Category: Uncategorized
Last month, Facebook announced a new feature called "Graph Search." You'll see it on your Facebook page soon. There's already a lot of info out there about the new Graph Search. But it's the features hidden under the surface that has great potential for marketers.
Google Remarketing: It Works, Even When it Doesn’t.
In a session at our last Spire Customer Training Intensive, I showed customers how a new under-utilized strategy in the Google Display Network called Remarketing could be beneficial, even for smaller businesses with small budgets. I'm not going to re-hash my presentation here, but this video shows the results of a short, very small experiment we did on this website.
Help Wanted: Expectations Manager
I have many titles at Spire. Sales Director, Marketing Consultant, Client Representative. They are all correct in many ways. But, none quite right. What I really do is...
5 most Common SpireCMS Questions
As a Spire Customer Service Representative, I get a lot of questions everyday on how to use SpireCMS. So to help with these questions, I decided to make up a few quick videos.
Do You Want Short-Term Patches or Long-Term Sustenance?
If given the choice, would you take $10,000 today, or $500/month for the rest of your life? While logic tells us to take the ongoing payments -- studies have consistently shown that most people are prone to take what they can get RIGHT NOW, ignoring the added long-term benefits that come from waiting.
How One Snowball Brought 9,000 Visitors To My Website…
Three winters ago, I sat down at my desk to write a blog post. I had a million things to do, and it felt like a waste of time. After days of setting it aside to do other things that were more urgent, I finally finished it and stuck it on the website.
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Thank You, Zig Ziglar!
Zig Ziglar passed away last week, at the age of 86. One can only wish to leave such a mark on the landscape of the world he loved, as did he. When I entered the sales wo
An interview with a local blogger who knows his stuff.
In early November I taught a seminar on social media and blogging at the Ashland Chamber Business Expo. The session included an interview with a "virtual guest" -- Jon Nicol.
What Do You Expect?
Have you ever eaten food just because you felt like you should? Of course you have. We all have. Maybe you're just not hungry...nothing looks appetizing... you could be doing something else...but it's time to eat. So we eat. Three meals a day whether you need it or not. It's just what you do.
Your Customers Have Forever Changed (Video)
Here's a short excerpt from my presentation at the Spire Customer Training Intensive. I talked about how your customers have changed -- and how it has nothing to do with the economy.
It’s on the Website.
Make sure your website is creating enthusiasm. Then, YOU make the sale.
5 Relatively Simple Ways to Improve Local Search Results
Today I'm going to share 5 things you can do to improve your visibility in the search engines with local searchers.
7 Tips on How to Write a Blog Post
You've heard that writing blog posts is essential to the health of your website. Here are helpful tips for writing a blog post that gets results...
Talk to Me!
Every Thursday morning, every week of the month, every month of the year, I meet with my referral group. We are group of business men and women who each take sixty seconds to explain to the rest of the group something new and interesting about us. So, each week, I speak about internet marketing. Same 26 people. Same 26 businesses. Over and over and over again. Here's the payoff...
Optimizing Your Website for Local Google Searchers
Are your customers local? Is the majority of your audience within a certain driving distance of your place(s) of business? Locally-focused businesses have never had more leverage in search engines like Google.
Creating Valuable Landing Pages that Compel Visitors to Act
This morning I was teaching a seminar, and I was showing examples of landing pages where companies offer something of value in exchange for a name and email address.
New Habits, New Results
If you do the same things today, you’re going to get the same results today. Not necessarily good or bad, but "the same."
Video: Multiplying Website Traffic with Archived Content
Have you ever written content on your website and wondered if anybody is actually looking at it? This video will show you a mistake that 86% of businesses make. Fix it on your website, and you could see a significant increase in traffic. This video will show you how it works.
First impressions using Pinterest…
Today I FINALLY setup my page on As I knew already, the Pinterest userbase is dominated by females. I knew it was used primarily by women, but I was struck by just how
How to Get Started with a Blog
Saying that you're going to write "something" every Friday is destined to fail. You need to start with some planning to figure out what you're going to say, and when. This is where an editorial calendar can help.
Help Spire support the National Guard in May!
For every website design or re-design ordered by a Richland County business in May, Spire will make a donation to support airmen and soldiers and their families who are members of the Guard units based in Richland County.
We’ve moved. Tips for updating your mailing address.
On March 30, Spire Advertising moved into a brand-new office that has been a great upgrade for our growing team.
Ashland University Women’s Basketball Team Defies the Odds
As an Ashland-area business, we couldn't be more proud of the Ashland University Women's Basketball team. The Eagles faced and defeated a tough Bentley squad 77-62 to advance to the Championship game.
12 days left in office construction project!
Just updated the office construction album with some new photos. Drywall is up, and walls are primed.
QR Code Marketing: Avoiding Common Mistakes when Using QR Codes in Advertising
How you should use QR Code Marketing. We're seeing that people aren't sure how to use QR code advertising effectively. Make the most of your efforts and avoid making these common mistakes. Quick blog tutorial.
Construction begins on Spire’s new office
In April, Spire will be moving to a new, larger office here in Ashland. The construction is underway and we couldn't be more excited. We'll track the progress in this new construction photo album.
Our latest web design projects are now on display!
We couldn't be more excited to add these 7 new projects to our web design portfolio. These projects represent work that go beyond a website. Each project involved our entire team...
7 costly mistakes that paralyze small business websites
Is your website built for results? We found sevent costly mistakes small businesses make with their websites, and according to our study, the average local business is making 6 out of the 7 mistakes.
8 more web design projects added to our portoflio
Over the past 2 months we've been busier than ever, launching many new websites. Here are 8 new website designs that have gone live and are featured in our portoflio.
SEO Cheat Sheet Video Now Available
Here's a video designed to walk you through our popular SEO Cheat Sheet. The free SEO cheat sheet and the video will help you learn about many on-page factors that affect
4 Steps Savvy Marketers Use To Double Sales
Part 2 of 2 Step Three: Strengthen Credibility & Relationships Over Time This step is where the most important shift has taken place over the past few years. It's a
Don’t blame the economy. Good old days of marketing are over.
There's been a fundamental shift in the way people buy products and services. It affects small businesses and mega-brands alike. Sadly, just about everyone is missing it.
3 Life Lessons from Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was a revolutionary. Many won't understand the degree to which he impacted our culture until future generations look back and see it more clearly. The person
6 new web design projects that raise the bar
People sometimes ask what web design project is our best work of all time. I always tell them that whatever website design we're doing TODAY is our best work! These 6 new designs launched over the past month raise the bar and we're happy to share them with you.
Email Marketing Video: Avoiding the E-FAIL
This latest installment to the Spire Marketing Vault shows 3 email marketing examples and explains why each are ineffective. You'll learn 4 things that make an email effective and see live examples of what to avoid.
How to Double Your Results with a Marketing Funnel
This week's internet marketing training video explains the concept of a marketing funnel. You'll learn: how to determine if your site is a good fit for a funnel,the 5 components of a marketing funnel, and how to use a funnel to double your results.
Free Breakfast Seminar for Spire Customers
At this free breakfast seminar for Spire customers, Jeremy Harrison will provide and explain a list of the most high-impact work you should be doing on your website to grow your business and maximize your results online.
Please welcome Andrew Eades to our team!
We're excited to introduce you to our newest team member. Andrew Eades just started with us as a full-time Internet Marketing Specialist.
4 Under-Utilized Marketing Features of SpireCMS
Today's teaching video is created for Spire customers who already have a website powered by SpireCMS. But for those of you who don't it may be helpful to watch and see what's possible. Enjoy!
How to add the +1 button to your website for Google+
Tonight you'll find a new button at the top of most pages on the Spire website. The Google +1 button will allow people to +1 your pages, which will get shared through th
Warrior Pizza launches an innovative online pizza ordering system
Warrior Drive-In and Pizza -- a local restaurant in Ontario, Ohio is now taking online orders with an ordering system that rivals the major corporate pizza chains. With "
SEO Video: Google Panda Update tries to reward the “good guys.”
In March, Google released the "Panda Update" which made significant changes to their search engine algorithm. Changes to Google are always scary. We, and many of our clients get a lot of traffic through organic searches, so you never know what impact changes like these will bring.
How to Go Viral With Your Blog
Just received an email from a customer. He builds decks, and he wrote: I am trying to get my friends to like and share my website.