The Rocket Blog

If a picture is worth a 1,000 words than a good company logo is worth $1,000. Recognizing a logo is something many of us do without even realizing it.

This company’s logo is something we recognize even though it doesn’t say the word we know it represents:

DOs

So what are your main goals when you create a good company logo?

• Make sure you like it. It’s going to be on your website, your business card, your letterhead, your email. It’s going to be everywhere so make sure you like it. Make sure it has a purpose. 
• Brand Identity - You want people to look at your logo and know exactly who you are. Even though it doesn’t really say the word Google at the top of this article, we know that it’s Google from the shape and the colors.
• Brand Loyalty - Once you have the identity down and have built the brand people will start to become loyal to that brand (if you have good employees!) because it’s something they see and they associate with good people. They’ll keep coming back.
• Get ideas from other people - This doesn’t mean steal logos from your competitors or from ones you like! This means just take inspiration from logos you really like or design inspiration and incorporate it into your logo. Just like how designers are constantly looking at other designs to pull ideas from.

DON’Ts

So what are things you don’t want to do when creating a company logo?

• Overcomplicate - Don’t make it overcomplicated. Don’t try to do too much. Don’t try to add your message, a combination of your products, or too much information in your logo.
• Make it bland - Pick your colors carefully, make it memorable. When Gap changed their logo for a month in 2010 they went from ‘defined brand’ to ‘boring and bland logo.”
• Think short term - This is going to be your logo. It’s going to represent who you are, and hopefully for a long while, and it’s not something that you can think will be around for a year or so and change. So don’t create your logo around something relevant right now, because who knows if that will be relevant next year.
• Think you can do a logo because it ‘should be easy’ - This is such a common mistake. Professional companies will try to create a logo without having a designer anywhere in their arsenal. Next thing they know it’s been a year and they’re changing their logo (which breaks don’t #3). Get someone that knows what they’re doing.

This week RocketFuel launched the new website for Walpole Photo.

The design for Walpole Photo came from Disciple Design and the site was built by RocketFuel and powered by our RocketFuel CMS.

Gary Walpole  was among the first to embrace the digital technology revolution in photography and has stayed ahead of the curve since. His 30 years experience as a professional photographer show in his work which has appeared in a variety of settings.

Now his website reflects his style, experience, and products. You can view more of his photography or learn more about Gary by checking out the new Walpole Photo website.

Links make the web go round. Google loves links to and from sites to other sites. It also loves sites that link internally often.

Internal links are simply links that go from one page on a domain to a different page on that same domain. They link from one page to another on your website.

Internal links are great for several reasons:

• They make navigation of your website easier for visitors.
• They establish information heirarchy for the site.
• They allow Google to crawl through your site and reach every page.
• They spread ranking power throughout your site.

We do the majority of the work for our clients by setting them up with a strong site architecture that leads from the homepage to every single page through a series of links via the main and secondary navigations. You can further this internal linking process by linking to related content on your website when you are creating new pages for the site.

A great place to do this is on your blog if you have one. You can link back to important pages that share more information like your about page or portfolio. It is even better when you can include your keywords in those links for a search engine optimization boost.

See what we did there?

Meet Zac

Our newest RocketFuel employee is legitimately referred to as a Genius. Zac is the new Internet Marketing Strategist at RocketFuel. Utilizing his communications experience from his time with Apple as a Genius, Zac assists our customers in strategizing how to improve their search engine rankings, engage in social media marketing, and overall determine how to best market and utilize their websites.

Prior to joining RocketFuel, Zac worked for Apple as a Genius in Memphis, TN and graduated from the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. He is currently pursuing certifications for Google Analytics and Google AdWords.

You can read Zac's full bio here.

The Interview

Do you have any nicknames?
zacattac is the main one.

What is your job title?
Internet Marketing Strategist

Describe yourself in 3 words.
Funny. Over-analyzer.

What do you love about web design? Internet marketing?
My job is to figure out how to make the internet work better for people. That is completely awesome.

What 2 websites do you visit every day?
Besides Twitter and Facebook? And yes, I use the web version of Twitter everyday.
http://www.uncrate.com
http://www.stereogum.com

What is your favorite movie? TV Show?
I have watched all 9 seasons of Top Chef.

What are your interests outside work?
I'm a huge music fan, and I just bought a house. So I've been working on that, and doing homeowner things for the first time. My house and I have a love/hate relationship.

What is your ideal vacation destination?
One major city in the US I've never been to is Seattle. And Chicago. So that's two. Of places I've been - NYC is perfect. And so are the Cayman Islands.

What is your favorite thing about Memphis?
The people and the culture we have here. And on some days we have some great patio weather.

How do you like working at RocketFuel so far?
It is absolutely awesome. You get to sleep in some, dress casually, and work on Macs all day while trying to solve the internet.

What are you excited about for your future here, since it's just your first week?
I'm most excited about learning. When I was 26 I realized I actually liked learning.

We're looking for our next team member. Web Developer/Programmer.

Expansion continues here at RocketFuel and we are looking for our next team member!

We are looking for an experienced code wizard with an eye for design and masterful ability to code. If you are a web developer/programmer with mad skills and plenty of geek cred then we are looking for you.

Job perks include great benefits, working in the awesome Downtown Memphis area, and working with web gurus in a fun environment.

Check out the full job description for a web developer/programmer.

If you have the right skills and can answer the bonus question (yes, it's an important part of the application), we are looking forward to talking to you soon!

Social media is modern, but you might not know it based on these ads! As part of some campaign, Brazilian advertising company Maximidia has created clever vintage ads for Facebook, YouTube, and Skype.

Click on each of the photos below to see the full version.

We love them, don't you?

Via: Media Bistro

Even if you have a blog content strategy and an editorial calendar sometimes your blogging well can run dry. You know you need to post something on your blog, but what should you post?

If you are feeling stuck with your blog or writer's block is keeping you from updating then look no further! Here's a list of blogging content ideas to get you going:

• Create a step-by-step how-to guide showing how to do something including a screencast, video, or photos.
• Create a screencast of a product highlighting it's features and share it on your blog.
• Create a list of benefits for a product or doing something in your industry.
• Create a list of some things to avoid doing.
• Write a counter post arguing against someone else's article that you disagree with.
• Ask a thought provoking or controversial question on your social media platforms and compile the responses in a blog post.
• Share your takeaways from a conference or industry related event for people that couldn't attend.
• Create a list of your industry's best resources.
• Create a list of the top bloggers in your industry and share a favorite post from each.
• Create a list of the best books to read for your audience.
• Create a list of weekly roundup of links to relevant news and information for your industry or community.
• Create a roundup post of last month's or last year's most popular posts from your blog.
• Create a list of motivational quotes from leaders in your industry.
• Create a post with the top YouTube videos on a topic relevant to your audience.
• Create a survey for your audience or industry and then share the results of the survey using graphs and infographics.
• Answer a reader question or email as a blog post.
• Answer several reader questions or frequently asked questions from your audience.
• Publish a customer testimonial or experience.
• Write a review of a product or a comparison to your product.
• Record an interview (video, audio, or both) with an expert in your field and publish it on your blog.
• Record an interview (video, audio, or both) with one of your best customers/clients and publish it on your blog.
• Share a behind the scenes look at your day or your company.
• Run a contest and give away something to your audience that they would want.
• Let others guest post on your blog! You get content, they get exposure, and everyone wins.

Hopefully this list will help you when you get stuck! Happy blogging!

Meet Shannon

Shannon, the newest addition to the RocketFuel team, is bringing something new to the Memphis web design scene.

She is not only a web designer, she's also a front-end developer. That's what we call a Devigner.

Yes, we make up titles and words when we see fit.

Now please join us as we learn a little bit more about Shannon!

The Interview

What is your job title?
Web Designer/Developer or Web Devigner

Describe yourself in 3 words.
Creative, Laid-back,

What do you love about web design? Design in general?
I love creating something, I love putting thought into the details.  Why I love Design is a little hard to define, ha, I just love it!  

What is your favorite movie?
Don't have a favorite, there are several I like.  Saved! is sort of at the top of my list.  I also like Pixar Disney movies.  

What is your favorite TV Show?
Favorites are Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Futurama, Mad Men, New Girl, Two Broke Girls, and just about any cooking show.

What is the geekiest thing you like?
Besides being a huge design geek (I'm one of those who will point out good and bad design everywhere) I do like playing video games and board games every once in a while, but it's not something I'd say I'm passionate about. 

What are your interests outside work?
I like creating things. I'm big into crafting and painting when I get the chance. I have a miniature schnauzer puppy that takes up a lot of my time. She's fun to play with, very energetic. I also make lamps, out of unordinary things.  My favorite one is a hanging kitchen lamp made from a vintage tupperware jello mold. I love going to thrift stores, antique shops, and flea markets. I like finding old things and transforming them into something useful for me. I also like cooking/baking and trying new recipes.

What is your ideal vacation destination?
Somewhere I can watch the sun set over the ocean.  And as long as I have good friends to hang out with, I'm happy with anywhere as a vacation spot.  One of my favorite recent vacations was camping on an island off the coast of mississippi. The sound of the ocean at night and looking up through the tent at the stars was awesome. 

What is your favorite thing about Memphis?
So far, there is a lot more going on here. I hope to join one of the kickball teams in the next season. It's funny how kickball is huuuuge here. I grew up in the suburbs of memphis, but it feels like I moved to a new city since I'm living in midtown, working downtown. It's all still somewhat new to me. I also like being close to my family and being able to hang out with my younger sister. 

How do you like working at RocketFuel so far?
Actually, I love it more than I thought I would! I'm happy I get to design websites and not just build them.  With my last job, I did mostly development, and didn't get the chance to design. I missed doing the design part and I'm happy that I get to do that here. I love the small office environment. We have a lot of fun at the same time of getting work done. I was a little hesitant going from an office of mostly women to an office of mostly men, but it's been fun, and very entertaining.

Who is talking about you? Find out!

Social Mention is most definitely a cool tool.

It is a web-based social media search and analysis platform that pulls in user generate content from across the web into a single stream of information. You simply type the word or phrase you want to monitor and then search. Social Monitor will bring the results from over 100 social media sites including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and others. This allows you to easily track and measure what people are saying about your company or product.

In addition to aggregating the brand mentions Social Mention also gives you some useful information in the sidebar like sentiment (positive/neutral/negative), top keywords, top users, top hashtags, and sources.

It also gives some useful numbers:

• Strength - The likelihood your brand is being discussed in social media. (Phrase mentions in the last 24 hours divided by total possible mentions.)
• Sentiment - The ratio of mentions that are generally positive to those that are generally negative.
• Passion - A measure of the likelihood that individuals talking about your brand will do so repeatedly.
• Reach - A measure of the range of influence. It's the number of unique authors referencing your brand divided by the total number of mentions.

You can also set up alerts to notify you anything your brand is mentioned. All of this will give you a good idea about how your brand is doing in the world of social media.

Even better? This tool is free! Check it out at socialmention.com. 

Tl;dr. It's a common phrase on the internet, especially in forums, that means "Too long; didn't read." It's generally used when people want to be part of the conversation but don't want to read the original lengthy or drawn out passage.

Seth Godin recently wrote about the too long problem. He is correct, you will hear that "too long" phrase more often. Shorter is almost always better, especially on the internet where people have shorter attention spans and move on from content quickly.

Brevity is a powerful tool. Use it. Keep things brief but make your point. Web copy doesn't have to be pages long full of fluff and nonsense that will get a "tl;dr" response from visitors. When you are creating web content keep it short and keep their interest.