Jun 16
MikeGeneral Business Practices basecamp, project management
Managing a project from start to finish means we have to deliver on time, on budget and meet the requirements of our clients. To achieve this we have to be organized, communicate effectively between ourselves and with our clients, deal with issues quickly, monitor our progress and produce a finished project which exceeds our clients’ expectations. Basecamp, the online project management software, enables us to deliver each and every time.
Basecamp allows us to track and organize every aspect of a project online making it easier to manage jobs and stay on schedule. The reason we love to use Basecamp is the numerous advantages it offers us to keep a project running smoothly from beginning to end. This project management software allows us to set up project tasks, assign members of our team to each one and set project milestones. From one location we can upload and review files, update our clients on progress and handle every task quickly and efficiently.
Email is a vital aspect of our project management and Basecamp helps to ensure we always deliver messages when and where intended. The software allows us to send emails without even having to be logged into the service. Basecamp gives each project its own unique email address so we always know who sent the message and which project it is intended for, any messages sent are also flagged up to every user on that account letting them know a new message is available. Better than that, Mailmanagr can now be integrated with Basecamp allowing users to set up email addresses, create milestones, to-do lists and messages just by sending an email.
In our opinion Basecamp gives us everything we need to manage our projects and deliver to our clients on time. The Mailmanagr integration is a great addition too, ensuring our emails and communications do not go astray! While it may not suit everyone, I would strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of the free one project plan they offer. Give it a whirl, it’s a product that I swear by and couldn’t live without…let me know what you think.
Jun 09
MikeGeneral Business Practices, Web Industry email marketing, marketing
Clients often ask us about the use of email marketing solutions. While much has been written about the benefits of adopting email marketing strategies, it can be difficult to navigate the wealth of different solutions available to businesses, large or small.
Email marketing can be a great tool for promoting your business, if you get it right that is. Many companies will adopt it because it offers the potential to instantly increase sales and allows business owners to adopt a marketing strategy which is easily measurable. There are a number of factors which will govern the success of an email marketing campaign, but one of the most important factors is the email marketing vendor that you chose.
The market for this type of service is huge and in our opinion over saturated. This means that when it comes to choosing a company to launch your email marketing campaign you will need to pick wisely and according to your needs and business type. Here are our top four email marketing solutions to help get you started:
- Mail Chimp: This is our personal favorite and the one solution we frequently recommend to our clients, especially small businesses. Designed with a bright and cheerful interface, Mail Chimp offers plenty of features which are designed with simplicity in mind. While it may lack some advanced reporting features, it makes up with a robust feature set. Mail Chimp also offers a free service to those businesses that have under 500 subscribers. This is a pricing advantage that no others can match!
- Constant Contact: Constant Contact is a household name for many businesses. They have done a great job with their corporate branding and advertisements but don’t let this play into your decision. Pricing starts from just $15 per month and subscribers will find a comprehensive feature set, easy to use wizards and excellent help and support. Where it does fall short is in the number of reporting features available and free tools on offer such as conversion tracking.
- Vertical Response: If you are looking for a solution which does not require a contract or minimum term commitment then give Vertical Response a try. From just $10 per month you will find plenty of features which will rival those of any of their competitors. Personally, the best part about Vertical Response is their “pay as you go” pricing option. Maybe you send quarterly newsletters. If you know that your business will not be sending emails monthly, why enter into a monthly contract? Unfortunately, Vertical Response is not the easiest of the bunch to navigate.
- iContact: Considered among the best in the business, iContact offers a simple to use solution. Packed with features, including a custom survey option which allows users to create and send their own surveys, it is easy to use and with subscriptions starting from $14 per month. Its only flaw is the lack of reporting features available and it doesn’t include conversion tracking or Google Analytics integration.
Businesses of all sizes, give each of these four vendors a look. Personally, if you’re a small business with under 500 subscribers (email recipients), I’d definitely suggest going with Mail Chimp. (Mail Chimp is also good for companies of all sizes, see their full pricing options). If you have more than 500 subscribers and know that you won’t need a vendor each month, I’d suggest either Mail Chimp’s prepaid “pay as you go” plan or Vertical Response’s “pay as you go” plan.
Jun 08
MikeWeb Industry mastercard, moneysend, paypal
Until now, Paypal has held the market share when it comes to financial transactions using online and mobile platforms. Recently, MasterCard released the Moneysend app that enables iPhone and iPad users to transfer money to other accounts quickly and easily. Powered in part by Obopay, users can send and request money through banks and credit unions using the free app with either an existing MasterCard or bank account.
MasterCard is determined to take Paypal on; they have also announced a plan to open up its’ payment gateways to developers who want to build and enhance the online platform and mobile apps. (As you may know, Paypal released their API Paypal X at the end of 2009.)
So what are the benefits of this new app? I’m not sure if it’s a benefit but unlike Paypal, users of MoneySend will incur a transaction fee at the front end (sending the money) while the recipients won’t be charged a fee. (Paypal recipients incur the transaction fee, if any.) And security? It’s always a concern when it comes to the storing of financial information via electronic devices such as phones. But MasterCard have made moves to assure users of the app that it is secure and that all personal and financial information will not be stored locally on the iPhone or iPad.
Since eBay purchased Paypal, all traders are required to have a Paypal account in order to sell through via eBay. This in itself may be the biggest factor in the success of the Paypal app and most likely the reason MasterCard will struggle to convert users – especially as MoneySend charges to send payments unlike Paypal.
Paypal is a giant – there’s no argument there. MoneySend is the first app to be released by another major financial-focused company but so far it’s slow to gain traction and is currently only available in the US. I respect the ambition MasterCard has; they have clearly spent time and resources developing the MoneySend app in a bid to lure users away from Paypal. Truth is, Paypal has a strong brand and very wide appeal, something which could be tough to beat – even if your name is MasterCard. Only time will tell…
Jun 02
MikeWeb Industry CMS, eCommerce, Magento, magento mobile, mobile ecommerce
This week, Magento launched its new mobile commerce platform, Magento Mobile. For those of you who already run ecommerce websites powered by Magento you will already be aware of how powerful this software is. Now with the launch of its new mobile app, you can easily create your own branded storefront apps which are integrated with the Magento platform. The new software includes an administrative manager, a fully customizable iPhone app and a Magento managed submission and maintenance service for the iTunes app store.
Magento Mobile offers merchants a fully customizable and seamless storefront integration for mobile applications. It allows you to easily integrate your full store catalog, checkout procedures, inventory and full reporting and admin features. There are also device specific features and a choice of branded themes to select. Your mobile storefront can also be further customized with colors and images which will update on users mobiles even after they have downloaded the app.
Outdoor product retailer, The North Face, is one of the first market leading companies to use the new Magento Mobile commerce app, which soon become available to more countries around the globe for users of the iPhone. So what can Magento Mobile commerce offer you?
- Storefront Integration: As mentioned above, you can seamlessly integrate you existing website into the app with all your products, checkout facilities and enjoy admin features such as reporting and stock control.
- Manage Multiple Devices: you can easily manage multiple devices with just one installation. Later this year Magento hopes to extend the app to the iPad and android devices.
- Hassle Free Management: managing mobile apps can be time consuming so Magento offers to manage them for you for a low cost monthly fee.
- Fully Customizable: you can alter the appearance of your storefront to promote your brand and match it to your existing website. Any changes you make will automatically appear even if users have already downloaded the app.
- Low Cost: you pay only for the features and devices you want to use, while Magento will manage the ongoing maintenance for you.
Currently, this app is available on a limited release so if you want to know more you will need to sign up through the Magento website. There will also be a webinar on June 23 presented by Tim Schultz who will give a 60 minute presentation about the new app and also feature a Q and A session. Those who want access will need to sign up as spaces are limited.
May 28
MikeWeb Design EE CMS, ExpressionEngine, ExpressionEngine Hosting
ExpressionEngine has become a popular choice when it comes to content management systems. This flexible system is rich in features and can dynamically assemble websites with just a handful of PHP scripts. While Drupal is our preferred CMS, we do work with ExpressionEngine quite a bit as it is a favorite for many of our clients. After recommending a CMS to our clients, a frequently asked question is “how will it interact with our current hosting company?” Some of our ExpressionEngine clients have experienced issues with ExpressionEngine hosting.
The server requirements for ExpressionEngine are fairly standard and revolve around Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP. Most companies will run Linux based servers which are capable of ExpressionEngine hosting, but you should consider the following tips before choosing a hosting company for your ExpressionEngine website:
- Don’t run ExpressionEngine on Windows. Although possible, you can run into numerous issues and problems. Running on Windows may save you money but you will most likely spend more money troubleshooting the configuration.
- Cheap hosting, although very attractive should also be avoided. Hosts such as GoDaddy and 1&1 offer very cheap ExpressionEngine hosting, but their packages tend to lack key tools and the support needed to manage your EE installation.
- Ask any potential host to run the ExpressionEngine server wizard to establish if their product meets ExpressionEngine’s requirements.
- If you want to manage multiple sites for clients consider how you will do this. Some ExpressionEngine hosting packages offer up a master admin panel like cPanel where you can manage multiple sites and domains from one account. Other companies prefer you to set up separate accounts.
To help you find the right ExpressionEngine hosting package for you here are a few choices to consider:
- EngineHosting.com is our recommendation. They are affiliated with Ellis Lab who created ExpressionEngine and offer hosting packages starting at just $10 per month for shared hosting. They offer excellent support and will even install EE for you. If you purchase ExpressionEngine at the same time as the hosting package you will receive a 20% discount.
- MediaTemple.com has hosting packages from $20 per month and offers a user control panel which will allow you to configure sites on your account yourself. Their support is good, although there is one disadvantage for those who wish to replace index.php in their URLs as this can be tricky with Media Temple servers.
Other ExpressionEngine hosting companies exist but be sure to do your research before embarking on a twelve month (or longer) hosting commitment.
Older Entries Newer Entries
Subscribe to our rss