<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Mad Town Design</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.madtowndesigns.com/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.madtowndesigns.com</link>
	<description>Mad Town Designs</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:27:21 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	
		<item>
		<title>Starting an Email Newsletter Campaign</title>
		<link>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2012/starting-an-email-newsletter-campaign/</link>
		<comments>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2012/starting-an-email-newsletter-campaign/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:36:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Content]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.madtowndesigns.com/?p=2810</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In this months newsletter I would like to focus on the technical aspects of running a newsletter and how you can use it as one of your best marketing tools to promote your products and services. Picking Out a Platform First start by determining what platform you will utilize to deliver your newsletter. One of the easiest platforms to use is MailChimp and we highly reccommend it. Use Calls to Action Once you have picked out the platform you are going to use to deliver your newsletter, you need to start getting users to sign up so you have someone to send it to. You need to call the users on your website to action. Creating the proper call to action (CTA) on your website can make or break whether you gain newsletter subscribers. Start with clear, concise, and direct CTAs, allowing users to know exactly what benefits they will get and why they should sign up. The correct wording of your call to action can make or break the success of your campaign. Make sure it is clear what the user is signing up for and what benefits they will get out of it. Most users will be concerned...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2012/starting-an-email-newsletter-campaign/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Quick Tips to Increase Converions with Your Website</title>
		<link>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2012/quick-tips-to-increase-converions-with-your-website/</link>
		<comments>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2012/quick-tips-to-increase-converions-with-your-website/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:23:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.madtowndesigns.com/?p=2794</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Conversion optimization is one of the most overlooked factors in web design. Most companies are focusing on making their website as 'cool' or 'cutting edge' and than focusing on search engine optimization as a means to garner business. While search engine optimization might get you some traffic I would much rather have 100 qualified visitors a month then 1,000 lower quality visitors. Web marketers today often focus on driving more traffic to their website but forget to consider the opportunities that increase conversions once someone lands on their page. The practice of tweaking your site to get a higher percentage of users to take an action you desire is called “conversion rate optimization” or (CRO). CRO is one of the most profitable and worthwhile practices you can do and usually out performs all other marketing efforts for its return on investment. Setting the Record Straight If you can take away one thing from this article, this is it. Conversion rate optimization consists of mainly three areas: Finding out why users aren't converting Fixing it That's it Conversion optimization is not: A / B testing the color of your buttons Guess work Based on misleading information Let's put this into perspective...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2012/quick-tips-to-increase-converions-with-your-website/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Should You Build up a Personal Brand</title>
		<link>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/should-you-build-up-a-personal-brand/</link>
		<comments>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/should-you-build-up-a-personal-brand/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:55:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Random]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.madtowndesigns.com/?p=2789</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Branding is becoming more popular across all spectrums and is becoming more vital to online success as a means to differentate ourselves from the numerous competitors that come up on a search results page. Something we end up discussing with clients is whether or not they should use personal branding, business branding, or even both. The Apple story is a great demonstration of personal branding. I am not an Apple fan but I love to watch what Steve Jobs does as he is a huge driving force behind what Apple has become. If Steve Jobs left Apple I would still heavily invested and a lot others would be as well in what he has to say. Steve Jobs has a huge influence and perception on the Apple brand. You can also take a look at great business brands such as Coca Cola or Pepsi. They don't have someone that you can identify with the brand but they are highly recognizable brands that have done a great job of branding their corporation. The Difference Between Personal and Business Branding Let's take a look at some examples of when a personal brand or a business brand is important and how it can...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/should-you-build-up-a-personal-brand/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Set a Website Strategy that Accommodates More Visitors</title>
		<link>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/setting-a-website-strategy-that-accommodates-more-visitors/</link>
		<comments>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/setting-a-website-strategy-that-accommodates-more-visitors/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:00:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Content]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.madtowndesigns.com/?p=2765</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When you sit down to design your website it's important to think about the overall purpose of your website, and just as importantly the purpose of individual pages. When I talk to potential clients I often ask them the simple question, “What do you want users to do when they visit your website?”. And often I get the same answer, “I want them contact me”. While getting a user to contact you is the ultimate goal of any website, it doesn't just happen. In reality it takes careful planning and hard work, and should always be considered a work in progress. When you design your website you need to consider that not all visitors are ready to contact you the first time they visit. Many visitors are just there to gather information for a decision they are going to make in the near future. In cases such as this it's important to make a lasting impression on these visitors so when they are ready to purchase/contact they think of you and your company. How To Make an Impression Making a lasting impression on website visitors isn't about flashing lights and cool sounds. It's about clearly showcasing you well thought-out, beneficial...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/setting-a-website-strategy-that-accommodates-more-visitors/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What to Look For in a Web Design Proposal</title>
		<link>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/what-to-look-for-in-a-web-design-proposal/</link>
		<comments>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/what-to-look-for-in-a-web-design-proposal/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:31:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.madtowndesigns.com/?p=2757</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A lot of companies when looking for design services struggle with how to review proposals from other design firms. After years of reviewing proposals from other design firms and a few years of writing my own lengthy proposals, I give to you, the can't-miss, killer proposal sections of any effective web design proposal. Read this before you begin looking for proposals and make sure that they include every section, following every step. Makes sure your proposals include each of these sections, in order. 1. Open With a Secret Weapon This is a secret I was hesitant to share with others on our blog, but it's pure gold. When a proposal includes your firm’s logo and the web designers logo next to each other right on the front page of the proposal, and then on the corner of every page thereafter, it will show what a great fit you are for each other,specially if the logos are similar in shape or color. I'm sure you will recognize a good relationship when you see it. 2. Show Them You Listen Now begins the real meat of the proposal that your design agency sent you. A great design proposal will tell you everything...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/what-to-look-for-in-a-web-design-proposal/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Mistakes to Avoid in Positioning Your Healthcare Firm</title>
		<link>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/mistakes-to-avoid-in-positioning-your-healthcare-firm/</link>
		<comments>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/mistakes-to-avoid-in-positioning-your-healthcare-firm/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:00:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.madtowndesigns.com/?p=2748</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you are currently in the process of repositioning your healthcare firm, I wanted to create a guide to help you avoid the mistakes I've seen others make. You can learn more on why it is important to position your Healthcare company on an article I wrote titled: "Positioning Your Healthcare Website." Language Before Strategy When we discus the need of positioning your firm, we are looking at three things: 1. arriving at a business strategy, 2. articulating that strategy through a positioning statement, lastly, 3. quickly filling in any missing expertise that our claim requires. The mistake that most firms make is seeing positioning as a way to find a new marketing message that describes what the firm has always done. Positioning is actually primarily focused on choosing a business strategy. The real objective is to build a Healthcare firm with such a deep expertise that it radically reduces the list of viable competitors. The object of positioning is to focus on selecting an area in which the firm will be able to lead. It's not to explain what the firm is doing today. If you are seriously looking into positioning your firm today, it's probably because yours is positioned...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/mistakes-to-avoid-in-positioning-your-healthcare-firm/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>How to Write an Email Newsletter</title>
		<link>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/how-to-write-an-email-newsletter/</link>
		<comments>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/how-to-write-an-email-newsletter/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:15:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Content]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.madtowndesigns.com/?p=2742</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This specific newsletter will get more in depth on the practice of writing and the strategic considerations of a newsletter, then about how to implement a newsletter. My primary goal is to motivate you to start writing your own newsletter. A newsletter can fulfill two essential business strategies, it should inform clients to be of your expertise by educating, while at the same time your newsletter should offer more content for your website prompting search engines to frequently visit and index your site. I'd like to take a look at what professional writing requires, then we can examine some best practices for creating a successful newsletter as part of your content strategy. If you still don't think a newsletter can provide real value check out one of my blog posts titled The Value of Content Marketing. Start With Your Expertise There are two big barriers owners face when creating a content strategy that involves writing. First, most assume they are no good at writing. Everyone is good at writing as long as it is within their expertise. As an example I have no business writing about topics such as automobiles, sports, or food. My expertise allows me to write about...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/how-to-write-an-email-newsletter/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Value of Content Marketing</title>
		<link>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/the-value-of-content-marketing/</link>
		<comments>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/the-value-of-content-marketing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:50:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Content]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.madtowndesigns.com/?p=2706</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We discuss content a lot at Mad Town Designs. Why it's important, how to create it, and the best ways to get the full worth of your content. What we haven't mentioned is how a content strategy can actually generate real return on investment. As you can see in the chart above... Newsletter and content distribution made up the largest section of new business. If we didn't have our content strategy in place we would have done 43% less business in 2010. So in our case our content strategy is worth quite a lot. How Does Content Really Generate Leads The number one factor I see why we were able to get through the recession is because of content based marketing. I could say that business is well but I also look at it in terms of what if the content wasn't there what would our business look like then. I would honestly start to panic without the benefits and opportunities we've received from implementing our content strategy. I decided to write this post because I know there are a lot of businesses who are currently considering or are on the fence of starting a content strategy and I wanted...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/the-value-of-content-marketing/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Small Introduction to Twitter</title>
		<link>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/a-small-introduction-to-twitter/</link>
		<comments>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/a-small-introduction-to-twitter/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:20:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Random]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.madtowndesigns.com/?p=2697</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We receive several questions a week from clients about if they should be using Twitter for their business. I thought it would be a good time to discuss Twitter and the benefits that it can bring or ways that you can use Twitter successfully. If you are not familiar with Twitter here is a great intro video you can watch. I am not a complete Twitter expert, I want to be up front about that but I do believe 99% of what goes on in Twitter is a complete waste of time. Most of it is a bunch of mini conversations all of which have nothing to do with your business or finding more clients. With that said there still are many ways that we can use it to our benefit. Get There First Even if you do not see any value in Twitter, at least register your account and take your name. Nothing is more frustrating then trying to get an account and your business name is taken by someone else. Same is true with any other type of social media such as Facebook. Go there, reserve your name, and at least be ready just in case down the...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/a-small-introduction-to-twitter/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Googles New SSL Encryption Policy and Google Analytics</title>
		<link>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/googles-new-ssl-encryption-policy-google-analytics/</link>
		<comments>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/googles-new-ssl-encryption-policy-google-analytics/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:32:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Analytics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.madtowndesigns.com/?p=2682</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you have checked your Google Analytics data recently, you may have noticed a big change with the Google Analytics keyword data. Many users are finding a significant number of their keyword referrals showing up as “not provided”. As more and more search keywords started showing up as “not provided” I decided to do some digging and found that it was due to a recent change in Google's Policy. On October 18th, 2011 Google officially announced logged in users visiting http://www.google.com will automatically be redirected to https://www.google.com and that they will no longer provide referral data for logged in users, or other users directly visiting Google's secure search engine. The use of an SSL encryption protocol by Google is intended to further protect the privacy of its logged in users, and enhance the personal user experience. The Impact of Google SSL Encryption Webmasters and online marketers will no longer be able to track the organic keyword data for logged in Google users who found their website through a Google search query. The loss of this valuable keyword data will make it harder for webmasters to track individual page search results, and optimize pages targeted at specific keywords. At this point...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.madtowndesigns.com/2011/googles-new-ssl-encryption-policy-google-analytics/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
<!-- This Quick Cache file was built for (  www.madtowndesigns.com/feed/ ) in 0.41992 seconds, on Feb 4th, 2012 at 2:38 am UTC. -->
<!-- This Quick Cache file will automatically expire ( and be re-built automatically ) on Feb 4th, 2012 at 3:38 am UTC -->
<!-- +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ -->
<!-- Quick Cache Is Fully Functional :-) ... A Quick Cache file was just served for (  www.madtowndesigns.com/feed/ ) in 0.00033 seconds, on Feb 4th, 2012 at 2:50 am UTC. -->
