Austin Trailer Crawling – SoCo ToGo

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Meghan Sutherland

Comfort Food Fast (and they deliver!)
The next stop on our quest to try every trailer in Austin (this is going to take longer than we thought!) was catering company turned trailer, SoCo ToGo. This really was a gem, seeing as how they would deliver to our office within 15 minutes at no additional charge. Okay so maybe we are cheating on the “crawl” part, but we have client deadlines looming and venturing out in the 105 degree heat is never fun.

Our food arrived quick, hot and fresh. Among the items we tried were the fried tilapia tacos, fried avocado tacos, brisket sammies, fried pickles and hash brown casserole. The fried avocado tacos won the taste test against the slightly fishy tasting fried tilapia tacos – the toppings were fresh and delicious – a crunchy slaw of carrots, red cabbage on fresh homemade tortillas. Make sure you drizzle some spicy cilantro ranch on top for added flavor.

Next up was the brisket sammie – slowly smoked beef brisket served with their homemade BBQ sauce = Delicious. This sandwich measured up to some well-known BBQ joints in town. Paired with the uber-rich hash brown casserole, this meal was one that just might put you to sleep after eating. The fried pickles were an added bonus with a yummy homemade batter, although they could have been a tad crispier.

SoCo ToGo will definitely be getting our return business – especially on those days where everyone yells “not it” on the food run.

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Lost In Space? Get Google’s 32-Page SEO Starter Guide

Posted on July 14, 2011 by admin

The foundation of online marketing is search engine optimization – being easily found online when a user types in and searches keyword phrases relevant to your company’s product or service.

While it’s a challenge to get listed within Google’s first two pages, as three million other companies are competing for the same twenty spots, it can be done.

More companies, tired of being lost in cyberspace and hurting from the lack of online visibility, are realizing the importance of budgeting additional dollars to hire the right team to accomplish the goal of being found online – and hopefully within Google’s first two pages.

To learn more about SEO, just email info@getaha.com for a free copy of Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide.

Posted in All, Newsletter Articles, Social Media & SEO | 1 Comment

Protect Your Company’s Market Share With Trademarks

Posted on July 14, 2011 by admin

We create many materials from scratch for our clients – names, logos, slogans, corporate colors, artwork, videos, characters, special products, websites, as well as shapes, icons, sounds and programming code – all critical elements to distinguish your company’s goods and services from others.

In order to protect these important elements from illegal use, we encourage our clients to trademark and copyright the final versions.

Have you identified every element of your company, including names, products and services that requires a trademark or a copyright? Did you include your website, programming code or even your Facebook page?

We urge you to update your company’s intellectual property rights and protect its image, ownership and market share.

Complete information on trademarks can be found at: www.uspto.gov and copyrights at:  www.copyright.gov.

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You Don’t Get This From Others

Posted on July 14, 2011 by admin

Differentiation is a big part of the services our company provides. While we can easily draw the pictures and come up with the big idea, our strength is in guiding your business in the right direction and making sure every element and process is in place to ensure your success.

From the very obvious aspects to the things you never think of, such as helping you build a championship team, separating the online facts from fiction and even advising on intellectual property rights, we’re a little different than your normal advertising marketing firm. And we’re proud of that.

If you’re ready to experience something a little different, then call us. We can get you there … faster than ever. And don’t forget to email me to obtain your free copy of Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide.

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National Goes Local

Posted on July 14, 2011 by admin

One of Aha’s latest branding and advertising assignments was for our long-time client, the Artisan Group, a national network of the country’s premier countertop fabricators. Each member offers the widest selection of top-quality granite, marble, soapstone and wood countertops in their local market areas. And each member adheres to a strict set of standards for precision countertop fabrication and customer service. Each member also competes in what has become a very crowded market space.

The new print campaign was developed to support Artisan Group’s national brand of granite, while promoting each member individually in their market. The co-branded campaign highlights the Artisan Group’s superior line of granite – Artisan Stone Collection – while advertising each member’s brand at the local level. The unique visual approach adopted for the campaign combines fabulous countertop images with the human factor to create an attention-grabbing campaign that directs customers to their local Artisan Group member.

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Aha Welcomes a New Client: TBG Partners – Landscape Architecture & Planning

Posted on July 14, 2011 by admin

TBG Partners is the premier landscape architecture and planning firm in Texas. The firm’s dedication to innovative design has resulted in some of the most distinguished landscape projects in Texas and the nation. With Aha’s help, TBG Partners will be ready to roll out a new website just in time for their 25th anniversary.

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July Fresh Facts

Posted on July 13, 2011 by admin

What’s Your Facebook Number? When Did You Sign Up?
If you signed up for a Facebook profile page and haven’t yet converted it to a vanity URL, you’ve got a number that’s part of your current Facebook URL … something like ”http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=3509957″. That number tells you how many people signed up to Facebook before you.

Alaska Airlines: No More Flight Manuals; iPads Take Over The Cockpit
Alaska Airlines is the first major domestic air carrier to announce plans that it is replacing their huge pilot flight manuals with iPads.
Within the year, you can expect to see iPads being utilized by most major airlines.
(Source: splash.alaskasworld.com)

Are Consumers Checking-In Or Checking-Out?
US consumers are slowly warming to the process of checking-in to location-based services such as “foursquare.” Currently, one in five smartphone users are taking advantage of the location-based platforms and the offers provided by various retailers and restaurants.

Users of check-in services are more likely to be female, under 35 years old and full-time students.
(Source:www.emarketer.com)

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Aha Trailer Crawling – Lucky’s Puccias

Posted on June 10, 2011 by admin

What is Exactly is a Puccia?
The name alone was all the enticement we needed to select, Lucky’s Puccias (pronounced poo-chah), for this week’s crawl. Located in a neat and clean, little food trailer on 5th Street, Lucky’s has left some of the expected trailer grunge behind. With snappy signage and a welcoming shaded area with seating you’ll feel plenty comfortable ordering and eating here. The proprietor, Lucky (of course), is friendly, personable, and Italian (oo-la-la) but he’s a serious sandwich man at heart. Nothing but the best sandwiches in town is served here – no chips, no fries, no milkshakes. If you want a beer with your sandwich just turn around and grab one from the Tiniest Bar in Texas which is within arm’s reach of Lucky’s.

The authentic, wood fired, original sandwiches are so good we stopped caring that about what puccia means and simply dug in. Our mouths watering as we took our first bites. Yum. Fresh meat, cheese, veggies and delicious sauces are piled on a perfectly-toasted, delicious handmade, wood-fired bread bun. Yah baby, the bread makes the ’wich. We tried the Puccia, the Rustica, the Contadina and the Classica. All were superb, although the Contadina could have used a shake of black pepper and a tiny sprinkle of sea salt. We’ll be back for more.

According to the free online translating tool we used; the English word for puccia is puccia! We’re pretty sure it means “delicious”.

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New Dimensions Weight Loss Website Launch

Posted on June 6, 2011 by admin

Committed To Success
New Dimensions Weight Loss in San Antonio has helped thousands of people in their journey to lose weight and return to health. The practice utilizes the latest technologies and treatments to ensure that their patients enjoy long-term, sustained weight loss. But what truly sets New Dimensions apart from other weight loss practices is their caring attitude and lifelong support program.

For more than two years, Aha has been committed to New Dimensions’ success. Our engagement began with a rebranding and repositioning effort that included patient focus groups and a competitive assessment and has culminated with the launch of their new website. The new website not only serves as an effective practice development tool, it also is a comprehensive resource for patients and medical practitioners. The site is information and feature rich with a Custom Seminar Signup Tool, Recipe Library, Physician Referral Tool and a Staff-friendly Content Management System. Best of all, the new website conveys the heart and soul of the practice – their commitment to their patient’s success.

Check out the New Dimensions site at www.ndwls.com.

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Aha Welcomes Two New Clients

Posted on June 6, 2011 by admin

Alexander Marchant, a specialty hardware and lighting company with a strong technical know-how and pragmatic solutions to difficult design dilemmas. If you’re looking for gorgeous hardware and stunning lighting you’ll want to visit Alexander Marchant’s showroom here in Austin. Soon, you’ll be able to experience their showroom online.

The Taylor Economic Development Corporation is leading the economic progress of one of Texas’ fastest growing communities. With over 18,000 residents and a slew of recent business wins, Taylor is poised for success. Watch for continued good news about Taylor, Texas.

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Turn Your Website into a New Business Generator with 12 Product Offers.

Posted on June 6, 2011 by admin

The purpose of a website, beyond being an informational platform, is to convert users into leads, ultimately nurturing those leads into qualified prospects and customers.

Most companies have forgotten this critical objective, resulting in an unfavorable online return on investment. A website should inform, subtly sell and capture as much information about visitors as possible by incorporating a lead generation function.

To attract and capture leads, a strong landing page is critical to persuade visitors to participate in various offers in return for providing contact information. The more valuable and category-specific content a website offers, the more visitors register to receive it, eventually creating more leads and turning your website into a new business generator.

Below are 12 kinds of products you should consider offering on your website, at various times, that can effectively convert your visitors into leads:

E-book
Newsletter
Webinar
Research results
Testimonials
Case studies
Mobile application
Infographics
Special articles
Videos
Whitepapers
Podcasts

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Three Key Sales-Building Tools for Twitter That No One Told You About

Posted on June 6, 2011 by admin

Automatic “Thank You” Notes: Instantly send a personalized “Thank You” message to every new follower to your Twitter account with more information about your company. Read more at www.socialoomph.com.

Look Who’s Secretly Talking: Search out those tweeting about your company that you’re not aware of because they’re not replying back to you, at www.BackTweets.com

Network and Lead Generation: To find prospects by their occupation in a specific geographic location, as listed on their Twitter bio, visit Google and type the following in the search field:
intext:”bio * occupation” intext:”location * State” site:twitter.com — specifying both the occupation and the state.

For example, to find attorneys in Texas, type the following into Google’s search field:
intext:”bio * attorney” intext:”location * Texas” site:twitter.com — and Google searches Twitter profiles that have “attorney” in the Bio field and “Texas” in the Location field. Also do a separate search with the State abbreviated.

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June Fresh Facts

Posted on June 6, 2011 by admin

Did You Know? Factoids for Meaningful Conversations with Customers

Search Engines Drive More Traffic to Websites Than Social Media
Confirming the importance of “search engine marketing,” higher traffic counts originate from search engines rather than from social media sites. According to “Outbrain,” 41 percent of traffic to websites was referred from search engines and 11 percent from social media sites. In addition, the traffic referred from social media sites was more likely to bounce or spend less time on the website versus those that came from the search engines. (Source:Outbrain.com)

Advertising Budgets Allocated To TV Continue to Grow
Television ad spending is returning to pre-recession levels and showing no signs of slowing down despite increasing budget shifts toward digital advertising.

Twitter Users Are More Educated Than The General Population.
Sixty-three percent of Twitter users have a four-year college degree or higher, as compared to only 40 percent of the general population. If your company is targeting a more educated customer, there is a good chance they are tweeting – or will be soon.

Best Marketing Tool To Reach “Mom” Is Still Email
If you are looking to take advantage of the purchasing power of “moms,” then email is still the most effective platform. Close to 100 percent of “moms” check their email at least once a day, using it as a communication tool to retrieve coupons and share information with their friends. (Source:LucidMarketing.com)

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Is Customer Satisfaction a Policy of Yours? Get Rid of it Now!

Posted on June 6, 2011 by admin

It’s time to get rid of “customer satisfaction.” This worn-out phrase from the ‘60’s did its job, but times have changed.

Nowadays, no company – regardless of its product or service – can afford to keep merely satisfied customers or clients. Aim higher and replace satisfaction with excellence. Aim for “customer love.”

Old customer satisfaction programs must be elevated so customers rave about your product or service, sharing their experiences with others. This way, customers become your own marketing ambassadors.

Upgrading your customer satisfaction program can bring huge results for your company. Your choice: just a satisfied customer or one who’s really in love with you?

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You’re in the Media Business Now!

Posted on June 6, 2011 by admin

No matter the business category, in order to be successful online, companies must be active in the media business by publishing articles, videos, testimonials, podcasts and more.

The Internet provides countless opportunities to publish content so it is found by prospective customers and clients. The more a company’s content is found online, the more successful the company as the website becomes a new business generator.

Developing website content should be an important part of your marketing plan. What will you publish? How will it be found? How will you capture leads and turn them into customers?

These are the actions we implement for our clients to help them succeed. We’re ready to do the same for you. Just call us. We can get you there … faster than ever.

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Aha Trailer Crawl 2010: Turf-n-Surf Poboy

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Rob Bode

The Aha Trailer Crawl is officially on. We’re on a quest to sample food, fare and fun from Austin’s over 125 new (and somewhat new) food stands. There are a long line of trailers to try, but we aim to take part in this latest Austin craze with our mouths wide open.

Today we celebrated Rob Bode’s 2nd Aha-nniversary with fine dining from Turf-n-Surf Poboy, located at the corner of 2nd and Congress. It was a sunny, warm afternoon and Meghan and I made the food run. Turf-n- Surf seems to be a popular spot. Plenty of outside seating and an efficiently run operation altogether. We sampled the Pulled Pork with Tango Mango, the Blackened Chicken Poboy from the Foul Play category, the Ribeye with ‘shrooms – dressed and the Fried Jumbo Shrimp Poboy (can I get a witness?). A large order of Sweet Potato Fries topped off our order and was tasty enough to be dessert.

Rate the Joint Meter
(Aha ranking ! – !!!!!!!!)

Pulled Pork with Tango Mango    !!!
Blackened Chicken    !!!!
Ribeye with ‘shrooms    !!!
Fried Jumbo Shrimp    !!!!!

Overall, we thought it was fair to good (that’s you we’re talking about, shrimpy). Not one of us left the  table hungry and we were all pretty darn happy. We’d be willing to give it another try tomorrow if only there weren’t so many other trailers calling our names…

Onward,
Aha Trailer Foodies

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The Best Time To Send Out Your Email Campaign

Posted on April 27, 2011 by admin

A new study from online marketer Hubspot, ( www.hubspot.com) reveals the most effective time to send an email broadcast to your customers, no matter which business category you are in, is early Saturday morning.

Weekend email campaigns tend to have a much higher click-through rate (CTR) than those sent during the week, which means more consumers read your emails and fewer opt-out.

During the weekend, recipients seem to be more relaxed and ready to read email, rather than tackling all of their email messages on a harried workday.

Send out your next email campaign Saturday morning and track the CTR. Keep in mind your CTR also depends on how well your list is segmented (so your customers get relevant information) and how attention-grabbing your message is.

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The Digital Revolution: Is It More Sizzle Than Steak?

Posted on April 27, 2011 by admin

We are in the middle of a digital revolution. Millions of consumers are making purchases based on information found through their computer or smartphone.

Because of that, companies of every category view the digital landscape as an advertising bonanza – a new mecca to increase sales and promote products while reaching millions of eyeballs.

But many companies are approaching this new frontier with a gold-rush mentality, without strategically considering the prime purpose of marketing – to increase profits.
The reality is that huge traffic counts don’t necessarily translate into sales and some digital media formats just don’t play out as great advertising and profit-building platforms.

The fact is digital tactics alone will not dramatically affect your sales. They must be integrated into your plan, complementing your traditional marketing efforts.

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The Laffer Center Website Launch

Posted on April 27, 2011 by admin
blog_laffer_01

For more than three decades, Dr. Arthur Laffer has been instrumental in shaping the economic policies of our nation, working with key political figures like Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Donald Rumsfeld. Known as the “Father of Supply-Side Economics”, Arthur Laffer has formed a grand legacy of books, writings, editorials and speeches that needed to be archived for the public to benefit from.

In honor of Arthur Laffer, The Texas Public Policy Foundation created the Laffer Center for Supply-Side Economics, which houses the many decades of Laffer’s work along with current supply-side economics news, events, editorials and more. Aha was enlisted to create the online library which includes an interactive timeline, online calendar, resource library, and additional features that showcase Dr. Laffer and the Supply-Side economics world.

The Laffer Center was launched on Tax Day, April 18, at an event hosted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, with special guest speakers Governor Rick Perry and Senator Phil Gramm. In just a couple hours the site had received nearly 500 visits.

Visit www.laffercenter.com to learn more about Arthur Laffer and Supply-Side economics.

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Three Key Strategies No One Else Tells You About

Posted on April 25, 2011 by admin

We’ve provided three important strategies to consider as you move your marketing efforts forward: effective timing of your email campaigns, establishing a digital strategy and implementing a QR code program.

With your customers and clients going through a shift using today’s technology, your marketing has to adjust also. And while some of the new platforms are quite attractive, will they increase your bottom-line profits?

Rather than jumping on bandwagons, our goal is to help you determine what is going to work best for your company that will increase your profits.

That’s what we do for our clients and would love the opportunity to do that for you. Just call us. We can get you there … faster than ever.

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