Recently, team Quintain Marketing attended the ASI Show New York to preview some of the new products that have recently been released in the advertising specialty industry. One of our favorites was Home Team Handz, specialized gloves designed to take the sting out of clapping while also getting your claps heard. Put your logo on these and hand them out at the next company meeting or give them away to your fans at the next sporting event. Give us call at 866-788-3226 for pricing and lead times, and watch the video below to see Home Team Handz in action!

Because Quintain Marketing specializes in helping small businesses create and deploy impactful marketing strategies, we are always looking for ways to optimize our clients’ websites. Your website is the one place on the internet where you, as a company, have complete control over how your brand is portrayed. As a result, it should be the focal point of your online strategy.

Most of our clients are small and lack the resources and expertise required to maintain traditional, HTML-driven websites. For this reason, we often recommend they migrate their websites to a Content Management System (CMS), which allows even novice users to not only maintain sites, but to add pages, blog and more. WordPress is the most popular CMS available today and our CMS of choice. It is easy to use and allows for a high level of customization – perfect for our clients! One of the things that makes WordPress so customizable is the use of plugins. There are thousands upon thousands of free plugins available, allowing you to do almost anything you can imagine with a WordPress-driven website.

We’ve been designing and building WordPress websites for about 4 years now, and through this experience, we’ve assembled a list of our favorite plugins. These are the plugins that we intall on virtually every site we design. Read on and we’re sure you’ll find them as useful as we have!

AddThis Social Bookmarking Widget

What is the point of blogging if you can’t share it with the world!? This plugin is connected to 330 of the most popular social networks and bookmarking sites. The best thing about AddThis is that it is non-invasive. If there is one thing I can’t stand, it is giving up form for function. With these buttons, you don’t have to worry about obtrusively obnoxious social icons to get the exposure you are looking for. To top it off, AddThis provides a tracking dashboard so you can see which networks your content is being shared on and how many times it has been posted there.

Image Credit: help.edublogs.com

Ultimate TinyMCE

When I found this plugin, I thought all of my WordPress desires had been fulfilled. I admit, I am not a coder and sometimes the more advanced functions in WordPress are over my head. This plugin eliminates the need for code when you want to change your post or page - just like you do in a Microsoft Word Document. You can easily manipulate fonts, font sizes, colors and styles … all with no code required. This plugin can add up to 30 additional buttons to your basic WordPress toolbar, to make once complicated tasks super basic.

Image Credit: WordPress.org

LinkWithin

I have been using LinkWithin on my personal blog since I first started on Blogger. This is a great tool for getting more pageviews. LinkWithin sticks a very minimalist designed plug at the bottom of every blog post. It shows a thumbnail and a post title for any articles relating to the one the reader just finished reading. The big advantage here over other similar plugins is the minimalist style, lack of advertisements and ability to include a thumbnail. Please be aware that if you are using your WordPress site as an entire site and not only a blog some customization may be required. Also, you cannot download this plugin from the WordPress plugin directory.

Image Credit: essentialkeystrokes.com

Akismet

We have all fallen victim to comment spam at one point or another. Akismet diminishes the need to keep up with these types of comments. This plugin checks your comments against its service to let you know if a comment looks like spam. The easy to use dashboard lets you moderate on your own time, if you choose to. The only catch is you need to sign up for an Akismet.com API key, but you can choose to donate $0 and use the service for free. This is a must have for any WordPress site!

Widget Logic Visual

When I found this plugin I was jumping for joy! Most of you may be familiar with Widget Logic, where it is necessary to learn conditional tags so your content will only appear where you wish. Widget Logic Visual takes all of the tags out of the equation! You can see a sitemap and simply tell the plugin where or where not to display a widget. This is a great tool for sites that wish to display different sidebar widgets on different pages.

All in One SEO Pack

This plugin is golden; it optimizes your WordPress blog or website for search engines. With this plugin, you don’t need to rack your brain trying to figure out have to tag your pages and posts so Google will find you. Instead, it provides an easy to use interface that tells you exactly what you need to tag, and how many characters long  your tage should be. Brilliant!

Image Credit: semperplugins.com

Constant Contact for WordPress

One of the services we offer at Quintain Marketing is an email newsletter package. We typically use Constant Contact because of its great user interface and amazing customer support. Including a sign up box on your website is a great way to collect new contacts. This plugin works seamlessly with your Constant Contact account, making it a hands off application after placing it in the desired location on your website.

Feedburner Form

I read a lot of blogs, and I often find it hard to pinpoint the ones I can’t live without on a daily basis. Not to mention, RSS feeds are so non-visual it hurts. Sites with Feedburner sign up forms are my favorite. I can get content rich emails sent right to my inbox whenever one of my favorite blogs publishes a new post. I like to extend this same courtesy to our clients’ readers by installing this plugin in the sidebar of their blog or website.

Google Analytics for WordPress

With this plugin, you can get all the data and information you ever wanted to know about your blog or website. It offers integration with Google Analytics so you can track who is coming to your site, from where, how long did they stay, what did they see and everything in between. As a bonus, you can connect to Google AdSense all through the same plugin.

W3 Total Cache

While we love WordPress whole-heartedly, it is no secret that the .php code involved behind the scenes, as well as the sometimes intricate themes, can bog servers down and increase the amount of time it takes for sites to load. With this plugin, this problem disappears. W3 Total Cache caches every aspect of your site, reducing download times significantly.  What does this mean exactly? It means improved conversion rates, which help your site’s ranking in Google’s search results without having to change a thing about your theme. This lets you have your cake and eat it too.

Bonus!

Google XML Sitemaps

Have you ever noticed how the big name businesses pop up not only at the top of Google search results, but then they have their site nicely broken down into quick links below their listing? This plugin makes it happen! With the help of Google XML Sitemaps, you can create a sitemap that will help search engines better index your site, retrieving it’s information much more efficiently. To top it off, it alerts search engines every time you create a post with new content. Awesome.

Every Friday, we present our staff’s top picks for the best links or articles of the week AND we’ll tell you why we think they’re so great. A word of warning – this isn’t always about marketing. It’s just great stuff we’ve curated from across the web that we think is worth sharing. Enjoy!

Creative Market (Jessie-Lee): http://bit.ly/MdRLuV

This was the best find I made all week! If you are a designer you are probably familiar with COLOURlovers, its a go to source for the freshest color combos. Creative Market is a side project to bring fresh design content to the masses! By signing up and referring others you get credits to download some amazing content. Right now, there is a ton of free stuff available just to create buzz. If you are smart you will head over there and stock up on design goodies while you can.

Pit Bull Rescues Unconcious Owner From Oncoming Train (Kathleen): http://abcn.ws/MdSZ9r

I wouldn’t normally post links to human (or in this case, animal) interest stories like this, but this one came out on the heels of a major decision by the Maryland courts which declared Pit Bulls as “inherently dangerous” and set out a separate legal standard to be applied just for them in dog bite cases. I’m not a pit bull fan, but I do believe that dogs, just like kids, are very much a product of their upbringing and it is just downright unfair to condemn an entire dog breed because some irresponsible owners raise dogs to be vicious. This story is reminder that dogs who are loved return that love in spades to their owners!

PANTONE Unveils 336 New Colors (Jessie-Lee): http://bit.ly/JT0AVW

Yes, you read that right. 336 new colors! Each is expected to remain a permanent fixture and is available in coated and uncoated. Brand new colors…the possibilities!

Blueshirts Mobile (John): http://bit.ly/JT10LZ

If you are a fan of the New York Rangers, check out Blueshirts Mobile, the Rangers’ text alerts service. It provides alerts when the period ends, score changes and game ends. It’s the perfect service to have when you can’t watch the game because, say, your wife bought tickets to a Broadway play on the night of Game 6 in the series… (just sayin!)

Kaiser’s Willy Auto Supply (John): http://bit.ly/JT1vpo

Lately, I’ve been thinking of restoring a Willy’s Jeep and have been spending a lot of time on Kaiser’s Willy Auto Supply website. They have everything you could imagine, including a 100+ page catalog, active Facebook site, blog, YouTube channel and Twitter account.

Every now and again you wonder “Why didn’t I think of that…?” Well, more often than most, the team at Semco has me saying just that. Mid-year, they’ve launched several very cool and useful advertising specialty products. I take my hat off to their creativity, innovation and mindful pricing.

One of my favorite new products is the “Desk Shark.” This handy little item keeps your cords where you want them — off the floor! So often, when you unhook your laptop, iPad or Smartphone, the cord slips off the desk and onto the floor. This little gem holds up to 5 cords or cables, keeping them in place for an easy grab when you need them next. It is made of soft, rubbery material, and fastens with double-sided tape. So if you are looking for a new product for a tradeshow, mailer or summer event, give us a call at 866-788-3226 and we’ll send you out a sample of the Desk Shark. It’s a great buy under $2.00.

Some important changes are once again coming to LinkedIn. Throughout the next several weeks, LinkedIn will be rolling out two new features – targeted updates and follower statistics.

Both Facebook and Google+ already offer something very similar to targeted updates, which will allow LinkedIn users to segment their connections into specific groups and publish status updates to one or more of those groups. With this feature, you’ll be able to create individual lists using common marketing demographics such as industry, job function, seniority, company size, and geographical location.

There are a number of practical applications for targeted updates. For example, you might promote a webinar you are offering on regulatory changes to companies in affected industries. Or, you may want to alert your connections in a particular geographic regional about an upcoming training program in their area. Targeted updates are also a great way to follow up with people that you meet at a conference or networking event. By adding them to an event list, you can offer insights and updates relating to the topics covered during the meeting, keeping the discussion going even after the actual event has ended.

The other new feature that LinkedIn is rolling out is called “follower statistics.” Not unlike Facebook’s insights for company pages, follower statistics will allow you to evaluate follower demographics, engagement levels, update impressions, total following, recent followers, and number of new followers month-to-month.

In our experience, most people use just a small fraction of the features available on LinkedIn. These new features are just another reminder that LinkedIn can be a real goldmine for companies that are prepared to take advantage of all that it offers!

[Image credit: Forbes.com]

Every Friday, we present our staff’s top picks for the best links or articles of the week AND we’ll tell you why we think they’re so great. A word of warning – this isn’t always about marketing. It’s just great stuff we’ve curated from across the web that we think is worth sharing. Enjoy!

How Weather.com Is Building a Social Media Weather Alert System (Jessie-Lee): http://on.mash.to/JZx0wr

Long overdue, but nonetheless brilliant (in my opinion)! Having started with a full site redesign, Weather.com is going to begin implementing weather alerts on Facebook and Twitter. This will allow you to see weather warnings for loved ones via your newsfeed. Weather alerts are entering the 21st century, leaving traditional media behind and tweeting your local forecast.

Gmail Now Translates Emails Written In Different Languages (Kathleen): http://on.mash.to/JgEr9c

Talk about breaking down cultural and linguistic barriers. Now, with a free Gmail account, you can communicate seamlessly with people who speak other languages by using the built in Google Translator to translate your outgoing email or an email that you have received. Just awesome!

Designer Breaks Down, Mixes Videogame Characters Into ‘Scrambled Pixels’ (Jessie-Lee): http://bit.ly/JZwPkL

Nothing earth shattering here, but it will give you a chuckle if you are a video game nerd or a lover of pixels. Check out your favorite iconic videogame characters broken down to the minimal number of pixels. It almost puts an abstract art spin on the little guys.

Facebook Is Urging Members to Add Organ Donor Status (Kathleen): http://nyti.ms/LreYH7

Love it or hate it, you’ve got to admit that Facebook is constantly innovating in exciting – and sometimes controversial – new ways. One of the newest features to be added is the ability for users to indicate that they are organ donors. What a great way to promote organ donation – and to ensure that everyone knows your wishes should something untimely befall you. Bravo Facebook!

U.S. ‘Alpha Females’ Choose Smartphones Over Sex (Kathleen): http://bit.ly/Lrhe0T

For some reason, this just does not surprise me. When asked what they could not live without for a 30 day time period, more women chose smartphones than sex, makeup, and coffee. I wonder what the men would say?!

Quintain Marketing President John Booth offers quick tips on how to get the most out of a tradeshow. Click below to view this presentation (it’s only 93 seconds long!).

If you can’t view the image above, copy and paste this URL into your browser:
http://my.brainshark.com/Quintain-Marketing-3-Tradeshow-Musts-NA-621252342?intk=896834101

Every Friday, we present our staff’s top picks for the best links or articles of the week AND we’ll tell you why we think they’re so great. A word of warning – this isn’t always about marketing. It’s just great stuff we’ve curated from across the web that we think is worth sharing. Enjoy!

Business Etiquette: 5 Rules That Matter Now (Kathleen): http://bit.ly/JLANze

Etiquette truly is becoming a lost art. As the world has gone increasingly digital, concepts such as thank you notes have been largely forgotten. This article – written by the Digital Director for Crane (the thank you note people!) – is a great reminder that good etiquette is a must even in the modern world.

For Typography Enthusiasts: ‘Shoot The Serif’ (Jessie-Lee): http://bit.ly/KEcSpl

This may be the best app for designers yet. ‘Shoot the Serif’ is a game requiring the player to shoot serif letterforms. The best part…it’s free!

How to Respond to Emotional Outbursts (Kathleen): http://bit.ly/KsFBsO

Harvard Business Review blogger Peter Bregman tells a story about his young daughter’s meltown over a Hannukah gift, and then traces a parallel to emotional outbursts in the workplace. I’m not sure which lesson I find more valuable! The fundamental message here is that people need to feel comfortable enough to be able to express their vulnerability. Only in that kind of a climate can healthy dialogue take place. Food for thought!

Current Web Typography Trends (Jessie-Lee): http://bit.ly/KEd87G

This is a great article outlining the best of trendy web type. Not only is it a great place to find inspiration, but it is nice to know when you are on point trend wise with your own work.  I am especially glad to see ‘Wedding’ Fonts on the list. A great cursive font gets me every time.

Google Turns Into Giant Zipper In Honor of Gideon Sundback (Kathleen): http://on.mash.to/JLBkkS

It seems that lately Google bashing has become a sport of sorts. Many of the bloggers that I read regularly have written about their frustrations with Google+, Google’s privacy policies, and personalized search to name a few. It was refreshing then to see coverage of the fantastic Google doodle from April 24 in honor of the inventor of the zipper. What a great reminder of the fun and serendipitous way that Google approaches its user interface!

Every Friday, we present our staff’s top picks for the best links or articles of the week AND we’ll tell you why we think they’re so great. A word of warning – this isn’t always about marketing. It’s just great stuff from across the web that we think is worth sharing. Enjoy!

Why Every Monday Matters (Kathleen): http://bit.ly/KsECIZ

I love Fast Company magazine, and this article is a great example of why I’m so passionate about it. Blogger Shawn Parr talks about Every Monday Matters, a book by Kelly Bozza and Matt Emerzian. It’s all about making what you do count and looking beyond yourself at how you can impact the world around you. Truly moving!

How Brand Logos Really Look Like To Consumers… (Jessie-Lee): http://bit.ly/IocOad

Here is an interesting article. A Romanian illustrator recently took some of the worlds most popular brands and put an “honest” spin on them. Most of these are laughable because they are completely true. Can you think of any others he may have forgotten?

Why and Where Most People Lose Their Phones (Kathleen): http://on.mash.to/KsEadQ

$30 billion worth of cell phones were lost in the U.S. in the last year. Here’s an amusing infographic that breaks down exactly how and why people lose them. Admit it – some of these sound all too familiar, don’t they?

Startups, this is how design works (Jessie-Lee): http://bit.ly/KEcuY2

With all the craziness surrounding Facebook’s recent acquisition of Instagram, startups are in the spotlight. Everyone is trying to nail down “the next big thing.” Step one: hire a designer. This article (while lengthy) provides some amazing insight to why designers should be the first ones on your mind when engaging in a startup venture. This isn’t just about graphic design, but design across all wavelengths. It really is an amazing article, even if you already realize the value good design brings to the table this is a must read.

What Every Employee and Employer Must Know About Social Media (Kathleen): http://bit.ly/KsEUjg

The law governing employment and social media is continually evolving. This article provides some good tips on what people in the workplace should be aware of. Worth reading!

Recently, I read an interesting summary of Predictable Revenue: Turn your business into a sales machine with the 100 million best practices of Salesforce.com. Right off the bat it hit three points:

• First, Quintain Marketing is a SME (Small and mid-market) business
• Second, we have been a Salesforce customer for 10+ years and have seen first-hand the meteoric growth they have achieved
• And lastly, anyone who touts that lead generation belongs outside of the sales department is someone I want to hear more from…

The authors (Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler) “had me at hello” with their observation that salespeople have limited time and should not focus on educating, qualifying and identifying new clients. If not Sales then who I ask? Guess I’ll have to read the book…

If you’ve read this, let us know what you think by commenting on this post. Is it worth the read? Why or why not?