How many movies have you watched this year? Probably more than your parents and definitely more than your grandparents, right?

We are a video generation. If you had to learn about a product or service, say something you really needed, i.e. a home repair like hiring a roofer, wouldn’t you rather watch a short video instead of reading a 2 page brochure?

Think of a video on your website as a free commercial since you don’t have to buy the airtime.

Everyone that is interested in you will see and hear whatever you deem most important. It could be a testimonial or an educational piece. You could even begin to build trust with a potential client simply by introducing youself and your business.

Video is a worthy investment especially considering the additional uses you may have for it. You could run a video at your office for customers to learn more while they wait in the lobby. Also using the video for presentations, business expos and networking groups makes this a versatile tool in your marketing cabinet.

Leah has been in the Marketing/ Development/ Advertising industry since 2002. Before joining Shire in 2009, Leah worked for two different advertising agencies, as well as a large local non-profit organization. Her skills range from account management and event coordinator, to public relations and graphic design. She graduated from Millersville University with a degree in Fine Arts and minored in Marketing with an emphasis on International Marketing.

Currently, Leah is helping to maintain Shire’s “Internal Marketing” on a part-time basis.

She resides in Mount Joy, PA with her husband and two young children.

This sleek, vibrant, and lively website is hot off the ‘digital press.’ It features a gallery of recent work. Check it out and tell us what you think. (www.shireinteractive.com)

Your business may be doing ok without a website, but why wouldn’t you want to reap the “12 Benefits of Having A Website?” Check out this great article online.

If you don’t have at least a good 1 to 5 page website you need to put it on your to-do list. For as little as $400 a month for 6 months you could start to reap the benefits of a new website by the end of the year.

Wait! You aren’t off the hook yet! If you have an old or outdated website that is potentially as bad, if not worse, than none at all. Seriously consider starting over!

Yeah. So have we.

Over the weekend one of our servers failed, causing us to lose some of our incoming emails.  By Tuesday morning, April 20th, we were able to restore our email service but are concerned about what communication we may have missed from you.  If you sent us an email anytime from Sunday, April 18 – Monday, April 19 we are requesting that you resend it now since we probably never received it.

What about you?  Has technology ever let you down?  Got a doozie of a story to share?  Our current server failure has inspired us to want to hear your stories about technology gone wrong.  Click here to comment on our blog and air your tech frustrations with us.  Maybe we’ll all feel better once we get it all out!

If you have any questions or concerns about how our server failure may have influenced your emails to us, please feel free to contact us at 717-898-6040. Thanks so much for your cooperation and patience while we make up for lost time.

We recently finished a new promotional video for Joyshop Ministries. The ministry exists to teach people how to “Seek God First”.  Check it out!

In order to accommodate the Good Friday Holiday, we have rescheduled our CSM training event.

Are you ready to come and learn? On Friday, April 9, 2010 we will be having a CMS training session at 3 pm at Shire Interactive. This session will include general training on the content management system and will be followed by a Q&A session.

So whether you are a new user of our CMS or a long-term user needing a refresher course (or to train new staff/employees), feel free to come and learn. Please RSVP with number of attendees by April 2, 2010 to Monica Paredes (717) 898 – 6040 or monica@shireinteractive.com

Monica maintains an Associates Degree in Business and is completing her BS in Graphic Design at the Art Institute of York.

As an Intern she has enjoyed learning the customer service side of the business and expanded her portfolio of print media design.

On a personal note, Monica enjoys making jewelry, playing soccer and connecting with other Spanish-speaking friends (she moved here 5 years ago from Costa Rica).

Please note: this event has been rescheduled for Friday, April 9th, 2010 at 3 pm. RSVP by Friday, April 2nd, 2010.

Are you ready to come and learn? On Friday, April 2nd, 2010 we will be having a CMS training session at 3 pm at Shire Interactive. This session will include general training on the content management system and will be followed by a Q&A session.

So whether you are a new user of our CMS or a long-term user needing a refresher course (or to train new staff/employees), feel free to come and learn. Please RSVP with number of attendees by Friday, March 26, 2010 to Monica Paredes (717) 898 – 6040 or monica@shireinteractive.com

Marketing has moved on. Have you? Gone are the days of traditional advertising mediums like magazines, newspapers, billboards, and others. Relationship based marketing makes all the difference.

When a company realizes the long-term value of connecting with its clients and keeping them, it taps into the innate longing that people have to connect with others.

The chief benefit of having great relationships with your clients is the likeliness of their referrals to others; therefore, producing a wider network of clients for your company.

Recently, the trend for product marketing is more service driven. The service provided must be personal; consequently, the marketing must be personal as well.

It is essential to combine both traditional marketing with relationship marketing. This combination will allow enforce the relationship with those who have been established and entice new clients.

 A great resource for building relationships and networking is BNI. Check it out at BNI.com.