The Roundpeg blog is four years old. In that time, the blog has evolved and expanded, partially because my writing style has changed (although Allison will argue my use of commas hasn’t) and partially because I have added other voices to the mix.

This was not my first blog. Indy-Biz.com and LorraineBall.com both preceded it. With Indy-Biz for local news and LorraineBall as an outlet for my humor and occasional rant, Business Notes from Roundpeg was a “serious” business blog.  It was filled with checklists and links to informative articles. The tone was formal and the content was solid. Unfortunately, it was a little dry and kind of dull, like reading a textbook.

I started reading lots of blogs on marketing, social media, web and graphic design and  technology. The ones I returned to over and over again blended information and personality. While they often included formulaic  lists (10 ways to do anything) they did it in an engaging way, which held my interest. I started to copy that style as I worked on my voice.

It took me a while to get comfortable letting my personality come through my writing. Once I did, I no longer needed to maintain a separate blog for my rants. If something  is wrong, I share it here, always looking for the lesson to make it relevant to my readers. The posts were easier and more fun to write. And the more of “me” I let come through the blog, the more popular it became.

Adding guest posts and features from the entire Roundpeg crew expands our voice, allowing us to offer something for everyone. It also  means I don’t have to write as often. While I miss the challenge of creating something new every day, it is nice to take a few days on a post if I really want it to be memorable.

The informal voice may not be right for everyone. Lawyers and accountants may struggle more to find the balance.  The key is to find a style which is natural for you.

When we start a new website project at Roundpeg, we spend a lot of time talking about themes. So what’s a theme? Not so fast Romeo, let’s get a handle on WordPress first. Roundpeg’s websites depend on this software to run. Like the engine in a car, it’s the unseen power-house under the hood. When you’re writing a blog post, that’s the WordPress engine working and when you’re checking your website’s traffic statistics, that’s data recorded by WordPress. Website owners change and update their site with the power of this engine.

A theme is the top-level surface that your customers interact with. It manages the way all of your information is displayed and how it looks to visitors. At the very least, a theme is like a sparkling coat of paint that makes the website yours. Premium and professionally built themes like the ones we use often come with their own add-ons that make designing new looks a lot of fun.

After the project kick-off meeting, we select two or three themes from our favorite designers. We add sample images and the client’s logo and then we send them off for feedback. Simple, right? Just shop around until the right one appears. Yeah, simple like picking out new curtains or finding the car with the feature pack and paint job that feels just right.

Picking the right theme is a crucial step in the web development process. Switching themes half-way in can mean a significant delay and significant hair-pulling on both the client and developer’s end.

Here are a few of the things we think about before we show clients a mock-up:

1. Will the theme serve the client well? – A beautifully designed theme is worthless if it doesn’t have the layout and structure to suit the needs identified in our kick-off meeting. This is the heart-breaker. I don’t know how many times we’ve had to leave a good theme behind because its layout didn’t meet for the client’s needs.

2. Is it well-made? – The segments of code that define it must fit together cleanly like the gears of a watch. Ugly code is a deal breaker, no matter how nice it looks on the outside.

3. How can we refine it? – This is where things get interesting. As web developers, it’s our job to collect and piece together everything to make great websites. If a theme is walled up and resists modifications, it’s going to be nixed from our short list. I’m always looking for themes with lots of customization opportunities.

All of this thinking and planning sounds like a drag, but it’s not. We recognize and embrace the challenge of creating something new. Themes help us fulfill the vision our clients have for their website and business.

Do you have an idea for a great blog post?   Today I am going to suggest you think about the numbers to help make it successful.

1.   Word Count – Finding a balance is tough. Posts that are too long (1,000 words or more) lose all but the most committed readers before the end.  Posts that are too short (less than 250 words) don’t offer enough content or key word density to attract the attention of the search engines.

So what’s the magic number? I typically shoot for between 300 – 500 words. I don’t let word count drive my post, but a quick look at the number in the lower left hand corner of my screen keeps me on track. Too long, I probably have a second post in the works. Too short, I might need to do a bit  of research on to expand this topic. ( More on this topic from ProBlogger) 

2.   Length of the Title  - Keeping your title under 70 characters has two key benefits. First, it is easier to share the title with a link on Twitter. With a limit of 140 characters, a short title and short link can easily be retweeted without losing content. Also most search engines will crop your title at 70 characters.

3.   Links in Your Post  - Internal links in your posts drive readers to other related content. External links build community by making connections to other relevant sites. But how much is too much? How little is not enough?  While SEO MOz says you can have up to 100 links on a page, this is clearly overkill for the average reader. Scribe SEO encourages you to have at least one relevant link near the top of your post.

So what is the right answer? I typically think one link per hundred words works well. It shows the post is well-connected without being overwhelming. When you add a link, be sure to include a trackback as well.

4.   Numbers in the Title – People like simple answers. The promise that you can solve their problem in just 5 easy steps is too tempting to pass up. Blog posts with numbers in the title get more traffic. Look at top social media information sites like Copyblogger and ProBlogger, and you will see titles that look like this:  5 Suggestions for…, 3 Ways to… , 7 Quick tips… The problem? I don’t often write linear posts. If there are no lists, it is hard to have a numbered title.  I won’t sacrifice a good title just to add a number. I simply use this tactic when it makes sense.

At the end of the day, none of these other tricks will make a bit of difference if you don’t offer good content. If the article isn’t well-written, thought provoking, funny or smart, no one will share the article anyway. So follow the rules if they make sense, but never let them get in the way of creating a truly great post. I actually wanted to call this post “5 strategies,” but only came up with 4 ideas, and the post was getting long.  What would you add to this list?

In Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner built a baseball field to watch the ghosts of old baseball players. Why? Because a voice told him, ”if you build it they will come.”  I loved the movie, but it was just a movie.  The simple advice doesn’t always work in real life.

As we wrap up web design projects we tell our clients, “we built it, but now you have to drive traffic to it.”  That is where blogging comes in.  The steady stream of regular content gives a website owner something to share on social platforms and something new for Google to index and present in search results.

As a starting point, begin adding content. Write about industry trends and company events. Share pictures of products and customers. Once you have a foundation, you are ready for advanced blogging tips:

• Start with a Good Title - Keep it short but interesting
• Promote it through social media – In order for this strategy to be effective, you have to build a community or following first
• Pay attention to what your readers like – Check your stats, look for clues in search terms and popular posts.  If one theme seems to generate the right type of response, add more of the same types of posts
• Connect to other relevant blogs – The inspiration for this post was an article by Jack Humphrey on the Friday Traffic Report
• Add photos – And be sure to title them appropriately. The visual images attract visitors through search, and engage them as they scan your blog
• Engage with visitors.  When someone posts a comment on your blog, respond. And if they have a blog, take a minute to visit their site as well

Want to learn more about blogging for small business owners? Join us for one of our two blogging seminars – Blogging Basics on 2/23  which is part of our Winter seminar series. Of if you are a Roundpeg web client, attend a smaller, more focused session as part of our PressRefresh Series on 2/21. These programs are offered at no charge by Roundpeg, an Indianapolis social media firm providing web design and marketing services for small business owners.

It doesn’t matter what you say about me as long as you spell my name right. That was the long held belief of many advertising and PR pros. It assumed people don’t remember the details, just your name. I saw this in practice 11 years ago when I was at Conseco. As we slid into bankruptcy, there were countless news articles describing the mismanagement of the company in great detail. While our agents noticed, consumers seemed to be oblivious. They just  heard the name over and over again and remembered us.

The Shane Company has the most annoying but recognizable commercials. The sound of the owner’s voice is like nails on a chalk board. As soon as I hear it, I switch stations.  I do, however, remember the Shane Company.

And in the realm of social media, there is  Tod Esquivel, AKA IndyFitBrides, IndyFitGrooms, IndyFitKids, IndyBootCamps, IndysBiggestLoser, IndyFitMoms and IndyFitSeniors, just to name a few. He is also known as IndyFitGolf, IndyFitBowling, IndyFitRowing, IndyFitPolice, and Indy FitFirefighters. In all, I found 57 different Twitter accounts.

He follows everyone he can from all of his accounts on Facebook and Twitter. His recent expansion to Foursquare and LinkedIn was really annoying as he spammed many of us with 5, 6 or even 10 separate invitations to connect. While local social media pros ignore, unfollow, and block his tweets, we know his name. He is the butt of many jokes, but  his accounts have followers, and some even have interaction.

So the question is this: Is this unsuccessful marketing if people remember your name? 

In my opinion, it is unsuccessful:

• He has spread himself so thin, none of the accounts are well-developed, with strong followings. If he allocated just half the time he spends dreaming up new accounts to making his primary one more interesting, he would be a social media powerhouse.
• Most of his accounts have low or non-existent Klout, and even his primary account is still below 40, indicating little or no influence.
• In addition, he has created so much negative energy around his brand, he is missing the opportunity to leverage the support of the Indy social community, which is, for the most part a generous and supportive group.
• His strategy on LinkedIn was in direct violation of their terms of service and his accounts were shut down. Reports have also been made to Foursquare for his violation of their TOS too.

What should he do?

• Todd needs one social media account for each network. There is no reason to have dozens of dummy accounts all supporting the  same business. It’s divides his potential audience, wastes time and provides limited results.
• He needs to blog. According to Hubspot companies that blog get 55% more web traffic and 70% more leads than those that don’t. Tod could dramatically increase his sales opportunities if he would eliminate most of his accounts and use his spare time generating content for his website in the form of a blog. Writing fitness tips for policemen, firemen, golfers, fishers, racers, tennis players, seniors, moms, dads, grooms, brides, and horseback riders would fill a years worth of blog posts and deliver measurable SEO benefits.

I am sure that Tod is a nice guy, but I would rather be fat than follow IndyFitAnything.

I have a lot of fun visiting with Troy Hanna ( @the funsalesdude) on the new A2 University podcast today. This month they were talking about networking, so I had a chance to share a few of my favorite tips.

You can listen to the program here, and be sure to check out the entire series, every Tuesday afternoon from 4:00 – 4:30. Check it out. Troy definitely brings a level of fun to the broadcast.

It has been awhile since I have talked about or written anything about networking so it was fun to share some of my favorite tips, because I am a networking junkie!  I firmly believe this is an addiction every small business owner should develop.

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to learn more, you can order a copy of my booklet:  Confessions of a Networking Junkie.  Now available in hard copy, Kindle and eBook versions.

The first week of 2012 was exactly what I expected.  It started a bit slow, with the Monday holiday, but definitely picked up steam as the week progressed.  We launched our 1st quarter seminars and we are almost sold out for our first class.  (If you are interested in attending, don’t wait, reserve your seat now.   We have already started two new web design projects, and we are excited about what else is in the works.

With everything going on, we still had time to write some interesting blog posts. If you didn’t have a chance to stop by this week, here is a summary of what you missed.

Saturday – Faces of Roundpeg: The Interns

Interns are a part of the fabric of Roundpeg. I am a teacher at heart, and I love sharing what I know about marketing with people who are interested in learning. Every semester we have one, two or three individuals who are testing their careers with us.

Sunday - Start the Year Right

I love New Year’s Day. On this day almost anything seems possible. Closing the books on 2011, it is time to plan for the year ahead.  And just like every year for the last ten years, I am putting the finishing touches on my business plan.

The Web Strategy Organization Chart

Oli Gardner wrote a blog post, which is actually a small novel, outlining a six month plan to improving your search position. In it he, outlined the elements which come together to create an effective web strategy. His infograhpic gave me the inspiration for this post.

Monday – Plunger Bouquets and Other Bad Design Ideas

Jenna shares some of the things that make her want to set her graphic design degree on fire.

January Press Refresh

It is a new year, and time for new resolutions. How about making yours to whip your website into shape? We can help. At Roundpeg, we believe in empowering our website design clients to maintain and tweak their websites, continually improving their content and SEO.

Tuesday - Just One Story

Allison explains why business owners who can’t focus one message remind us of the person who trap us in a conversation who can’t just tell you a straightforward story? You want them to tell you one simple thing, but they have to expound on every detail…

More than a Few Words:  The Client Experience

Branding does not stop at the edge of the paper or the bottom of a website. True branding extends into all facets of your customer experience. How you answer your phone, greet guests as they visit and even furnish your office all combine to create a brand impression. This week, we spoke  to interior designer James Kuster, specifically about how he works with clients to extend their brand into all facets of the customer experience.

Wednesday - Roundpeg in Three Words

One of the most interesting and sometimes difficult question a business owners should answer as they write their first business plan is this:What are your company values? This is different then your mission, which is why the business exists or your vision, which is a snapshot of where you will be in five years.Values are about the core or soul of your business.

Thursday New Website is Work of Art

One of Roundpeg’s first WordPress web design projects was the site we built for my husband’s metal sculpting business. In the four years since the site was built, WordPress has grown tremendously as a platform, and so have our skills as a web design team. It was time for a major overhaul of AballStudio.com

Friday -Taking Online Relationships Offline: Richmond Social Media Club, 1/13

Allison talks about her friendship with Randy Clark.  She describes how it started online, but has grown into so much more, they will be taking it on the road for a presentation in Richmond later this month.

Hard to imagine that we are at year’s end. Not to be cliche, but where has the time gone?  All of us who work here at Roundpeg know to expect the unexpected when we walk in the door and this week has not been an exception to that rule. While we are ready to celebrate the New Year, we’ve made it through this week by the skin of our teeth.

Have you had time to check out our blogs this week? From our list of personal favorite blog posts to our business plans for 2012, we’ve covered a lot of territory.  Happy New Year & we’re looking forward to a new year of blogging. What are you looking forward to?

Saturday – Faces of Roundpeg: Matt and the Gift of Words
Matt shared some words of wisdom with Lorraine when she was starting Roundpeg. Is there someone who has gifted you with their words this year?

Sunday – Simple Season’s Greetings from Roundpeg
Jenna designed the 2011 Roundpeg holiday card to reflect our new aesthetic. We wish our clients, friends and families a wonderful holiday season.

Monday – Hidden Gems from 2011
Last week we shared the top ten most popular blog posts, this week we tell you a little bit about our favorites from 2011.

Tuesday – All American Doesn’t Have to be Red, White & Blue
The challenge of designing a logo that will look good not only on the product but on a website as well.

MTFW: Your Baby is Ugly
Roundpeg designers Jenna Giles and Peter Wolfgram  discussed the challenges and rewards of working with graphic design clients.

Wednesday – Small Business Social Media Strategy for 2012
Social media became mainstream in 2011, how do you plan to use it in 2012?

Thursday – The Cobbler’s Children: 2012 Roundpeg Goals
This post is a list of our goals for 2012.

Friday – What Did Your Letter Say?
At the beginning of 2011, Lorraine wrote a letter about what she hoped to accomplish this year. Read this blog to see how her year wrapped up.

Happy New Year!

On January 2,  I gave you an assignment. I challenged you to write a letter to yourself about the year ahead. You were supposed to give it to a friend, and have them hold it till now. Did you do it? What did you write about, and how did the year turn out?

In my letter, I wrote about big plans for 2011. I expected us to grow our sales by 50%, add two members to our team and launch an updated website by mid year. I planned to take another vacation out of the country and finally retire the Volvo, exchanging it for a newer car (but still a convertible!).

So how did  I do?

The Team: Hello, Goodbye, Hello, Goodbye

We have a number of new staff members, but not all of them came to us the way I expected.

We lost our “boy band” when Jay and Taylor both left to chase new dreams this summer. And with their departure,  a piece of my heart. They were hard to replace, and we still haven’t found the right person for our business development role. Fortunately we found Jenna, who has definitely added her own spice to the mix at Roundpeg. Her experience at Angie’s List has brought a sense of order to our team and a fresh feel to our designs.

We gave two of our interns slots at Roundpeg — Sharayah joined the team as a production artist in June. She helped us make the transition from Taylor to Jenna. Still a full time student, the pressure of trying to work and finish her degree finally caught up with her. She left as the fall semester was wrapping up. And then we were lucky that Peter dropped into our life with a mix of writing and design skills. He is truly our secret weapon with the ability to switch from writing to design and back again.

So when you are done tallying the score card, we are the same size  we were a year ago, but we are interviewing candidates for a web coordinator role and expect to have it  filled by the end of January.

Our Website:  All Grown Up

We launched the new design as planned this summer, and I love it. The new look is exactly what I wanted: sophisticated, but still fun. The grown-up design has allowed us to present a favorable impression to companies who might not have given us a second look in the past, but it still features photos of the animals and the occasional odd event. I have held back from making any major design changes since launch, but I am sure to start tweaking again after the first of the year.

Vacation and Travel

Lots of travel this fall as I gave presentations on social media to groups around the country. I was tired of airplanes as the year wound down, but not too tired to spend Thanksgiving in Hawaii. Officially still the US, but definitely another world. My son came from Tokyo and my daughter joined us as well. I came back tan and relaxed. Exactly what I hoped for in my vacation.

Sales up 25%, but Revenue up 75%

What I learned this year, was that I didn’t have to sell more, I just needed to sell more profitable projects!  With that foundation in place, in 2012, I plan to sell more too.

And the Car

My eleven year old Volvo has been sent to its resting place. And though it took me several months to figure out what I wanted, I finally made up my mind. On nice days, even in January, you will see me cruising around town, with the top down  in my Volkswagen Eos.

And now, 2012

Did writing the goals down make a difference in the year’s outcome? I believe it did. On a regular basis I reflected back on what I had written and adjusted my activities to move me closer to that goal. Later today I will be writing another letter with plans for 2012. What will it contain? You will have to wait till next year to find out!

2011 was the year of social media and small business.  Yes, Facebook has been around for eight years and Twitter for six, but in 2011 small business owners began really paying attention to these tools.

Suddenly our phones were ringing with requests for seminars and support services from companies who had previously turned a deaf ear. Even the HVAC firms, usually the last to embrace new technology, were paying and getting involved. What we typically saw was business owners rushing head first into social media, setting up profiles everywhere and quickly being overwhelmed by the time involved.

It was like unleashing a hungry man at a smorgasbord, he wanted to taste everything but was quickly stuffed. Not everyone needs to be on Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, YouTube, Stumble, Digg, Delicious, MySpace and Flickr, so just like health professionals, who recommend food in moderation and exercise, we are recommending social media in moderation, with a dose of blogging.

In 2012, I think success small business owners will adopt the following strategies:

• Pick a primary network.  Focus the majority of social media efforts on building one community.
• Which community?  Consider your target market, Facebook is a much better choice for consumer products, while LinkedIn is a core for a B2B strategy.
• Dedicate time. It takes time to build any social media network. You can’t expect to be an overnight success. Just as you won’t see a beach body in only five minutes a day  at the gym, you need to spend regular blocks of time building your social media and blogging networks.
• Mobile integration. With the advent of smart phones, you have the ability to do quick updates to your social networks as they happen, including pictures and videos. This gives a fresh, breaking news quality to your stream and adds value to clients and prospects alike.

What do you plan to do with your social media strategy in 2012?