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What’s so special about naming? Shakespeare famously wrote, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” in his iconic play, Romeo and Juliet. But does that quote stand up under scrutiny? In this post, we’re examining the question, “What’s in a name?” We’re discussing business and brand names and asking questions like, “How do I come up with a business name?” and “What brand name will resonate in my market?” By the time you’ve finished this post, you’ll walk away with two things: A solid understanding of how to create your business name and tips to effectively name your brand. What’s in a ..read more

Ready to put your domain name to use and create a website? Great! Before you start building a site, you need a plan. When creating your plan, think about your purpose and goals in creating a website. Your purpose and goals will influence your site requirements, which in turn, influence your site design and build. Below, we list 10 things to keep in mind when creating your site plan and requirements list. 10 Things to Keep in Mind When Planning Your Site Be honest with yourself. Do you have the time and expertise needed to create the site you envision? There are Website Builders you can use t ..read more

Every domain name holds a wealth of potential. How that potential is realized is up to you. If you’ve registered a domain name only to find yourself asking, “Now what?” then this is the right blog post for you. After reading this blog post, you’ll gain a greater understanding of all that can be done with a domain. We’ll start by talking about domains, about naming, as examples of linguistic design. From there, we’ll discuss how to best leverage the name you’ve registered according to your personal, business, or brand needs. Here’s more detailed information on what we’ll be covering in this blo ..read more

Everyone has ideas — big ones, small ones, great ones, and yes, terrible ones, too. (Remember that time you had the idea to cut your own bangs and shave your eyebrows off in the 3rd grade? Just me?) While hair grows back and you can recover from a bad idea like that pretty quickly, it’s another matter to invest in and proceed with a bad business idea. That always guarantees a loss of time and money.  The best business ideas solve problems. We’ll say it again for the people in the back — the best business ideas solve problems. So how do you know if you have a great business idea or a dud ..read more

In this class, we study the Digital Dark Arts.   They “are many, varied, ever-changing, and [seemingly] eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible.”   Today, should you choose to pay attention and follow the lessons of the illustrious Mistress Minerva, you might just learn a thing or two that’ll put you head (and shoulders) above the rest.   First things first, let’s review our syllabus. &nbs ..read more

Can you believe it? The holidays are almost upon us! If you haven’t had the time to prepare for them, don’t fret. We put together the following 2022-23 eCommerce holiday calendar to help you get started. Once you’ve identified the holidays you’d like to participate in, refer to our Holiday Marketing Plan Guide for more insights and instruction. Pro Tip: Don’t worry about each and every holiday listed below. Focus on the holidays that resonate most with your target audience. Holiday Marketing Calendar ’22-’23 Holiday marketing dates to know 2022-2023October Holidays 2022 Dates of note: 4 — Yom ..read more

There’s a lot going on during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Friends, family, and business obligations abound. With everything happening, it’s often the case that things fall through the cracks or don’t get the attention they deserve. Don’t let that happen to your marketing efforts. Below, you’ll find a handy holiday marketing checklist to help guide you through the busiest retail season of the year. Holiday Marketing Checklist 2022 Pre-holiday Checklist Have the following items completed by mid to late October. Review and forecast your online store based on your historical data ..read more

The pandemic age: From learning to work remotely to managing professional lives and chores at home. The last few years changed life as we know it for most of us. But it wasn’t just our personal lives that were affected. It also changed consumer behavior forever and changed how business happens worldwide. So much so that 65% of all brand interactions with customers now occur online. Suppose that’s not enough of a testament to the massive shift in changing customer behavior. How about this: The number of consumers who make online purchases went up from 15% to 30% in 2020. So, if you’re wondering ..read more

Always be on your best behavior. Growing up, that was a common refrain in my household. How about yours? Whether or not we realized it at the time, our parents were the first ones to encourage us to be conscious of our personal brands. They reminded us to be cognizant of our behavior and how we presented ourselves in public because of how others might perceive us (and by extension, them.) We’ve been working on our personal brands from tender young ages and didn’t even realize it. But now, as adults, it’s more important than ever that we be intentional in our branding. Whether you’re applying t ..read more