Search engines are getting smarter every day.   Keywords and meta tags are no longer enough to drive traffic to the website for your small business.  Search engines are looking for real, relevant and timely content.  The best way to do that? Blogging. That’s why we include blogs into every site we design.

You know  you should be blogging regularly but have no idea what to talk about every day. It’s okay, we’ve got you covered. We believe in continuous ongoing education for all of our website design clients, so we’re offering a crash course on blogging strategies for our second seminar in the Press Refresh series. We’ll talk about why you should blog, what you should blog about and how to get the most bang for your buck from the blogging process. Join us for this fun, interactive workshop February 21, 4:00 at the Roundpeg offices, 1003 E. 106th St, Indianapolis.

Press Refresh is a series of classes offered on the third Tuesday of every month. These courses are open to any past Roundpeg web design clients. It’s our way of helping you keep your website relevant and viable as a part of your marketing toolkit.

Effective blogging starts with a strategyand an action plan. If you don’t have a plan in place, you should, and we can help. Join the Roundpeg gang and let’s talk. This is a class web clients won’t want to miss!

For more information on the rest of the Press Refresh series or to register, click here. We hope to see you soon!

Over the years we have written quite a few blog post about blogging.  Here are just a few you might find helpful :

• Blogs build better web sites 
• The 70 / 30  Traffic Rule
• Blogging Made Simple

This week, I will be in Seattle on Tuesday and Columbus, Ohio on Friday talking with business owners and recruiting professionals about social media. While the general themes will be the same, there will be some distinct differences in my presentations.

In Seattle, I will be talking with HVAC contractors. For this group, I am going to focus on Facebook as a means of driving traffic to their primary website. Strategies for them include short videos of technicians introducing themselves, and interviews with customers. For the contractors who focus on remodeling, I am going to also encourage them to consider creating Pinterest boards of dream kitchens and dream baths.

In contrast, my group on Friday will be comprised of staffing professionals. Like the contractors, Facebook will  be important to their marketing efforts. Their primary objective will be to encourage applicants to view their job listings.    For this audience, I am going to suggest alternating between information on specific jobs and short tips on  interviewing techniques. For their secondary platform, I am going to suggest this group build a strong presence on LinkedIn. At its core, that network is definitely about finding your next job or your next employee.

When I get an invitation to speak, it is almost always about social media. But social media has become a very broad topic, and what is relevant to one group is not to another. It is no longer a one size fits all topic, just as there isn’t a one size fits all approach to using the tools to build a business.

It comes down to: What’s In Your Social Media Stew?

I learned a long time ago, if you want to be successful you need to surround yourself with people who don’t think the same way you do and who are good at the things you aren’t. If you are very lucky you will find someone who cares enough to disagree with you.

I am very lucky, because I found Allison.

She argues with me, she asks pointed questions, she corrects my grammar and spelling, and tells me when I screw up. As annoying as that is, I can’t imagine life at Roundpeg without her.

Allison loves structure and routine, so when I suggest something new, some change in our operating strategy or new software, I can always count on her to ask the tough questions and point out the flaws. This is not to say she is unsupportive, just cautious. While I can get her to change with enough prodding, more often then not, she has saved me from rushing off in the wrong direction.

She would rather write a note than talk on the phone and she hates big networking events. How could I possibly hire someone who dislikes big networking events? But she doesn’t like them. That doesn’t mean she is without a network. Through social media, G-Chats, and intimate events, Allison has built a solid power circle, which rivals any of my networks. She just did it in her own way.

But we don’t disagree on everything. We share a common love for animals. While she will insist bringing home Maybee was my idea, I distinctly remember her singing a chorus from the song “Maybe” from the musical Annie until I gave in. (She sings better then I do, too.)

We share an off beat sense of humor, an addiction to Diet Coke, a love of art, theater and Project Runway. Most of all, we share a passion for what we do. We argue about what we believe is in the best interest of our clients and Roundpeg. The result is usually a better idea then either of us would have had on our own.

Did I mention how very lucky I am, that Allison is one of the Faces of Roundpeg

The Roundpeg crew enjoyed a team building trip to the Super Bowl festivities last Friday. Have you had a chance to check out the fun?

Although it’s easy to get distracted this week we continue to publish at least one blog post daily. If you’ve been visiting Super Bowl Village on a daily basis you may have missed out. Now’s your chance to catch up.

Saturday - Faces of Roundpeg: New Characters – Jenna and Peter
We are a bit more polished, more professional and more grown up thanks to our newest cast members.

Sunday – What’s In a Theme?
Peter explains (to Romeo?) the basics behind WordPress themes.

Monday - Knowing When to Walk Away: Dealing with Anger Online
Always good to think before you respond whether in person or online.

Tuesday – Sometimes What’s Old is New Again
Sharing the love for WordPress plug in Tweet Old Post.

MTFW: Unfunded with Nick Carter
Listen to our talk with Nick Carter about his experiences growing his firm, AddressTwo as an “unfunded” venture.

Wednesday – Your New Truck is a Website
The inspiration for a client’s rebranding came from their original truck sign.

Thursday – Use FAQs as Blog Post Starters
FAQs and answers to questions make great content for blog posts.

Friday – Why Playing Hooky Can Help Your Business

Reflecting on our Adventure in the SuperBowl Village, Allison talks about why these types of outing are good for your business

At Roundpeg, we love to play hooky. It’s not that we don’t love our jobs or aren’t passionate about marketing and web design and all that other good stuff. But sometimes, you have to take a step back from your work and take a day for other things. That’s why last Friday we cancelled work. Oh, sure, a few of us did a couple of hours of work in the morning or a smidgen in the afternoon, but most of our day was focused purely on having fun and enjoying the crazy carnival atmosphere that is the Super Bowl in Indianapolis. We even got paid for our time.

It’s a pretty radical thing to do, for an employer to pay their employees for not working. But we’ve found that taking time away from work as a team can be just as valuable as anything we do from 9-5 in our office. First, it refreshes us. Because all of us are creatives of one stripe of another, it can be critical to avoid burnout by becoming inspired by the work of others. That’s why the TURF art exhibit presented by the Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association was such a godsend. It’s like a giant playground for grownups (okay, some kids too) where you can interact with art, view it from all different angles, crawl around on the ground and manipulate lights with your body. It’s important to step away from our own art sometimes and to look at what others are doing, how their viewpoints and perspectives differ radically from ours, and to see how we can incorporate that inspiration into our work in fresh, new ways.

The other important thing that our hooky day did was to help us form a stronger team. In our office, there are very few projects that we complete solo. Sure, I might do most of the work on a social media account, Peter shepherds website projects from start to finish and Jenna rules the roost with logos, but there are very few projects any of us complete alone. Whether we’re coordinating work together or just turning to the others for advice and moral support, we’re a team. So when we can get a chance to bond about things other than difficult customers or tricky WordPress themes, it adds a different dimension to our office relationships. It helps us learn to trust each other, and to view each other as whole people instead of just coworkers.

And finally, it’s fun. Fun is a critical part of our culture–an aspect of business that experts are agreeing is becoming more and more important. Culture is the motivation, cohesion, connection, spirit and focus that drive all great businesses. It’s about what makes you go to work besides money and why you deliver the best service day after day. And a little fun never hurt anyone.

Just take a look at some of the fun we had:

Another week where if we waited an hour here in Indianapolis, the weather changed. We’ve had ice, snow and on the rare side for January, thunderstorms.

Our blogs this week seem to have followed the pattern of one of our favorite interview questions…so weather you favor words, pictures or numbers, we’ve covered it in at least one of our blogs during the past week. If you’ve missed one or several, here’s a quick recap:

Saturday – Faces of Roundpeg: The Boy Band
Lorraine’s ode to Taylor & Jay and the way things used to be.

Sunday – Make Pictures Part of Your Web Design Strategy
Pictures are cropping up more often on blog posts, this article explains why.

Monday – Taking Stock of Your Image
In the “old” days, designers cringed at the thought of using stock photos, Jenna explains how to modify those photos to have a bigger impact and save money.

Tuesday - I Don’t Like Football, But I Love the Super Bowl
Most of us don’t realize all that hosting a Super Bowl brings to a local community as part of the Super 46, Lorraine explains what makes the Super Bowl special for the hosting city.

Marketing in Handcuffs with Muhammad Yasin:  More than a Few Words
For this week’s podcast we’ll be joined by Muhammad Yasin, social media strategist for HCCMIS, a travel health insurance company. The topic is learning how you can make regulations work in your favor.

Wednesday - Indianapolis Social Media: Way More than 46
Allison shares her thoughts on how the Super 46 could have been handled more effectively. What are your thoughts?

Thursday - It’s In the Numbers: 4 Strategies for Blog Success
Lorraine explains why paying attention to numbers in blog posts makes a difference.

Friday – You Can’t Save Everyone
This is the marketing version of you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

If you noticed that the weekly summary was published late this week, that is because the Roundpeg crew took the day off to head downtown to experience the pre Superbowl activities.  If you are in Indy, be sure to check it out before it is gone.

One of my all-time favorite TV shows is MASH. I loved all the characters of the quirky, somewhat political comedy. In the eleven years the show was on the air, many of the cast came and went. The writers and the director made a deliberate decision not to simply shove another actor into the same role. When a cast member left, they used it as an opportunity to take the show in a new direction.

The same is true of Roundpeg. In our ten years in business, team members have come and gone. The hardest thing to learn was that I couldn’t cast a new member in the same role. Each new person redefined the job around their skills and talents. While the essence of Roundpeg has remained the same, the company has evolved as a result of their influence.

These days, we have some new characters in our cast. Jenna Giles sits at the Art Director’s desk. While she has the same art degree as her predecessor Taylor, she definitely has her own style. In between designing logos and graphics for clients, she has been organizing our servers and files, shopping for pet fashions and teaching the cats stupid pet tricks.  Jenna  is passionate about her designs and comfortable explaining her concepts to clients, which has allowed me to spend more time looking for new projects.

We knew we had to hire Peter Wolfgram when Maybee drank his water and crawled into his lap during the interview.  Most afternoons you can still find her sitting there. As our production artist, Peter brings a calm center to the chaos that is Roundpeg.  He rolls his eyes ever so slightly when we suggest something he thinks is a dumb idea, you have to be paying attention to catch it. And when he is not designing, he  finds the most obscure and interesting links to share on Twitter. If you don’t follow him @pwolfgram, you should.

Some things haven’t changed. Roundpeg is still a quirky, productive place, filled with laughter, animals, and dining adventures.  It is however, a bit more polished, more professional and more grown up thanks to our newest cast members.   And with this new cast, I expect to run for quite a few more seasons.

They had many nicknames in the Indy business community, but to us they will always be The Boy Band. An unlikely duo, Jay Mattingly and Taylor Brough  shared a sense of  fun and a passion for what they did which allowed them to find a collaborative rhythm.

As solo artists they brought dramatically different backgrounds, skills and personality styles to Roundpeg.

Taylor was the quiet one.  He would often hesitate, thinking carefully about what he wanted to say. When he spoke up, it was worth paying attention.  After three years of working together, he could read my mind and my handwriting.   I am not sure which I valued most.

Jay exploded into every room he entered.  He had a million ideas and loved brainstorming with me. His telephone personality was an amazing mix of fun and business, and I know people called in just to talk to Jay.  The office is a little quieter without him.

 When they both left this summer to pursue bigger dreams, they took a piece of our hearts with them, but they left behind a wonderful legacy:

• Roundpeg Radio which started as a bit of summer music fun and transformed into our popular weekly podcast More than a Few Words.
• Adventures in Dining and Adventures in Culture – A standard practice of road trips as a team to find unusual food and experiences.   Next up? Paintball!
• On the business side they gave us a huge portfolio of great logos and websites and the RP avatar which is now the face of Roundpeg on all social media.

I didn’t want to come to my interview at Roundpeg. I wanted to go to the zoo.

It was late January, 2010. I had been un- or underemployed for the eight months since my college graduation. I’d worked retail, I’d done some contract writing work for a local university and most recently, I’d been laid off from a part-time job that I hated but wished would go full-time because it paid well and I wanted a job–any job.

I was down-in-the-dumps on that January day when Roundpeg called and told me they didn’t have any jobs available, but they’d talk to me about an unpaid internship. I didn’t want an unpaid internship, I wanted a job. I was tired of being poor and depressed. But I knew that I needed to keep moving and learning if I was ever going to find that elusive full-time gig.

“Can you come in Monday?” My heart sank. Monday was going to be a rare day for myself. You see, Monday was Martin Luther King Day, which meant free admission at the Indianapolis Zoo. It was going to be my treat to myself: a free trip to the zoo on a frigid winter’s day.

“Of course I can.”

So I went. We interviewed, but I don’t really remember it. I was full of resentment and hurt, going through the motions. But Roundpeg and I looked at each other and saw the same thing: potential. They saw a girl who was a little surly, a little battered, but who might just have some chops. And I saw a company that was a little rough around the edges, a little scrappy, but which might just have the makings of something great.

“When can you start? How about today?” Lorraine asked.

Goodbye, shark petting tank. Goodbye, red pandas. “Sure, why not?”

I worked the whole day, and then never left. Two months later, I was brought on full time.

So much has changed since that day I first walked into the little white house. For one thing, we don’t hire interns on the spot anymore. The company is also more confident, more focused and more profitable. The cast of characters has changed, revolving around the constants of Lorraine, Rebecca and Clyde. The brand and the company have grown up tremendously, and it’s been incredible to watch the change.

And for me? I’m more confident, focused and profitable, too. I’ve honed my writing skills, discovered the wild and wonderful world of social media, built a tight network in the Indianapolis community, gotten comfortable enough with myself and with my boss to help steer the direction of the company. I’ve learned to manage people–sort of. I’ve executed great campaigns with clients I loved that reaped big results, and I’ve face planted on a few projects that left me with valuable, if painful lessons.

But most importantly in my two years at the ‘Peg, I’ve rediscovered my self worth. I’ve grown up. And I’ve had a lot of fun along the way, with Taylor and Jay and Peter and Jenna  and Rebecca and the parade of interns.

Lorraine still owes me a trip to the zoo, though.

When I started Roundpeg, the company was run from a spare bedroom in my house. My cats Snowball and Midnight were my companions and coworkers. Midnight enjoyed sleeping on my planner or mouse pad and Snowball was always fascinated with the movement on my computer screen.

It felt  strange when we moved to the little white house and there were no animals.  That didn’t last long. Rebecca was remodeling her kitchen and her dog, Bonnie, was not getting along with the construction workers. I agreed to let her come to work for a few weeks.

Four years later, Bonnie is a regular part of the routine at Roundpeg. Her daily duties include greeting the team, ignoring our cats, charming our clients and snoring as she snoozes on a pillow in my office.

If you are going to have an office dog named Bonnie, you have to have an office cat named  . . . you guessed it, Clyde. And of course, we do. Weighing just a few pounds when we got her, she quickly established herself as the head of the office.  When she is not hazing interns, new employees and the other office animals, you can find her perched high on bookshelves surveying the chaos beneath her.

And finally, there is Maybee who can always be found in the middle of things. Every water cup and lap are her domain, including those belonging to potential clients or prospective employees.

The animals are a part of Roundpeg adding personality to our Facebook page and fun to our office. They make us laugh as they interrupt our work flow, sales presentations and seminars with their antics.  Most of all, they make our house feel like home.

For more of their antics: Check out our Cats at Work Album on Facebook.