Business Blogging Pros

Wordplace Ethics Advice Blog

Steve Mitnz, The Ethics Sage, has started a second blog specifically dealing with workplace ethics issues, called - appropriately enough, Workplace Ethics Advice. When he called upon us to create this second blog for him we were eager to help.

Workplace Ethics Advice is designed in a question-and-answer format with it's own form for submitting your questions.

One of the biggest benefits of TypePad is the ability to create multiple blogs within one account (You need to have an Unlimited account at $14.95/mo to do this) Creating a second - or third, fourth, fifth, etc - blog takes two mouse-clicks. For example, I have about six blogs in my own TypePad account.

Aerisa

Business Blogging Pros welcomes Aerisa as one of our newest clients.

Aerisa eliminates odors andremove toxins in the airspace using cold plasma technology. Their customers include industrial waste water treatment plants, airports, arenas, casinos and commercial offices. 

Originally pioneered in Europe, Aerisa products have been successfully deployed in hundreds of applications worldwide, providing dramatic improvements in indoor air quality, simultaneously lowering facility energy consumption and reducing harmful environmental emissions

Baby Boomers Together

Business Blogging Pros welcomes one of our newest clients, Bob Lansburg and Baby Boomers Together.

Bob's vision is to provide a source of information for baby boomers that essentially answer the question, "Where do we go from here?"

It is an advertising-supported website containing information about retirement, travel, finance, and other issues of interest to baby boomers.

RC Auto

Business Blogging Pros welcomes RC Auto as one of our newest clients.

I've never before experienced a car dealership anything like RC Auto.  They offer:

• New cars of any make and model.
• Leasing
• Premium-quality certified pre-owned cars.

RC Auto is not tied to any specific manufacturer and as a result can get you just about anything you want, configured the way you want it.

RC Auto's motto is "It's not just a set of keys, it's a relationship." And they mean it.

RC Auto wanted to replace their static website with one that could be easily updated by their staff.  We surveyed all of the available Wordpress themes designed for automobile dealerships, evaluated the best, and chose the one you see here.  Yes, this is Wordpress.

Over the next several weeks, we'll be working with RC Auto staff to develop a social media strategy tailored specifically for their business, industry, and clientele.

Buyer Persona Institute and Adele Revella

Business Blogging Pros welcomes our newest client, Adele Revella and the Buyer Persona Institute.

I believe that buyer personas are a critical element of marketing, and no one is better qualified to teach us how to build them than Adele Revella.

Adele and her blog have had a tremendous impact upon me and the methodologies we employ here in our business.  So when Adele called me to upgrade her Buyer Persona blog to a complete website, I was honored.

The challenge was that her blog was on Typepad and the the new capabilities she needed were beyond what Typepad offered.  One of her biggest concerns was that the hundred of inbound links to her blog remain intact, and we were able to accomplish that pretty easily.  We also were able to keep all her trackbacks intact and mimic the way they were displayed by Typepad.

As you might guess, the project involved significant custom development of Wordpress templates and plugins.

Studeo Legal

One of our oldest clients, Studeo Legal recently asked us to give their websites an overhaul.  They have two websites StudeoLegal.com and TrialBriefPro.com, each addressing a different problem faced by trial lawyers.

Our objective was to:

• Provide websites with a Content Management System so they could easily me maintained and updated.
• Give each site a unique appearance, yet:
• Provide a 'family resemblance' to both sites.

As is our custom, the wordpress theme was highly customized to provide Studeo Legal with a unique appearance as well as something that met their needs far better than a stock off-the-shelf theme.

Diabetes Living Today

Kitty Castellini and Diabetes Living Today have been a client of ours for a long time.  Earlier this year, Kitty approached us about a makeover for their online magazine and we jumped at the chance.

On a more personal note, Kitty is a remarkable person.  She has undergone a pancreas transplant and is now diabetes-free.  Browse through the site for a bit and you may come across a photo of Kitty enjoying her first banana split!

 

Glendale Iron & Metal

Business Blogging Pros welcomes Glendale Iron and Metal as one of our newest clients.

Glendale Iron and Metal is a premier metal recycler in the western USA, and ALbert Cozzi, the company President is a thought leader in his industry.

With an aggressive marketing and PR push in the early stages, GIM contacted us about creating a company blog.  SInce their website was a bit outdated, we decided to create a combined website and blog more fitting to their image as an industry leader.

Over the next several weeks, we'll be creating a social media strategy designed for their market to reach their likely customers, create new clients and build loyalty.

Connie Kadansky, Exceptional Sales Performance

Connie Kadansky, Owner of Exceptional Sales Performance and I have know each other for a long time, and I have set up several blogs for her.

We've just completed an overhaul of her Facebook fan page.  For businesses, the most important conversion action is getting people to become fans.  One of the best ways to do that is to give first-time visitors an incentive to become a fan.

In Connie's case, she's offering a valuable free report that is available only to fans.  Clicking on the 'Like' button displays a different version of the 'Welcome' tab that reveals the 'Download' button.

I also think that a short video here is very compelling.  The video should convey:

• Who you are.
• What you do and the problem you solve for your clients.
• How you are unique.

 

Mark Allen Roberts

A few months ago we created a Facebook Fan page for one of Mark's clients, and recently he asked us to to a makeover of his blog, No Smoke and Mirrors.  He wanted it to be more like a website while at the same time showcasing his blog posts.

We created this custom theme for him providing an easy way to feature the latest video in the series he is working on.  Our video plugin makes it very simple to display a video on your blog or website, taking care of all the embed code including the sizing.

 

TC Eggingtons

Business Blogging Pros welcomes one of our newest clients, T.C. Eggingtons.

T.C. Eggingtons is a restaurant in Mesa, and has beeb serving breakfast and lunch to fans for 25 years.  They recently decided to give their website a facelift and at the same time contracted with us to create a custom facebook, twitter profile, and some social media training.

Client Exposure: The Ethics Sage

Several weeks ago Steve MIntz came to me and asked for my help gaining some exposure as 'The Ethics Sage', an expert on business ethics.  

We created a Typepad-based website and planned out a strategy for using his blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media tools to build strategic relationships.

It's working. Steve was quoted extensively in a recent New York Times article:

Read the Article

It's nice when a plan comes together.

 

Ling & Louie's

Wow, has it really been ten weeks since I last posted something here?  Obviously we've been WAY too busy.

Business Blogging Pros would like to welcome Ling & Louie's as one of our newest clients. This was a join project between us and Maggiore Consulting and Marketing, and is the main website plus four mini-sites, one for each restaurant location.

Needless to say, this project involved a significant amount of custom wordpress work: custom templates, custom plugins, etc.

Axiom Remodeling

Business Blogging Pros welcomes one of our newest clients, Kevin Morgan and Axiom Remodeling.

Axiom Remodeling is quickly making a name for itself in Kingman Arizona for their artisan craftmanship, attention to detail, and TLC as well as delivering on-time and on-budget.

Our project with Kevin began with this social media-enabled website including video.  We'll continue to work with Kevin over the next several weeks on the social media aspects, culminating in a complete social media plan and roadmap tailored to him, his business, and his customers.

Early on we came to the conclusion that video would be a necessary element of this project.  We've gotten to know Kevin and understand his passion, sincerity, and integrity .  It's important for his future customers to see it as well.  

VIdeo on the front page of your site needs to have good lighting and sound, and tell the story of:

• Who you are
• What you do
• How you are different

 

Facebook for The Perfume Shoppe

The folks at The Perfume Shoppe have been clients for some time.  Earlier this year we created a magazine-style site for them.

Today we finished a Facebook Fan Page and Twitter Profile Page for them.  And the video was produced by us as well.

More importantly, together we've been developing a strategy for leveraging social media to grow their business.  And Professional Perfumer Paula has done extremely well, absorbing information like a sponge.

 

Connie Kadansky: Sales Call Tips

Connie Kadansky has been a friend, advisor, and client for a long time.  She called me the other day and wanted to create a new blogsite called Sales Call Tips.  

This is a TypePad-based site.  While Wordpress may be all the rage, the beauty of TypePad is that it eliminates all the administrative headaches.  No software updates to worry about.  No security holes to plug.  No backups to perform. etc.

Just blog away.

Tucker Tale Productions

Business Blogging Pros welcomes Bil and Jamie Wagner of Tucker Tale Productions as one of our newest clients.

Jamie has one book, Lemonade, Pickles, and Worms in print and is now working of the Tucker Tales series. By the way, Tucker (known as Sir William Tucker around the Wagner household) is a real dog.  I've met him.

This is a good example of what can be easily accomplished with the help of a good graphic designer and a little custom Wordpress template work.

Southwest Candy Does Undercover Boss

I just finished a new video for Southwest Candy  We decided to create a spoof Undercover Boss.  Al Clements, CEO of Southwest Candy goes under cover:

Buddha Brothers Cigar Club

 Business Blogging Pros welcomes one of our newest clients, Buddha Brothers CIgar Club.  If these guys were closer to me, I'd belong.  

BUddha Brothers is a cigar club open to the public and provides a relaxing men's club atmosphere (Ladies are welcome).  Members can order their favorite cigars at a significant discount.  

All proceeds go toward supporting Sentinels of Freedom, a non-profit organization.

TK Associates LC

 Business Blogging Pros welcomes one of our  newest clients, TK Associates LLC.

Kathleen Puckett of TK Associates is one of the smartest people I have ever know.  Kathleen can 'connect the dots ' with startling speed. She is a retired Special Agent for the FBI and her and her partner Terry Turchie provide behavioral threat assessment services to corporate clients.

Together, they have written two books, Homeland Insecurity and Hunting the American Terrorist.

We created two blogs for them and worked with Kathleen to create a social media strategy they can use to meet their business objectives.

AnswerNow!

Business Blogging Pros welcomes our newest client, AnswerNow!

AnswerNow! is a diverse and flexible call center service with a virtual staff able to fulfill all of your company’s answering services needs. Our United States-based, single-location call center features all in-house agents, ensuring no home agents and a quality and professionalism that will come through every call, every time.

AnswerNow is a joint project between Business Blogging Pros and Maggiore Consulting and Marketing.

Cosmopolitan Medical Communications

Business Blogging Pros welcomes its newest client, Cosmopolitan Medical Communications. 

Cosmopolitan provides call center services for the medical industry. Cosmopolitan is a complete medical answering service dedicated to setting a new industry bar in professionalism and job execution. Operations are entirely based in The United States and fully HIPPA-compliant. Their single-location, in-house staff (no home agents) ensures the most complete and confidential operations available to the medical community.

This site part of a larger project in cooperation with Maggiore Consulting and Marketing.

Tenants Advisor

Business Blogging Pros welcomes one of our newest clients, Jonathan Keyser and CresaPartners Phoenix.

Jonathan helps companies that are tenants to negotiate and renegotiate for better commercial real estate agreements.  So the result is that companies that use CresaPartners have a trusted, knowledgeable commercial real estate expert on their side to get the best most flexible deals.

Pyramid Preventive Medicine

 Business Blogging Pros welcomes one of our newest clients, Nancy Onyette and Pyramid Preventive Medicine. 

I met Nancy a few weeks ago when I spoke at a Scottsdale Chamber function.  Nancy's business is unique, providing clinically-proven interventions to prevent, delay, or in some cases reverse aging-related decline.

Anytime Gourmet Coffee

 Business Blogging Pros welcomes one of our Newest Clients: So'o and Rex Kobayashi, and Anytime Gourmet Coffee.

If you have an office with at least 5-10 employees, you need to know about Anytime Gourmet Coffee.  They put this really elegant espresso/cappuccino machine in your office.  Fresh brewed gourmet-quality coffee from freshly ground beans. (If it sounds like I am enthusiastic about this, I am.)

No more office arguments about coffee.  No more coming in and finding someone left the coffeepot on over the weekend.  No more running out of coffee.  No more "Who drank the last cup and didn't make more?"

I love this machine. 

West Valley Magazine

Business Blogging Pros welcomes one of our newest client, West Valley Magazine. WVM decided that they needed a complete overhaul and update of their online presence.  For the website, we chose Wordpress and a customized newspaper-like theme.

Future social media features will include Twitter accounts for each area of interest, several Facebook Fan Pages, etc.

If you read this blog regularly, you'll notice that we put some clients on TypePad and some on Wordpress.  We pick the platform based upon our client's needs and requirements.  We also spend time with them exploring where they may want to take their blogsite in the future.  With all this in mind we pick the platform that is optimal for them, not us.

This is a case where Wordpress really shines.  There are several third-party themes available with this magazine format. The use of plugins allowed us to include an event calendar with minimal custom coding.

We stick with third-party themes from the higher-end providers simply because their themes have fewer problems and are so well organized that it makes custom modifications pretty easy.  For example, I've found that supporting Technorati Tags improves your Google rankings, so I always modify my client's Wordpress themes to display them.

Easy Soft

 Business Blogging Pros welcomes our newest client Easy Soft. Easy Soft is the premier provider of low cost automation software for law firms.

Rick, CEO of Easy Soft switched to TypePad in order to remove the administrative burden that other self-hosted blog platforms require.

Locals Only Phoenix

Business Blogging Pros is working with Maggiore Consulting and Marketing and others to produce Locals Only: Phoenix.

The centerpiece of Locals Only:Phoenix is a weekly live video and radio broadcast about Phoenix area topics.  Each show will feature a local company.

I've created two versions of the Home page, one that you see here. The second version will be used on broadcast days and contains live streaming video and a chat window (The chat is built on top of Twitter.)

The first live broadcast will be February 21, 2010 so be sure to check the Locals Only Phoenix website for the show.

You can also follow Locals Only Phoenix on Twitter at Twitter.com/LocalsOnlyPhx

Qualtire Plumbing and Construction

Business Blogging Pros welcomes one of our newest client's Qualtire Plumbing and Construction.

Qualtire has been in the same location since 1964. I can remember my Dad calling Qualtire several times over the years to fix plumbing problems in the old house.

Qualtire wanted to update their website, replacing it with something more modern and maintainable. Their new site is a blogsite, incorporating both a website and blog.

This blogsite has some interesting features. If you visit it you may notice that the words "Plumbing", "Construction", "Remodeling", and "electrical" in the banner are links to their respective pages - something you don't ordinarily see in a Wordpress installation, particularly one with a photo rotation in the banner.

AZ Care At Home

Business Blogging Pros welcomes AZ Care At Home as one of our newest clients.  This was a joint project between myself and Maggiore Consulting and Marketing to provide a current client with an online directory of services for seniors in the east valley.

Rick Shapiro

Business Blogging Pros welcomes our newest client, Rick Shapiro.

A couple of years ago, RIck lost his father due to cancer. iInce then, RIck has made it his mission to understand as much as possible about late stage cancer and the alternative treatments for it.  Many of those alternative treatments are very successful.

Rick asked me to help him share what he's learned with the rest of the world in the hope of helping someone else. 

Thor's Health - Online Store

We just recently created a complete online store for a long-time client, Shauna Wekherlien.  Shauna's big dog and number one big baby was having some him issues.  Shauna began treating him with a line of nutrients that worked so wel she decided to begin selling them herself.

We created this online store using just TypePad and PayPal's shopping cart.

Mobility Conquest

Business Blogging Pros welcomes out newest client, Mobility Conquest, manufacturer of the finest high-peformance wheelchair-accessable motorcycles in the world.

My friend Mark Allen Roberts was recently named President of Mobility Conquest and I'm honored that he has asked me to assist him with the company's social media activities.

We've started with a custom Facebook fan page.

Elemental Leadership Solutions

Business Blogging Pros welcomes one of our newest clients, Suzan Czajkowski and Elemental Leadership Solutions. 

Suzan helps people in technical roles - particularly women - achieve and feel comfortable in higher-level management positions.

Green Dining Net

 Business Blogging Pros welcomes our newest client, Green Dining Net.

Green Dining Net's mission is to turn restaurant's waste cooking oil into biofuel.

They collect Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) from over 1,000 restaurants and resorts in Arizona for the purpose of producing biodiesel fuel for our Arizona communities. Partnered with the oldest and largest biodiesel producer in Arizona, Amereco Biofuels (www.amereco.biz) converts the AZ Green Dining Network oil into environmentally friendly, clean burning biodiesel fuel. The byproducts of this biodiesel production are used to create environmentally friendly, non-toxic cleaning products and products that naturally clean waste water. As a result, the WVO that would normally end up in a landfill or used for other commercial purposes is being used to clean our air every day.

Zachar & Associates

 Business Blogging Pros welcomes one of our newest clients, Zachar & Associates.  Chris Zachar specializes in personal injury cases.

Age Conversation

 Business Blogging Pros welcomes one of our newest Clients, Karen Sadler and Age Conversation.  Karen is a consultant to firms marketing their services to seniors.

Vickie McDermott, Elegant Arizona Homes

Business Blogging Pros welcomes aour newset client, Vicjie McDermott and Elegant Arizona Homes.

Vivkie is a realtor who specializes in luxury homes in a few neighborhoods such as DC Ranch, and providing a full suite of services to help seniors transition into or out of these homes.

ShowUp.com

Business Blogging Pros welcomes out newest client, Alliance for Audience. Alliance for Audience is the organization behind ShowUp.com, Phoenix's Arts and Culture Portal.

Think of ShowUp.com as a Travelocity site for Phoenix Arts and Culture - You feel like going to a theatre tonight?  Click on Theatre and see what's playing, complete with reviews.

I met with Matt Lehrman and his crew a few weeks ago and that work culminated in a social media strategy that includes blogs, twitter, and other elements.

We've now launched ShowUp.com's official blog which is just one piece of that strategy. A lot of work was put into maintaining ShowUp.com's distinctive look and feel - I think we succeeded.

Kenneth LaFave, a well-kbnown arts & culture writer has stepped forward and we look forward to Ken's posts.

The Alexander K Group

Karroll K Alexander, founder of The Alexander K Group hosts these really powerful workshops for public speakers. It was turning into a real pain to have to work though his 'web guy' every time he added a new workshop date.

Several months ago we created a blog for Karroll and his company.  After using his blog for a while, Karrol came back to us asking if there was a way he could have the same ease-of-content-management for his website as well.

The top-tier blogging platforms have enough features these days that fulfilling his request was entirely reasonable.

Furthermore, the cost to create a 'blogsite' like this is very low compared to creating a professional-looking website from scratch.

A Testimonial

I was really nice of Jerry Kadansky to send me a testimonial for the work we did to create his website:

In today's world the phrase "let's get together for lunch next week and talk about it" is just another way of saying, "I will call you when I have time."  When you came over on Friday and we talked and brain stormed about our new  website, you said "I will have something for you on Monday."  I heard "let's do lunch."  To my delight you got back to us on Sunday.  And the website was up and live on Monday.   One of your strongest strengths is listening. The title tells the whole story.  You made it come alive! Thanks again for your creativity and fast response.

CertificateOfOcupancyPhoenix.com

Business Blogging Pros welcomes our newest client, Jerry Kadansky. 

Jerry is a General Contractor and owns Jerry E Kadansky Contruction Co, Inc.  He has started a campaign to help owners of commercial buildings obtain grant money available from the City of Phoenix for building renovation.

Jerry needed a simple website and as you can see, Typepad is ideally suited for that.  Typepad's features allow you to quickly (this one was created over a weekend) create a website without spending big bucks.

Jim Bissonett

Business Blogging Pros welcomes Jim Bissonett as one of our newest clients.

Jim is a top-notch HR benefits specialist and operated the Scottsdale, AZ office of Monterey Benefits.

Monterey Benefits pioneered a new approach for serving the employee benefit arena - "Delivering solutions based upon sound business and insurance practices".

BoldMoves

Business Blogging Pros welcomes BoldMoves as one of our newest clients.

Their mission is help you get in touch with your core beliefs and desires; build exceptional skill in managing limiting self-talk; explore powerful new avenues for self-understanding; make choices based on your own personal passion, purpose and wisdom; and take confident action in a mood of ease and effortlessness.

This is one of the blogs we've recently created on the self-hosted Wordpress platform. One of the issues I've had with Wordpress is the inability to standardize on a theme. This meant that it was not possible to create any kind of standardized training materials, greatly increasing the effort for each wordpress client. I'm happy to say that I've found a couple of third-party themes that are sufficiently flexible that I think we can standardize on them. The result is that it is now attractive to train and support clients on wordpress.

Candy Fun TV Episode V

CBN Building Maintenance

Business Blogging Pros welcomes CBN Building Maintenance as one of our newest clients.

CBN is not your average janitorial service.  For example, during a recent visit Bob demonstrated the hand held airborn particle counter they use to monitor their clients' indoor air quality, revealing real quantifiable metrics about the quality of work his employees are doing.

Candy Fun TV Episode IV

Our New Website. Or 'We Eat Our Own Dog Food'

The Business Blogging Pros website makeover is done.  With this new website I wanted to accomplish several things:

• I wanted to convey that even though our name is Business Blogging Pros, we do more than just blogs and utilize all the significant social media platforms for our clients.
• I wanted a site that is more personna-based.  Each of the rotating photos is clickable and represents a specific problem we solve for a specific kind of customer.
• I felt it important to eat my own dog food.  I advocate the idea that today's top-tier blogging platforms make really good websites as well, so it was important to me that the site be blog-based.

"Are You a Wordpress Convert?"

I guess I'm known as a TypePad kinda guy because I've been getting this question a lot since launching the new site.  I have always tried to pick the best platform based upon my client's present and future needs.  Usually the result of that process is that I pick Typepad but I've put a significant number of clients on Wordpress as well.  By having the website on Wordpress and the Blog on Typepad, I hope i'm demonstrating competency on both platforms.

Apex National Decorators

Business Blogging Pros welcomes our newest client, APEX National Decorators.

APEX National focuses on the needs of general contractors and property managers, but they also have many high-end residential clients.

The thing that sets APEX National apart is how tuned in they are to the needs of their clients.  If you are a general contractor or property manager, I'll bet APEX National can help you in ways that you've never thought of.

Paul Schween

Business Blogging Pros welcomes our newest Client, Paul Schween Seminars.

Paul is a sales trainer who turns average performers into top performers.  He recently spoke at a networking function I attended and can say that he is also a dynamic and entertaining speaker.