We’ve all heard about the stupid things that clients have done (thanks to www.clientcopia.com and clientsfromhell.tumblr.com), but what about the nice things they say?

At Sisarina, we love all our clients. Not only would we be nothing without them, but they really are awesome! Every. Single. One.

In the spirit of the Holidays and goodwill toward (wo)men, Sisarina asks you to tell us: what’s the nicest, best thing a client has ever said to you?

Sisarina and her staff will select the top three submissions that warmed our hearts the most and you'll receive a Starbucks Gift Card in return. The only criteria? Honesty. Yes, by submitting a response you’re following The Honor Code.

So go on, spread the cheer and share the nicest thing a client has ever said to you!

After taking the time to create, develop and promote your professional brand online, you might think the hard work is over. However, taking the time to track and evaluate your efforts will prove to be a worthwhile endeavor. Sure, you can check your analytics and your keywords, but there are some little, fun things that you can do to see what’s resonating with your customers and prospective clients.

delicious

Delicious is a social bookmarking service that allows users to tag, save, manage and share web pages from a centralized source. With emphasis on community, Delicious works to improve how people discover, remember and share on the Internet.

Within delicious, you can search for your company’s name or other specific attributes (e.g. CEO name or other prominent staff member) to see if a page of your site or other site featuring your company has been tagged by delicious members. If anything relevant to your company has been tagged, you can see what words members used. This can give you insight into how people categorize and tag your work. If they aren’t already used, you can add these keywords to your site’s metadata.

Digg

Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. From the biggest online destinations to the most obscure blog, Digg surfaces the best stuff as voted on by our users. Searching for your brand, company name, tag line can let you see how many times readers have tagged and shared your story.

StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon lets users discover and share great websites. By using ratings to form collaborative opinions on website quality, users can “stumble upon” web sites that probably wouldn't be found using a search engine. By searching for your company’s name or defining characteristics, you can get a sense of who is reviewing and recommending your site.

Keep the Conversation Alive

Delicious, Digg, and StumbleUpon are just three sites you can monitor on a regular basis to keep track of how your brand is being received and perceived. There are many other ways to keep an eye out for what’s being said. Sign up for Google News Alerts, track Twitter topics and gather data from Google Trends.

Don’t just stand idly by, though. Contribute to these news aggregators by adding, recommending and sharing your own and others’ sites. It’s a great community service and there’s no harm in planting the first seed to start your own forest.

Your brand identity is more about what people are saying than the keywords being used to search for you. Though analytics are important, having the conversation flow continuously is crucial to keeping your brand alive.

As we get older, we slowly find ourselves missing the feeling of "home" - the comfort of family, the sights & smells. We may miss something due to the economy or moving or being away from family and friends. Perhaps you reflect upon the neighborhood stores you went to as a kid - the soda fountain, the 5-and-dime store, 25 cent candybars, the smiling guy behind the counter taking your hard-earned allowance money in exchange for sugar-coated happiness. Where did they all go? Sisarina wants to hear from you.

Question of the Week:

What kind of store do you miss?

Describe the things about that store you miss – the tastes, smells, sounds, and feelings, even the experience of shopping or going there. Perhaps there was a certain item that reminds you of your childhood. Whatever it is, from product to emotion, Sisarina invites you to share your comments below - we'd love to know what you've been missing.

The countdown to a new year approaches. And while we spend our time frantically crossing off To-Do’s from our lists, buying holiday gifts and wrapping up loose ends, Sisarina suggests that you take the time to reflect on your company’s marketing, branding and website initiatives.

Learn from your Mistakes

At Sisarina, we believe in learning from our mistakes. Even superheroes like Sisarina make mistakes and reviewing them all is a great way to start a new year! Whether it’s a failure to promote consistent brand identity, or not posting regularly to your blog, facebook, or twitter pages, Sisarina can help you stay on track in the New Year.

But we also know ‘fessing up can be overwhelming and may discourage you from embracing the New Year, so let Sisarina offer you the following Web, Marketing and Branding Reflections.

Reflection #1: What Worked Well?

Take a moment to write down all the things that you or your business successfully accomplished via the web or marketing campaign this year. Did you sign up for Twitter, add a Facebook fan page, create a new logo? Then ask yourself and your staff:

• What made it successful?

Remember that success doesn’t necessarily equate revenue or sales, it can mean personal relationships, team building, company decisions, etc.

• How did these accomplishments make you feel?

Think back: did your heart swell with pride, did you feel satisfied or relieved, or confident?

• How much effort went into these accomplishments?

Was it a regular schedule, a planning meeting or helpful staff collaboration? Overall how much time went into creating and maintaining?

Reflection #2: What Didn’t Work Well?

Thinking back, what are the website and marketing decisions or outcomes that make you cringe, sweat or just want to hide under a rock? Then ask yourself and your staff:

• What made it fail or lose momentum?

Remember mistakes and failures don’t necessarily mean revenue lost or business lost. It can also refer to personal relationships, organization, company decisions and strategies.

• How did these mistakes or missteps make you feel?

Think back: did you feel disappointed, relieved, or insecure?

• How much effort went into these accomplishments?

How were decisions made? Who took ownership of the project? Was there a regular schedule or input from staff?

Reflection #3: What Would You Do Differently?

Using the information solicited from the previous reflections, answer the following:

For each of the successful accomplishments:

• What you would have done differently, if anything, to make them more successful?

For each of the scenarios that didn’t work well:

• What you would have done differently, if anything, to make it work better?

Do you notice any trends? When things worked well, did more staff time and input make a difference? When things didn’t go well, did they suffer from lack of direction or strategy? If so, use these trends to figure out what you need to do more and less of in the New Year.

As well, remember that Sisarina is here to help. If it’s a marketing strategy that you need or a website that’s easier to manage, contact us today. We have the tools you need to make 2010 a successful and spectacular year!

There's no denying it. On any given day, information is tossed around and much of it requires you to synthesize and respond to it instantaneously. So what do you do if you don't understand any of it? Why, Google it of course!

While this may be the way that many in our industry of face-paced web marketers behave, Google isn't always the first line of defense for others. Yet, there is so much that can be learned from Googling, even if it means that you're doing it on Yahoo or Bing!

Searching online isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of curiosity. And being curious in today's web-o-sphere is currency. It's not just what you know, but rather the initiative you show about wanting to learn, that will make you a valuable asset for your company or cause.

Regardless of your industry, search engines can provide reliable and concise information that can help you throughout your day. From learning about social media or trying to find ways to clean your expresso machine you'd be surprised what you can find on Google and as a result, what information can be gained.

Using search engines effectively can take a little time. The more searches you do, the more you'll learn how to search and what words to use. Here are few tips to help search more effectively:

Start broad, then narrow in

If you don't exactly know what information you're trying to find, start big. Type in the general search term, scroll through some of your results. You may see a theme emerge. Go back to the search bar and add your additional search terms using the word "and" between them.

Ask a question

Don't be afraid to just type in exactly what you want to know. So ask away. Try to keep in concise and use active verbs, e.g., How to Tie a Bow; How to make a million dollars; Why is the Sun hot?

Don't Fear Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia that differs from other encyclopedias in a significant way: along with reading the articles in Wikipedia, anyone can add or edit articles however they like. However, recent studies suggest that Wikipedia may be as accurate as Encyclopedia Britannica. Articles are often added quickly and, as a result, coverage of current events and new technology in particular is quite extensive. Users can look at the changes made to Wikipedia's entries as new information has come to light. this can be done by clicking the entry's "history" tab at the top of the page.

Other people's searches

Lots of people are searching for the same thing. You can use Google Trends, a database of Google searches shows too see how often they’ve been searched over time, how frequently topics have appeared in Google News stories, and in which geographic regions people have searched for them most. There are even search engines that lead you to things you didn't know you were looking for!

Even if you only use search engines to satisfy random queries for celebrities or news of the weird, it will most likely lead you to other information that will be relevant to your business or interests. So get curious and start searching.