nine10, Author at nine10 - Brand, Web & Training Agency in Alberta

What Stephen Hawking Can Teach You About Leadership

May 16, 2013 Business, geek, leadership, stephen hawking, universe

I’m a science geek. Whether it’s black holes, time travel, or the 10th dimension… it gives me the warm fuzzies. So naturally, last evening I spent geeking out on Netflix and caught “Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking.” From the big bang to the formation of black holes, the show was a mind-blowing journey to the beginning of time and back.

Being also a business geek, I couldn’t help seeing the similarities between how the best leaders model their actions and how the Universe works. The similarities are striking, and this article highlights a few of them.

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6 Things They Never Tell You About Selling Online

March 15, 2013 Business, e-commerce, Marketing, online sales, strategy

Starting an online store appears to be the perfect solution to grow beyond the four walls of your business or earn some extra income. After all, an online store is relatively inexpensive to start, and presents a tremendous opportunity for growth. How could you fail?

But the reality is that it’s not as dreamy as it sounds. The process of growing a successful online business is fraught with pitfalls, complications, and most of all, hidden costs. In this article, we’re going to debunk some of the common myths of being successful as an online seller, and hopefully help you make a more informed decision about your next venture.

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To Blog is to Commit

February 22, 2013

As a full-fledged marketing lover, I enjoy a good blog as much as the next person. Unfortunately, the truth is, more Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders have chosen to put their blog on hiatus, updating it only to highlight internal milestones. Even my beloved Arlene Dickinson seems to have dropped off the blogosphere.

Mainly these companies have opted for the instant engagement gratification that comes from social media, ditching the roots of establishing expertise, which is blogging. Like any project, your blog is bound to fail if you are not committed to the process.

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nine10 Incorporated Merges with Social Media Marketing Agency GoSocial

December 3, 2012

Grande Prairie – nine10 Incorporated, a Grande Prairie-based marketing and design agency has merged with local social media marketing company GoSocial. The integrated company will operate under nine10 Incorporated.

The merger gives businesses and organizations access to a full-service marketing agency offering online and offline marketing right here in the Peace Region. nine10 will continue to provide website development and creative design, branding and marketing services, but can now complement this suite with social media marketing expertise, mobile app development, custom Facebook pages and implementation of various new-media marketing tactics.

GoSocial owner Ryan Blais has become a managing partner at nine10, joining current managing partners Cris Seppola and Richard Podsada.

“Businesses and organizations – large and small – are recognizing the value of adding social media to their toolbox of marketing strategies,” said Seppola. “We’re getting very positive feedback from our clients as there has been a real need in the region for comprehensive marketing services under one roof.”

“The business move just made sense. Clients are continually looking for innovative ways to connect with their customers, as well as to increase the visibility of their brand,” said Blais. “Integrating the individual strengths of each company gives our clients the potential to reach out to their customers in a whole new way.”

Seppola said that while social media is becoming more and more important, traditional marketing is an essential part of the mix.

“Traditional marketing is still very important. But when we combine the traditional with social media, businesses are going to see some very powerful results.”

The merger is the second for nine10 Incorporated. Founded in 2006, the marketing and design agency merged with website development company Dream Digital in 2008.

GoSocial was founded in 2010 by Ryan Blais, former member of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Team.

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For media information, contact:

Cris Seppola, Managing Partner
nine10 Incorporated
W: (780) 539-1755
cris@nine10.ca

Ryan Blais, Managing Partner & former GoSocial Owner
nine10 Incorporated
W: (780) 539-1755
C: (780) 512-9707
ryan@nine10.ca

nine10 links:
www.nine10.ca
Twitter: twitter.com/nine10inc
Facebook: facebook.com/nine10inc

Small Business Content Is Just More Interesting

November 25, 2012 small business blogging, small business content

An ode to the heroes of the long tail in content publishing.

It’s time to recognize the small businesses and independent marketers who publish unique and interesting content every day. The kind of content that doesn’t always make the trending lists and first-page of Google. The kind of content that serves up a unique viewpoint amid the onslaught of high-brow “me-too” publishers taking up all of the spotlight.

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Roll the Dice and Hope For a Great Business Website Design

There’s a Lot More to Web Design Than Just Being “Good at Computers”

October 12, 2012 selecting a web developer, web design procurement

There’s a common misconception that because somebody is “good with computers”, they’ll know how to design a great business website. On the surface, it’s a logical conclusion: Websites are built and consumed on computers, so somebody who’s great with computers has a good chance of knowing how to build one.

The truth is that there’s much more to a successful business website than just technology. Computer knowledge is only a small piece of the puzzle. This article will explain why and show you some of the other pieces that are involved.

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Light Table with Code Panels Around Running Application

Light Table Introduces the ‘Innovative’ Development Environment

September 3, 2012 coding, design, ide, innovation, programming

As programmers, we are constantly battling for the ever shrinking scraps of space we have to code in. Panels, windows, pop-ups, search bars, status bars… you name it. The clutter just keeps growing, all in the name of presenting as much information as humanly possible. Take a look at the next screen shot for a great example…

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coffee image Five ways to make your designer happy.

Five ways to make your designer happy (and end up with a finished product that you love).

August 29, 2012

On the whole designers are a pretty easy bunch to please, especially if you tell us you like Helvetica or buy us the occasional soy latte. But there are some things that you can do to help the process of designing your logo, website, or print piece that will help your project go much smoother.

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The Tragedy of Comic Sans

August 14, 2012

Oh Comic Sans… few typefaces evoke such strong emotion as our quirky little friend. Whether you love it (Slightly-NSFW, salty language) or hate it, you have an opinion on it. Just what is it about Comic Sans that 10-year olds love, and makes designers cry?

Comic Sans has been adorning bake-sale posters and fourth grade report covers since its release in 1994. Designed to be reminiscent of comic-book lettering, Comic Sans was intended to appeal to children, and for use in informal documents.

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Why I Think Kijiji Teaches the Basics of Business

August 2, 2012

As a lot of you know (or don’t know, but you do now) that I am currently pregnant. I am not much of a shopper, so when I have to go to the mall to buy a shirt for $50 that I will wear for 3 months max it really annoys me. Complaining about this (as I usually do) really paid off when one of my girlfriends recommended Kijiji.

For everyone who has been on Kijiji, you know that is has everything you can imagine – and some things you couldn’t. I, however, noticed a trend. Ads that had more pictures and clear, easy-to- read (got to the point) information had more views. Sounds pretty common sense I know, but you would be surprised at how many ads are just a sentence basically saying buy my stuff. Of course, the more views, the better odds of someone contacting you to buy.Read This Story

All posts by author

What Stephen Hawking Can Teach You About Leadership

6 Things They Never Tell You About Selling Online

To Blog is to Commit

nine10 Incorporated Merges with Social Media Marketing Agency GoSocial

Small Business Content Is Just More Interesting

An ode to the heroes of the long tail in content publishing.

There’s a Lot More to Web Design Than Just Being “Good at Computers”

Light Table Introduces the ‘Innovative’ Development Environment

Five ways to make your designer happy (and end up with a finished product that you love).

The Tragedy of Comic Sans

Why I Think Kijiji Teaches the Basics of Business

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