Web Marketing, SEO, Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Web Development, Design

May 16

What do You See in the Clouds?

Posted by vgmforbin in Cloud Development, Uncategorized

What is “the cloud?”

These days, it seems like everyone has a cloud. Microsoft and Windows have a cloud called Azure. Apple has the iCloud, and Google has Google Cloud (very originally names, guys). A lot has been made about cloud development in recent years, and chances are you’ve seen commercials for the above brand name platforms. However, when it comes down to basics, what exactly is “the cloud?”

This is how our programming team syncs their minds up to come up with greater innovations

Essentially, cloud platforms allow users to access data and applications that are stored at offsite locations. They can be accessed from desktops, laptops, tablets and other mobile devices. For example, let’s say you save a marketing report that you’ve been working on on your desktop to your cloud server.

You go to the airport to catch your flight for your out-of-town meeting, but have some free time. You decide to work on the marketing report, so you open up your laptop or power up your tablet, access the report from where you saved it on the cloud server and finish it. There’s no more emailing it to yourself, working on it, and emailing it back to yourself. Simply save and access from the cloud, and you’re set for accessing your important files from wherever you are.

Perhaps the greatest benefit for users of these systems is the improved accessibility they bring. With simple and easy access, users can be more efficient in their work, which creates better workflow, faster turnaround, better quality work and so on.

At VGM Forbin, our programming and network development teams can help you determine if your business and employees would benefit from working with one of these platforms. By examining your current platform and work flow system and providing the ideal cloud-based or traditional computing platform, we can ensure that your employees have the tools to work as efficiently as possible.

Who knows? With a cloud computing platform developed by VGM Forbin, you may just find yourself and your business on Cloud Nine!

Mar 26

AAF-UNI Agency Hop Visit: Educating Future Industry Leaders

Posted by vgmforbin in Student Org. Visit

Last Thursday, VGM Forbin was fortunate enough to be visited by a group of students from the University of Northern Iowa chapter of the American Advertising Federation. The students visited as part of the AAF-UNI “agency hop” that took them to various advertising and marketing agencies in the area.

AAF-UNI provides opportunities for students at UNI to work in real life projects in the marketing, advertising and graphic design arenas as students. This allows them to not only increase their skills, but provide quality work for area marketing agencies.

While at VGM, the students were shown the Forbin “war room,” and were shown the results of a team approach to producing web solutions. By taking a look at each aspect of production – copywriting, design and programming – they could visually grasp how Forbin’s process worked, and how these individual aspects came together in a quality product that meets a client’s needs.

They were also shown the VGM Marketing and VGM Creative areas to cover how these internal marketing and design agencies work to promote various aspects of the VGM Group.

As you can see from the photo above, the group came to us as normal college students, but left…well, as something else. We hope that what they took away from visiting VGM positively impacts them and their future in the advertising and marketing industries!

Mar 18

Medtrade Spring 2013: The Importance of Digital Media in HME

Posted by vgmforbin in Digital Media, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media

Medtrade Spring 2013 will be upon us soon, so we wanted to take a minute to look at a presentation that will be given by Forbin’s VP of Client Services, Matt Waller, and Mike Sperduti, CEO and founder of Emerge Sales, regarding the importance of having a web and social media presence in the HME industry especially when it comes to referral sources.

Referral sources consist of nurses, physical or occupational therapists, doctors, sleep technicians or other medical professionals that recommend an HME provider to a patient. In a landmark study done by Forbin and Emerge Sales, hundreds of referral sources were interviewed regarding their online behaviors and activities in order to learn how HME providers can better market themselves on the web in order to drive sales.

Now, you’ll have to register for Medtrade and attend the presentation for all the secrets and what they mean for your business, but here are just a few of the major trends that the study uncovered:

To find information about an HME business, 78 percent of referral sources said they go online

1 out of 3 referral sources use search engines (Google over 75 percent of the time) to find HME providers

62 percent of referral sources said the website is the most important factor when choosing an HME provider to refer a patient to

In this presentation, you will also learn what characteristics a good website has, how social media can be used to promote your business and the massive importance that search engine optimization (SEO) plays in your site being easy to find for referral sources.

Also, be sure to stop by the VGM booth (#713) to see how Forbin can boost your presence online. We can help you determine your web needs, walk you through a website demo and also discuss how a search and social plan can help you be found and connect with your users.

Safe travels to all of you coming to Medtrade Spring 2013, and we’ll see you there!

Feb 22

Geeky and Grand: Forbin Brings Home Multiple ADDY® Awards

Posted by vgmforbin in Award Winning

The high-waters, suspenders and black-rimmed glasses were out in full force last night as members of the Forbin team attended the AAF-Cedar Valley’s “Geek Chic” ADDY® Awards. After a social hour where guests could look over the various submissions, grab a drink, a bite to eat and socialize with other geeked out industry pros, the awards were announced.

Forbin brought home multiple awards for a variety of projects covering the industries and clients we do work for. Altogether, Forbin left the 2013 AAF-Cedar Valley ADDY® Awards with six Silver ADDYs® and one special award in hand:

Advertising Industry Self-Promotion – Silver ADDY ® Award, VGM Forbin Website
Elements of Advertising – Silver ADDY ® Award, Paine’s RV Website
Elements of Advertising – Silver ADDY ® Award, MidWestOne Bank Website
Elements of Advertising – Silver ADDY ® Award, Forbin Team Sketches
Elements of Advertising – Silver ADDY ® Award, Hospice Portal
Integrated Campaigns – Silver ADDY ® Award, Waverly Website Giveaway

We also won the coveted People’s (Geek’s) Choice Award for the Forbin Team Sketches. The award is voted on by all in attendance for whichever award-winning submission they liked the most. After the votes were tallied, the Forbin Team Sketches came away as the victor.

All in all, it was a fascinating and wonderful night for the Forbin team members that were present, as well as the company in general. There was an enormous amount of great work submitted, so to walk away with seven awards in a field of 252 submissions is a great honor for VGM Forbin.

We would like to thank all of our team members, salespeople, web designers, copywriters, programmers and management, for all of the hours of hard work that was put into these award-winning projects. As always, we will take away lessons learned and apply them to future projects to continue improving the work we produce.

Congratulations to all of last night’s winners, and we’ll see you at the 2014 ADDY® Awards!

Feb 20

Websites We Love: Forbin.com

Posted by vgmforbin in Forbin Team, Web Design, Web Development Process

As we continue through our series of “Websites We Love” this month, we wanted to highlight the hard work our team put into redesigning and launching our own site, Forbin.com. Almost every member of the Forbin team touched the project in some way or another, making it a true team effort that resulted in a product everyone here is proud of.

At times we get so involved in our customers’ projects and helping them achieve their goals that we forget about our own web presence. Our old website was just that: old. And in the tech and web world, old is not something you want to be. Matt Waller, Forbin VP of Client Services, said the previous website did not do us justice as company that specializes in web solutions.

“Our site needs to be a window into our world,” Waller said. “We’re a web development company, and if we send potential clients to our website it needs utility and good design in showing off our services.”

The old Forbin.com had become a sore point, something of an embarrassment, Waller said. Whether it was directing customers there to examine the services we offer, conducting an online demo or a demo at a tradeshow, there was a kind of anxiety that went with taking anyone to the old website.

General Manager Jeremy Kauten echoed this, and added that the new website better showcases the individual talents of the Forbin team.

“My favorite part is the team page because it allows our team to show off their talents, and it lets our customers be introduced to our team members before we ever begin working on their website,” Kauten said.

Both Waller and Kauten mentioned the high level of design, programming and functionality the new Forbin.com offers, and how those elements combined to make a product that our sales representatives are proud to direct potential customers to or exhibit at trade shows.

You can see the product of our team’s collaboration by visiting Forbin.com. You can also browse through our other work in the Work section, or see what we have to offer in our Services section. If you have any questions regarding anything you see on our website, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

We hope you all have a wonderful and productive week!

Feb 14

Websites We Love: Black Bear Medical

Posted by vgmforbin in PowerWeb, Web Design, Web Development Process

February is the month of love, and today is Valentine’s Day! To celebrate, we will be featuring “Websites We Love” throughout the month. These are all sites that were completed in 2012 that have unique characteristics we want to share with you. The first website in this series is Black Bear Medical out of Portland and Bangor, Maine (www.BlackBearMedical.com).

Our production team went to work and developed the website that went live late in July 2012. The design of the site was left in the capable hands of our web designer, Kyle Kramer, who began playing with colors and developed the now-signature orange and black color scheme. After the addition of the wood panel background, Kyle said the design essentially worked itself out.

“The colors went well with the wood background and the subtle patterns didn’t affect the design,” he said. “The photo of the black bear that [they] sent over was something I really liked too, because it brings their logo and brand to life.”

Aside from the eye-catching design, this site also is contains a lot of additional user-friendly features not found in the majority of PowerWebs. The site currently has a video gallery for product demonstrations, webmail access, an up-to-date online catalog and other valuable links.

Jane Gordon, the sales representative for Black Bear Medical, has been impressed at the progressive stance of the company in looking for ways to interact with their customers.

“They are very innovative and forward-thinking in how they want to engage their customers and knowing what their customers’ expectations are,” she said.

Both Kyle and Jane also found the staff at Black Bear Medical to be very professional and easy to communicate with during the production process.

Be sure to check back for our other posts in the “Websites We Love” series this month. You can see Black Bear Medical and all of our other wonderful sites by visiting the Work tab on Forbin.com.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Feb 8

AAF-Cedar Valley: Getting Involved in Professional Development

Posted by vgmforbin in Award Winning, Forbin Team

Part of our culture at VGM Forbin is to continually improve our products as well as develop professionally by learning new techniques and bettering our work process every day. Not only do we work to put Forbin on the map and gain national industry recognition for our work, but also to boost the reputation of the Cedar Valley as a place for technological innovation.

Forbin Creative Director Laura Hand (front, in grey), judges entries for the AAF Central Minnesota ADDY awards.

One way we do this is through participating in the Cedar Valley chapter of the American Advertising Federation. AAF is a national association of over 50,000 advertising professionals whose goal is to provide resources for its members to grow professionally, build lasting relationships, be aware of relevant legislation, serve our community and promote our industry.

As part of its role in our industry, AAF-Cedar Valley puts on the ADDYs contest every year in order to highlight the brightest creations and sharpest minds in our area. Our creative director, Laura Hand, is the immediate past president of AAF-Cedar Valley, and recently had the honor to judge ADDY entries for AAF-Central Minnesota. She said being a judge gave her a different perspective.

“The best part of being a judge, besides meeting great people, is seeing the work produced in other markets,” Hand said. “It validates the great work we produce at VGM Forbin and also gives me inspiration for future projects.”

This year’s AAF-Cedar Valley ADDY Awards ceremony is Feb. 21 with the theme of “Geek Chic.” We look forward to seeing the best work in the Cedar Valley and possibly taking a few awards home ourselves. Good luck to everyone who submitted their work, and let’s get ready to get geeky!

Jan 30

Web Solutions that Take the Cake

Posted by vgmforbin in Forbin Team, Web Development Process

Our recipe for successful web solutions: a tasty base of programming, a sweet coat of design and a dash of search and social!

There are many metaphors you could use to illustrate how our integrated approach works at Forbin. However, since we have a massive sweet tooth and are general fans of food around here, we’ll go with comparing our process of creating a website to that of a cake being made in a bakery. It uses the specialized talents of various individuals to make the website functional and eye-catching, just like it takes an assortment of culinary skills to make a cake taste as wonderful as it looks.

The batter of the cake creates the overall taste of the cake. Using the wrong ingredients, too much of one or not enough of another can ruin an otherwise good looking cake. In that sense, our programmers provide the batter for our websites.

The main goal of programming in the web development process is to make the site function the way you want it to, just as the main goal of the batter is to provide a nice, moist taste. Programming provides the framework and functionality that the website focuses around.

But programming alone does not make a very eye-catching cake make. Our web designers provide the sweet outer coating of “icing:” custom design that makes your customers want to devour your website. Vibrant navigation menus, graphics, buttons and call-outs give your website a splash of personality, just as decorative bordering, flowers and other icing details do the same for a cake.

Of course, your cake also needs to stand out from the baker’s dozen of culinary creations out there. That’s where our web marketing team comes in and gives your cake the sprinkles, sparkles and other attention grabbing additions to help customers find your site.

Through employing the latest search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and providing you with a social media presence, you’ll be able to be found easier and rank higher than your competitors in Google searches.

If cake isn’t your thing, we can whip up all sorts of other sugary confections like E-commerce solutions, search and social campaigns, custom workflow systems and more! When you feel like your web presence could use a little sweetening up, contact Forbin to see what our team of culinary crafters can create for you!

Jan 28

Celebrating a Website Launch and All-Around Team Effort

Posted by vgmforbin in Forbin Team, Programming, Web Design

Blake’s Bar and Grill in nearby Waverly, Iowa is known for their ice cold draft beer and the massive amounts of bacon featured throughout their menu. Having gotten a sense of this bacon-mania through developing and recently launching their new website, a few members of the Forbin team headed to Blake’s late last Thursday afternoon to celebrate the launch.

Some of the Forbin team enjoyed a little celebration at Blake’s Bar and Grill in Waverly, Iowa.

Blake’s was the winner of our Waverly Website Giveaway campaign that was staged back in September. People in and around Waverly were asked to nominate and vote for their favorite Waverly business to win a new website. The campaign was run through a custom voting tab on Forbin’s Facebook page. Blake’s Bar and Grill received the most votes and received the grand prize of a new website.

It took a combined approach by our staff to work with Blake’s owner John Baugus to produce a website that would fit the unique needs of this Waverly landmark:

Tammy, one of our amazing sales reps, helped John identify what he wanted his website to do and was a key cog in all communication.

One of our copywriters Matt worked with John to produce original and captivating content that would reflect the atmosphere of Blake’s Bar and Grill.

Designers Casaundra and Cheryl developed an eye-catching design to capture visitors’ attention and create a hunger in them for one of Blake’s famous BLT sandwiches.

Kyle developed the interface for the site, and William handled all of the programming to make the site look and function the way John wanted.

The result is a website that both John and Forbin are very proud of, and, according to John, has gotten great reviews so far.

Members of the Forbin crew spent some time at Blake’s soaking in the atmosphere and celebrating the launch with John and a few frosty beers. It was an amazing project that not only involved many members of our team, but was also a lot of fun to work on. We don’t often develop websites for bars or restaurants, so BlakesBarandGrill.com was a unique learning experience for us all.

A big “thank you” to John for having us out to Blake’s Bar and Grill! We hope we can do it again sometime soon!

Jan 14

The Fabulous Effect of Flannel

Posted by vgmforbin in Forbin Team, Programming, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web Design

Here at Forbin, we are no strangers to having fun in and out of the workplace. Go ahead and see for yourself. So, it should be no surprise that we can take an issue as established in the corporate world as Casual Friday and turn it into something spectacular: Forbin Flannel Fridays.

The Forbin team uses the scientifically proven powers of flannel and plaid to take your web solution to the next level.

Now, you may be asking yourself, “Why flannel?” We would argue that wearing flannel increases our productivity from top to bottom. See, flannel shirts are known for their extreme comfort and soft feel, and the plaid patterns that adorn most flannel shirts are a timeless look with a large connection to Iowa’s agricultural history. When you look professional and feel good at work, your productivity soars.

Here’s how Forbin Flannel Fridays are positively impacting what we do:

It helps our sales staff see new and exciting possibilities to help clients fulfill their web needs while sticking to their budget.
It inspires our web design team to create more brilliant and eye-catching sites that are easier for clients to use.
It boosts our programmers ability to enhanced usability and function in every website, Facebook tab or mobile app.
It increases the knowledge of our web marketing team when it comes to engaging customers in social media and boosting a website’s search engine rankings.

Our playful culture allows us to bring a human element to our work, whether we are designing a website, running a social campaign or speaking with a customer in person or over the phone.

Let us put our flannel-powered magic to work and bring you a web solution that fits your needs and gives you an advantage over your competition.

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