Writings from Force 5 Basecamp

01/04/16

One sign that you might need a new website is that it doesn’t look good on mobile devices.  According to a recent study, mobile device usage is significantly higher than desktop usage, with people viewing 51% of the content on mobile versus only 42% on desktop/laptop.   (Five years ago, it was 12.5% mobile vs. 75% desktop/laptop).  Mobile Friendly Not Mobile

12/31/15

1) Do I Need a New Website? The team at Force 5 shares their thoughts on signs that your business might need a new website. 2) Happy Halloween A Halloween post with downloadable pumpkin stencils of the Force 5 team. 3) Is Your Website Mobile-friendly? A blog about the importance of having a mobile-friendly website. 4) SQL Case Study –

12/29/15

According to a recent study by HubShout, 94% of people use a mobile phone to search for local businesses. So what information are they looking for when they get to your website? 88% are looking for your business hours (46% are annoyed when they can’t find business hours on a website) 85% are looking for your phone number (42% need

11/02/15

In a recent Facebook post, colleague Marty Heirty took us back in time to remember or learn about the famous confrontation between Muhammad (formerly known at Cassius Clay) Ali and George (before the grill) Foreman. When a young, strong, well-trained, highly-conditioned Cassius Clay took “the ring,” his strategy was encapsulated in his signature phrase, “float like a butterfly; sting like a bee.”

10/29/15

Do you need a new website?  I surveyed the team here at Force 5, asking them each for 2 or 3 signs that someone might need to update their web presence. Some of their responses are based on functionality, some on user experience, and some on overall look-and-feel, but here are their answers: Christian Mattix Web Application Developer & Network

10/22/15

When I read about the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Highway Beautification Act, which was intended to limit billboards and other forms of outdoor advertising along federal highways, it reminded me of the iconic Mail Pouch Tobacco barns. According to Mail Pouch barn enthusiast Eddie Robberts, farmers were willing to let Mail Pouch Tobacco paint their

10/05/15

I recently wrote a post about the importance of having a mobile-friendly website.  I have created a dashboard in Google Analytics to see how your mobile traffic stacks up against your desktop traffic.  If your mobile traffic doesn’t fare well against your desktop traffic, you might need to look at making the website more responsive. To download the GA dashoboard,

09/18/15

According to a recent study, mobile device usage is significantly higher than desktop usage, with people viewing 51% of the content on mobile versus only 42% on desktop/laptop.   (Five years ago, it was 12.5% mobile vs. 75% desktop/laptop). Which means that many of your website’s visitors will be viewing your site from their mobile phones and you need to make

08/13/15

Google Analytics is one of the best ways to help you understand ways to reach your audience through digital marketing and drive traffic to your website.  And best of all, it is a free tool offered by Google and relatively easy to incorporate into just about any website. There is a tremendous amount of information that you can get from

05/06/15

With over 50 food vendors, 60 musical acts, Headliner Ben Folds, dozens of art exhibits and booths, things to do for the kids, a Tech park, and even a Zip line, South Bend’s birthday celebration over the Memorial Day weekend in downtown South Bend will be one of the biggest and most exciting community events ever held. How do you

03/03/15

March 3 marks the day that President Herbert Hoover signed a congressional act making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official national anthem of the United States, but that might not have happened if Francis Scott Key hadn’t practiced certain social media marketing principles that helped increase the song’s popularity. Francis Scott Key’s Social Media Tips… Find a way to be an ongoing

11/19/14

5 Google AdWords Tips That I Learned from Pheasant Hunting Instead of writing my work blog post last weekend, I decided to drive out to South Dakota to go on my annual pheasant hunting trip with some friends.  Luckily, while traipsing through the cornfields of America’s Heartland, I was able to find a number of similarities between search engine marketing