News

Web widgets (also called gadgets), are applications that can bring a fun and interactive element to your website by streaming in information from other sites like the Facebook, Twitter, news outlets, and many other sources.  Check out the list below for useful and fun widgets that can freshen up your site and for how to find the right widget for you! 

Enjoy! 
Becky

Q: When was ibec founded?

A: Ibec was founded in 2006. I founded it right out of college at the University of Southern Maine.

Foursquare is a new type of social media outlet using geolocation technology that allows people to "check in" at any place around the world from their smart phones and, at the same time, let their friends know where they are.  This type of outlet can be a great tool for businesses because it can track visitors to physical locations and provides another mobile listing for a business.  New to foursquare? Check out the guide below for how to sign up and claim a business location.

PORTLAND, Maine (June 08, 2010) – iBec Creative announces the hiring of Lauren Myers as a new Web Analyst to oversee client website maintenance and optimization, along with social media operations.

PORTLAND, Maine (June 02, 2010) – iBec Creative announces the hiring of Chris Campbell as a new Web Developer and Project Manager to help serve iBec’s growing list of clients.

Enjoy!

Becky

Becky McKinnell, owner of iBec Creative in Portland, will receive the 2010 award as Maine's top young entrepreneur during a ceremony at 2 p.m. at Le Club Calumet, 334 West River Road, Augusta. The award is being presented in advance of national Small Business Week, which begins May 23.

In our fast-paced, web world it's refreshing to received a hand written thank you card for doing business with someone, helping with a project, or just making time for a meeting. Thank you note cards are a great way to add a personal touch to business relationships and can help increase your brand awareness. Check out the list below for tips on how to design a branded thank you card and why they are important.

iBec recently added a virtual assistant to our website. Virtual assistants add personality to your site and give visitors a way to connect with your business on a more personal level. They'll also differentiate you from your competition! Read our tips below for adding a virtual assistant to your website and don't forget to visit www.ibeccreative.com to see how we did it.

A Facebook Fan Page is a staple for any business using social media-- Facebook is the largest outlet with over 400 million active users. The key part to having a successful fan page starts with reaching your audience and to do that you need fans. Check out the list below for tips on how to grow your Facebook Fans and start reaching your target audience.

“What do you wish you knew before you started a business?”

** iBec Creative is tip # 93 **

For AccelGolf, that product was a real-time scorecard, range finder and game analyzer that works on smartphones such as the iPhone and BlackBerry.

Now just a few years old, the company is growing. AccelGolf users are increasing and the company has secured new investment funding for future projects, said Sulinski, 26.

Sen. Olympia Snowe [R-ME]: Mr. President, our Nation has long recognized that small businesses are the true innovators in our economy. Indeed, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, our Nation's 27 million small firms generate a majority of the innovation coming from American businesses and produce 13 times more patents per employee than their larger counterparts. But to continue this trend, we need a new, younger generation of entrepreneurs to rise to the forefront and open their own small businesses. That is why I am proud to rise today to recognize the entrepreneurial spirit and ingenuity of a young woman from my home State of Maine whose graphic and Web design company is providing clients with, in her words, " fresh ideas that grow results."

In Portland we sometimes take it for granted that we've got a crop of talented, creative free agents lurking around every corner. They're small business owners, freelancers and entrepreneurs.

So when some recognition gets thrown to someone working hard locally, it's a nice reminder that we've got a good thing going on here.

BusinessWeek Praises iBec Creative for Its Strategy and Execution

PORTLAND, Maine (October 14, 2009) – Becky Stockbridge, founder of the fast-growing website and graphic design company iBec Creative, has been named one of America's Best Young Entrepreneurs by BusinessWeek.

We send hundreds of emails a week, so why not start making your emails work to promote your business?

One of the easiest ways to do this is through using customized email signatures. Email signatures is a quick place to find contact information, so people look at them often. Adding a bit more information to your signature can increase your brand awareness and drive traffic to your website!

Check out some tips below on how to customize your emails to encourage traffic to your site and social media outlets, and promote your brand!

You've heard us talk about the importance of good content in your marketing materials, but what you may not know is that great content includes great photography. Having professional photography gives that rich, personal touch to print and online materials that will help your business stand out. Check out some tips below about how professional photography can help your brand.

There has been some interesting talk recently about the usefulness of messages on Twitter.

With 12 million users and counting, there are many tweeters out there who post random or silly information for the sheer fun of using social media, but as a business using Twitter as part if a marketing plan, posting valuable content is key.

Check out the tips below to learn how to make your tweets count!

E-newsletters are a great way to stay connected to your target audience and promote your business, but what happens if you can't think of something to write about?

Read on for techniques and helpful hints on how to always have useful content ready for your next e-newsletter!

Your logo, colors, fonts, photography and graphics all contribute to your brand image. To ensure that your visual identity is successful at making a positive impression, these elements need to be cohesive and align with your company's customer experience and goals.

Below you'll find a useful technique to determine if your brand materials fit together.

You know that your company's website is a vital marketing and promotional tool, but it's important to remember that for it to deliver results, people need to know about it.

Below are some quick and easy ways to promote your website and encourage people to visit!

There is no quick trick to search engine optimization, but there are ways to produce content that is SEO friendly.

Below are some tips for writing strong content that will increase your site's SEO.

Enjoy!

Becky

We all know the importance of actively using social media outlets, but it is also vital to be in control of your content on those outlets.

Recently, Facebook has allowed third party advertisers access to user photos for their advertising purposes. This means that your photo could potentially end up in an unknown ad on Facebook. Don't fret though! You can avoid this by doing a quick settings adjustment.

Becky

Google Analytics is an important tool for keeping track of your website statistics and making improvements. What you may not know is that one of the simplest ways to stay on top of your analytics is by customizing your dashboard and setting up email reports.

Below is a how-to guide for customizing your analytics dashboard and scheduling email reports based on that dashboard.

We're having an open house party!

Sometimes it just takes someone to remind you to promote your videos online with social media! I have come across many sites that have videos, but when you click on them, you either have to download a file, they are not compatible on a Mac, and/or have to look around the site for the rest of them. The solution is easy- YouTube!

Enjoy!
Becky

There are lots of cool new tools out now for managing your social media. One issue that I have been having is being able to keep up with all of the different updates going on with each of the 3 sites that I follow: LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Read on to see why I love this new browser add-on!

More and more businesses are using Twitter to raise awareness about their company and communicate with current clients and fans. This week's tip will help give you ideas and tips for tweeting!

More and more people are using their smart phones to view websites. Mobile web browsers have become so sophisticated that we no longer need to worry about how they appear on phones, but focus on making them user-friendly. One of the most popular things customers are searching for is your phone number! Read on to make sure your website is mobile-friendly.