FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December, 21 – Noblesville, IN, Even though the Expression Engine website content management system is relatively new for SaucePan Creative, lead developer, Justin Kimbrell, has won a national award for his work. The plug-in, “Google Maps for Expression Engine,” beat out many other worthy contenders to take the top honor in the “Best Field Type” category at the Devot:ee’s AcademEE Awards 2011. The awards are in their 4th year and have recognized some of the most influential and innovative solutions for the Expression Engine platform.

“We had several website projects at SaucePan Creative that had a need for location information tied to driving directions and a visual display of a Google Map,” said Mike Sauce – Owner SaucePan Creative. “Justin put is skills to work to not only solve the client needs, but build a self contained and universally adoptable plug-in for the entire Expression Engine community. I’m excited for him to continue to develop and adapt the plug-in as we gain feedback from other users and our own business scenarios. Through this open, community approach to continual improvement of the plug in, we will be able to offer our clients a “value add” through software upgrades and even better utilization of the Google Maps technology.”

Google Maps for ExpressionEngine makes it easy for website managers, admin, and developers to quickly implement many of the powerful features within Google Maps, and doing so without writing any programming. Using a simple and intuitive interface users can add points of interest, routes, regions, directions, radius based proximity searches, create custom maps, and a lot more.

“I decided to make the project public in April, 2011 with intent on giving back to the community,” Said Justin Kimbrell – Lead Developer at SaucePan Creative. “The project has quickly grown in popularity and is used by people all around world, and is currently available in five languages. I get a great sense of satisfaction knowing I am able to make a quality product that real people use on a daily basis. What start as a free project, now has people waiting to pay for the next major release, which will be for sale around the 1st of next year.”

About SaucePan Creative
SaucePan Creative is a full service marketing and website development company located in Noblesville, Indiana. Founded by Mike Sauce, and co-owned by Gabrielle Sauce, SaucePan Creative has been serving clients innovative and creative digital media solutions since 2002. They are located at 936 Maple Ave, Noblesville Indiana and can be reached at: (317) 773-2194.

For the past year, I have been preaching that social media (Facebook, twitter, et. Al.) is where clients should be focusing their online marketing dollars. While I still believe that more and more people are turning to these outlets for information, I do not believe in a single, silver bullet for targeting potential and existing customers.

It is true that over 60 percent of online marketing dollars will be spent on social media management and relationship building in 2012, the runner up is email. I would also argue from past experience, that email marketing can be more cost effective when you look at actual dollars spent to revenue.  In fact, I feel that in a business to business situation, email is more accepted as a method of communication.

NO SPAMMING – Let me take a moment to define what I mean about email marketing. I’m not talking about purchasing a list of email addresses and sending an email blindly to the list. I’m talking about utilizing an existing customer list or a list that was cultivated through a special event promotion or offline method. With that said, the use of regular and targeted email messages to the company list can have many benefits but the emails must be targeted an simple.

KEEP IT SIMPLE - Gone are the days of a huge, monthly email newsletter. People already receive a huge amount of email on a daily basis so it is important to reach a balance of the amount of information in each email vs. the frequency that it is sent. The email should be crafted in a way that it is easy to scan for only the information that the viewer finds interesting, and if at all possible, provide an excerpt with a link to a blog post or web page with the full details of the story.

DESIGN MATTERS – Many email list providers offer do it yourself templates for email. I could go on and on why I feel that template based any things are a bad idea, but I will just say that you are a unique company. Why would you want to look generic? Take the time and have a professional designer layout your email in a way that the design looks and feels like your company and it utilizes design principles that allow for easy scanning and proper use of typography.

By following this approach to your email marketing in conjunction with a solid social media campaign (not just a parrot of your email campaign) you will achieve a solid 1-2 punch to online marketing for 2012 that reaches your audience no matter which outlet they prefer.

If you would like more information about how we utilize email with existing saucepan creative clients, please contact us today! info@inthesaucepan.com or (317) 773-2194

What is a “CMS” or Content Management System?

I recently saw a TV commercial put out by 1&1 internet about how you can create your website in minutes.  These types of services always make me laugh. You get to select your template, type in your text, define your color scheme, upload a logo and you’re online ready to do business with your new “custom” website. Ha!  Sounds easy doesn’t it. Sure… if you want to look like you bought a website and put it together in 15 minutes… that is a perfect solution.  You’re never going to be MY client with that mindset. I believe that a website is an experience.  It is an extension of your brand… your company… your face to the internet. If that’s the image you want, the 15 minute website, then have at it.  Hope it works out for you!  The majority of OUR clients want to convey an image… a statement about how they want to communicate with online users and, in many times, their first contact with a potential customer.

When we’re done creating a website, or even during the sales process, the topic of “how do we change things on our website” always comes up.  In the not to distant past, the answer was… just send us the updates and we’ll update the site for you or you can get Adobe Dreamweaver and learn how to edit HTML.  The other option was to have your site developed on a CMS or content management system. I hated them. All of them… and for good reasons. To me… CMS was a dirty word for a site that was uninteresting, visually dull and cookie cutter.

Until recently, most CMS systems confined your design abilities to a series of “stock” templates that were fairly rigid when it came to customizing design and user experience. This went against my core belief that form is always more important than function. You see, the websites that we create at SaucePan Creative are “custom” designed for the client and the particular branding we are trying to build. When we’re forced into a “box” with the various CMS systems, we don’t like that because it makes us have trade-offs.

Another major drawback to a CMS system was the fact that, generally, the code set was not “open” for development. By this I mean that it was, or is, proprietary to the company who produced the system. One example would be a system designed by Microsoft, a company who is notorious for building software that is proprietary to other Microsoft software and requires certified developers to maintain or modify. This is a HUGE issue with me. Most Microsoft products or other proprietary systems are far more bloated than they need to be and cumbersome for “real” developers to work with. Their efforts to make things easy for the masses do nothing more than cause inefficient systems and non-standard compliant code. The first generations of Microsoft “Front Page” (an HTML Website Editor) is an example of a piece of software that tried to make website editing “easy” and did nothing more than DESTROY well written HTML code with Microsoft junk code.

Another example of a bad CMS would be WordPress.  While I have extensive experience using WordPress as a blogging platform, and customizing the look and feel to our needs, I feel that WordPress is dipping their toes into the website CMS area by the pervasive use of the WordPress platform as a Website CMS combined with a blogging platform.  If you’re on a shoe string budget, WordPress can get the job done and provide the novice internet user the ability to maintain their website content rather effectively… as long as you like boxes.  However, I don’t consider WordPress a platform to launch a major corporate website (I challenge you to find any fortune 500 company using WordPress as a corporate website platform.) There are many intricate “hacks” that need to take place to perform functions that are very easy to implement when dealing with true HTML and other coding languages that are more open. WordPress is built on PHP and MySQL so at least we can get in and modify the site functions, but again, these are often “hacks” or require 3rd party plug-ins to achieve basic functionality tweaks that are easy with a custom built website.  I spend more time just trying to find the page that has the code I need to modify than doing the modifications themselves.

Fast forward to today… As the coding platforms and other “open source” systems have evolved, I am happy to say that there are viable options to effective CMS systems. At SaucePan Creative have begun to utilize an “enterprise” class CMS software called “Expression Engine” as the basis for all of our websites. So, we can offer a true CMS system with a custom design, standards based compliant HTML / CSS, and specific programming modifications to allow the site to just about anything it needs to do. From a developer perspective, the ability to control all aspects of the coding is essential to a long-term viable website that will last.  That’s what we have with the Expression Engine system.

There is another benefit to using Expression Engine for all of our clients. We’re dealing with only 1 type of code set. We’re not having to learn the system all over again when a modification needs to be done. In addition, many of our sites have had specific customizations that are easily adapted for any of our sites that utilize the Expression Engine platform. Take, for example, we develop a specific plug-in that allows integration with a third party website like “Mail Chimp.” Say a user wants to sign up for an email newsletter with one of our sites and we develop a plugin that allows this email to be dumped directly into their Mail Chimp account.  We can share this plug-in with an of our sites who want to utilize it without re-writing it. This makes us more efficient and allows all of our sites to benefit from many different industries specific needs. A win-win.  This move to “standardize” our platform will help us to serve our customers with more innovative web solutions for years to come. We won’t be talking about re-working the website… we’ll just be talking about enhancing the website.  While it may cost a little more to build the site initially, this can pay dividends in the long run through easy adaptations and feature modifications.  Often times this is a difficult benefit to sell during the sales process… but I feel it is one of the MAJOR issues that anyone who is looking for a new web site needs to consider.

To sum this up. I no longer consider a CMS a “dirty word” as long as it is done properly with an “open” platform to allow the design and user experience to dictate what the technology has to make happen.  I consider our approach like the Apple approach. The user is always the most important thing. Nice type, white space, fast loading pages with properly written code are all factors that I place heavy emphasis on rather than making a site that just so happens to fit in the “box” that the opposite approach offers.

SaucePan Creative recently completed a project for Encoded Guardian that involved an external marketing website, intro/how-to video and proprietary web-based software solution. The system is a “turn-key” system that allows encoded guardian to market their solution to theme parks, cruise lines, community events and more. The online system, combined with a QR code wrist band, allows for the parks, cruiselines, etc., to provide “lost child prevention” capabilities to their check-in or ticket counters. What’s different about this system is the fact that the dependent child’s information is kept confidential and not printed on the band itself. Rather, it is encoded with a QR code that is tied directly to the web enabled look up and registration application.

MORE ABOUT ENCODED GUARDIAN

The Encoded Guardian bracelet id band and hosted software system is a turn-key solution for privately managing guardian and dependent contact information for a wide variety of applications. From a child’s guardian contact information at amusement parks, museums, cruise lines and other public events to the elderly with medical conditions to persons with mental disabilities the Encoded Guardian system can be customized for any application. Guardian contact information is quickly and easily added to your private database in “REAL TIME.” In the event of a lost child or emergency situation where the designated guardian must be contacted, the data can be be accessed by any terminal or mobile device that is authorized to view your data. The software system is not only affordable, but adds necessary lost person liability protection for your company.

Learn more at: www.encodedguardian.com

In the 2008 election, the Obama campaign undoubtedly raised the bar for marketing and technology professionals to utilize mobile media in conjunction with traditional campaign strategies. Their iPhone app was arguably a pivotal way that they connected with a specific demographic of voters who utilize mobile technologies for their daily news and information. With that success in mind, SaucePan Creative has developed an application for Mayor John Ditslear to utilize in his re-election campaign for 2011. Very soon, the application will be available for download in Apple’s iTunes and is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The App brings together many forms of news relating to the campaign including: current news, photos, videos, views and it has the ability to integrate with the user’s social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. For those wishing to donate to the campaign, can also do that via the app and a link to the Campaign’s PayPal account. Stay tuned for more information and for a debut date in iTunes.

The Noblesville Rotary has retained Noblesville based, SaucePan Creative to build a website that will establish the web presence for the club. The main goals of the website are to inform the public about the various projects that the Rotary is involved with to raise awareness of the club’s community service and their mission of “Service Above Self.” The site will encourage new memberships, offer a method to accept donations as well as provide information about other ways that the general public can help the Rotary fulfill its mission of community service.

“I am so excited to be a part of this project. One of our main values at SaucePan Creative is to be involved in the community, to give back and to make the community a better place. The Noblesville Rotary has, at it’s core, a mission that coincides with our company philosophy,” said Mike Sauce, Owner of SaucePan Creative. “We hope that by developing the new website, we’ll be able to share the great work that the Rotary has done and is doing on a daily basis to help our community.”

The new website will be located at www.noblesvillerotary.org and is scheduled to go live in the second quarter of this year.

ABOUT THE ROTARY
The mission of Rotary International is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders. The Rotary motto Service Above Self conveys the humanitarian spirit of the organization’s more than 1.2 million members. Strong fellowship among Rotarians and meaningful community and international service projects characterize Rotary worldwide. Rotary clubs make a difference locally and internationally through community service. All Rotary clubs share a key mission: to serve their community and those in need throughout the world while promoting high ethical standards. By participating in club service projects, club members learn about their club’s involvement in local and international projects and can volunteer their time and talents where they’re most needed.

The Noblesville Rotary meets Tuesday’s at noon at the Sagamore Club, 10900 Golden Bear Way in Noblesville.
You may also follow the Noblesville Rotary on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Noblesville-Rotary-Club/105390032875379

The new Federal Requirements are aimed at increased visibility of roadway signs and improved driver safety.

March 8, 2011 – NOBLESVILLE, IN – Noblesville, IN based, Advanced Sign Management and SaucePan Creative have introduced a new technology solution to allow municipalities to quickly and efficiently inventory and manage all street signs on public roadways. The solution combines a mobile smartphone application using GPS, an integrated camera and a secure web database that is online 24/7 for reporting purposes. The City of Westfield, IN Department of Public Works, has recently partnered with Advanced Sign Management, and will be among the first to utilize the new system for their roadway signage.

“We’re excited to be working with the City of Westfield in this pilot program. They have begun to inventory many of their signs and they are always on the leading edge of advancements,” said Bruce Dugan, CEO Advanced Sign Management. “Our collaboration will allow both of us to utilize new technologies to achieve maximum efficiency and cost savings. As a result, other municipalities across the United States may also benefit as they are required to comply with the federal regulations.”

According to the Federal Highway Administration, by January of 2012, all agencies who maintain signs on public roadways are required to implement a sign inventory management solution and develop a plan to insure that all signs will meet the minimum retroreflectivity standards in the coming years. The intent of the new federal standard for retroreflectivity is to improve driver safety and decrease the liability concerns of the municipality in the event of a traffic accident.

While the cost of replacing worn, damaged or non-compliant signs will always be a concern of the municipal budget, the Advanced Sign Management system will cut the costs of the actual data acquisition, planning and reporting part of that compliance standard. Street department technicians can quickly enter important data about all of the traffic signs within a specified region and upload that data in real time to a secure web database. Once in the database, department managers or other authorized personnel are able to quickly customize reports that will allow departments to focus their immediate attention on the signs that are most in need of replacement or upgrade. In addition, the integrated Request for Quote and ordering capabilities will improve the means that departments have in reviewing and contacting the most competitive and preferred vendors.

“It is exciting to see how we can use the latest technology – a blend of mobile devices and website applications to provide tools to improve business, or in this case, government processes for regulation compliance,” said Mike Sauce, Owner of SaucePan Creative. “ We have created a custom iPhone / iPad II application that will allow quick inventory of roadway signage saving countless hours with other methods. The website administration console, in conjunction with the mobile app is where the real power of the solution is realized. Detailed inventory reporting and simple RFQ requests allow municipalities real time access from anywhere to their sign inventory data.”

Advanced Sign Management is set to debut the new solution at the Purdue University 47th Annual “Road School” on March 8, 2011 to all county, city and state run street departments in attendance. If you would like to know more about the new federal requirements or the Advanced Sign Management Solution, please visit: www.advancedsignmanagement.com for more information. To learn more about SaucePan Creative, please visit www.inthesaucepan.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Mike Sauce
SaucePan Creative
936 Maple Ave
Noblesville, IN 46060
317-773-2194
mike@inthesaucepan.com