You’ve probably noticed that Vital Design is into social media marketing. As a marketing agency, we try to keep up with the latest trends in social media and SEO. Most of you are already using, or at least familiar with, Facebook and Twitter,  but here are a few more social networks that may be an even better fit for your marketing strategy.  If you’re ready to expand beyond the power couple of Facebook and Twitter, here are six networks to start with.
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RSS Feeds are boring

We all know the convenience of RSS feeds can’t be beat. They allow you to get the news you want sent to you, rather than visiting different sites. Using RSS feeds as part of an online marketing strategy to keep your audience connected – and returning to your website – has become pretty common.

Email service provider MailChimp provides a great tool to send your feed from a blog or news page to create an automatic email newsletter, but you can also use this RSS-to-email service to set up your own daily email of RSS feeds.

A few months ago I decided that Twitter just wasn’t working well enough as a content aggregator. I follow a number of design publications through Twitter to keep up with their latest articles. I also follow funny feeds like Kenny Powers, Funny or Die and about 300 others. So my design content gets lost. (Argue the case of custom lists all you want, they’re just not practical.) Read the rest of this entry »

How many Web pages do you look at in a day? Working at a Web design agency, a lot of us are online almost constantly–working, talking, writing and sharing content. And if you’re online now, reading this blog, you’ve probably heard about the proposed U.S. House bill called SOPA.

As you move around the Web today, you’ll discover sites that are blacked out to protest this legislation, which is currently on hold. Need an obscure name or date? Sorry, Wikipedia will be blacked out. Want to read blogs? WordPress will be “censoring” blogs too. Jonesing for a picture of a talking cat? Sorry, the “I Can Haz Cheezburger” people are on strike too.

So yes, it’s a big deal. Here’s why. Read the rest of this entry »

Working at a Web design firm in the heart of historic Portsmouth, NH, we are lucky to have an inside view of all the New Hampshire primary hoopla. Granite Staters know that during primary season it’s not uncommon to get stuck in traffic behind a campaign bus, or even run into a candidate while trying to grab breakfast.

We’re proud of our claim to fame as the first in the nation primary (that’s what that #FITN Twitter hashtag you’ve been seeing stands for), and in honor of that, we took a look at what marketers like us can learn from the top three finishers in the New Hampshire primary. Read on to find out how to take your marketing strategy from nobody to nominee. Read the rest of this entry »

Psst. Hey, you. Yes, you. We love that you have a blog for your business, but the thing is…it’s a little blah.

It’s nothing personal. We get it. As a busy NH web design firm, we know it can be tough to come up with fresh ideas for blogs when you’ve already got a lot on your plate.

But we also know creating content that is useful, interesting or just cool—content people want to share—is one of the most effective ways to get more eyeballs on your site (that’s SEO) and more sales leads in your inbox. It’s a new year, and it’s time to inject some new ideas, fresh faces and punched-up content into your business blog. Here are a few ways to get started. Read the rest of this entry »

Vital takes pride in all of our clients, but there are a handful that inspire us on a daily basis.

Being a Web design company, we might not be able to change the world, but we can certainly help. In Paula Abdul’s words, “Our gift to you is the stage, what you do with it, is your gift to us.” (Yes, you did just read that – shout out to Paula for her wisdom this season on the X Factor.) We build the stage for many great organizations who spend their time and energy helping others.

To give back to our most giving clients during this holiday season, we’d like to share their stories. Be inspired, be moved. Heck, go ahead and donate even. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time again: the halls are decked, the cookies are baking and your Web design crew is busy with lots of festive eblasts.

But as soon as the wrapping paper is recycled and the last gallon of eggnog is chugged, it will be time to think about New Year’s resolutions.

Maybe you’re planning to hit the gym more, or you’re trying a new hobby. Or maybe you’re just carving out some time to breathe.

Along with your other personal resolutions, the new year is also a good time to take a look at your marketing strategy. It might need an overhaul, too. Here are three resolutions to make (and keep!) for your business marketing  in 2012. Read the rest of this entry »