11 Tips to Build an Impactful Social Media Strategy for Any Business

By: Ajla Bedzetovic on 6/29/2023

With over 93% of the world's internet users on social media, businesses that haven't built a meaningful social media presence are missing out on lucrative opportunities.

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Putting Your Customer Data to Work

By:Nick Wunderlin on 6/20/2023

What are Customer Lists? Just about all major, self-serve ad platforms allow marketers to upload customer lists. These customer lists allow marketers to re-engage with past customers, show ads to newsletter subscribers, or even find new customers similar to their existing ones.

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AI Writing: Pros, Cons, Insights, and Powerful Tools

By: Ajla Bedzetovic on 4/6/2023

Good human writing requires time, thought, and practice. Are AI writing tools replacing the need for skilled staff writers? Read on to learn about one of the biggest topics in 2023.

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Now is the Time to Upgrade to Google Analytics 4

By:Nick Wunderlin on 3/15/2023

Marketers have until the end of June 2023 to complete the Google Analytics 4 migration without losing data on their website or application. Learn everything you need to know.

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Why Your Brand Deserves a Concept

By:Jason Clark on 10/28/2022

Find out how VIA’s brand strategy approach inspires our team to create truthful and compelling brands that last.

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Your Website's Performance Could Be Costing Time and Money

By:Alec Robertson on 8/5/2022

A poor-performing website can impact your customer’s experience with your brand. It can reduce conversion rates, affect the perception of your brand, and even cost your customers time and money. Learn how to ensure your website is performing to its full potential, the benefits of a performant website for your business and customers, and a case study illustrating the effectiveness of this work.

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Roadmapping Your Strategic Initiatives

By:Jason Clark on 7/27/2022

Our own broad-based roadmap to shape up branding and marketing is simple and effective. Learn how roadmapping helps guide strategic initiatives.

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Email
Email @ 50: Retrospective + The Future of Email
Email @ 50: Retrospective + The Future of Email

By:Nick Wunderlin on 11/19/2021

Welcome to the final installment of our Email @ 50 series. In this last article, Email @ 50 contributors review what they learned from writing this series and look ahead to the future of email.

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How To Upload .gif Display Ads to Google Ads

By:Morgan Plappert on 10/18/2021

Dynamic display ads are the recommended way to run display campaigns on Google Ads and the Google Display Network. Dynamic ads with animations and motion graphics are more likely to catch a user’s attention and result in a click.

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B2B Marketing
WARE + VIA Studio: A Partnership that can Handle the Pressure
WARE + VIA Studio: A Partnership that can Handle the Pressure

By:Nick Wunderlin on 9/7/2021

We hit the ground running when we started our partnership with WARE Inc in 2020, a year in and we've kept each other busy!

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Parched Madness 2021 Recap

By:Nick Wunderlin on 6/16/2021

A return to a familiar social engagement campaign, as we begin returning to our familiar everyday lives.

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Apple iOS 14 Privacy, Facebook, VIA and You

By:Ben Wilson on 1/28/2021

Looking at the major impact that Apple's new privacy-focused iOS 14.4 will have on the world of privacy - specifically digital advertising. We'll look at why this is important, why Facebook is scared, and what we at VIA think about it.

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Looking Inward to Move Forward: The VIA Rebrand

By:Ben Wilson on 11/12/2020

A retrospective of VIA's ever-changing approach and constant commitment to partnership.

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A Critical Look at Spotify's Algorithms, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Algorhythm

By:Ben Wilson on 11/6/2020

Director of Strategy Ben Wilson takes a critical look at the pros and cons of one of the world's biggest drivers of music discovery and consumption: the Spotify Discover Weekly algorithm.

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We Don't Sell Products - How Do We Measure Success with Our Website?

By:Ben Wilson on 8/25/2020

Director of Strategy Ben Wilson gives you some strategies to a very valuable (and common) question.

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2020 Marketing Survey Options

By:Nick Wunderlin on 8/11/2020

With many businesses and organizations being forced to pivot their operations or change their product offering this year, now is a great time to review some options to collect user or customer feedback in the form of surveys.

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How To Adapt Your Business During the Coronavirus Pandemic

By:Nick Wunderlin on 4/28/2020

Coronavirus/COVID-19 is currently impacting just about every aspect of daily life. There is no clear timeframe for when we can go back to normal and it might take a long time.

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Nintendo's Strategy to Fight the Console Wars

By:Nick Wunderlin on 4/20/2020

Console video game systems are a hotly debated topic. Users typically are extremely loyal to their preferred system and the internet is full of message boards and threads of fierce debate over which console is superior.

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Spotify - A Low Barrier Option for Entry into Streaming Ads

By:Nick Wunderlin on 3/10/2020

Recently VIA Studio launched our first streaming audio campaign for the Jewish Community Center of Louisville on Spotify. The process of setting up and launching this campaign could not have been any easier.

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UTMs - Everything You Need To Know About

By:Nick Wunderlin on 1/27/2020

Strategist Nick Wunderlin breaks down everything you need to know about Google's campaign tracking variables - UTMs (Urchin Tracking Modules). One of the best ways to track effectiveness of your digital marketing.

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The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Went Into Effect: Here is What You Should Know

By:Nick Wunderlin on 1/9/2020

Following a slew of corporate data breaches over the past decade, consumers are expecting more privacy online regarding their data. In response, governments are beginning to act on consumers’ behalf.

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User Experience
The Dramatic Uptick in Shopping on Mobile is all about Comfort
The Dramatic Uptick in Shopping on Mobile is all about Comfort

By:Ben Wilson on 11/25/2019

The rise of mobile purchasing has changed the game for the long haul.

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When to use Google Search Ads (Adwords) vs Facebook and Instagram Ads?

By:Ben Wilson on 7/23/2019

Knowing your audience and your goals will allow you to determine whether Facebook or Google Ads is a better choice for advertising your business.

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Analytics for Testing

By: Rebekah Beran on 5/24/2019

Having Google Analytics can give you a detailed peek into the usage of various platforms, providing valuable insights of your audience.

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Getting Started with Google Data Studio Data Blending

By:Ben Wilson on 4/8/2019

Google Data Studio launched Data Blending last summer. This handy tool allows you to blend two different data sources together into a single data source - and then visualize it. Here's a quick look at how you can use it.

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Revamp Your Reporting with Google Data Studio

By:Ben Wilson on 2/27/2019

This is a 2-for-1 deal! We'll share some insights into making your marketing and website reporting more effective and quicker to produce, and show you how to incorporate Google Data Studio into this process.

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Phishing for Houses

By: Nick Stewart on 7/24/2018

Phishing is “the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.”. Common examples are fake emails from banks or the IRS in an attempt to get your credentials.

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GDPR: Concepts and Compliance

By:Ben Wilson on 7/20/2018

Director of Strategy Ben Wilson gives you the low-down on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the most impactful piece of data privacy legislation, ever. Does it impact you? Find out.

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Website Accessibility: Testing (Part 4 of 4)

By: Rebekah Beran on 1/11/2018

Part 1: What is Accessibility? Why should I care? Part 2: Assessing Your Accessibility (What to Fix) Part 3: How to Fix It? Part 4: Testing ⬅YOU ARE HERE Now that you’ve assessed your website and have made some improvements on your findings, it’s time to put it to the ultimate test. During my testing experience, I’ve grown very fond of accessibility testing tools.

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VIA Talks: Designing Content for the Web

By:Ben Wilson on 10/20/2017

In collaboration with Mayor Greg Fischer‘s office, and Louisville Metro Government, we presented a talk on how we use strategic thinking to craft content for the web. For the Metro communications professionals we spoke with, the challenge is using the sandbox that is louisvilleky.gov to effectively communicate with the people that they serve.

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The Internet's Bubble Wrap: Your 404 Page is More Important Than You Think

By:Morgan Plappert on 9/13/2017

Hand over that half-empty glass and let us show you a few examples of how to turn possible frustration into opportunity.

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VIA Studio at SXSW 2017

By:Jason Clark on 3/23/2017

Where Technology and Marketing collide. Read about our adventures in Austin this year.

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SSL All the Sites!

By: Natalie Miller on 2/24/2017

HTTPS is quickly becoming the standard across the web - here we discuss the why, the how, and some roadblocks you might face to getting your site secured.

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Getting to know your followers with Facebook ads

By:Ben Wilson on 2/16/2016

How a little time, love, tenderness and VIA's process can take that to the next level.

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Marketing Automation Can Make Your Team More Efficient

By: Casey LaRue on 2/5/2016

Strategy and a new approach is a must.

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How to (Legally) Source Images for Your Website

By: Kim Clark on 3/5/2015

The very best images for your website content are personalized, relevant photographs that you own. If you can't stage a photo shoot, or don't have access to high quality, relevant images, you can use this guide on how to source images using online tools without worry.

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SEO 2015: What to Look For in SEO

By: Kim Clark on 2/19/2015

With 2014 solidly behind us, its time to look ahead to a brand new year of SEO changes. While no one can know exactly what changes in store, the following trends are all things savvy business owners should be aware of.

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Measuring Success | Creative Briefs

By: Emilee Dover on 2/16/2015

You can create the pièce de résistance of your design career, and it won’t mean shit unless it meets your client’s needs.

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Attack of the Penguin (3.0)

By: Kim Clark on 1/20/2015

That cute flightless bird that SEO agencies and website owners dread hearing returns as Penguin 3.0. Sometimes, I wonder if Google didn’t choose to name their changes after cute creatures to try and disguise the carnage that follows after each new creature lands.

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Won't you be my neighbor: getting creative with display

By: Amber Glisson on 8/1/2014

As soon as the dust settled into our new digs, we started look out at our new home, NuLu, and how we fit into it. Our passion for community was always a factor in the decision to move into a free-standing building, but it wasn’t until we were here that we began to process the experience of neighborhood newness.

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Content Strategy: You Need It. Now.

By: Kim Clark on 6/24/2014

Real content has to be distinguished from promotional material. Infomercials and sales letters may be information-rich, but they are not the type of content we are talking about here. Good site content is valuable information that keeps the self-promotion to a minimum.

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How Social Media Affects Search and Online Business

By: Kim Clark on 6/11/2014

It's kind of a big deal.

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Content Strategy 2014: It Ain’t 2010 Anymore

By: Kim Clark on 5/16/2014

Why Does Content Strategy Keep Changing?

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Finding Your Voice

By: Shawn Coots on 3/24/2014

Content is king, right? Learn how to find a unique voice to create meaningful conversations with your audience.

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AdWords Makes Changes to its Keyword Variations Settings

By: Kim Clark on 2/15/2014

In mid-August, Google announced a move to make close variant keyword matching to all exact and phrase match keywords mandatory. This change goes in to effect on AdWords campaigns at the end of September.

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A Twitter Convert (or, Sometimes the Boss is a Dope)

By:Jason Clark on 9/28/2012

Back in 2009, I posted an article for an online Marketing publication, iMediaConnection, in which I boldly state that Twitter will be out of business in a year. Boy, was that a dumb prediction or what? Some of my assertions on the article were completely off-base, and kind of funny 3 years later: Twitter will be obsolete by 2010 It will be hard to increase Twitter’s user base Twitter will see a lot of competition soon Google Wave could be a hit (hardy har har) A Convert Today, I think I’m the biggest fan of Twitter in the office.

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The Email Marketing Face-Off

By: Kim Clark on 2/20/2012

Email Marketing is a great way to reach a defined audience. With so many tools competing for your attention, how do you decide which product to use? Here’s a handy analysis of the most popular options. Mail Chimp is the most robust, closely followed by Campaign Monitor.

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Five Ways PPC Ads Can Boost Conversions

By: Brandon Clay on 1/27/2012

Image courtesy of: paidcontent.org Pay per click (PPC) advertising can be tough. There are many moving parts to an account like keywords, ad copy and network settings – it can be difficult to keep everything in good order.

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Announcing the Small Business Shamen Conference!

By:Jason Clark on 1/9/2012

Small Business Shamen Logo Today we launch the official website for the Small Business Shamen Conference, April 4, 2012 at the Ice House. As we get going with a new business venture for VIA Studio I wanted to take a second and explain what the heck this thing is.

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Dexter hates SEO!

By:Jason Clark on 11/22/2011

“You know, Google’s kinda 5 minutes ago, right? It uses a targeted algorithm to aggregate content without getting tripped up by that sneaky SEO bullshit.” Meet Elliot. A fake search engine dreamed up by the writers of the Showtime series Dexter.

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Marketing for Mobile: Tactics & Barriers to Entry

By:Jason Clark on 8/23/2011

Mobile Marketing Tactics & Barriers to Entry This is the second in a series of posts from a presentation I am currently giving to advertising & marketing organizations. Contact us if you’d like us to speak to your organization or group.

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Marketing for Mobile: Introduction

By:Jason Clark on 8/4/2011

Why you need to, and how to get started This is the first in a series of posts from a presentation I am currently giving to advertising & marketing organizations. Contact us if you’d like us to speak to your organization or group. Hopefully I’m preaching to the choir with anyone involved in the web industry that mobile marketing is making huge waves.

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Photos from the 15th Anniversary Party

By:Jason Clark on 7/26/2011

Thanks to everyone who came out and made our birthday party a smashing success! (Photos by Frankie Steele for VIA Studio) Contact us to work with an energetic & fun group of web designers, marketers, & programmers! Thanks to Actors Theatre for the amazing venue rental and to the Mayan Cafe for the best Louisville catering in town!. undefined.

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The World Wide Web: A Top Down Analytic View from Google

By: Kim Clark on 7/7/2011

Google has turned their request to use Analytic data collected by individual websites into a newsletter that provides some interesting statistics on world wide web use. Some of the finer points have been shared here.

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Client Featured in National Geographic Traveler!

By:Jason Clark on 5/10/2011

Congratulations all around to clients and friends mentioned in the latest edition of National Geographic Traveler! The article “Louisville’s Sweet Spots” features our neighborhood prominently, with nods to The Mayan Cafe, Butchertown Market (home to our lovely offices), Bourbon Barrel Foods, The Blind Pig, Louisville Beer Store, Canoe, Cake Flour, Scout, and Moss Hill. Keep shinin’ Louisville! Open publication – Free publishing.

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Success is in the low-hanging fruit

By:Jason Clark on 9/2/2010

Sometimes it doesn’t take much to see big success with your website. We launched a redesign of one of our client websites earlier this year, with a very minimal scope.

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Keywords

By:Jason Clark on 5/15/2010

Everyone knows what keywords are, but how they are being used by searchers, by search engines and by web developers are often quite different. In days gone by, filling the content of your web page with back to back keywords of interest was enough to get brief but significant attention from Google.

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Initial SEO Research

By: Kim Clark on 5/1/2010

Whatever client scenario it is we have to work with, the beginning of any detailed SEO project starts with research. That research takes time.

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SEO Takes Time

By: Kim Clark on 4/1/2010

Kim continues her SEO Blog series with a discussion on a viable time frame for an SEO Program.

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SEO 101

By: Kim Clark on 3/5/2010

In Owie's first installment of his SEO series, he discusses some of the broad concepts wrapped up in the internets' newest buzz term.

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3 fascinating Super Bowl advertising tidbits

By:Jason Clark on 2/8/2010

So the Super Bowl has come and gone. Kudos to the Saints for instilling some pride back into the city of New Orleans! The media landscape was fascinating this year. Anyone interested in advertising should pay very close attention. I'm sure we'll draw our own conclusions, but I would guess that this year marks a big turning point for television advertising.

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Press Release: Louisville Web Design Firm Launches Four New Websites

By: Kim Clark on 8/11/2009

VIA Studio is proud to announce the launch of 4 new websites.

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Does design just happen?

By:Jason Clark on 4/3/2009

Sometimes I do sketches, sometimes I look through books, sometimes I surf stock sites or flickr, sometimes and probably most often it hits me when I'm not looking for it.

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