Here’s the deal….I talk all day long about how you need to have a low bounce rate when people hit your site. I tell people that if they don’t like the way it looks they will leave.

Then I looked at the Green Thumb Marketing analytics. Horrible bounce rate. Great.

I’m talking 80% of the people who visit MY SITE, leave asap.

What did I do wrong. We’ll first I made it too fancy. That tree you see that grows up has to go.
1. It takes up prime real estate
2. It loads slow for new visitors
3. That where I need to punch people with value

That’s the first thing that’s wrong.

The next? My giant Green Thumb Logo. Too big. Yeah I’m proud of GT, but people that are visiting me need to see what I do and not just a huge logo.

There also is no reason to fill out my contact form because I give no value.

Sorry–It’ll get fixed.
Any sites that you like that I should look at?-Let me know!

“negative ghost rider. I woke up at 4 am to snag an iphone4 to replace my busted one and this guy is on his way home at 5 to take a nap. I appreciate the offer – say hey to the fam for us. ”

I replied…
Drat..
I need a new phone but the at&t store said they wouldnt have them until the 29th….where’d you get yours?

…and how the hell is it?!

D

And his reply..

it is badass. screen resolution is unbelievable.

they had three phones at the Gtown walmart, I was numero uno at 4am, other two were spoken for at 4:30.

basically, I got lucky. it’ll make the drive to Michigan tomorrow easier – I’ll have something to show off at my 10yr reunion this weekend.

Apple has the golden ticket folks.

This isn’t a fad…

Dave and Lori Messner are the husband and wife who are the main owners. There are others, but these are the people who have been cutting the check. John Weiderman and Matt were also there.

The purpose of the meeting was for me to explain what had been going on with their website and the search engines. I won’t go into details but I was proud to show them the results we achieved for them.

So at the end of the meeting Dave pointed something out to me in a very kind way that I think is worth noting.

He said, "Dustin, I know you love what you are doing and you are excited about what you have accomplished. I remember when I first got started and was the same way. It’s exciting." "But I’d like for you to understand that just because you know that you are doing well for us, doesn’t mean that we fully understand what is going on."

I pulled the E-brake at this comment. I didn’t take offense to it. The fact of the matter is, this is information that most people won’t tell you. This information INSTANTLY helped me get a clear picture that I wasn’t painting a clear picture.

So I say thanks Dave and Lori. I realized today that while I know what I’m doing and that its doing them some good. They need to know clear as a bell how it is working for them…

Green Thumb got better today. Thanks Adcolor

It always feels good to end the week on an up note.

Today was one of those good Fridays.

It started with my baby sitter Mrs. Kim wanting to trade out baby sitting hours for a computer–her idea.  DONE. (I’ve got computers out the ying yang…)

Then I rolled over to Auto Tech Service on Winchester Rd. They are a client we picked up last month. I’d like to note that they are friendly with Powers Transmission , who’s been our baby since GT was just a little tree. (David Powers even went as far as to say Green Thumb was one of the best marketing moves they’ve made…POW)

I’m excited about Auto Tech because they are into it. Rebekah is aggressive with their website and is constantly messing with it and learning our Joomla platform.  This keeps me pumped up because the more they play with it, the more it will do for them. (some people still think websites are set it and forget it…not in 2010)

The best part though is that the owner Robert appears to be excited about the search results they are getting. I don’t want to brag, but they’ve gotten over 150 uniques in 10 days since we started. Bam!

Then I stopped by Stewart Air Conditioning and was greeted like I always am by J, who might be the most friendly person on the planet…

At 4:45 my guy Josh from the chamber came over and we drank a few Samuel Adams and moved a massive freezer out of my garage.

and then I had Tacos….

nuff said!

I’ve been searching out solid brands and what is behind them and why they are such a great brand. Rob Perez of Saul Good was pushing my branding button today when I visited their new location.

I pulled up to see him greeting people at the front right as they walked in, holding the door for everyone and welcoming them it. He kindly greeted me as well, asked about the baby ect…

What was cool was when I complimented him on how jamming it was. (The parking lot looked full to me.) he replied, "Oh we’re down today because it’s Derby weekend" You coulda fooled me.

So I’ve been in the south side saul good enough times that I know what its all about. As we strolled in, I saul it all again. EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. Here’s what stuck out…

The gold drapes in the front. The beads on the Chandelier. The front entrance way and the cool angle that it sits. The color of the walls. The white and black stripes. It all was DEAD on like the other store. And guess what, that is exactly how people like it.

(hell, that’s how I like it) People are going to Saul Good and it’s the same place only on the otherside of town.

I don’t know why I’m surprised, the guy used to work for Disney and setup and run the ESPN Zone in NYC… Guess maybe he knows a thing or two about branding.

Rob looked tired, and my nachos were missing some kinda topping. Why,would I tell you something bad about the place that has paid us for work on occasion? Simple, because like Rob does his customers, I care about mine. In telling you this, I’m helping him out.  (I’m not worried, they just opened, and it happens)

If you get a chance though, take a look at how much #2 is like #1.

Sit outside if you can too!

"Saul Good Baby Baby"

…and try the lettuce wraps.

Christine made a suggestion to me…

How come you don’t call your workshop W5 with the "5" as a superscript. You know W to the fifth?? Just wondering. It’s look cool that way! Happy wedding to you and yours!

Christine
Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.

www.flourishstudios.us

Christine Kuhn
Flourish Studios
P.O. Box 11943
Lexington, KY 40579-1943
(859)-940-2841

…I wouldn’t have thought of that…..Thanks Christine! Great Call!

I’d have posted some of her work but my image loader is broken for a sec….check it out for yourself!

Details of how this went down coming in a video clip testimonial soon. (sadly/fortunately Fran was busy to day)

They ended up selling a balloon arch for this event to a guy at google who did a google search and found them!

Thanks for sharing Fran…we love hearing it! and we take a hint;)

–unaltered email

Hi, Dustin,

Johnathan and I wanted to let you know that your SEO optimization (“name-planting”) helped us land a balloon decorating job for Google!

Doodle4Google ( http://www.google.com/doodle4google/) is a nation-wide contest for school children grades K – 12. The students submit a Google logo altered to reflect the theme, “If I could do anything, I would…” A panel of judges selects 40 regional finalists – and Emily Caudill, age 15, from Williamstown Jr / Sr High School, Williamstown, KY is one of them!

As a regional finalist she wins a trip to New York City and a chance to win a $15,000 scholarship plus $25,000 for her school, plus have her logo displayed on Google’s home page on May 27!

But the $15,000 scholarship and $25,000 for her school will only happen if we vote for Emily. Doodle4Google now allows the public to vote on their favorite regional finalist. So, I’m letting everyone I know (hint hint – GREAT Green Thumb blog entry and e-mail to customers!) about the contest and our Kentucky winner, and asking them to vote for Emily!

I’ve attached Emily’s prize-winning design. So, go to http://www.google.com/doodle4google/vote.html , click on Grades 7-9, and vote for Emily’s Region 7 “The Chemistry of the World” entry!

PS – The Google video of last year’s contest is a good example of a video summary, probably what you are trying to get other customers to do. Check it out.

Regards,
Fran Pinczewski, Event Manager
Lighter Than Air, Inc.
881 Newtown Pike
Lexington, KY 40511

(859) 272-7777 phone
(859) 233-4447 fax

www.lighterthanairky.com

LOVE IT

So, make it happen……just vote.

It’s hard for me to imagine life without it…

Let’s celebrate. What’s your favorite YouTube Video?

Here’s mine…

What’s yours?