VI Employee Profile

Sarah Popp
Internet Marketing Strategist

What is one of the most memorable/exciting/fun things that have happened while working at Vivid Image?
There are many memorable, exciting, and fun things that have occurred while working here.  My top pick would probably be a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) training that I attended in San Francisco, California.  It was an awesome training and I got to meet Jill Whalen, who is a celebrity in the SEO world.  It was an added perk that the training was in sunny California, which I had not visited before.

What is an upcoming technology/business/design trend you are fascinated with or watching closely and why?
It is amazing to me how far online marketing has come over the past years.  While it isn’t a “new” trend by any means, I think it is a form of marketing that is increasingly more recognized by business owners.  When working with a company or organization I always ask them why they want a website.  Three years ago a common answer was “Because everyone else has one” or “I need one to keep up with my competitors.”   In today’s world, companies are really starting to appreciate that a website is an important piece of their overall marketing plan.  Websites are becoming more than just an online brochure for a business.  Business owners need to realize that a website serves as a 24 hour, 365 days a year sales person. They offer unique and fascinating features that can take your business to the next level.  Whether you have an ecommerce site where you can sell your products online, a secured area for staff, a resource center for dealers, or offer online training, your website can do volumes for you.

What kind of challenges do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy the challenge of a complex Web Strategy.  Whether I am working on a strategy for a brand new site, or for an existing site that is undergoing a redesign, I love having the opportunity to help clients think and visualize what their site can do for them.  A strategy allows me to spend time researching what other companies are doing in that particular industry and help craft a site that is going to exceed the competition.  What I really like about the strategy process is that it allows me to sit down with the client and dig into their goals and how they want their site to function.  A strategy is a great foundation for a beautiful, functional, well built website that the client can be proud of.   

What is something you'd love to learn to do this next year?
Well, professionally, I would love to learn how to actually put pieces of a website together.  I think understanding how a site is built would be beneficial when crafting and creating site maps.  I have not had the opportunity to play around with Dreamweaver, but I think it would be fun to dabble with it a bit.   
Outside of work I have the goal of learning a few more tricks on the wakeboard this summer and how to jump serve in volleyball. 

Why Choose You? Converting Traffic into Sales

By Anna Slyter
Internet Marketing Strategist

The web is a competitive marketplace.  People are bombarded with a multitude of information every single day.  Our global economy allows people almost endless options of where to buy products and services. All those options make it hard to stand out in the crowd.  So how do you rise above all the noise of the competition and get the attention of your target market? 

Here are 8 critical steps:

1. Develop a niche.  Know exactly what it is that you do best.  If you are an accounting firm, and you specialize in small business, focus your resources on that.  Really narrow it down and serve your client base to the fullest extent.
   
   
2. Know what makes your business unique and define your marketing messaging strategy.  Weave your messages into all your marketing to attract the best prospects.
   
   
3. Write content that is visitor focused and addresses their pain.  Don’t know what that pain is?  Find out.
   
   
4. Keep your calls to action simple and specific on each page.  If your visitors don’t know what to do, chances are, they’ll leave without doing it.  Make it easy for them to purchase from you.
   
   
5. Know your customers.  Ask for their opinions and ideas.  Who knows better what can make the deal for them?
   
   
6. Ask loyal customers for testimonials and referrals.  Many businesses lose out on one of the best marketing assets they have just by not asking. 
   
   
7. Build trust – list your certifications, awards, and guarantees on your website.  Let visitors know you can be trusted.
   
   
8. Deliver on your promises.  They say that a happy customer tells 1-2 people about their experience while an unhappy one tells 10.  Make sure to follow through for all your customers.

At Vivid Image we have experience helping businesses take these steps. We can help insure your online marketing reflects why someone should choose you. Call us today if you need help with any of these areas; (320) 587-8974 or email us at info@vimm.com We’re here to help!

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Communicating on the Web: What is RSS?

By Theresa Reyes,
IT Systems Administrator

What is RSS?

On the web, there are a vast number of news sites and blogs. Every morning I like to visit a couple of news sites and blogs to catch up with what’s going on in the world. The old way would be to go to each site, one at a time, to see if there is an update. My sister doesn’t post on her blog very often, so it’s a little disappointing to go there every morning to find nothing new. It also takes time to go to each site to see if they have been updated.

The new way of checking these sites is to make the updated articles and posts come to me on a special page called an RSS Reader. This reader lists the headings (and summary if I like) of new articles and posts. I can check my RSS Reader as often or as little as I like and find all the new articles since the last time I checked it. The RSS Reader also allows me to quickly scan for articles that I may find interesting and skip the ones I don’t.

RSS Readers

The first step is to get an RSS Reader. There are two types of RSS Readers. The first is a program that you install on your computer. The second is a web page that you set up and can access from anywhere. The programs typically have more options, but the web page readers can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection and a browser.

There are a number of RSS Readers you can use to read RSS feeds. Some that can help you get started include Google Reader (www.google.com/reader/) or NewsGator (www.newsgator.com).

Signing up for RSS Feeds

The second step is to sign up for the RSS feed. Sites will often make it easy for you to sign up for their feed by adding an RSS feed icon or other button for you to click. Once you click on the icon, there usually are some easy-to-follow instructions to help you add the feed to your RSS Reader.

Explore the world …

RSS feeds are a standard tool you’ll find on most news and blog sites. They allow you to get all the updates in one easy-to-check location without having to spend the time to check individual websites. It’s one great way to make technology work for you.

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Starting an E-Newsletter for Your Business

By Beth Gasser,
Vice-President

Ever thought about starting a newsletter for your business or organization, but didn’t quite know where to start? Maybe you have a costly “paper” version that you’d like to convert to an electronic version. E-newsletters are a low cost, easy way to communicate with your customers and help them stay current on your business, products, services, sales offers, and industry news.

E-newsletters can work independently or in tandem with your website. You can use your newsletter to highlight, elaborate, or update topics covered on your website. You can post articles on your website that were initially written for your newsletter that you feel would be of particular interest to your website visitors. You can use your newsletter to direct readers to specific information or offers on your website.

Most importantly, you can use an e-newsletter to find out which customers consistently read the information you send to them, monitor topics that generate interest, develop a database of interested customers, and measure the percentage of opened newsletters. All of this can be done for the fraction of the cost of a paper version newsletter, within a shorter production timeframe.

If you are considering an electronic newsletter for your business or organization, Vivid Image can help. We have options for your budget, simple steps to get started, and lots of ideas on how to develop interesting content on an ongoing basis. Don’t let the task of starting a newsletter overwhelm you. Email us at info@vimm.com today!

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Community Connection: A passion for the Arts

By LuAnn Drazkowski,
Director of Operations

I have always loved art… in all its forms, whether being a participant doing watercolor painting or being an observer.

I'm fortunate that the Hutchinson area has multiple venues for people to enjoy the arts. These entities range from visual and fine arts, to performing arts, and various musical organizations (vocal and instrument). 

In 2007, I finished serving two terms on the Board of Directors for the Crow River Arts organization. This non-profit organization encompasses several art disciplines and has a particular interest in youth education and showcasing the work of the area's fine artists. Becoming involved in this organization and it's cause has been an enriching experience for me. I have learned much and met many fellow art enthusiasts.  This role also exposed me to the world of non-profit and learning to how to utilize the appropriate grant and funding resources. You can learn more about this organization by visiting their website at: www.crowriverarts.org.

Over the last couple of years, I also served on several preliminary committees for the City of Hutchinson to form the Public Arts Commission.  This experience helped me to appreciate how a governing group can make a significant impact in the city's appeal and cultural character. Many great ideas have been generated for this undertaking and it'll be exciting to see these concepts begin to play out.

In December, I joined the Hutchinson Theatre Company Board of Directors. I'm a rookie on this working board.  Coinsidently, I was assigned as Vivid Image's project manager for developing their new website which included the capability for online ticket sales. This new website launched recently and you can view it at: www.hutchtheatre.org.  You can only imagine our excitement as we watch the seating map beginning to fill up for the nightly performances.

I’m certain my involvement with the arts will be a lifetime commitment!

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In the News

Haiti: A People in Need

By Beth Gasser,
Vice-President

I recently returned from a nine day trip to Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. To spend time in Haiti is like traveling back in time 200 years. Imagine a country that still travels by foot or horse and still has no running water or electricity. Yet, to spend time in Haiti, is to fall in love with the people and their slow, quiet culture.

Two other fellow Hutchinson residents traveled with me; Cindy Haugland and Jonathon Stierman, Vivid Image Programmer. Our time in Haiti was spent in Pignon, a town in the North-Central mountainous region. We traveled through an organization called Haiti Outreach, headquartered in Minnetonka, MN. Haiti Outreach also has an office in Pignon, and is credited for drilling the majority of the wells throughout much of Haiti. Fresh water is a critical issue facing Haiti, and Haiti Outreach spends countless hours organizing communities to formulate a plan to maintain wells once they are operational. Investing in Haiti Outreach means all money goes directly to projects that help people on a macro-level over a long-term.

A highlight of the trip for me was riding most of the day on a gravel truck (on top of a load of gravel) to San Raphael to see a well drilling rig in progress. The day after we left, the well was completed and the rig was back at Haiti Outreach getting ready to travel to La Victoire. Within two days, the Haiti Outreach team and local residents were working hard to start another well in La Victoire. We also got to travel there and watch them start the process, as well as witness a local committee sign the contract to maintain the well. It was truly inspiring to see people excited about having a fresh water supply in their midst.

New Building Progress:

The new building is progressing, and it is fun to see the final product starting to materialize. The painting is complete, all the laminate flooring is done, and the carpeting is nearly complete. The light fixtures are being installed, and it’s wonderful to have light again! We look forward to being able to invite people to visit our new place!

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Check out some of the new web sites done by Vivid Image!

www.hutchtheatre.org
www.excelsiorhomesinc.com
www.dbimn.com
www.wordwareinc.com

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