A Note From Karen Propp

15 minutes media has had a very busy 2007 and an update is long overdue.

First I would like to welcome our newest team member, Sarah Bleviss. Sarah comes to us with a long history of working on the web. She built her first website at the age of twelve and was featured in Teen and Seventeen magazines for her site. Sarah will be working primarily as our HTML technician. She will also be assisting me with project management. When Sarah is not busy with 15 minutes media client updates, she spending her lunch hour perusing New York real estate blogs and feeding her obsession with Victorian architecture and antiques.

Amanda Webster joined us as a graphic designer last August and has recently been promoted to Art Director. We have been keeping her busy with lots of new design projects and her talent and skill are really being put to good use. We have started a new feature on our blog with design updates and works in progress. Check out some of Amanda's posts to see her great work.

Speaking of blogs, we have really started to use ours more extensively. In addition to Amanda's posts about design and works in progress, you will also find up-to-date posts about 15 minutes media clients, new site launches, online marketing tips and more. Check back often for all the latest news.

As a few of you may know, I have been attending college "on the side" for the past few years. It has often been difficult to balance the responsibilities of both the business and school, but I am proud to say, it is FINALLY over. I will be graduating from Hunter College on May 31 with a very useful degree in Creative Writing! My parents will be visiting from Colorado and I will out of the office May 31-June 6 to spend some time with them. Sarah and Amanda will be in the New York office those days and Cassie will be in the Boston office as well.

Business Development for the "Slow Season"

Summer can be a slow time for some businesses as your customers and clients head out of town. It can also be a perfect time to catch up on some of those little items you never seem to have time for. Consider focusing on your website and search engine optimization so that you have your rankings in place when holiday season rolls around. Here are some of our favorite tricks and tips for online marketing success:

• SelfPromotion.com - I have been using this resource since the very early days of the web. Robert really knows his stuff and has a knack for explaining it in plain English. There are tons of free articles, tutorials and tools, but it is well worth it to donate $10 or more for the added tools. There really is not a better site out there!
• MarketLeap.com - This website has three handy little report tools that I just love. Check your website's link popularity (and compare with your competitors), your search engine saturation and verify whether you are coming up for your prime keywords.
• Spyfu.com - This site allows you to check your site visibility on search engines.
• Wordtracker - WordTracker provides a free keyword research tool that can help you find decent keywords for your site.
• Write! - Nothing beats content when it comes to getting attention on the web. Your visitors are searching for it and search engines love it. Besides blogging, there are numerous other ways to share your expertise. Submit articles and press releases to sites like Wikipedia, Idea Marketers, PR Web, About.com and many others. Don't forget to include a link to your website in the byline!
• Reach out. Have your customers and clients heard from you lately? An email to your base can ignite interest and remind people of the great services or products you provide. Of course, my favorite email campaign tool is Intellicontact (now called iContact)
• Get out! - Summer is a great time to get out there and network. Depending where you are located, there are opportunities all around. And it does not have to be business related. If you enjoy hiking, join a Hiking MeetUp. You will be surprised the connections you make.