lansing michigan Archives - Page 30 of 63

2nd Brain Collective Podcast – Rick Preuss of Preuss Pets

Rick Preuss has been in the pet store business for over 30 years. He co-owns mid-Michigan’s largest family-owned pet store and serves as the co-host of the Mid-Michigan Pet Expert Talk Show on WILS 1320.

Rick is also involved in animal science education locally and nationally. He serves as a regular guest speaker in zoo and aquarium science classes at Michigan State University. He has also spoken at the Marine Aquarium Conference of North America and the National Marine Educators Association.

Rick is active in the Lansing community and serves as the current vice president of the Old Town Commercial Association. He also considers himself the best dad in the entire universe. Listen to Rick talk about the growth of his business on this episode of the 2nd Brain Collective!

Guest Post: Improving your website speed without deteriorating its content

Do you know the 59 Second Rule? An average person who knows nothing about your business and comes across your website will spend nearly 59 seconds on the site before leaving it. Unless, of course, you find the way to keep their attention for a longer time. In order to achieve that, people go for various practices to improve their website.

The easiest and the most efficient way would be to improve your website’s speed. This way, the first 59 seconds the visitors will spend getting acquainted with the web content, not waiting until uploading the images.

Therefore, we suggest you taking a look at the ways your website speed can be hugely improved, without impacting the content itself.

Lazy loading

Lazy loading is probably the biggest trend in web design for 2018 that has been described by various sources including DesignContest. This is an ingenious design pattern that shows the images or videos only when they are needed. This way, the speed of your website will never suffer, no matter what visual content you have there.

How does the lazy loading work?

Lazy loading is an infinite scrolling in a way. You scroll the website up to the point where, logically, there has to be a visualization to confirm the data. Here, you see an uploaded picture or the video material that will fade away when you scroll further. This gimmick helps web pages to be responsive and to interact with users with the speed that is much more increased.

You can even make it more engaging with different kinds of navigation. For example, lazy loading will look great with a floating navigation. It is a special feature on your website that makes it different from your competitors in one more special way. It helps users to explore the website and makes this process interesting, entertaining, and engaging. Due to the fact that there are truly lots of options that distinguish the way users can navigate, its diversity has no limits.

2. Reducing server response time

To speed up your website, it is very important to know first how long the DNS (Domain Name System) lookup takes. Every time someone is typing the website’s URL, a DNS server transfers it to the IP address and signifies its location online. At the same time, a DNS lookup shows a specific DNS record.

The amount of time a DNS lookup takes is tightly connected with the speed of your DNS provider. If it is slow, it takes users more time to get to your website (because their computers cannot locate your site in a short period of time). That is why, if your DNS is slow, you might want to switch to a faster provider. This will cause no damage to your content but will help users to get to your website faster.

3. Use a simple website design

A simplicity is your best friend in terms of the website design, especially if you want your site to run fast. Using simple grids and clean design layers can bring some unexpected results. There is no denying the fact that, lately, design has been aimed at surprising people. However, brevity is still the soul of wit. That is why, smooth design solutions can bring you a double benefit. First of all, they never look kitschy or extraordinary. Second of all, it takes not so much time for them to appear on your screen. Thus, if you are looking for truly sophisticated solutions to represent your business online, a simple web design can save your day.

4. Enable caching

We bet it is not the first time you hear about caching but do you know what it is in fact? Cache is a component of your hard- or software that includes some data elements of your website kept in temporary storages. This means, that, once you enable caching on your website, some components will be loaded without needing the HTTP requests to the server. As a result, the website will be speeded up with no extra efforts from you.

5. Specify your image dimensions

A great idea for those who run a blog and want it to be fully optimized. Choosing the one dimension for our photo content will help you to make the website load faster. What is more, it is profitable when you think of the general look of your site. The one-size images create an unforgettable impression where all your content is separated and sorted out.

Bottom line

There are a lot of features your website’s speed depends on. However, some of those features can be improved with no significant efforts. Why not to make your website better right now?

Natalie Antiuk works for DesignContest, a marketplace that conducts web design services of the highest quality. She is keen on web design combined with its usage in launching startups and marketplaces.

#BetterCallPaul on Business Rap – Video Trends 2018

On this segment of the Business Rap, our creative video strategist Paul, joins Courtney Larvadain of Glow Social Media, Aaryn Richard of Spartan Innovations and Rose Tantrapohl of Moonsail North to talk about what video trends are happening for this year.

#BetterCallPaul – Green Screen Services

We have a brand new service located right in our offices and it’s a very affordable. We now have a green screen studio set up! If you’ve noticed the last few #BetterCallPaul Episodes with me talking or have tuned in to see Melik on Lansing Made, then you know the quality of what we are talking about. So, if you want to develop a quick video for your business with good video and audio or if you are video blogger that is looking to bump up the quality of your video, than by all means you Better Call Paul!

2nd Brain Collective Podcast – Thomas Stewart of Quantum Medical Concepts

Over the last decade, professional manager and business coach Tom Stewart has consulted with over 50 companies across several industries. He has helped major organizations like the Neogen Corporation, the Demmer Corporation, and Michigan State University transition and begin new initiatives. In the past three years, Tom’s efforts have resulted in nearly $15 million in new client revenues and over 100 new jobs in the Capital region.

In his role at Quantum Medical Concepts, Tom helps connect medical startups with potential investors to grow their businesses and develop new technologies. Tom is passionate about using entrepreneurship for social justice and community improvement and is active in the Lansing community!

Listen to Tom talk about how he helps entrepreneurs on this episode of the 2nd Brain Collective!

Guest Post: How to Use Storytelling in Grant Writing

There is an old adage about storytelling favored by authors. “Everything starts out as, and ends up as, a story.”

As whimsical a notion as that may be, when it comes to the art of persuading others, or establishing credibility for a complex or competitive grant proposal, for example, telling a story can be a very effective way of bypassing the natural human inclination to treat new ideas with mild suspicion. Everyone loves a good story. Storytellers, therefore, often find they have the power to engage others on a level where their natural curiosity overrides their skepticism.
Actually performing such a feat when applying for a grant, however, is easier said than done.

First Impression

The main character of your story gets one chance to make a first impression. A good candidate for a “grant proposal hero” is a key member of your staff. Three things are going to happen in the minds of your audience if you are successful in making that first impression a good one. First, your protagonist will be viewed as a “good” person, which will help you establish trust. Second, you will create an emotional connection with your audience, where they will begin to care about what happens in your story. Third, you will create a frame of reference wherein your audience will identify with your protagonist and set aside their disbelief long enough for you to carry them through the story.

Tension

Stories follow the same pattern as great works of music. There is an overture, where you signal your audience a story is being told. There is a second movement, where tension is established. There is the allegro, where the climax is reached, the story concludes and the tension is resolved.

Authors generally agree the second act is where your story can create the most intense emotional impact. This is vital, because the human mind is razor sharp when it comes to remembering emotions. Long lists of features, numbers or names? Not so good.

Efficiency

Great stories are like great closing arguments in a big court case. Great trial attorneys are trained to get straight to the point and eschew long-winded introductions or conclusions. The reasons for this, at least from a storytelling standpoint, are obvious.

Any good will be acquired by presenting a sympathetic hero and any energy your story has by the time you get through the tension to the third act will be wasted if you start wandering around looking for a conclusion. Think about your favorite films and television shows. Some scripts can do three acts in 42 minutes and make you think you’ve braved generations of adventures. Yours should be no different.

Proposals

Really talented writers can leverage the fact their audience identifies with their hero by making it seem like participating is helping bring the story to a satisfactory conclusion. Look for opportunities to accomplish this feat and you may find that emotional connection you worked so hard to establish is the key element in achieving success. Persuasive writing is both a talent and a skill, and it gets better with practice. With these basic fundamentals, the chances of making progress and reaching your goal will be greatly enhanced.

Heather Lomax is a media relations specialist for SBI Association Management and a contributing writer. Her articles include topics such as, advice on volunteer recruitment and tactics for more efficient nonprofit management.

#BetterCallPaul – A Conversation with… CJ Clark

In this full episode of “A Conversation With…” Paul sits down and talks with CJ about running, comic books, camping and building bridges between people. Please visit his organization’s website at www.elcalivingwater.com

2nd Brain Collective Podcast with Jerry Norris of The Fledge

After graduating with a degree in statistics from the University of Michigan, Jerry Norris started his career with the Unisys Corporation and Cascade Engineering. He became an expert in management systems across a wide variety of industries. Jerry’s next projects involved building and selling multiple companies and creating management systems that operate in 172 countries. He is currently the CEO of GAIA, which connects global professionals.

But Jerry’s current passion is helping startups form in the Lansing area. He is co-founder of the Grand Ledge Fledge, a startup incubator and accelerator, and he serves as the Business Acceleration Consultant for the Lansing Economic Area Partnership.

On this episode of 2nd Brain Collective, Jerry chats with the hosts about how he helps entrepreneurs in Mid-Michigan!

Guest Post: Using WordPress for Your Business Website? Top Tips for a Professional Look

There are about 75,000,000 sites operating on WordPress. While starting a business website using that site and its resources can be very simple, it can be pretty difficult to make it look professional if you’re not too experienced with it. With a little practice and some trial and error, you’ll get the business website you need to attract customers and look professional. If you are struggling to make yours look great, then here are some things you may want to consider doing.

Create a Domain

Your business needs its own domain name to look professional. If you already have a domain name, then it is easy to map it to your WordPress site. Otherwise, you can choose a domain name in your WordPress settings. Choose one that will be easy for your customers to remember. Most businesses find that domains that are short work best.

Make It Easy to Scan & Read

You may find that you spend hours writing text for your website filled with useful information for your readers, but if they cannot read it because of your background and chosen text, then you have wasted your efforts. Instead, make sure to choose a font like Arial, Courier or Verdana. Use a font that is large enough to be read easily. Use subheadings to break content up into bite-size pieces. Limit your color choices so that your page does not look too busy.

Use Images

A picture can really help deliver your message to your targeted audience. Choose copyright-free images that deliver a bold message. Usually, you will want to use images that span your post’s entire width. Using photos throughout your posts may help hold your viewer’s attention. Look for photos that will cause your viewers to have an emotional reaction.

Work with a Team

You may have many different responsibilities, so designing your own website may not be at the top of your list. Hiring a creative team, like the one at Ballantine, can help you succeed in making a professional looking website. Whether you’re looking to vamp up your creative marketing in NJ or wherever your business may be located, you should be able to find a professional to help you. This is an important thing to consider as they will most likely be trained in many techniques that you aren’t skilled at but may want to utilize for professional effect. Know that creative marketing starts with understanding what is possible, so that you can convert lookers into buyers.

Create Permalinks

A permalink is a static permanent link to each page on your WordPress site, and it is important to go into your settings and use them each time you update your site. When you create them, others can link to your content, so it increases the number of people that see your great information. Permalinks also allow you to share your content on social media. You can use permalinks in direct marketing and email marketing

There are many successful businesses out there that use WordPress for their site platform. By using the above tips, you’ll be able to look professional and join their ranks.

Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, CA. She enjoys kayaking and reading books by the lake..

#BetterCallPaul – 6th Annual Deucey Award Winners

The 6th Annual Deucey Awards have come and gone and we have the winners! Most Informational – Triterra Most Inspirational – Cristo Rey Community Center Most Entertaining – Dimondale Business Association Best Video of the Year – Pleasantview Medical Care Facility Thanks to everyone who participated. And thank you to the winners for allowing us to tell these great stories.

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