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Category: Featured

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

The Building Blocks of a Solid Social Presence

I don’t have to tell you how important social media is to your audience. In fact, you probably found this blog through social media, so you already know the power of social platforms. However, you may find yourself wondering how an organization sets out to capture more legitimate leads with their online presence. What do people want to see from your social media platforms? Which tactics actually work and which ones are a waste of time? What’s the best way to talk to your audience ... Read More
Posted by Madelyn Bomar Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Featured Social

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

The Importance of Influencer Marketing

Ever wonder how influencers got their name or what an influencer is? It’s actually pretty straightforward — they are influencing others. If you’ve ever wondered what exactly influencers do or how to create a successful influencer marketing campaign, we’ve outlined several tips.  What Defines an Influencer?  An influencer can be defined as an individual (or animal) that has the power to “influence” purchasing decisions of others because of ... Read More
Posted by Amanda Gottschalk Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Featured Social

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Entirely Off Topic: Ultimate Power Rankings Round 3

At Speak, we love to rank (and debate the rankings of) life's most trivial things. We're back again to crown a new champion while debating the best fast food items, ice cream flavors, game shows, and Olympic sports. Join Speak Creative's VPs, CEO, and Digital Marketing Manager for an entirely off topic and ridiculous conversation. Roberts: Hello everyone and thank you for joining us. You're listening to A Little Off Topic, one agency's water cooler chat on digital marke... Read More
Posted by A Little Off Topic Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Featured Podcast

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Marketing Vocabulary Words You Should Know

Marketing Vocabulary For Beginners If you’re just beginning your adventure into marketing, welcome!  Practically every business needs some form of marketing, digital or otherwise.  Especially within the last year, business owners large and small have discovered that the need for a digital presence is essential to their company’s survival.  Marketing is about meeting your customers where they are and getting in front of the eyes that are most likely to act on your b... Read More
Posted by Katy Sloan Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Featured Ideas

Thursday, August 26, 2021

The Need for Industry Expertise: Why One Site Doesn’t Fit All

When evaluating a digital partner, it’s important to look for an organization with both a creative mindset and a deep knowledge of your organization’s industry. We’ve worked with quite a few industries in our 20+ year history, ranging from construction and real estate to restaurants and ballet companies. A partner that has a knowledge of your industry will better understand industry trends and ultimately the true purpose of your site.  If you’ve found a partner ... Read More
Posted by Madelyn Bomar Thursday, August 26, 2021
Featured Showcase

Monday, August 23, 2021

Flexible Growth

Our CEO and Founder, Jacob Savage, joins our VPs to talk about flexible growth. How does a successful company remain willing to try new things? And do you ever really know if a risk is worth it? Listen to this episode for tips on failing forward and continued growth.  Roberts: Hello everyone and thank you for joining us. You're listening to A Little Off Topic. One agency's water cooler chat on digital marketing, business, and all the things that get in the way, presented by Sp... Read More
Posted by A Little Off Topic Monday, August 23, 2021
Featured Podcast

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Is My Phone Really Listening?

We’ve all been there; you and a friend are talking about the latest and greatest product, and then the next time you open Facebook, BOOM, there’s an ad for it. And then you immediately wonder if every Amazon employee is hiding behind the nearest hedge judging your browsing history and your previous purchases.   So we, the digital marketing pros, are here to give you the scoop, the deets, the lowdown.  You might want to sit down for this.  Just kidding, it&rsqu... Read More
Posted by Sarah Vaughan Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Featured Social

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

10 Canva Hacks To Make Your Life Easier

Canva might be one of the greatest inventions of the 21st century. I mean it. If you’ve never used it, it’s a free online graphic design program that allows you to create excellent content with minimal design know-how. Custom designs from a professionally priced design program will always give you the ability to create things you couldn’t otherwise. Our designers have spent so much time training to become experts! However, having a designer that is Adobe-savvy isn’t f... Read More
Posted by Madelyn Bomar Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Design Featured

Monday, August 9, 2021

What is Web Development?

Web development is a mystery to most. As a matter of fact, you may not even know what we mean when we say web development. So in this episode, our web dev experts, Matt Grayson and Ben Bailey, will demystify development and help us understand what’s possible.  Roberts: Hello everyone and thank you for joining us. You're listening to A Little Off Topic, one agency's water cooler chat on digital marketing, business, and all the things that get in the way, presented by Spea... Read More
Posted by A Little Off Topic Monday, August 9, 2021
Featured Podcast

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Tackling Budget Barriers: 7 Steps To Go From Woes to Whoas

If you've ever found yourself wanting to do more with your website and digital marketing strategy but held up by budget limitations, you’re not alone. Budgets serve a good and necessary purpose, but sometimes they leave us feeling trapped.  Rather than seeing a road-closed sign, we recommend looking at this scenario as a detour. Just like in real traffic situations, sometimes you turn around and wait for the road to reopen, but other times an alternate route gets you quickly b... Read More
Posted by Megan Jones Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Featured Strategy

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

New Faces and Old Favorites

We’re halfway through 2021 and almost a year and a half out from the beginning of the pandemic. We spoke to our team about what the first half of the year looked like for them, as well as what’s on the horizon for the remainder of the year. You might’ve noticed that we’ve grown our team quite a bit this year, so as you read you’ll see some new faces and recognize some old favorites.  What are your favorite things you’ve completed so far in 2021? &ldq... Read More
Posted by Madelyn Bomar Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Featured Showcase

Monday, July 26, 2021

MythBusters: Paving The Way To Customer Success

  A lot of what keeps organizations from achieving success is simply believing myths, so we're going to debunk a few common ones we come across often. Joining us is Speak's Customer Success Manager, Megan Jones. Listen to Megan and Speak's VPs discuss how we're helping partners achieve success and overcome obstacles that are keeping them from that success. Kindra: Well, another podcast, another Matt missing. Am I right? Welcome back to A Little Off Topic. I am Kindra Sv... Read More
Posted by A Little Off Topic Monday, July 26, 2021
Featured Podcast

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Should Your Business Be Using Bulk Email?

Anyone who has an email address probably knows how popular mass emails and newsletters have become. Yet, despite what your clogged inbox may tell you, email marketing is still a highly underutilized marketing tool. Here at Speak, we know from experience that bulk emails can have great impact for many businesses. In fact, that's why we have our own bulk email service called Mass Mail that clients can run through their websites on our content management system, SiteWrench. Howev... Read More
Posted by Digital Marketing Team Tuesday, July 13, 2021
Featured Strategy

Monday, July 12, 2021

Managing Projects

In this episode, we’re talking about all things project management. Continuing our conversation about the iron triangle, our project managers join our VP team to give you all the tips and tricks to keep your project on budget, on scope, and on time.  In this episode, we’re talking about all things project management. Continuing our conversation about the iron triangle, our project managers join our VP team to give you all the tips and tricks to keep your project on budget,... Read More
Posted by A Little Off Topic Monday, July 12, 2021
Featured Podcast

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Compiling Quality Research

So you need to do some research. No matter what you’re researching, it’s important to be strategic about the process in which you research, rather than stressing early on about the product or output. The phrase “you find what you’re looking for” can all too often apply to research when you head into a project expecting to find a certain conclusion. Then, you find yourself only looking for information to support that opinion and disregard the data that challenges ... Read More
Posted by Madelyn Bomar Wednesday, July 7, 2021
Featured Showcase

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Considering the User Experience: Illinois Holocaust Museum

Our partner, the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, or IHMEC, sits right outside of the city of Chicago. Their mission is to “Remember the Past, Transform the Future” through the exhibition, preservation and interpretation of collections, education programs, and initiatives that foster the promotion of human rights and the elimination of genocide. They host group tours, public programs, teaching trunks for educators, and even operated their museum virtually during t... Read More
Posted by Madelyn Bomar Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Featured Showcase

Monday, June 28, 2021

Why Your Website Redesign Needs More Than a Designer

Just about anyone these days can design a website, but to execute well takes a qualified team. In this episode, one of our Brand Strategists, Adam Kalwas, is walking us through why a designer won't be enough to complete a successful redesign. Adam is joined by some of Speak's VPs for a discussion about what informs web design and which part of the process is most important to get right.  Roberts: Hello everyone and thank you for joining us. You're listening to A Little Off... Read More
Posted by A Little Off Topic Monday, June 28, 2021
Featured Podcast

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Podcast Performance On The Rise

It’s probably not news to you that podcasts are on the rise, but it wasn’t too long ago when someone at your dinner table may have asked, “what’s a podcast?”   In many ways, we’re returning to the days of radio shows and audio-only platforms. There are a lot of contributing factors leading to the rise of podcasts, but in case you aren’t convinced that podcasts are truly on the rise, here are some stats that may change your mind: 57% of ... Read More
Posted by Jessica Freeman Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Featured Ideas Strategy

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Brands & Sustainability

Patagonia, TOMS, Allbirds….what do all of these brands have in common? They are all popular brands that have set a trend by building their companies’ foundations around the philosophy of sustainability.  In today’s society, most consumers are drawn to brands or products that do more than just their designated purpose. But why is this? Because people want to purchase products from brands that speak to their values, especially the Millenial and Gen Z generations. These... Read More
Posted by Amanda Gottschalk Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Featured Ideas Strategy

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

3 Metrics You Should Be Following

Have you ever been overwhelmed or confused by all of the data surrounding your website and other digital platforms? The vast amount of statistics is valuable, but also a lot to keep track of. Whether you’re just diving into analytics for the first time or are well-versed and wanting to take a step back for perspective, these 3 metrics are the perfect place to start. Goals in Google Analytics Google Analytics is a free service that uses a script in your site to track all kinds of user... Read More
Posted by Megan Jones Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Featured Strategy

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Content-First vs Design-First Approach

There are typically two design strategies that are considered when going through a website redesign. A design-first approach prioritizes the creative elements that are desired over the assets that will live on the site. Meanwhile, a content-first approach takes the assets you plan to have and builds the design around them. Both methods can lead to a polished website when it’s all said and done, but is there an approach that is more efficient? Speak has utilized both strategies during r... Read More
Posted by Adam Kalwas Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Design Featured Strategy

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Intentional and Innovative: Meet John Waddell, Senior Designer

You know the phrase first to arrive, last to leave? Well that sums up John Waddell, one of Speak’s Senior Designers. After nearly 20 years as a designer, John knows a thing or two about dedication.  Described by members of our team as compassionate, servant-minded, and diligent, John has only officially been at Speak for a year and a half. Prior to joining the team as part of Speak’s acquisition of Rocketfuel, John worked at Rocketfuel for 17 years. But as a child, John had ... Read More
Posted by Madelyn Bomar Thursday, May 27, 2021
Featured Showcase

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Tips to Avoid Employee Burnout

Last month, there was a wildly popular NYT article floating around the internet about languish. The article talks about how many of us are feeling a collective emotion that isn’t quite burning out because we still have energy, but it’s not depression because we don’t feel hopeless. Really we are all feeling a bit ‘meh’ which is synonymous with feelings of languish.  via GIPHY It’s important as an employer, manager, or even as an employee to know how... Read More
Posted by Christy Leake Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Featured Ideas

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

An Open Letter to Marketing Coordinators

I remember when I spent my days doing endless research, packing swag boxes, and various projects that were thrown my way. Just kidding, that’s still what I do. I graduated in December 2019 from the University of Tennessee and joined Speak as a Marketing and Business Development Coordinator shortly after.  If you are in a marketing coordinator or entry-level role, you might find yourself googling all the things that you don't know to keep your head above water. I felt like... Read More
Posted by Madelyn Bomar Wednesday, May 12, 2021
Featured Ideas

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Blog Writing For Beginners

At Speak, we write a lot. Our content team churns out an incredible amount of work each week for an ever-growing list of eager clients. That being the case, a large portion of what we do relies on writing engaging, timely, and topical blog content. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, blogs are often an essential part of a strong marketing strategy. They provide relevant information about your product or service and give your brand structure. As professionals, we suggest blogs for a good p... Read More
Posted by Katy Sloan Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Featured Strategy