Category Archives: Web/Tech

BrandingBlog Radio: Greysuit Retail with David Lively and Raffy Pendery

These guys rock. David Lively and Raffy Pendery are the brains behind Greysuit Retail and now Greysuit Apps.

Their mission is to make the techie side of the web easier for retailers. They’ve built a platform for managing a small retailer’s ecommerce, blog, web, craigslist, email and more. Now, with Greysuit Apps they can help you manage the ever-growing complexity of marketing on Facebook.

In the middle of the podcast, I asked how they came up with the name Greysuit. They went into a story about how laid-back they are and how they hardly ever even wear shoes. So, I thought I’d go swipe a photo of them from Facebook to use in this post. What did I find? David Lively in a dark suit-coat and Raffy in a tux. Sigh. So, I grabbed this image off of their web site instead.

Here are the links we talked about in the podcast:

BrandingBlog Radio: Paul Boomer on Web Hosting

UPDATE:  Regarding the amazing Paul Boomer. A few months ago, I got a nibble from a business owner with a carpet cleaning business who had a gawd-awful web site. I could tell that her crap-o-la site was the sole reason that she wasn’t getting much business through the interwebs. It looked like someone had bedazzled an old pair of boxer shorts and called it a web site. Well, maybe not quite like that, but you get the idea.

She didn’t have enough budget to hire both Paul and I for a full-on web overhaul, SEO and copywriting gig. I looked over the site pretty well. It had some decent copy…buried where nobody could find it. They had a nice pic of their van. Their phone number was almost impossible to find.

I told her that I would try to cash in a favor from my WordPress wizard partner, but that I doubted he would do it. I asked her for a little more budget than she had available and called Paul. I convinced him to create a new site for her and severely limit the scope of client involvement and interaction. I knew Paul could do this one blindfolded and with earplugs in, if needed. He knocked it out of the park, just like he usually does.

He followed up with an email a week or two ago and she finally emailed back with this:

“It’s good to hear from you! I have been meaning to send you an update to tell you how amazing you are. But because you’re so amazing I haven’t had time!

Our website is working just like you said! We’ve been getting quotes and testimonies through the website. Just the other day a gal called to schedule a cleaning and I was taken back because she was talking to me in a tone and as if we had been best friends for many years. She then told me that she reviewed the website and is so happy she was only going to use us!

I know that I still have much to do to get this company functioning properly. But I am so thankful for you and what you have done for us. You have changed the direction of this company and I’m starting to feel the wind in our sails.

I hope all is well with you!”

It was the perfect alignment of project and available time for Paul. He had a brief lull in his pipeline and knocked it out in a day or two. I doubt if I could get him to do it again because he was paid way too little for what he delivered. But, boy did he deliver. He can do it for you too. Let me know if you want to meet The Boom.

About the Podcast:

This week, I’m busy trying to move BrandingBlog to a new hosting company. So…I recorded a conversation with Paul Boomer about what kinds of things a site owner should consider as they contemplate a move.

As we discussed how you should package up your content into boxes and cartons, I inadvertently gave one of my very best lessons on Microsoft Excel as well. I hope you enjoy it.

We mentioned a couple of sites…one being my new host MediaTemple. Check them out.

Another was www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com which is a good place to check first when you can’t get to a web site.

Sometimes it’s just you.

NOTE: That is NOT an editing mistake at the beginning of the podcast. It’s a blooper. I left it in. On purpose.

 

Soundbites: Measuring Radio Results With Web Analytics

Adam: Welcome once again to BrandingBlog Soundbites, with Wizard of Ads partner Dave Young, from BrandingBlog.com. I’m Adam Lefler, hello Dave.

Dave: Hi Adam

Adam: Dave, today were sitting down talking about measuring radio effectiveness on a website.

Dave: That seems like a crazy idea, doesn’t it? Continue reading