Spring Cleaning

In case you didn't realize, Mother Nature has decided to skip winter this year and jump right into spring. While I begin to put my sweaters up and take out my shorts from where I buried them months ago, it is time to start thinking about some spring-cleaning. Sure you can clean out the house, garage, or your closet, but it might also be time for your website to have a good cleaning as well.  Out with the old, in with the new, and all that jazz. Below is a quick list of some things you can do this spring to give your website a boost. 

Simple is Usually Better

The days of slamming as much content, images, and gifs onto one page as possible are dead (and should never have occurred). When a webpage is too cluttered with small text and moving images you burden your viewers with an information overload. This won’t lead to a better spread of information but will increase the likelihood that viewers of your site will miss what it is you are actually trying to get across. So go check out your website. If you are still using gifs, huge blocks of small text, or if you are still using a black background and white text, it might be time to give your website a good cleaning.

Embrace Social Media

The best way to reach potential clients or customers now lies in the ability to spread your message via social media outlets. Yes, your site might currently take advantage of Facebook and Twitter (and if not I highly recommend you change this), but there are now so many more options that you can use to draw people to your website.  Flikr, Tumblr, Google+, Pinterest, Yelp, Foursquare, and LinkedIn all have advantages in drawing attention to both your website and product you are offering. If you do not take advantage of social media, you are going to be left behind, if you haven’t been already.

Content is Important

No matter how pretty your site is, or how important the information is that you are offering, if no one can find your site, all of that information is just sitting there, collecting theoretical internet dust.  Making sure your copy is Search Engine Optimized is a must if you want people to be able to find you on Google. The trick is to start local. You are not going to be able to capture the Google search “Pizza”, not after a couple months, not after a couple years. It is better to first try to capture searches such as “Denver Pizza” or “Asian Style Deep Dish Pizza”. Once you start to build up rank on more specific key words, then you can start to go bold and go for more targeted keywords.

So it is time to freshen up your website for the long spring ahead of us, and if you need help, give us a call, we would love to help. (Sorry, CGR Creative only does website and advertising work; we won't come clean up your garage).  

Charlotte Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Meeting

Julio Colmenares will be attending the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Meeting today at 3:45 at the CPCC Central Campus. He will be a part of a panel discussing business in these tough economic times. We are proud of the role we play with the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and with the Community Building Initiative. With the strength we give to these organizations, we help to improve the quality of life in Charlotte and the surrounding area. 


By Embra King

Quit While You're Ahead

By: Embra King

                                      

Do you know of the Geico Gecko? Of course you do they have been beating that company mascot to death ever since his introduction in 1999. He has even had a couple accent changes since his debut. I know you know the Geico Cavemen pitch that has been on since 2005. You know--the one that is so bad now that you almost feel embarrassed for them. Now I am all for fun creative advertising, but these things should have expiration dates, and for Geico’s two longest running adds, I think it is time to let them rest. It is a good thing when a company knows when enough is enough, to bow out while the going is good. At once I thought that Geico’s gecko and caveman pitches where playful and fun; now I cringe every time I see one of their ads. It is like someone who was fun to hangout with for short periods of time, when all of a sudden they started showing up to parties uninvited and sat in the corner not talking to anyone, periodically shouting nonsense to remind everyone that he is still in the room. 

But now for my point. This past week Target unexpectedly announced it was parting ways with advertising firm Wieden + Kennedy. For several years now the firm had been creating fun, 15-second commercials that depict little life moments, highlighting a single product at the end. The ability to deliver 150 compact, playful, and sometimes downright hilarious commercials in only about a year and a half is impressive, but what is more impressive is that each is very well done, with none that really stand out as being bad.  When Target’s VP was asked why they split with W+K he had this to say, “Leave really good work before it’s time to leave”.  I think Gieco needs to take a page from the Target playbook and retire the gecko and caveman before someone thinks that a TV show based on their commercials is a good idea…

Chairs and Tables Photos

Some great new photos from the Chairs and Tables Breakfast have arrived. It was a great success for us and the rest involved, and we look forward to continuing CBI spread their message throughout Charlotte in the years to come.

                                         Almost three hundred people were in attendance.

                                            Dianne English, the Executive Director of CBI, 
                                                    spoke on the differences in diversity.

Julio Colmenares(Center)  is the chair of the

    Latin American Chamber of Commerce here in Charlotte.

                                      Charlotte's mayor Anthony Foxx gave a great talk on 
                                                 diversity and its importance to our area.

Chairs and Tables Photos

Some great new photos from the Chairs and Tables Breakfast have arrived. It was a great success for us and the all the rest involved and we look forward to continuing CBI spread their message throughout Charlotte in the years to come.

CGR on Fox News

CGR's very own Julio Colmenares was interviewed for Reboot Charlotte on Fox news. It was a piece about leaders in the hispanic community that are making an impact in the Charlotte area. Check it out!

Chairs and Tables

By Embra King

This Friday CGR Creative helped put together and deliver the Community Building Initiative’s annual stakeholders breakfast. The title for this year’s event, Chairs and Tables, is a play on the idea that, despite our differences, we are stronger together than apart. The event was a huge success, drawing in almost 300 people to the Mint Museum on a crisp December morning.

Among the many speakers at the event was Charlotte’s own mayor Anthony Foxx, who spoke on the need for us to move beyond just talking about equality and the importance of connecting within our community. It was a great experience for all who attended and a lot of great stories and perspectives were presented.

We here at CGR are very grateful to be a part of such an important organization. If you want to learn more about CBI, please visit their website listed below. We at CGR look forward to moving forward with CBI in spreading ideas of equality and community across the Charlotte area.

To add to the conversation on the topics discussed during the stakeholders breakfast, simply use the hash tag #CandT to add your opinion on the ideas of equality and community in Charlotte.


Get connected to the Community Building Initiative:
www.communitybuildinginitiative.org
Twitter: @CommBldgInit
Facebook: communitybuildinginitiative