define brand guidelines;
Explore technical details;
Ask for references.

In this post, I offer some additional considerations for Nils’ list that address the big changes we’ve seen in the digital marketing landscape in just a few short years:

Define Mobile Strategy

A site redesign is the perfect opportunity to explore your company’s mobile presence. Worldwide sales of mobile devices is exponentially increasing, so now is the time to seriously consider how to position your new site on mobile platforms. As part of every website we build, iMarc develops the site to be accessible from a mobile device, but we always love the opportunity to take it one step further and use responsive design techniques to optimize the site’s style and behavior for handheld devices or create a stand-alone site purely for mobile use.

Discuss Content Sharing

Companies across all sectors have embraced social media as a tool to get their messages out – and integrate social media with their websites to facilitate content sharing. If you haven’t done so already, use the RFP process to explore investing in social media. Think about what features you would like to see incorporated on your new site – such as a Facebook “Like” button to allow users to easily share content on their Facebook profiles.

Explore Video

In 2009, Nils addressed the need to discuss photography, illustrations, and graphics in your RFP. Fast-forward to present day, and it’s now crucial to include video in the same breath. Video is becoming a prevalent source of information and a key component of the purchasing decision. According to a recent study of today’s senior business executives by Forbes Insights, 83% are watching more online video today than they were a year earlier.

Whatever your approach, don’t let the resolution to redesign your site be derailed. It’s vital to ensure that your website and related web applications continue to meet your needs in the years to come.

Changing Tradition (for the better)

Nick Grant — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:09:00 EST

For the past 8-9 years at iMarc the employees get together in late December for their annual Secret Santa exchange. Each employee is randomly assigned another employee to buy a gift for through our web based Secret Santa generator (we seriously have this). Once assigned it's up to you to purchase something for less than $30 that you think would really resonate with that person's character. In the past I've received a Whip, a multi-tool and an inflatable Moose Head. I'm not sure what that says about me, but I've put them all to good use.

This year we decided to make a last minute change, instead of getting gifts for each other we thought it would be better to buy toys to donate. Don't get me wrong, I love a good laugh and a Camo Snuggie just as much as the next person, but I think we all came to the realization that this money could be better spent. So yesterday afternoon all of the employees got together for the standard Wine, Beer and food - and each of them brought a toy for charity.

This year all of the toys were donated to the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center here in Newburyport and the majority of the toys were purchased from our local Toy Store here in town, a big win win in my book.

Nice work staff and Happy Holidays!

Three of Our Clients are Leading the Charge!

Katie Desmond — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:56:00 EST

As a woman in business who works in an industry that is predominantly male, it’s always great to see other women being recognized for their success. Successful business women provide inspiration, mentorship, and guidance to their peers and colleagues. It’s hard to believe that even now, women in management roles are still a minority in the workplace. According to the Boston Business Journal (BBJ) "Nationwide, only 3 percent of top positions in organizations are filled by women, although 50 percent of professional and managerial positions are held by women," That is why I was thrilled to see that 3 of our clients were just named to the Boston Business Journal’s Top 100 Women-Led Businesses!

Congratulations to Lauren Hefferon of Ciclismo Classico, Gail Goodman of Constant Contact, and Phyllis Papani Godwin of Granite City Electric! Continue the great work that you are doing and inspiring more women to become business leaders!

Content, Content, Content

Katie Desmond — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:25:59 EST

At iMarc we are constantly challenging ourselves to improve our process and deliver ever-better results for our clients. If you work in the interactive space, you frankly have to, or you get run over. It’s one of the best parts about working in this industry. For us that means staying on top of the evolving landscape. refining and improving our craft, and exploring and guiding all of our clients towards best practices. We are particularly focused on content these days, because it won’t matter if we build fantastic tools or functionality into a website if the content is not well conceived, timed and executed. It is of course the content that drives visitorship and engagement online.

An excerpt from Marketing Sherpa that really caught our eye:

“...content [has] returned to the forefront of online marketing. While crafty SEO and better keywords brought people to your websites, unique, valuable. Content is what kept them there …and more importantly, brought them back. http://www.scribd.com/doc/47972572/MarketingSherpa-2011-Wisdom-Report

Last week we attended the Gilbane Conference in Boston, which was focused specifically on content management. Knowing how near and dear this topic is to our hearts, it was great to attend an entire conference centered around maintaining content. We enjoyed the conference and it provided a great opportunity for us to meet some new people, have some great conversations, and learn some stuff about the state of the art of content management (and give away an iPad 2). The bottom line is that everyone there was focused on content and how to best manage it It was great to hear that something that resonates so strongly with us is a key focus.

Some suggestions to help you re-center your thinking around effective content:

Consider creating, maintaining and updating your content to be the core activity of your website. Frequently updating content will improve your SEO, engage users, and help you stay top of mind to your potential and current audience or customers.
Extend the reach and effectiveness of your content by incorporating social media as part of your communications plan –for more tips and ideas check out a website we recently launched with our customer Constant Contact: Constant Contact’s Social Media Quickstarter.
Make certain that your content is written and optimized for the specific medium, be that your website, your Facebook or LinkedIn page, or on Twitter or in an email.

Wanna talk more about content? We love the stuff. Comment below or drop us a line, anytime.

Party Favors

Robert Mohns — Fri, 9 Dec 2011 12:07:00 EST

I've been assured that our holiday party last night made a well known mobile platform developer's holiday party look "really, really lame". Apparently that guest was having a good time. The MAD MEN theme, combined with wine, beer, and Rock Band, seemed to generate a crowd.

Being web geeks, we have some digital party favors for you…

WEB MEN Soundboard — featuring the talents of every single iMarcian
Wallpapers for your PC, Mac and iPad:

Update: Photos!

Photos by Marcel:

I LOLed

Nils Menten — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:16:21 EST

My gang, they crack me up. Nick made the call to spring everyone early today, and so in theory we are closed right now and everyone is long gone. So I just went for a stroll and of course NOT ONE of them has departed. Liberal application of the verbal cattle prod got them moving, but that is indeed what it took. Happy Thanksgiving, iMarcians and friends. Hope it s a great holiday for you all.

Giving Thanks

Katie Mack — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:30:00 EST

Thanksgiving is just days away, and it is a time of expressing gratitude for all the blessings bestowed throughout the year. At iMarc, we are thankful for receiving more accolades on our work from our peers in the Internet business and marketing community. We also just celebrated our 14th birthday as a thriving business, and are thrilled to have added more clients and iMarcians to the mix this year.

2011 Davey Awards Winners

iMarc is the proud recipient of three 2011 International Davey Silver Awards. The Davey Awards is an international creative award focused exclusively on honoring outstanding creative work from the best small firms worldwide. iMarc is recognized in the following categories:

Pharmaceutical – Cubist
Charitable Organization – EcoHealth Alliance
Mobile Websites: Guides/Ratings/Reviews – Petwatch Mobile

2011 MITX Awards Finalists

On Monday, December 5th, iMarc will be attending the 16th Annual MITX Interactive Awards as finalists for its Steamship Authority Mobile website and Constant Contact’s Social Media Quickstarter. Held annually by the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX), the Awards recognize excellence in the creation of web innovations designed, produced, or developed in New England. iMarc will be recognized with other finalists in the categories of Mobile and eLearning at the gala awards ceremony traditionally attended by over 1,000 of the region’s top interactive marketing and technology professionals.

Welcome Mark!

iMarc values the outstanding work of our talented team throughout the year. And we are thankful to have added another member to our team just recently – bringing the total count of new iMarcians to five in just this year alone! Mark Battle comes to iMarc with a wealth of experience in web design and video production. Welcome aboard Mark!

The Holidays Are Just Around the Corner

Marcel Moreau — Wed, 9 Nov 2011 16:09:00 EST

Update 12/5/2011: Here’s the final invite for the holiday party. It’s a double sided 8"x10" print,

Today was photo shoot day for the 2011 iMarc holiday party invitation. This year’s theme – I can’t tell you that yet. What I can tell you was that the gentlemen were in suits and ties and the ladies were in dresses. Being new to photography, I made sure to bring my camera to snap some behind-the-scenes photos of the process. The creative team set up shop in their room, calling in subjects one after the other. Everyone posed in front of a large backdrop and some even got to hold props.

The next steps are in creative’s hands – designing and editing in Photoshop. With 20+ employees, this year’s Photoshop file will likely push beyond 330mb (last year's file size). If you don’t receive an invitation but would like to see the card, we will make sure to throw it up here but keep an eye on our Facebook an Twitter accounts.

iMarc is a 2010 W3 Silver Award Winner!

Katie Desmond — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:52:00 EDT

iMarc is proud to announce that this year we have won two W3 Silver Awards for our work developing the Ecohealth Alliance website and our Petwatch mobile website. The W³ Awards honors creative excellence on the Web, and recognizes the creative and marketing professionals behind award winning Websites, Mobile Applications, Web Video, and Online Marketing programs.

We are excited about both of these awards and our ability to support our client, Ecohealth Alliance by developing such award-winning work. We are very proud of this achievement but most notably we are thrilled with the success of the Petwatch mobile application. This is our first mobile award and we look forward to many more as we expand this practice for more of our clients. But don’t just take it from us:

“Working with iMarc over the past few years has enabled me to tackle our organization's web strategies with greater ease and with targeted results. Both sites synergistically complement the EcoHealth Alliance brand umbrella and were created with a content management system that rivals any others I’ve worked on. Currently, iMarc is developing our first-ever consumer focused app related to our PetWatch program. The app will launch with an edu-tainment aspect as well as providing valuable conservation guidelines for exotic pets in a fun informative way. Overall, the iMarc team has helped the organization broaden its reach and garner better awareness of our mission. “ Anthony Ramos, Director of Marketing and Communications, Ecohealth Alliance

iMarc develops all of its websites to be mobile friendly but we love to take it to the next level and optimize a site using responsive design which we did for the Doris Duke Monument Foundation. By using responsive design we were able to develop just one site to support both the website and mobile! We also developed an exceptional mobile site for The Steamship Authority which helps users check ferry times, schedules, parking information, and ferry status.

We will let you know as soon as the Petwatch app launches! As you look ahead to 2012 planning and wonder how mobile fits into your marketing budget, don’t hesitate to contact iMarc’s award-winning team. We can help you plan and make the best investment in your mobile presence!

RIP Steve Jobs, and thanks

Nils Menten — Thu, 6 Oct 2011 09:10:00 EDT

It's not a stretch for me to say that the Apple Macintosh computer directly led me to starting this company with Israel Alvarez 14 years ago, and changed my life for the better. So the world seems a little diminished with the passing of Steve Jobs yesterday.

My great friend Toby was the catalyst, being one of those rare friends whose advice I can take without having to parse or otherwise filter it first. In 1989 Toby was working at Apple and had seen firsthand the potential of the Mac. Toby called me up at work one day and informed me that I had to buy an SE30, max it out with RAM, and get my boss to get a LaserWriter to go with it. He said I'd thank him later (I did). Toby being Toby, I said, "OK I will. Why?" And he said, "You're going to be able to do a lot of really cool things with it that are going to change the way you and your company work". $3,400 was a lot of money to spend as a 28 year-old, and I was further thwarted when my boss later reneged on his agreement to buy the LaserWriter. For his part, Toby grabbed the biggest box he could find and walked around the nearby cubicles, "shopping" amongst his peers' collections of unused demo software, still in dusty shrinkwrap. Adobe Photoshop Version 1.0, Quark XPress Version 1.0, Aldus FrameMaker, Aldus Freehand, Claris Works, etc. I started doing little things on it that increased my productivity, writing and storing correspondence, using the primitive draw programs to create crop marks and cutting guides for photo mural production, and setting my own type for projects, saving a lot of money and time. I carried floppy discs down to CopyCop for output on their laser printers, and we used it as camera ready art. It was a skunkworks operation in a company with a hardcore group that was totally against the intrusion to their traditional (slow and expensive) processes, but for reasons that are now obvious, it quickly took hold, and within a year, we had a burgeoning Desktop department, and more than half of our layout and typesetting work went through it. The writing was on the wall. It was all done with Macs.

Fast forward a year or two and I was now a manager of the company, developing the digital side, and I needed a technologist. Thinking along the lines of 'fish where the fish are', I advertised on a small but fast-growing online community I was spending a lot of time on, America Online. I did not advertise elsewhere for starters, thinking I'd try AOL first, as a filter to the population at-large. Within a day I got a very articulate and thoughtful note from a guy with fantastic qualifications. I brought him into meet my boss (Les Brewer, who was for the record the FIRST guy in the company to have a Mac on his desk), and Les agreed. This was Israel Alvarez, the eventual co-founder of iMarc.

I locked Israel into his office several times, telling him not to come out till he had figured out some seven-headed problem or challenge, and that's what he would then do. He setup a multi-modem BBS for us (using Macs) so clients could transmit jobs and information to us electronically. He developed the first version of our asset management application (using Macs). He then suggested that we should ditch the BBS platform for the asset management tool and serve it instead on a database driven web site. I said, "That sounds really cool! What's a web site?". Once he showed me I locked him back in his office with what was a frighteningly expensive array of computer hardware (all Macs) and software and a month or so later we had web servers and a database-driven web application. Bear in mind that this was in 1993. Kodak, Sprint and others beat a path to our door to see what he had wrought. It was awesome. Every bit of this was done on Apple Macintosh computers.

In 1997 Israel and I subsequently set out on our own to create a web shop. We scrounged and bartered and borrowed and refinanced our way to a foothold, incubated by a publishing company that we in turn educated on their use of computers and technology and the web, to partially pay our rent. A trio of Macs served our websites and others made up our workstations. We wouldn't have it any other way.

Fast forward 14 years and here we are. Most of the staff use the Mac on their desktops, most have iPhones, many have iPads, and I venture to say all but one (*coughCHRISTIANcough*) have at least one iPod. Our company sprung from the possibilities and potential that was created by the Mac, and our first innovative products and services were created taking advantage of the unique capabilities of the Mac. Today, our biggest strategic opportunity lay in mobile applications, a niche that did not exist 4 years ago. That opportunity was created by the iPhone, a direct descendent of the Mac. And today 24 people have jobs here as a direct result of all that.

The world seems diminished today by the loss of Steve Jobs. Steve, thanks for showing us all what might be possible if we freed our minds to consider something radically different, took a risk, and committed to doing it. You were "insanely great" and I'll miss you.

SEO for the User Experience

Katie Mack — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:27:00 EDT

A recent search marketing conference, that is being buzzed about on blogs around the world, has reignited dialogue here at iMarc on search engine optimization (SEO) best practices.

We firmly believe that the best way to optimize your site for search engines is to optimize it for people. It’s really that simple, we don't believe in tricks or gimmicks. People will stay longer on your site if they find content engaging and easy to navigate. You also want to encourage users to share your web content, which will naturally drive more traffic to your site from other sources.

Google has made great strides towards giving preference to sites that optimize for the user with original, relevant content that is easy to share. To that end, we recommend leveraging content on your site that:

Is easy to find without unnecessary clicking;
Has educational value and is easily consumed;
Invites contribution and sharing.

It may be time to clear out or rewrite some of your site’s pages. A good place to start is with your website statistics. What pages on your site have the highest bounce rate? Rewrite pages with a high bounce rate or incorprate strong calls to action to engage users, such as view a product demo.

SEO has always been, and will continue to be, a hot topic here at iMarc. Check out our previous posts for more tips and tools as you navigate SEO:

Google also offers a handy starter guide for improving your site’s performance in search; so check it out!

iMarc named to the 2011 Inc. 5000! Again!

Nils Menten — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:50:00 EDT

We are very excited to announce that for the third time in four years, iMarc was just recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the 5000 fastest-growing private businesses in the United States!

This is as always a reflection of our great team and the loyalty of our wonderful clients, many of whom have been with iMarc for 10 years or more. We're sneaking up on the 14th anniversary of our inception, and it feels great!

Here's our press release:

Newburyport, Mass., August 25, 2011 — iMarc, LLC is pleased to announce that it has once again been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the most entrepreneurial and fastest-growing private companies in America. Based in Newburyport, Massachusetts, iMarc is a leading provider of mobile and web application development services. This is iMarc’s third year appearing on the list.

“It is always an honor to be associated with this award and to be grouped with other fantastic companies across the country,” says iMarc Vice President and Director of Operations Nick Grant, “We are continually keeping our heads down and pedaling harder, so it is wonderful to hear that our work is paying off once again.”

iMarc is driven by a skilled team of 23, including designers, programmers, and business experts, and prides itself on its user-centric approach. The company has created hundreds of websites, web applications, and mobile applications and serves a wide range of clients, roughly 200 in total. Clients represent a variety of industries and include international companies such as Motorola and Starwood Hotels and local Massachusetts companies ConstantContact and The Steamship Authority.

Companies on the Inc. 5000 list are ranked according to the percentage of revenue growth from 2007 to 2010. Qualified companies must be privately held, for profit, and independent.

About iMarc

Founded in 1997, iMarc LLC, is a privately held integrated web development and interactive marketing firm located in historic downtown Newburyport, Massachusetts. iMarc combines brand-building creative power with leading software development to create powerful, engaging websites and mobile applications that build strong brands, improve relationships with customers and partners and get things done.

Contact:

iMarc
Kim Jackson
(978) 462-8848
kim@imarc.net

Blogging for Business Seminar Recap

Katie Mack — Thu, 8 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Thank you to those who were able to attend iMarc’s seminar this morning on Blogging for Business. We had a great audience that asked thought provoking questions and really got involved with our presentation. We learned a lot about the attendees' current marketing methods, and discussed why and how to incorporate blogging into their strategy. We couldn't have asked for a better audience.

iMarc’s President, Nils Menten, and Director of New Business, Katie Desmond, led over thirty participants through a three-pronged presentation on blogging. The topics were:

1. To Blog or Not to Blog?

Blogging is another facet of customer acquisition and serves as a marketing function for your company. However, you must be committed to blogging for it to be effective. Sustainability is a must!

2. What Makes a Blog Successful?

Content is key when it comes to committing to a blog and its regular maintenance. Lack of new, relevant, and timely content will hurt your blog. Download iMarc's worksheet that will help guide you to plan and maintain your blog.

3. How Do I Get Started?

Use your website’s content management tools to incorporate a blog. If not, create a free Google or WordPress blog, or use your Facebook page to get started and gauge interest. Leverage social media to broadcast blog content on other channels. And don't forget, use web analysis tools to track traffic, quantify ROI on your blog and develop long-term strategy.

Download iMarc's presentation.

We also want to thank Mary Williamson of Essex County Greenbelt Association for serving as our volunteer to help us demonstrate the effectiveness of an editorial calendar to manage the delivery of timely content for maintaining a successful blog. Look for Greenbelt's blog which is launching on their new website, developed by iMarc, later this year.

Download the sample editorial calendar we used for Greenbelt.

Thank you to the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce for hosting and the Institution for Savings for sponsoring this educational event, as well as the Newburyport Public Library for the event space. We look forward to further reflection and conversation on the topics of blogging and online marketing with fellow business leaders in our community.

Useful Resources:

Blogging for Business Presentation

Blog Worksheet

Blog Sample Editorial Calendar

Social Media Quickstarter from Constant Contact

Blogging, An Educational Seminar

Katie Desmond — Tue, 6 Sep 2011 16:37:41 EDT

If you are like many of our clients, you may want to blog but simply don’t know how to go about it. The world of blogging opens up an array of questions including:

How often should I be blogging?
What makes a good blog post?
What should I blog about?
Who should blog for our organization?
How do I integrate social media?

In our own experience, blogging is a great acquisition tool and we will help you navigate through it! Please join us at the Newburyport Public Library on Thursday, September 8^th where we will answer all of these questions and more. This event is presented by the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce and registration is required. Register Now!

Admission is $15 for Members, and $25 for Non-Members. Check-in and Networking begins at 7:45 AM and the presentation is 8:00 – 9:30 AM.

If you are unable to attend Thursday’s presentation, make sure to check back on imarc.net for our follow-up post on the event that will include helpful tools and tips!

Ode to an Internship

Kendra Mack — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 09:36:00 EDT

Somehow it’s late August and my days working with the iMarc team will soon become days studying at the University of New Hampshire for my senior year.

Although I’m technically returning to school to continue fulfilling my role as ‘student,’ in many ways I feel as though I’ve been a student at iMarc all summer long. Sure, my summer has included some standard intern duties -- data entry and helping take out the trash. But I’ve learned a great deal about the exploration, strategy, and collaboration necessary to turn a request for a website or application into something ready for execution and development.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from my experience at iMarc is that success in any field of expertise involves perpetual questioning and revision of how things are done. Whether it’s sales, strategy, design, development, or general internal operations, current methods and practices are not and should not be accepted as static. Throughout the summer I’ve seen the iMarc team continuously rethinking and experimenting with ways to improve and refine every step of the process, and this I believe is a significant part of why iMarc produces great work.

Restrategizing and looking at what can be improved facilitates progress and growth. Many clients come to iMarc because they have these goals in mind. Reconsidering the status quo doesn’t signify that there is something outwardly wrong with the way things are. The question does not have to be “What’s wrong here?” but “What can be improved?”

Improvement involves research, experimentation, collaboration, and dedication – skills associated with the classroom. So whether an expert or novice in any field, I suppose the goal is to always be a student.

Thanks iMarc! I’ll be back when winter rolls around.

P.S. – My departing gift -- iMarc green Rice Krispie cubes! Everyone seemed to enjoy them, particularly Will...

Cutting the Content Clutter

Kendra Mack — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:49:00 EDT

As my summer internship here at iMarc wraps up, I have to once again think about re-entering university life. Much to the dismay of my professors, college students are notorious for multitasking with technology, always checking up on various sites while sitting in class or writing a paper. The majority seeks a quick fix of information at each site and swiftly moves on. But it’s not just the so-called digital generation who is juggling info from a variety of sources. It’s no surprise the wired world is hungry for content that is easily accessible and on-target.

Writing content that’s suitable for short attention spans can be challenging, especially while accommodating users who crave more detail. There are a few key strategies to keep in mind when planning web content that addresses this challenge. First, balance visuals with text. Photos, illustrations, charts, and other visuals are quickly digested and likely to deliver your message more effectively than a page of headache-inducing text. Choose your visuals wisely, and be sure they are relevant, appealing, and compliment your site objectives.

Give users more control over how much information to see. Too much up front content is overwhelming rather than informative. Think about what content is most vital to your target audience and what are supporting details. Allow users to click through prompts such as “Read More” and "Learn More” to explore deeper content. Utilize one-click “Show More” and “Expand” drop down options to hide excess text while also being interactive, as seen on the Artists page of iMarc’s newly-launched Doris Duke Monument Foundation site.

Allow users to click through prompts such as "Read More" to explore deeper content. (screen shot from ddmf.org)

When bulky text is necessary, accommodate scanning users by emphasizing the most important words and phrases and incorporate bulleted or numbered lists where appropriate. Find graphical solutions to represent data instead of conveying it textually. But there’s no need to sacrifice your calls to action! Calls to action that are concise, specific, and solution-oriented can be most useful to both the user and your business goals.

Keeping content short and targeted is increasing in importance as more users are viewing web pages on small smartphone screens that aren’t optimized for text-heavy content. These strategies speak to digital communication beyond your website, such as email marketing. Cut the clutter, get to the point, and engage your users!

Mind Your Members

Katie Mack — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:59:00 EDT

This week, iMarc launched a new site for the Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants. This launch made me ponder the importance of cultivating membership online. If you are leading a member driven organization, then you already know your members expect to do more and more online. Not just pay dues, but manage their member profile, signup for events, recruit talent, and more. The challenge is balancing costs with benefits, and maximizing your resources to provide the best online member experience.

iMarc has worked with a slew of member driven organizations, from Certified Public Accountants (CPA) societies to professional networking associations; to museums and member supported land trusts. Our experience demonstrates that there are key considerations when it comes to your member focused website. Your site should:

Provide current content

Your website is an excellent vehicle to educate members about your mission and provide up-to-date information for all of its offerings. Featuring timely event information, news items, and blog content positions your organization as a powerful resource. In addition, updating content regularly will improve search engine results, drive visits, and encourage repeat visits.

Commit to social media

Social media is a great way to reach your members through the online avenues that they are often frequenting, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Integrating your social media efforts with your website will maximize ROI. Include such features as a Facebook “Like” button to allow users to easily share website content on their Facebook profiles or include a Twitter feed on the homepage with your latest posts.

Enable secure e-commerce

Whether it be managing an online store or providing a secure checkout for members to pay for courses or buy publications, e-commerce is a vital component to your membership organization website. Consider integrating your website with a secure credit card transaction processor such as PayPal for an inexpensive commerce solution.

Integrate with your member database

Increasing and renewing memberships is an essential function for membership organization websites. A major component to this process is integrating your website with your membership database so that members may renew membership online, access their activity history, manage their profile, enroll in committees, and subscribe to email broadcasts. Improve your overall member experience by centralizing member resources through your website.

Gain administrative efficiency

This last item may not appear to be a direct correlation to member service and retention, but in fact it is! Speeding up site and content maintenance will relieve your already busy staff to better serve your mission and benefit members. For example, iMarc's custom content management solution allows our clients to update their website without having to know any programming or code, as well as from anywhere with an internet connection.

Best Lunch in Newburyport, MA

Marcel Moreau — Thu, 4 Aug 2011 22:24:00 EDT

I just finished 7 months at iMarc. Sometimes, I think back to when I started in January. There was lots of internal information to look over in the first week such as policies, standards, processes, etc. One thing I wondered about was where I should grab some lunch. Robert covered this a bit in his where to eat in Newburyport post, but that was a long list and I wondered where I should begin. Well, 7 months later, I'm ready to post my personal favorite 5 places to eat in Newburyport, MA.

1. Abraham's Bagels & Pizza

Gotta go with Abraham's Bagels & Pizza as my #1. It's close to the iMarc office and the sandwiches are always awesome. I've actually never tried the bagels or pizza.

2. Loretta

Loretta on State St. is a rad place that has awesome daily specials that I nom on often. Pretty relaxed atmosphere with a comfortable bar. Fresh ingredients.

3. The Jewel in the Crown

The Jewel in the Crown is an Indian restaurant tucked in the back on Pleasant St. I go with the Chicken Tikka Masala here – always. They have a Yelp review rating that most restaurants envy.

4. The Upper Crust

Every week I visit The Upper Crust's website to see what the slice of the day is. Good for a quick lunch on the go. I know their WiFi password but I ain't tellin'.

5. The Purple Onion

The Purple Onion is an Inn St neighbor of iMarc's that has me covered with some good chili and wraps. Bicycle not included.

Doing Your Research with Social Media

Kendra Mack — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:16:00 EDT

The buzz around social media in web marketing strategy often focuses on pushing your message: increasing online visibility, network building, and enhanced SEO. That’s only half the story. Social media holds a wealth of hard-won knowledge that can be invaluable to your business. Take advantage of this, too.

Read blogs

Many companies will share their expertise through blogs, not just internal changes and happenings. Reading competitor and partner blogs will keep you up to speed with relevant information that could affect your business. For the same reasons, read the blogs of past and present clients, and seek out popular blogs related to your business’s area of expertise. Have you read a good book that applies to your business? Check to see if the author has a blog! Take advantage of the experts that share their knowledge.

Use an RSS aggregator like Google Reader to monitor and compile your favorite blogs. Your RSS reader will tell you when new material appears, saving you from having to “make the rounds” of dozens of websites.

Follow and be followed

Sure, it’s important for businesses to keep up with posting new material and making connections on social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Don’t neglect, though, how valuable it is to check out what your followers, fans, and friends are posting as well.

What links, articles, videos, and other resources are your Facebook contacts sharing? What are your Twitter followers retweeting? Paying attention to these can lead to valuable insight about the people in your networks.

Look at who is around

Location-based social media sites can help you find nearby competitors, partners, and prospect clients for B2B companies. Many double as review and rating sites, including Yelp, Foursquare, Google Places, and Citysearch. Not only can you find out who is around, you can see what your clients and customers like and dislike.

Getting started

Ready to get started? iMarc and Constant Contact just launched a new site, Social Media Quickstarter. It’s a comprehensive yet easy-to-understand guide to social media marketing. I encourage you to check it out!

Build Guild's 3rd Birthday was a Big Hit

Marcel Moreau — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:06:00 EDT

Last night, the Build Guild turned 3 years old and there was an abundance of web conversation, beer, and prizes. Capt's was packed with knowledgable people who filled the upstairs and the outside deck. If you don't know, the Build Guild is a monthly gathering of web folks that enjoy chatting over drinks. Since it's Salem, MA inception, Fred Leblanc and Marc Amos have worked hard to keep the events awesome and last night went off without a hitch. It doesn't matter if you're a developer, designer, project manager, web enthusiast – everyone is welcome.

iMarc was one of many sponsors who lended a hand with the event. Mark and Fred raffled off the prizes around 9:00 and for those who didn't win, they didn't leave empty handed as web swag was all over the place.

Thanks to Marc and Fred for organizing a place for web geeks to unite!

Do you have a favorite web meetup you attend? Leave a comment below and share!

A view of the prize table

Some chose to tough the humidity and hang out on the deck

Marc and Fred conduct the raffle