One of the hardest parts of our work at Reactive Consulting is being creative day in and day out. That said, you don’t have to work in design to require creativity on a daily basis…. Creativity is a major part of most peoples day, and its easy to fall into a pattern of “same ole, same ole”. Don’t let yourself fall into this rut!! We’ve spent hours upon hours researching ways to “stay on top of our game” and this list is an excellent representation on some of the greatest ideas out there!
Patriotic Firecracker Mini-Cakes
As you wind down your work week and finish up planning the meal for tomorrow, you should definitely consider including a patriotic recipe. There are many fun and patriotic recipe ideas floating around the web…. None are as unique and delicious as Firecracker Mini-Cakes!! These are sure to be a BLAST!
Firecracker Mini-Cakes
Makes 10-14 cakes
Ingredients:
- – 1 box white cake mix
- – 4 egg white
- – 1/2 cup oil
- – 1 cup sour cream
- – Red and blue food coloring
- – 3 packages Pop Rocks candy
- – Black Licorice ropes
- – White frosting (less than 1/4 cup)
You’re never too old to enjoy the crackling fun of Pop Rocks! Head over to She Knows Food & Recipes for complete details and instructions.
Teddy Goalsevelt and the USA replacement player who is HUNGRY!
With the kickoff of USA / Germany just moments away, I felt it necessary to post this video where Will Ferrell is introduced as a replacement player for the USA. The good news? Will Ferrell is HUNGRY! He promises to bite EVERY Germany player if he has to. This of course is in reference to Luis Suarez (of Team Uraguay) being banned 4 months from Fifa play. Funny stuff, but most importantly GOOOO USA!
Watermelon Slushie Recipe : Frozen Summer Drink Ideas
While its hardly tech related, one can’t deny the allure of a ALL NATURAL slush on a hot summer day. When I stumbled across this recipe I knew that Moms and Dads everywhere would want to know about this so they could serve it throughout the summer. I now present you an easy and refreshing frozen drink for summer; watermelon lime slushies.
Google My Business : Tools for Local Business
Many are aware of the issues and complications surrounding Google Local, Google+ Local, Google Places, Google Maps for Business and all the other names that Google has for their local services. It has been a disaster to navigate and manage… Thankfully the Big G has come to our rescue! The release of Google My Business is aimed to fix all the confusion.
Building a single place, within Google+, where business owners can manage and connect with customers via search, maps and Google+ is going to simplify the process greatly. This is a huge deal for local business! Reactive Consulting is here to help you manage your Google My Business page, ensuring that your online presence equals the high standards you’ve set for your local brand. Contact us today for more information!
Here is what you can (currently) do with Google My Business:
- Update your business info on Search, Maps, and Google+ from one place to make it easy for customers to get in touch
- Add beautiful photos of your business and a virtual tour of your business interior to help customers see what makes your business unique
- Connect directly with your fans an customers by sharing news, events and other important updates from your Google+ page
- Stay on top of reviews from across the web, and respond to Google reviews
- Understand how people find and interact with your business using custom insights and integration with AdWords Express
Why is Social Media So Important for Small Business?
If you are one of the few small business who are not yet on social media, you might be curious what all the fuss is about. Do you really need a social media presence or can you just get by with a fully optimized website and newsletter? The short answer is yes, YOU NEED SOCIAL MEDIA…. At least you do if you want to reach your customers and stay competitive. Here are a few reasons why social media has become so important for small business.
Your customers are already using it!
Studies and reports published by Nielsen over the last 3 years found that Americans spend nearly 1/4 of their time online on social network sites and/or blogs. This means that much of your target audience is already using social media. If you want to reach clients and prospects, you need to be where they are! By using social media you will increase odds that your marketing message will get through to a significant number.
It will give you a competitive advantage!
Even though you or your business are not using social media, your competitors probably are! If that’s the case, you’ll want to add it to your marketing strategy quickly, or run the risk of falling behind. Rejoice if your competitiors haven’t yet ventured into social media… You can get a leg up on them by taking advantage of a marketing stream before they do.
It will help you connect with clients and prospects.
Many marketing streams are one way in nature… A business sends its marketing message out and the consumer receives it. With social media you have the opportunity to connect with your customers, and actually have a conversation. Social media helps to create a community of followers that see you as MORE than just a business. They will view you as someone they trust and people shop with people they trust!
Social media isn’t just for the big boys…. It’s a valuable and cost effective marketing tool for small businesses everywhere. It’s here to stay, so jump in head first and reap the rewards! Reactive Consulting is available to help plan social media campaigns, run “fan drive” contests and even manage your social media presence. Contact us today for more information!
A full moon on Friday the 13th won’t happen again until 2049
Those of us who are superstitious find Friday the 13th to be ominous and foreboding… Today, Friday the 13th, happens to also be the day of a full moon. This hasnt happened since October 13, 2000 and will not happen again until August 13, 2049.
If you happen to be a werewolf, its best to lock yourself up this evening.
Stay safe New Mexico, and good luck!
The importance of a GOOD website
Websites are one of the very most valuable marking tools for businesses of all sizes and in all industries. There is added value to healthcare practitioners, considering 60+ % of American adults search online for health information. Ensuring that your medical, dental or surgical website is appealing to this massive online audience is imperative.
Having a GREAT website is valuable and proves that value year after year. Keep in mind that website design is more than just pretty colors, high resolution photos and creative layouts. The most valuable web sites incorporate elements of branding, usability, lead generation and accessibility.
Branding
Apple is a prime example of consistence throughout branding.
Usability
Usability is an assessment of how easily your website is navigated and utilized. Usability is hugely important and should be kept in mind during website design. If visitors can not figure out how to use the site, then the website decreases in value. Prioritize the tasks that you want the visitor to take, then follow best practice guidelines to make tasks as easy as possible.
Usability testing a design is a MUST before the site goes live. Have objective eyes navigate through your website and give you honest feedback. We have found that someone who has nothing to do with the design process is usually the most valuable critic. Its much better to find usability issues during testing than a year down the road after customers have complained (and potentially walked away).
A design that is usable with clear process funnels provides value to the company every time someone visits their site.
Lead Generation
Lead generation is a very important function of a website. It is commonly an after thought during the design process, and we have discovered this is a mistake! The ability to capture information from people who are interested in your product or service is highly beneficial. Designs that maximize lead generation use A/B testing to find optimal layouts and language. They are enticing in hopes of a user giving up their information. Even simple lead generation tactics will increase the number of interested customers who will come into your place of business. Just imagine if your website generation 50, 100 or even 500 leads per month… How would that impact your bottom-line?
Accessibility
Technology changes at a rapid pace and the biggest trend in the last few years is mobile browsing. Recently people have begun accessing the Internet from a wide variety of devices; Smart phones, Desktops, Tablets, etc. This has made accessibility VERY important. Your website MUST be accessible on all major devices without compromising user experience. Mobile responsive websites eliminate the need to develop separate websites for each device type, which is must more cost effective and easier to manage. Web design by Reactive Consulting accomplishes seamless user experience across all platforms without the need to create a mobile website.
A website also must be accessible to search engines. Google is the search engine leader by a huge margin, accounting for over 85% of the market share. This roughly equates to just over 2 billion searches on Google PER DAY. Search engines utilize robots called “Spiders” that crawl the internet finding websites, indexing the sites and then reporting their findings back to Google for listing. If your website isn’t accessible to the “Spiders” that the search engines send out, then you are missing out! SEO aims to not only make your website accessible to search engines, but also maximize the visibility of your site in the major search engines.
Solid web design is absolutely priceless.
All website design is NOT created equal. Paying more will not necessarily guarantee you get more. When you are searching for a website designer make sure that you look through their past work. Don’t just browse portfolios, but go to the actual sites. Verify these sites are functional. Are their broken links or missing images? Is the user experience complete? Is the site complicated and difficult to navigate? Is the brand well represented? Is the site seamlessly navigable on a mobile device? Read reviews and testimonials and focus on business that are well known in your community / city / state.
Amazing Photography
Our friends over at Red Panda Productions were gracious enough to provide us with much of the photography that we have featured throughout our page. Mr. Chad Schwartzenberger, owner of Red Panda Productions in Canton, MI does amazing work… From vibrant still life shots, to high motion sports photography and even high quality studio shots, Red Panda Productions is sure to get you the shot you need. Chad and his crew do contract work for websites and print, commissioned location shoots and they also offer a massive library of beautiful shots for sale as print. Visit them on facebook and find out what they are shooting today!
Our new look!
Last month we decided it was time to freshen up our site. We sat out to make something modern, simplistic but incredibly engaging. The final product is well beyond our initial vision, and we are super happy with the results. We’ve employed many advanced technologies and techniques to ensure the site feels “ALIVE”. The site is fully responsive and displays beautiful on any device; iphone/android, tablet or desktop.
Contact us today and let us help you with your website design or development needs. We are eager to hear from you and ready to bring your visions to life!