Web-enabling the world of business

Imagining Out Loud
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Let's talk quickly on timely topics to elevate your web strategy. Fellow developers will be addressed as well, but in small doses, and wherever possible, in common-speak.

Archive for the ‘business consulting’ Category

CGIPro announces the launch of Superior Exterior Systems’ new site.

December 3rd, 2010
Author: Andrew

Superior Exterior Systems (www.SuperiorExteriorSystems.com) provided us with a unique challenge in developing a new web presence for them, within a limited budget. They wanted not only a functional and professional design, but required that site content be easily updated. — so they could keep up with their ever growing & changing market and product lines they offer.

CGI Productions took on this challenge by designing a site which reflected their existing collateral materials (ads in the phone book and sales materials) in both color, layout and feel while integrating our ez-button content management system for ease of updating and managment of the site text. All of this was achieved within their tight budget and deadline.

The owners at SES can now update pictures and the flood of new testimonies coming in for the great work they do.

CGI Productions feels that our ez-button content management system is the best way for small businesses and managers to control their message to consumers at a reasonable price. While large scale CMS systems require hours and hours of programming, preset and complex database integration and exorbitant costs to clients. Our ez-button system is light on code, quick and easy to train clients to use, and is well worth the price. Often we hear from clients that it’s important to be self-sufficient as a means of saving money. We feel that by providing clients with this ability to manage their own content using our ez-button system, that we’re not only empowering them to be self sufficient to save them money, but it allows us to build better relationships with the client in helping them understand how their online presence is not something they should be afraid of but use to their advantage by easily editing and controlling it.

Google Wave to transform our work

September 30th, 2009
Author: Andrew

I am usually just a safe little tad behind the bleeding edge of advocating new site tools to our clients, so I can make sure the tools works for their business goals instead of just being another shiny object to clutter up their site. Google Wave is different. I just watched the 1 hour 20 min video (so you don’t have to) and I can safely declare even before this is available for testing, that using it will give all our clients a solid leg up.

I am going to prioritize 30 minute strategic sessions with each of you, recommending we acclimate you to waving, twaving and embedding these tools into the apps we have created for you.

Call me!

Here is the 10 minute version…

Updating the Old Portfolio, but going Local again

July 7th, 2009
Author: Andrew

This is one of those things that I always enjoyed delegating, but always knew it was up to me to really dial in the messaging for. So time has indeed gone by since the last update, and every one of our clients has an updated story on their website. I am personally very honored to have continuing great clients over the years and am glad that the projects keep rolling in.

Since our best work is really on the back end of a website, where browsing around as a user only shows about 10% of our work, linking over to sites has never really been a great promotional tool for us anyway. With the blog however, we can certainly tell our story.

Please take a look at our portfolio now and get yourself updated while I talk about our new local web portal we are launching… which is really what I want to talk about anyway.

It was back in 1996 I had a vision of how the internet would not only revolutionize the way we do business, but also that it would be used to revitalize local economies that were otherwise hard hit and/or isolated. I was wrong about my idea in terms of timing, as at that time I started a local web service called victorvalley.com (see remnants here) and it simply came before it’s time.. and for the next decade the internet dispersed economies rather than anchored them locally.

Now that we are just getting into an especially funky recession, and our network dependent economy is leaving local business at a disadvantage, I believe the time is right to work on building the local web. People will still of course be using Google to research buying decisions and looking for value, but they will include local searches and should by now expect to be finding the answers locally, not elsewhere.

Enter LocaSource - crazy hot values from wise local experts. We expect to have 200+ of the best local business people, restaurants and retail outlets occupying positions as local anchored go-to resources for everything from home remodeling, to charitable giving, to night spots, realty and accounting. As long as it is local, and our partner can contribute relevant content for their category, then a new relevant blog is born.

We plan on always keeping this resource local, so as not to fall into the trap seen so often with empty, diluted national directories. We want to build something the community can gather around.

(the design is coming together soon. Stay tuned)