http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/ Latest Entries for VisionPoint Marketing Blog en davidl@visionpointmarketing.com Copyright 2013 2013-05-23T14:16:48+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/inbound-marketing-in-four-steps http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/inbound-marketing-in-four-steps#When:14:16:48Z In a digitally saturated world of constantly plugged in prospects, one of marketing’s greatest challenges is maintaining (or earning) relevance in consumers’ lives. This is especially true given the high level of competition amongst institutions of higher education. Online Marketing, 2013-05-23T14:16:48+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/dont-miss-our-free-webinar http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/dont-miss-our-free-webinar#When:16:52:46Z Attend our upcoming webinar to learn how to establish a governance plan that defines the rules and procedures around how your organization manages and publishes content to the web -  and how to ensure those procedures are followed. Higher Education, Web Technology, 2013-05-17T16:52:46+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/social-media-101-getting-back-to-basics-in-higher-ed-social-media http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/social-media-101-getting-back-to-basics-in-higher-ed-social-media#When:14:25:23Z Social media is a great tool for reaching students, faculty, alumni and the community in today’s technology centered world. In fact, it’s no longer just a useful tool, but a requirement. Students and alumni now expect universities to be actively using a variety of social media outlets. These users are constantly engaged in social media, and if you want to create real conversations through valuable content, you should be too. Use these simple tips to ensure that the fundamentals are in place for your social media strategy to reach its full potential. Higher Education, Social Media, 101, 2013-05-14T14:25:23+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/3-steps-toward-managing-intern-success http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/3-steps-toward-managing-intern-success#When:15:03:00Z Our interns mean a lot to us here at VisionPoint. We take great pride in giving interns a challenging learning experience as well as perspective on why the work they are doing is important. I've had more than my share of internships over my two careers, and I'd like to share a few tips I have learned to follow when managing interns effectively. Interns, 2013-05-07T15:03:00+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/five-lessons-from-nagap-13 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/five-lessons-from-nagap-13#When:20:39:21Z Since this was our first time at the NAGAP, we decided to take the opportunity to do what we do best: listen...and also to give away an iPad Mini...Here's what we learned.  Higher Education, 2013-05-01T20:39:21+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/on-the-ground-improving-user-experience-with-user-testing http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/on-the-ground-improving-user-experience-with-user-testing#When:17:20:41Z We're big fans of user testing. Why? It's probably the easiest and most reliable way to see if what you're doing - especially on the web - is actually working and connecting with your audience. Higher Education, Online Marketing, Website Design & Development, 2013-04-25T17:20:41+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/meet-visionpoint-at-nagap-13-in-orlando http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/meet-visionpoint-at-nagap-13-in-orlando#When:12:54:14Z VisionPoint Marketing will be attending and exhibiting at the NAGAP 26th Annual Conference in Orlando next week. If you’re an attendee, be sure to sign up for your chance to win an iPad Mini! Higher Education, VisionPoint, 2013-04-18T12:54:14+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/vine-app-for-marketing http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/vine-app-for-marketing#When:14:45:04Z One of the biggest marketing challenges you’ll face won’t be analytics or budget, it will be time. Website visitors are giving less and less of it these days, so capitalizing on the brief moments you have is of the utmost importance. But how do you communicate a marketing message when you have just a matter of seconds? Higher Education, Online Marketing, Inspiration, Social Media, 2013-03-19T14:45:04+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/case-iii-inspire-told-in-tweets http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/case-iii-inspire-told-in-tweets#When:18:11:10Z VisionPoint Marketing appeared and presented at the District III Conference for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) on February 17 - 19. Our own Tony Poillucci presented “Winning the Web Battle: A Hero’s Guide to Large Scale Website Redesign and Migration” with our friends Richard McDevitt and Cindy Jones of UNC Charlotte. Follow VisionPoint Marketing's adventures leading up to and during the conference through our collection of tweets and pictures below. Higher Education, Social Media, VisionPoint, 2013-03-14T18:11:10+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/calling-all-case-iii-attendees http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/calling-all-case-iii-attendees#When:17:11:05Z VisionPoint Marketing will be speaking and exhibiting at the District III Conference for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) on February 17 - 19. And we hope to see you there! Higher Education, VisionPoint, 2013-02-12T17:11:05+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/responsive-design-is-for-your-email-too http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/responsive-design-is-for-your-email-too#When:15:21:05Z So you have a responsive website that can be viewed on all screens. Cool. Well how about your email? Did you know that your emails can be as responsive as your website?   2013-02-06T15:21:05+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/why-i-love-the-ballet...and-you-should-too http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/why-i-love-the-ballet...and-you-should-too#When:17:08:27Z I'm not afraid to admit I enjoy the ballet. But that wasn't always the case. In fact, far from it. Thanks to our recent engagement, consider me converted.  Culture, Fun, Website Design & Development, 2013-01-30T17:08:27+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/making-the-right-choice-in-a-content-management-system http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/making-the-right-choice-in-a-content-management-system#When:20:26:39Z Choosing the right CMS for your institution can be challenging. In this article, we’ll give you some guidelines for making the right choice, and we’ll break down some of the top players for you. Higher Education, Web Technology, Website Design & Development, 101, 2012-12-19T20:26:39+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/introducing-the-fall-2012-interns http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/introducing-the-fall-2012-interns#When:17:43:29Z We have been very lucky to have two wonderful interns this fall. Here is a little bit about each of them and their experience here at VisionPoint. Interns, VisionPoint, 2012-12-04T17:43:29+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/on-the-ground-business-school-marketing-challenges-from-the-marketers-thems http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/on-the-ground-business-school-marketing-challenges-from-the-marketers-thems#When:20:22:50Z As I sat there and listened  I found that among the 30 or so attendees, there were a number of common themes that consistently popped up. Higher Education, Strategy, VisionPoint, 2012-11-27T20:22:50+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/what-are-you-thankful-for http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/what-are-you-thankful-for#When:21:46:56Z As we near the holidays, I’m reminded of the need to give thanks for all the good things in my life - be they benefits, gifts, divine favor, acts of goodwill, advantages, perks, etc. Here at VisionPoint, we’ve had one hell of a year (and we have much to be thankful for in 2012). Culture, Fun, VisionPoint, 2012-11-19T21:46:56+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/visionpoint-marketing-partners-with-the-university-of-maryland http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/visionpoint-marketing-partners-with-the-university-of-maryland#When:21:32:53Z We’re thrilled to announce our newest client: The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Over the next nine months, we’ll be collaborating with Director of Online Strategy, Alissa Arford and her team to re-invent the school’s existing web presence.  Higher Education, VisionPoint, Website Design & Development, 2012-11-08T21:32:53+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/website-governance-ama-symposium-marketing-of-higher-ed-2012 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/website-governance-ama-symposium-marketing-of-higher-ed-2012#When:21:01:40Z Once again, we at VisionPoint Marketing are excited to attend the American Marketing Association’s Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education November 11 through 14. Tony Poillucci, Vice President of Strategy and Creative, and I will attend the conference in New Orleans and we cannot wait to get down to the “Big Easy!” Higher Education, Online Marketing, VisionPoint, Website Design & Development, 2012-11-05T21:01:40+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/thanks-for-stopping-by-jeff http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/thanks-for-stopping-by-jeff#When:20:40:00Z We had a great time hanging out with our new friend Jeffrey Papa of SimpsonScarborough this week. Even with his insanely busy travel schedule, Jeff still found time to break bread with us at Porter's Tavern in Raleigh. 2012-11-01T20:40:00+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/web-analytics-are-a-tool-not-a-strategy http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/web-analytics-are-a-tool-not-a-strategy#When:18:55:44Z At VisionPoint Marketing, all of our processes are guided by a simple, but vital methodology. First think, then create, then measure. This post is about measurement. It’s one thing to create a beautiful higher education website, it's another to know how your investment in time and money is paying off. Web analytics tools can help you gauge how well you are achieving your goals through your website. But how? Higher Education, Online Marketing, Strategy, Web Technology, 2012-10-31T18:55:44+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/Get-The-Most-Out-of-Your-Keyword-Research http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/Get-The-Most-Out-of-Your-Keyword-Research#When:19:01:19Z Keyword Research. Search Marketing. SEO. These buzz words seem to be all the rage in the marketing world lately. But what do they really mean? And why should you care? Good question. As a quick overview, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In short, that means making your website easy to find online (specifically for search engines like Google or Bing). When you search for “ice cream in Raleigh” - whatever shows up on top didn’t happen on accident. In fact, it was carefully calculated by several factors, particularly in relation to the words you typed into your search. These are considered keywords. Higher Education, Online Marketing, SEO, Strategy, 2012-10-25T19:01:19+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/what-everybody-ought-to-know-about-inbound-marketing http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/what-everybody-ought-to-know-about-inbound-marketing#When:16:31:58Z This is a blog about the future of marketing. It’s about a more accountable future for your marketing department that applies old fashion marketing sense with the distribution and reporting prowess of the Internet. Using the proven methods that have driven leads, sales and admissions for every type of organization for years, you too can apply the principles of inbound marketing to your overall marketing strategy. You’ve heard it, read it, maybe blogged or tweeted it yourself, but the importance of the following statement cannot be understated: “Content is King.” Think about it: The Internet is simply a content distribution mechanism. Nothing more, nothing less. And the content you publish - whether that be text, imagery, videos, audio - defines you. It's the most powerful way to make an impression on your audience. Higher Education, Online Marketing, SEO, Strategy, 2012-10-03T16:31:58+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/visionpoint-to-present-on-website-governance-at-case-community-college-conf http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/visionpoint-to-present-on-website-governance-at-case-community-college-conf#When:16:09:08Z President and CEO Diane Kuehn and Tony Poillucci, Vice President of Strategy and Creative, will present an elective session Wednesday afternoon titled, “Governance: How the Five Rs protect you from Frankenstein-ing your website.” Higher Education, Online Marketing, Strategy, VisionPoint, Website Design & Development, 2012-10-01T16:09:08+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/my-journey-into-the-land-of-drupal http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/my-journey-into-the-land-of-drupal#When:14:00:10Z In my years of developing for the web, we have gone through many transitions.  I remember using the Photoshop splice tool to generate table based websites for me.  I remember moving the xHTML and CSS and developing static HTML sites in Dreamweaver.  I then used my first CMS, Textpattern and began to love the lack of redundancy that I gained by using a more intelligent system than Dreamweaver.  Soon after my short time with Textpattern, I moved on to developing in Expression Engine.  It was here that I developed my first love affair with a CMS.  I feel so empowered by the openess of Expression Engine.  I had developed mainly on EE for the past 4 or so years and I have loved it. Recently, we have had more Drupal projects that have been coming in and this has given me the opportunity to work with Drupal 6.  I am currently leading a Drupal project for a Community College and it has been an adventure to say the least.  I was brought on to the project about halfway through it with absolutely no Drupal knowledge at all. Web Technology, 2012-09-25T14:00:10+00:00 http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/allisons-intern-blog-11-staff-meetings-5-employee-birthdays-1-thrilling-thu http://visionpointmarketing.com/blog/entry/allisons-intern-blog-11-staff-meetings-5-employee-birthdays-1-thrilling-thu#When:19:43:10Z I knew after my first day at VisionPoint that there was no reason to worry, it was evident that everyone in the office was incredibly welcoming. Within the first week I had had conversations with everyone and knew more than just first names. Culture, Graphic Design, Interns, 2012-09-10T19:43:10+00:00