Please check out Fitzpatrick Water and Plumbings new site at http://www.fitzpatrickwater.com/.  Fitzpatrick water is using Siva Interactives Web Development , hosting, URL management and Digital marketing package.  Welcome to the team.

A resent poll shows us a huge response for the future of digital marketing.

Hopefully the responses from our poll will be helpful in making those choices as budgets and strategies are planned for 2011.

Contact Siva today for all your web development and online marketing needs.

Siva Interactive has moved.  We are now located at 16724 10th st in Oelwein Iowa.  We are proud to be back in Oelwein and looking forward to promoting a positive service to Oelwein and north east Iowa.  Siva Interactive would like to thank the Oelwein community for accepting Siva with open arms and we are looking forward to exceeding everyones expectations. 

Siva Interactive and Oelwein chamber and area development have teamed up to provide a positive and respectful image for the city of Oelwein.  A Marketing committee has been formed and our main agenda is to show people of oelwein and surrounding areas of all the positive things that Oelwein has to offer, As a business owner or a resident.  Please feel free to contact us at any time if you have any ideas or suggestions that you would like to see to help promote the positive image of our city for the future.

Today I would like to introduce you to Michael Saathoff.  You might recognize his name if you have browsed through the comments on many of the posts here on FSw, as Michael not only provides positive feedback, but he’s helpful, too!

I present to you – Michael Saathoff

What kind of freelancer are you?

I’m a Web Developer/Designer.  I’ve been working with flash since 2004, when a friend of mine tossed a Macromedia Flash MX2004 manual to me.  That was the same month that MX2004 came out, and I’ve been working on flash since then.

What is the value of a freelancer?

The freelancer isn’t bound by the restrictions that come within an agency environment.  When an account coordinator, art director, and creative director are involved in the project, it adds additional layers between you and the client.  The freelancer gets to put his creativity to the test by working directly with the client, providing a one-on-one experience to help capture exactly what the client needs.

What’s the best advice you can give to the other freelancers out there?

This is a two parter:

Part I – Document the scope of the project, and get approval before you start anything.  I can’t stress this enough, as it will save you time, money, and probably your sanity.

Part II – Be humble, don’t be sarcastic, and be professional.  Your reputation is the most valuable item you have, and an unfortunate email or snide comment might be shared by your client with your future prospects.

What kind of challenges do you find in web development?

As a web developer, it’s important to stay on top of technology as it develops.  You need to push yourself so you don’t find yourself in a creative rut.  If all you do is design with ActionScript 2.0, you’re going to be at a disadvantage because your competition is using ActionsScript 3.0.  Stay in front of technology as best you can.

What is the project you are most proud of?

I was able to dream up and execute a virtual configurator (see the YouTube video), where users could see what their selections would look like on their car.  It was great being able to develop and implement the design, and the final product is pretty slick.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Professionally, I’d like to keep working on the balance that I’ve got at the moment.  Working on cool projects at night while implementing great flash sites in the day.  Personally, I’d like to have a few kids with my wife.

Thanks Michael for agreeing to the interview. I hope you keep reading FreelanceSwitch, and sharing it with all your friends.

http://freelanceswitch.com/interviews/michael-saathoff-interview/

http://www.michaelsaathoff.com/ 

Web Analytics are a key indicator to the health and performance of any website, but online marketers often get lost in the complexities and details, forgetting how important analytics actually are and why.  Analytics can provide a wealth of information but marketers often look at high level indicators such as: top content, bounce rates, entrance sources and keywords without tying it all together. In most cases, there is a tremendous amount of insight that can be used to make smarter marketing decisions, but most companies barley scratch the surface.   If your company doesn't have a full time marketer you are missing out on many possible clients.  Lucky for you - Siva Interactive has programs to allow you to outsource your online marketing.   

There are many reasons why companies outgrow Google Alerts. One of the biggest is that you realize you need to monitor more than just your company name. When you start compiling the list of keywords you should monitor on a regular basis, you quickly see why you need a social media monitoring tool like Trackur.

Not compiled your list yet? Here are the twelve to put at the top of it!

1. Your Personal Name
Whether you’re an independent consultant, professional, or a very small cog on a big corporate wheel, you should absolutely monitor any media mentions of your own name. An extra tip, monitor your social networking usernames too: monitoring “andy beal” would likely not include mentions of “andybeal.”

2. Your Company Name
Another “no brainer.” Monitor your company name, but also monitor any likely misspellings or legacy company names. For example, GlaxoSmithKline should also monitor “GSK,” “Glaxo,” and “Glaxo Wellcome.”

3. Your Product Brands
If you’re Google, you would monitor the reputation of your key product brands. What’s being said about “Android” or “Chrome.” The same goes for your product brands. You may not be able to keep track of all your products, but you should track the ones that are the most vital to your business.

4. Your CEO (and other execs)
I’ll make you this promise. At some point in his tenure, your CEO will put his foot squarely in his mouth. You should monitor all possible iterations of his name, so you can be the first to know–or at least know before the WSJ finds out.

5. Your Media Spokesperson
Even if your company’s CEO is a recluse, I’m sure someone in your company is in the public spotlight a lot. If I were Lenovo, I’d monitor mentions of David Churbuck–after all he’s likely discussing Lenovo on his blog and Twitter.

6. Your Marketing Message
“So easy even a caveman can do it?” “Just do it!” What if those campaign slogans were accompanied by “sucks” or “I’ll never buy from them again?” Monitoring your marketing campaigns will help you understand if your message is getting across, and what your customers have to say about it.

7. Your Competition
Surely you’d find value in knowing your biggest competitor just got the jump on you. Reports suggest that inside Lenovo, execs knew about the launch of Apple’s Mac Air within minutes–important for Lenovo, as it was planning it’s own ultra-light notebook.

Likewise, if Shell & Exxon are not actively listening to the complaints about how BP is handling the Gulf oil spill, they are crazy. Both could use BP’s crisis to explain how they’re “cleaner” “better” or “safer.”

8. Your Industry
If you keep a watchful eye on industry trends, you can spot opportunities and potential disasters. Everyone’s raving about the iPhone, but some are having issues with the new antenna. By listening to industry news and feedback, you can learn what consumers look for in a cell phone–and build a better iPhone.

9. Your Known Weaknesses
Your brand has a weakness. If that’s a shock to you, I apologize for being the bearer of bad news. Still, it’s better I tell you now, than a customer tell the New York Times.

Take an honest look at your products and services and ask yourself, what are our weaknesses. If Toyota had been honest with itself about its sticking gas pedals, it could have prepared a crisis communication plan and conducted a recall in a manner that wouldn’t have tarnished its reputation (as much).

10. Your Business Partners
If you’re Boeing wouldn’t you want to know if one of your airline customers just declared bankruptcy? How does that effect your quarterly sales numbers? For you, maybe the CEO of a company you did that “co-branded” campaign with, was just snapped leaving a brothel–how would that reflect on your own reputation.

Identify your key business partners and make sure you know what’s happening to their business.

11. Your Clients’ News
OK, for all of you internet marketing agencies and PR firms–and anyone else that knows the value of keeping clients happy–here’s a tip for you. Monitor the news for your clients and then send them a note to congratulate them on their accomplishments–or maybe “watch their back” if you see trouble brewing. Your retention rate will go way up! 

12. Your Intellectual Property
If you invested the time–and expense–to register a trademark or copyright your work, shouldn’t you make sure it’s not being infringed upon? Apart from enforcing trademark infringements, you should also make sure there aren’t any cases of mistaken identity.

As of now, all Analytics users have access to the new AdWords reports. With this update, you have access to three new reports, 10 new dimensions, and more AdWords metrics.  http://analytics.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-adwords-reports-in-google-analytics.html

In-house search engine marketers raked in the bucks this year. In 2009, salaries for an individual contributor with one to three years experience ranged between $40,000 and $80,000, according to a survey released Monday. The Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) survey found that senior managers earned between $70,000 and $120,000; and vice presidents responsible for large SEM campaigns or a team of specialists earned between $160,000 and $250,000.

If there's a downside to this year's stats, the survey reveals that the majority of respondents are working to maintain -- or increase -- the return on investment from search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns with flat or restrained budgets.  

"Siva interactive has designed a product to take care of your company's online marketing to avoid these high priced in house marketers!"