Articles - Page 185

Agentic AI for Agencies in 2026

bmckeiver

<a href="https://craftcms.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Craft CMS</a> 2.6 and Craft Commerce 1.1 are here, bringing about eager-loading support, along with several other refinements.
<a href="/craft-2.5-craftcommerce-1.0-unveiled/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">CraftCommerce was only released for the first time back in December 2015</a>, so this marks the first semi-major update for Craft's eCommerce solution. Let's take a look at what's new.
<h2>Eager-loading &amp; a New Charting Library</h2>
Craft say they've added <a href="https://craftcms.com/docs/templating/eager-loading-elements">eager-loading support</a> for elements, which has the potential to drastically reduce the number of SQL queries required to render pages with nested element queries.
Eager-loading, according to Google's adopted definition, is, “the process whereby a query for one type of entity also loads related entities as part of the query.”
Users will now find that the following things are eager-loadable:
<ul>
<li>Relations via Entries, Assets, Users, Tags, Categories, and Commerce Products fields</li>
<li>Matrix blocks</li>
<li>Commerce product variants</li>
<li>Image transform indexes</li>
</ul>
Plus, third party element types can implement their own eager-loading support via the new <a href="https://craftcms.com/classreference/elementtypes/IElementType#getEagerLoadingMap-detail">getEagerLoadingMap()</a> method, and third party field types can also add eager-loading support by implementing the new <a href="https://craftcms.com/classreference/fieldtypes/IEagerLoadingFieldType">IEagerLoadingFieldType</a> interface.
Craft CMS has also gained a new charting library. We’re using it to draw a big Revenue chart at the top of Commerce’s Orders page, as well as a new “Revenue” Dashboard widget. Craft Pro sites can also start keeping track of new user signups with the new “New Users” widget.
For more of the nitty gritty details of both releases, <a href="https://craftcms.com/news/craft-cms-2-6-commerce-1-1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">you can check out the official announcement</a>, or jump striaight to the <a href="http://craftcms.com/changelog/2.6">Craft CMS 2.6 release notes</a> and <a href="https://craftcommerce.com/changelog#build1196" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Craft Commerce 1.1 release notes</a>.
<h2>A Colorful New Look</h2>
Craft also went to the trouble of re-designing their <a href="https://craftcms.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">home page</a>.
I've always maintained the importance of a strong home page and website for a CMS vendor. I begin all of my CMS reviews by checing out the main website,before I even think about moving on to the product.
It helps you get a feel of the vendor, what they see as important, and their level of attention to detail. Plus, it's a chance to be convinced that the CMS you're about to use is going to sweep you off your digital feet. And everybody likes that feeling.
Craft's homepage does a fien job of looking modern, and also gets the job done in terms of telling visitors what Craft CMS is all about. It's bold, informative and colorful. I like it.
For more info on Craft CMS, you can check them out <a href="/products/craft-cms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">via our CMS Directory</a>.

Craft CMS Rolls Out Craft 2.6 & CraftCommerce 1.1 With Eager-Loading Support

mike-johnston

During our featured week with LightCMS, I’ve personally journeyed through the product’s core website building features, and have also delved quite deep into the LightCMS Developer Program.
As usual, this featured week has been an informative one for myself, and I hope the same is true for our readers across the world.
To round off our LightCMS featured week, here’s Mike Johnston interviewing LightCMS Founder Justin Cowan, filmed at the LightCMS headquarters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lX_cFXdLqc&amp;feature=youtu.be
To find out more about LightCMS, check out their <a href="http://www.lightcms.com">website</a>.
And as always, be sure to check them out through our CMS Directory.

An Interview with LightCMS Founder Justin Cowan

So far during this featured week, I’ve looked at the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/lightcms-not-your-average-website-builder/">core features of LightCMS</a>, as well as its <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/how-lightcms-aims-to-help-the-growth-of-web-design-agencies/">aim to help web design agencies through its Developer Program</a>.
However, on top of being able to produce professional websites and blogs for small and medium-sized businesses, LightCMS can also be used as an eCommerce platform.
LightCMS is not a platform that is known for its eCommerce capabilities, and although it’s true that many website builders merely patch on such features in order to masquerade as powerful products, I think LightCMS holds its own when it comes to selling.
Let’s take a closer look at how it does that.
<h2>The Elements of eCommerce</h2>
LightCMS’ functionality is found mainly in its elements, which can be dragged and dropped anywhere on any page. Such elements include; forms, blogs, images, galleries, and of course, store products.
For example, with LightCMS, you can use the product element to add products directly to a page, bypassing the traditional back-end processes that other eCommerce platforms require.
As far as design goes, each LightCMS template boasts its own store style which kicks in once product elements are added. These pre-set styles can also be customized to an extent.
And of course, users who are comfortable with code can delve right in and revamp the style completely, just as they can with any LightCMS template.
<h2>Just Enough Complexity</h2>
Unlike simple page and website building, eCommerce solutions require some level of complexity in order to be worthwhile products.
Thankfully, LightCMS follows up on its user-friendly page building with more detailed eCommerce options.
Such options include product tags, variants, multiple images, currency settings, and so forth.
Furthermore, merchants can choose between selling physical goods and digital goods like downloadable audio and video files.
Customers can purchase digital and physical goods through a polished shopping cart and checkout experience, where both Stripe and PayPal.
Digital goods are delivered to customers automatically, while fulfillment of physical goods is made easy by our backend eCommerce tools.
More power is given to store owners through LightCMS’ back end. Orders are tracked, customers and their profiles are stored, and store statistics are tallied up. All automatically, too.
So, LightCMS blends together the user-friendliness of its drag-and-drop element system, with more detailed eCommerce options that can be used to build and then grow an online store. Not too shabby.
Our LightCMS featured week is set to continue over the next few days, so be sure to stick around.
Also, be sure to check out LightCMS via our CMS Directory.

Building an eCommerce Business with LightCMS

We’re kicking off another featured week here on CMS Critic. This time, it’s with LightCMS; the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/the-winner-of-the-2014-peoples-choice-cms-award-for-best-cloud-cms-for-smb/">People's Choice for Best Cloud CMS for Small to Medium Sized Businesses 2014</a>.
On top of professional website building features, the cloud-hosted website builder offers up blogging and eCommerce capabilities to cover all the major bases.
Plus, it’s relied on by web developing companies, who are able to white label LightCMS, use it to build client websites, and then re-sell it to those same clients.
2015 was a year of self-development for the LightCMS. They released new features and bug fixes almost every month, padding it with small, yet welcome tweaks.
<h2>Powerfully Flexible</h2>
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Lpb41hpSsf8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
As far as website builders go, LightCMS is incredibly flexible.
Page elements, such as blogs, products, calendars, forms, and galleries, can be added anywhere, on any page, without limit. And thanks to a drag-and-drop interface, it’s a piece of cake to do so.
<blockquote>“The user friendly interface and good looking templates mean that website design newbies, small to medium sized businesses, and freelancers of all kinds can jump in, drag, drop, type and upload their way to a stunning website.” – <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/lightcms-not-your-average-website-builder/">Read the Full LightCMS Review</a>.</blockquote>
File and media management features are robust, and all the necessary blogging functions are there to build a successful, standalone blog.
LightCMS can also function as an eCommerce platform. Products and catalogs can be created,
Users can even register and create their own profiles. In other words, LightCMS can build websites capable of hosting communities of people, encouraging them to participate on blog post comments, helping them keep track of store purchases, and allowing them to access member-only content.
Want a more detailed breakdown of LightCMS’ core features? Check out my <a href="/lightcms-not-your-average-website-builder/">LightCMS Review</a>.
But like I said earlier, LightCMS is not just your average website builder. It’s not necessarily just for those who want to build a single personal website.
<h2>Web Design, White Labeled</h2>
Web design agencies are popping up everywhere. The biggest concern is typically managing the different needs of their clients in a way that doesn’t suck up every last minute of the day.
LightCMS’ Developer Program was set up to help streamline the entire industry for web developers. They can white label the platform, use it to build unlimited websites, and then re-sell it to clients, who can then also use the platform to further manage their websites.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qpdR-VN2L8s?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
LightCMS Developers can manage all of their websites from the same area and set monthly price points for their clients in exchange for the support provided.
I’ll be delving far deeper into the LightCMS Developer Platform later on during this featured week, so be sure to stay tuned.
And as always, be sure to check out LightCMS via our CMS Directory.

LightCMS: Not Your Average Website Builder

Choosing the right CRM for your business is no easy feat and you’re bound to feel a sense of relief once you’ve finally come to a decision.
However, this is just the beginning of your CRM implementation process and it’s important to remember that if you want to get the most out of your investment.
<img alt="bigstock-CRM-Office-Working-Concept--106452203.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sSAZlTaEjDpq_drEqC2ACHqj-pX7h_1Wz6rO8yxvBRrXimZ0Hab-HcCH92lGoGr0jFoaPaJF6YTmaAtlgfYED5bBRVlVbmuOZVZU8qJJFK8zhCSkb-Evi5FsM-5aaHvEPsBbTp3k" />
Your CRM system will always be a work in progress because there will always be new obstacles which arise and new adaptations required to overcome them. But that’s the beauty of it. Your CRM system will grow with your business and can be customized to ensure that you gain the best possible reward from your investment.
By adhering to these CRM best practices for your business, you can ensure that you continue to get the most out of both your CRM product and your team.
<h2>1. You Can Customize It, So… Customize It.</h2>
You’ve already been sold on the benefits of your new CRM – that’s why you installed it – but it’s also important to make sure that your CRM works for your business.
Before rolling your CRM out across the company, you should consult with each department to identify the key fields and reports which need to be mapped out in advance. Of course – further customizations can be made as you go along, but this initial prep will save you and your employees a lot of time and money.
<h2>2. Provide Proper Training</h2>
You’ve already made an investment in your CRM, so it’s important to also invest time and resources into training your employees.
The more adept they are with using the new system, the more likely they will be to actually use it, making it less likely that your investment will go down the drain.
<h2>3. Commit To Getting Fully On Board</h2>
There’s little point in installing a CRM if your team is going to be doubling up on an excel sheet.
A new CRM can be overwhelming, especially if it’s jampacked with new features, but it’s important to really make the transition from your old way of working to your new CRM process. And that means embracing the CRM features that will best benefit your business.
<h2>4. Get Your Data Organized</h2>
Sure, you can import your data automatically, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to look pretty.
There are bound to be a few duplications, errors, and typos, and you really need a human on board to oversee the process. Otherwise, your CRM will be a hot mess from day 1 and your employees will be on cleanup duty for the rest of the year – which they won’t thank you for, trust me.
<h2>5. Don’t Shy Away From Automation</h2>
Many of repetitive tasks on your CRM, such as data entry, can be automated. It’s important to take advantage of this and automate wherever possible, as it will free up more time for your employees to work on priority tasks.
Automation will also take human error out of the equation and cut down on any mistakes within your system.
<h2>6. Stay Ahead Of The Curve</h2>
It’s important to keep an eye on your processes and analyze what’s working and what isn’t.
You can do this by arranging regular team meetings to get feedback and make changes where needed.
<h2>7. Embrace Mobile</h2>
Your sales team should be able to access the CRM from any device; if they can’t, then you might want to rethink your CRM choice. Your sales reps need to be able to access your CRM on the go or they’ll start to revert back to their trusted notepads.
So, not only should you adapt to mobile, you should actively encourage it.
<h2>8. Don’t Forget About Your Analytics</h2>
Getting feedback from your employees is crucial, but you also need to keep track of your data. If you’re using all of the features provided by your CRM, this will be simple and automatic.
Using these reports, you can gain valuable insights into how each department is doing within your business.
<h2>9. Promote Collaboration</h2>
If you’ve ever called up a call centre and found yourself passed between 5 different departments – before finally speaking to someone who still can’t help you, then you’ll understand why it’s important to promote collaboration across departments.
By ensuring that up-to-date customer information and necessary programs are available to all employees, you’re going to seriously increase your customer retention levels in the long run.
<h2>10. Don’t Be Afraid To Admit Defeat</h2>
This sounds a bit negative, but really it’s the best thing you can do if your CRM isn’t working out. Sometimes, a company will choose a CRM that just isn’t the right fit for their business and it’s better to figure that out sooner rather than later.
Maybe your business has outgrown your current CRM, or perhaps you just jumped on the first CRM choice available without assessing its suitability. The important thing is to identify why the CRM didn’t work for you and use that information to find a system more suited to your business needs.
<h2>Give It A Proper Go</h2>
Remember, a properly implemented CRM will do amazing things for your business, but a poorly implemented CRM will simply sit and gather dust whilst your customers go elsewhere.
You can avoid this by putting these simple practices into place and really ‘giving it a go’, as opposed to installing a CRM just because you think you should – and then neglecting to actually use it.
Are there any key practices that help your business to get the most out of your CRM? Why not share them with us in the comments section below.

10 CRM Best Practices to Help Grow Your Business

grainne-logue

Your CRM is about more than just software; it’s about establishing a strong and trusting relationship with your customers.
And yet, many companies set-up their CRM without actually implementing a CRM strategy at all. Which is puzzling.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2016-01-08 at 12.43.35.png" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rPptQ64Jn91Ck44Ja49nJlNb2MOfAAK4yC4jdnRiO_AL7VKkMOQ77-8TP5aaaaKn_2F5jEyCKqr4bKWf32qbTuOIPS3OkNIMoQMmd_GfSc9jZq0C1V1EXWllcNMim-MGPBaZssz2" />
In today’s increasingly digital world, clients expect your attention 24/7. Thus, it’s essential that your business is equipped to meet these demands.
To help you create a winning CRM strategy, I've put together these ten simple steps that are designed to develop and strengthen your customer relationships for the long haul.
<h2>1. Develop A Vision For Your CRM Strategy</h2>
It’s important to gain input from your employees to find out what they expect from your CRM.
Once you’ve gathered enough ideas, you can see which tie in best with your overall business objectives and take it from there.
<h2>2. Put Together A CRM Team</h2>
Your CRM team should include mix of employees from each department within your organisation that uses the CRM system.
Whether it’s sales, marketing, finance, or customer support – their opinions and experiences will help you to develop your CRM strategy into a winning strategy.
<h2>3. Empower Your Employees</h2>
Your people are the driving force behind your business and it’s essential that they’re equipped with the correct training required to fulfil their roles. Your front-line staff should always be at the top of their game, and it’s up to you to empower them to do so.
These employees are the face of your organisation and they must be trained to represent the values of your company. With regular customer satisfaction surveys and incentives for employees who go the extra mile, you’ll keep your customers happy and your staff motivated.
<h2>4. Make Processes More Efficient</h2>
Go through the customer sales cycle with a fine tooth comb and streamline everything. Prepare templates in advance, automate follows up, and get rid of duplicate data. If something doesn’t need to be there, take it out. If you can skip a step, do it.
The aim of the game is to make life easier for your customers and streamlining your processes is a key part of doing so.
<h2>5. Make Customer Support More Accessible</h2>
Your customers are online 24/7, so your business needs to be too. You should provide customer support on multiple channels such as Twitter, Facebook, phone, email, and online chat.
Remember, if your customer can’t complain directly to you, they’ll just complain about you instead.
<h2>6. Promote Collaboration In Your Organisation</h2>
By regularly capturing and sharing customer data, your employees can stay up-to-date all on customer interactions and provide an even better service.
Gaining access to this customer relationship data will also enable you to continually analyze, assess, and improve your business operations,
<h2>7. Understand Your Customers</h2>
Before you can connect with somebody, you need to know who they are. Ask yourself (and your staff) the following questions:
<ul>
<li>
Who are your customers?
</li>
<li>
Where do they come from?
</li>
<li>
What do they do?
</li>
<li>
What do they like about your product/service?
</li>
<li>
What do they dislike about your product/service?
</li>
<li>
Are they satisfied?
</li>
</ul>
This kind of information will allow you to forecast and plan efficiently, and also provide valuable insights which are crucial to successful customer relationship management.
<h2>8. Market Your Product/Service Correctly</h2>
Don’t spam your customers.
Use targeted direct marketing to send messages that will won’t be ignored, up-sell higher quality products/services, and cross-sell any other products or services that will suit their needs.
<h2>9. Focus On Customer Retention</h2>
It’s important to reward loyal customers and a great way to do this is with a customer loyalty programme. With something like this, you can thank them for sticking around – but also incentivise them to keep sticking around.
Don’t forget about generating referrals either; once you have a loyal customer base in place, this can be an excellent way of expanding it even further.
<h2>10. Measure Your Success</h2>
Once you have your CRM strategy up and running, don’t let it go stale.
It’s important to keep up with your customers and constantly update and improve your strategy to meet their needs.
<h2>People First</h2>
Once you’ve built a successful CRM strategy, you’ll also build customer trust and loyalty. This will help you to retain your current customers and win over new prospects to grow your business.
Remember, customer relationship management is about people rather than technology – and your CRM software is simply the supporting act. Once you have a strong team in place, your business will be able to utilize your CRM software to its full potential.
Do you have any good CRM strategy tips of your own? Why not share them with us in the comments below.

How to Build A Winning CRM Strategy (In 10 Steps)

Call Tracking + AI 

Call Tracking + AI that Turns Calls into Leads

#ffffff

<a href="http://format.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Format</a> CEO, Lukas Drya, describes the tool as a portfolio builder designed for creative minds.
Format started off as ‘4ormat’ back in 2008 and launched under the same name in 2010. At this stage, it was one of few portfolio builders designed specifically for creatives – but the market has since become much more competitive.<a href="http://format.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-24 at 00.07.06.png" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Zl5-UmbNPxQrOwFDF6j6PQUZ7FUbrYxT1FryjHc6jp9FVWcrgZGYCk9XjM-_RwvWnXGjKySUPkdC7tLdY4Rr-RQNID1vBlSHYhMEvPMBj8e7KeNGljnf1ukvPsAGlnUJt1tz7OjN" /></a>
In 2014, the company relaunched as ‘Format’ and unveiled a number of upgraded features. But has it done enough to stay ahead of the pack, in a market that’s become increasingly saturated over the past few years?
A busy schedule doesn’t always allow for ‘trial and error’; especially not when it comes to choosing a platform to showcase your work. So, I decided to take a look at what Format has to offer and do the groundwork for you.
Once you’ve read through this review, you should have a good idea of whether or not Format is the best platform to present your talents.
<h2>Getting Started</h2>
The first thing you’ll do is create your account. You will then see 4 more steps pop up on the screen which you will work through until completion.
It goes like this:
<ul>
<li>
Create your account
</li>
<li>
Upload images
</li>
<li>
Choose and customize your theme
</li>
<li>
View your site
</li>
<li>
Create your custom domain
</li>
</ul>
And it looks like this:
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-23 at 22.25.42.png" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/IHf1pDko7wDNgCTNfkgxH_LG1NMXqpCUBe3qiudmOTOl05lG1GO9yTfLBu0Ap8fc0yQAVSk-E3JDNb22kTxJVMc2dhCbqJLAdz_JTjb5aHvNKaqX0n5m_hQ5_rJiEeq8vYHK6sFV" />
You definitely won’t get lost when you’re navigating through Format, that’s for sure. Right from the start, the ‘tour’ video pops up and gives you a demonstration of how to use the site. You’ll come across these tours every time you go back into Editor mode also – which can be pretty useful.
<h2>Usability</h2>
As you can see from the set-up stage, Format seems to take user friendliness pretty seriously. The interface is very intuitive, everything is where you expect it to be, and the step-by-step approach makes the whole process very easy.
Once you’re finished with one section, you’re swiftly directed towards the next building block – and the tour is always on hand if you need a recap.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-23 at 22.40.09.png" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/PmbEg2kzUZXHwmv8TeUUBLzQsA3w-Zv5aXtDhztTZtoyWd8gsCxWAiHlAt3ozr1f0STH2Mlb71RjTMT7YZa5d7ygROtHCyUcIxBeZ5gg2JA-5W9KCFaZVTthCH0yuikl0GDun6nQ" />
<h2>Adding Content</h2>
Content is managed in the Pages section of the site editor – and it’s not all about visuals either.
Format differs from other creative themed portfolio builders I’ve come across, by allowing users to upload text items to their portfolio also (automatic brownie points from this writer).
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-23 at 22.48.01.png" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/BrQ3cs4-gx9z9YRD2rVXUzYyEjVJX791j82xeOYqhr6exS1JOIMbXnAozlf8UkRUccI05jfscn-yO5OPbqFdzSaP6val-SrO7nqy6wPr2-ZHX85jtlBmD93EWTpTGiipgZHpouLL" />
In addition to Pages, you can also add content to the in-built blog.
The blog is fairly minimalistic, so you might not be impressed if you’re used to a more comprehensive system. It offers the key features that you need and nothing more, but I actually like that about it. So it all depends on what you’re looking for.
<h2>Themes &amp; Customization</h2>
Format’s themes are grouped by gallery display type and there are a decent selection to choose from.
You’ll also find multiple presets available on each theme, which will allow you to view the theme with different fonts and colors before making your selection.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-23 at 21.08.49.png" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/h4iww8DToHRLiJ__VOrCOkoKDMY2l4XY8E7gAGnQHoaUkc0HpBUuuQS7WbziAHxTHTn54NEHB_LYFo7k5KE0FR3LoRr87Lwxt3JCN3zPFZkmU3kxQZ9Jycy5c8lNXl1JT58ahW9q" />
Once you’ve chosen a theme, you can head over to the Design Page which offers some a few surprise customization options that aren’t always available on these platforms – such as letter-spacing and line-spacing.
On the Design Page, you’ll also see 3 tabs for Desktop, Tablet, and Mobile. All themes are responsive and you can customize the site for each platform by clicking on the individual tab.
<h2>Customer Support</h2>
The Help section is very comprehensive, so it’s unlikely you’ll need to contact these guys very often. But if you do, they promise to get back to you within 1 working day.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-23 at 23.45.27.png" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/0uASiYyR_19WNID2pJf44nVww_b9nqolM3k3vcn5QC1JqS5yhOSsswRWDG4ADvYghMTVQcgSlMkc4d1jloqEGn9kICiBhg1QolQarH3Z0S5MyPcLY3-nahNc_1yb9ytSuCIxDSOe" />
<h2>Pricing</h2>
After your free 14 day trial, you can choose from 3 packages on Format: Basic, Pro, and Agency. Prices start at $5.75 for the Basic package, with $10.75 p/m for the Pro package, and $20.75 for Agency.
There’s a pretty big gap between the Basic package and the Pro package in terms of content allowance (e.g. 100 Images Vs 1,000 Images), so I’d say it’s worth forking out the extra fiver a month to upgrade.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-23 at 21.14.53.png" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/aEsYPJ7sKPlo4an2axxulxYprcetXB47OvMCObO7xXPfRikkjVAqeSk4J4k0yiRuunb42El1Z1kXKP7QLlsNBFKlKjQkQDVF0e4a1zrjHyA7jfKRujGv8vLQl-JcMu8LIWfYPTr_" />
<h2>Final Verdict</h2>
I’m definitely a fan of Format. It offers everything that I’d expect from a decent portfolio builder and it offers some nifty extras too. Format makes it simple for anyone to create a beautiful, clean, and professional website that has just enough ‘pzazz’ to stand out amongst its competitors.
If you’re looking to branch out into ecommerce in the near future, then it’s not the website builder for you. And it won’t be a hit for anyone who needs a comprehensive Content Management System either. But that's fine, because it wasn’t built to do any of those things.
<a href="http://format.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Format</a> is what it is. And that's a feature-rich, simplistic, and easy to use website portfolio builder. So if that’s what you’re on the market for, I highly recommend checking it out.
What’s your portfolio builder of choice? Let us know in the comments below.

Format Review

Choosing the right CRM for your business is an investment. And like most investments, it can get a little tricky.
Your CRM should be a valuable asset for your business, rather than a drain on resources. To make that a reality, it’s important to look at the pros and cons of each system and assess which one is the right fit for you.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-22 at 22.22.05.png" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/K5hDEi9UJ2q1R_4JyI18cmHggKOZp4XUU3J-Jf7KcJBsKW2tttuBcBK-Vq1K_uhkcNJulcRfxGDQezTEgRiVHItkeBRfF06qlAjj8RFq4zn3wGn6DRofTWamZd4nSIKigF-7Ddto" />
However, many business owners seem to jump right in and choose a CRM without thinking twice. Most don't really know what to expect from a CRM, nor do they know how important it is to manage the implementation process properly.
This means that small startups end up with enterprise scale CRM systems they don’t need, and multi-national companies end up with complex systems that nobody has been trained to use.
In this post, I’m going to point out the top ten most common pitfalls to avoid when choosing or using your CRM.
<h2>1. Not Focusing On The End User</h2>
A lot of businesses will leave CRM implementation in the hands of the IT department, rather than the actual employees who will be using it in the long term – and this is one of the biggest pitfalls around.
The end users need to get involved in the process of choosing your CRM before you’ve even started looking for one. You need to be transparent with your employees and explain why you’ve decided to opt for a new CRM and how it will benefit them.
Your employees are a key part of the CRM implementation, so you have to ask for their opinions and make them feel valued if you want their full commitment. And don’t just ask for their opinions – actually take them into consideration. After all, what good is the latest CRM if none of your staff are willing to use it?
<h2>2. Choosing The Wrong CRM</h2>
Before choosing your CRM, you really need to have a clear view of where your business it at and where it’s going in the next few years – and you need to take all of that into consideration.
What functionality do you require? Can you add functionality when needed?
Something like Spreadsheet CRM might be fine for now, but will you need to switch to a more comprehensive CRM in just 2 months time? If so, then it might be worth looking at a CRM you can scale with your business as it grows.
<h2>3. Focusing On Price</h2>
Price is an important factor when choosing your CRM, but it shouldn’t be the primary factor.
What’s most important is whether the CRM system is a good fit for your business.
<h2>4. Not Customizing Your CRM</h2>
Your CRM system should not be used straight out of the box – as tempting as that might be. It should be customized to reflect your specific business processes – and you must have a clear sales and marketing process in place if you want to see any benefit from your CRM at all.
Also, don’t do this backwards. Establishing your business processes comes first, and then your CRM.
<h2>5. Confusing Your CRM With Yoda</h2>
Customer Relationship Management is about people, not software, and it’s important to remember that. Your CRM system is an important tool for supporting your business strategy, but it doesn’t work on its own – it needs a human touch.
The people who are utilizing the CRM software are just as important as the system itself, and you need to support them in their training and development if you want to get the most out of your investment.
<h2>6. Underestimating The Training Involved</h2>
Many businesses think that once they’ve got a CRM in place, it’ll only take 30 minutes of training to get it set up. This simply isn’t true. Implementing a CRM can be a lengthy process and it’s important that you allow for ‘teething problems’ in the first few weeks.
If you don’t set aside time for staff to properly get on board with the new CRM, they will be reluctant to deviate from their regular routines to do so. Remember, the CRM is designed to make their working life easier – not more difficult.
<h2>7. Not Tracking Things Properly</h2>
Save the trees.
No, seriously. If you’re printing out 20 different reports to bring to a meeting, when they’re already visible on your laptop – that’s bad enough. But if 15 of those reports are completely irrelevant, then you need to rethink the situation.
Here’s the thing – not everything matters, at least not to an equivalent degree.
It’s important to sit down and think about what you’re tracking, and why. For example, in a telesales business where reps are sending out 50 proposals a day – do you really think those proposals should be used as indicators of future success? Figure out what key reports you need and use those, it’ll save you time, money, and your conscience (the trees, remember?).
<h2>8. Forgetting About Social</h2>
You simply can’t ignore social media integration when it comes to your CRM system. It’s essential to have access to social information on your customers so that you can engage with them and monitor their activity.
This kind of customer insight can help you to improve your customer experience and also make a positive impact on your bottom line.
<h2>9. Failure To Adapt</h2>
Your business will change and grow (hopefully), and it’s important that your CRM grows with it. Remember to keep tabs on your CRM processes, regularly evaluate how well it aligns with your overall vision, and make adaptations where necessary.
You may even need to upgrade to a new CRM system as your business develops.
<h2>10. No Success Metrics</h2>
How will you know whether your CRM system is working if you don’t put metrics in place to measure it?
Trying to implement a CRM without clear objectives in mind is a bad call and you must have these in place from Day 1. Think about each business area where the CRM will be utilized and create metrics which you can measure on a regular basis.
<h2>Make Your CRM Work For You, Not Against You</h2>
Your CRM system should cut down on your workload, provide insights to improve customer experience, and increase your business profitability. If it doesn’t, you’re doing something wrong.
The main thing is to involve everyone, ensure that the CRM benefits everyone, and listen to their concerns. Once you do that, and avoid these 10 pitfalls, you’ll be on the right track.
What issues have you encountered with your own CRM system? Let us know in the comments below.

10 Pitfalls to Avoid When Choosing a CRM

<a href="http://spreadsheetcrm.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spreadsheet CRM</a> is the latest offering from the developers over at ToutLabs.
The spreadsheet system, which was created to work in conjunction with <a href="http://www1.toutapp.com/the-greatest-sales-team-in-the-world-runs-on-toutapp-v2/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Toutapp</a>, claims it will allow users to focus on selling instead of complicated CRM software. And sure enough, when you sign up, you’ll see, “Remember: it’s just a spreadsheet”’ written on the very first page.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-19 at 16.49.46.png" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_4CdTUUoEWCx_n6N7Ie_i3-gXvpZ49l6k6QsohRxLffE-zjxezF5haCPSXEpzhLTV3xWleRnWbqHYXlj5gmFhY97WGexuY8snVNZ1UdWgXFoTWf_UTMyBBCJbfa6d-hfq6xIeVdW" />
But if it’s just a spreadsheet, what sets it apart? Is it really enough to be taken seriously as a customer relationship management system?
As a regular excel user, I was dubious.
So I signed up to Spreadsheet CRM as a beta tester (as the platform is in beta at the time of writing) and decided to try it out for myself. Read on for a breakdown of how this new CRM works and whether it’s the right choice for your business.
<h2>Signing Up</h2>
As previously mentioned, Spreadsheet CRM is still in the Beta phase, so you’ll need to request access to join. Once you’ve filled in your details (name, email address, company, title), you’ll receive a welcome email detailing the next steps.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-19 at 14.00.07.png" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/OFYX-tJCqL0vX-Ult-Z5OwZcGAORZ501c34qFGePYKiNDD8EgZGpVufgKqpylMZAwK7zMnZ8KOqNu5ZntptdXL12Tnt-bc2fShJwRxENoQZOdjwjvrzZcAKiQztxmZnEZj-_Ufcb" />
The signup page has a note advising users who need faster access to get in touch via social media – but I checked this out and Toutapp don’t seem to be the best at getting back to tweets.
My welcome email hit my inbox within a few hours though, so hopefully that’s the case for everyone who signs up.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-19 at 14.02.38.png" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/s22ixG3iw6_0pve4z1G2ynroT3FA_PiRENErv85Y3fZcypR5HLzJk7by1EfrBYZIYb-CeIS_R5OhX0i8--iboF9BnEvAfJNrJCIDqcfdJbDToG4-fOqqa64b_4DgcYpli5bDDsBs" />
In the welcome email, you’ll find a link to an instructional video and an invite to join the CRM user group on LinkedIn. I applied to join the group 3 days ago but haven’t received access yet, so I can’t really say whether it’s a good resource yet.
There are 69 members at present and it should be a good community once it gets going – so let’s hope it does.
<h2>Setting Up Your Spreadsheet</h2>
After you’ve watched the instructional video (not compulsory, but I recommend it), you can add the CRM file to your Google account and share it with your team. If you’ve used excel or Google Sheets in the past, this will all be pretty familiar territory for you.
The main difference between your own excel setup and this offering from Toutapp, is that it offers some pretty nifty time saving formulas alongside ToutApp integration.
Once you’ve added the file, you’ll see 3 tabs on the bottom of the template – dashboard, leads, and opportunities.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-19 at 12.52.53.png" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/irLuVxO_KsTnUWNI782X-iA6XYY_nQeTgCQlsU84ABV-HrL8z9sY9uzsc3WPKTTDOR0wZ_cqz-aNS99kYnmQPVTrPFPBY0N5Kf_ZwazqhSY8dpu6HYoAF6nnBi-gBNq50Dvw75SX" />
When you start adding in your contacts and companies to the leads tab, their website domains and Linkedin profiles will be autofilled for you. ToutApp claims that this is accurate 90% of the time, which makes sense considering not every email address will tally with the company website and not everyone will be on LinkedIn (although, you should be).
There are also columns for extra info such as follow ups, revenue, notes, etc. The default template allows for 100 contacts and Toutapp recommends that users with more than 100 leads should invest in a more extensive CRM system.
Moving on to the opportunities page, you can add in columns to track what stage of the sales process this lead is in – such as ‘initial contact’. The filters here are also pretty handy when it comes to managing your prospects.
Every time you update the spreadsheet, all of this information will be automatically reflected in your dashboard.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-19 at 12.52.32.png" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/tK25ukz4IS4bqY6bX-SRZDyKczDyWFynOhT204_Vtp1MBotOKedhfePcN_H8qPdRbEJJUJobpPbnqNcRby0q-OznLwJpWt7D46otJwtyKJcoIhX12GbBGFxUDY5XWOnOb7FHUtkT" />
If you’re a ToutApp user, you can insert a script which will pull all of your ToutApp data into the spreadsheet also, giving you access to recent emails and other useful information. For $30 a month, ToutApp will track and analyse your Gmail and OutLook data – so it’s worth looking into, but if it’s not essential. If you’re on a budget, you can always do this manually.
<h2>Is Spreadsheet CRM Worth A Try?</h2>
You know what? I think Spreadsheet CRM has a lot going for it.
Every sales person out there will be familiar with excel and I’d say it’s one of the most utilized lead management tools around, even when a ‘proper’ CRM system is in place.
I was in a company a few years ago who installed a great new CRM but were a bit slack on the training side of things, and as a result they had 80% of their sales team using both their own excel sheets and the CRM database to manage their contacts. Not exactly productive, right?
I think Spreadsheet CRM could be a really good stepping stone for companies who want to invest in a CRM system, but don’t have either the resources to provide adequate training or the extra money to spend.
Sure, you could put together your own spreadsheet, and like I said – lots of people do. But that’s hassle, and who needs hassle when you’re trying to make sales? Spreadsheet CRM makes customer management simple and it will save you a lot of time in the process. If you’re running a small business, I definitely suggest trying it out.
What’s your experience with SpreadSheet CRM, have you tried it out yet? Let us know in the comments below.

Spreadsheet CRM Review

<a href="http://www.kentico.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kentico Software</a> has revealed the latest version of its CMS, E-commerce, and Online Marketing platform. <a href="http://www.kentico.com/kentico9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kentico 9</a>.
Founded in 2004, Kentico is an Enterprise Web Content Management System and Customer Experience Management solution, available as an on-premise or cloud solution.
Kentico 9 is a sizeable update, bringing about a long list of improvements from MVC support to Modularization. Let's take a closer look.
<h2>A Look at the New Features of Kentico 9</h2>
Kentico 9 moves the platform forward quite some bit. Here's a detailed fifteen minute introductory video to get the ball rolling.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mzDNCdBCmek?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Continuous Integration 
Continuous Integration means that new changes are published more efficiently than ever before thanks to continuous delivery. Kentico 9's new Continuous Integration Solution is designed to be easy to set up, reliable, and fully automated.
This reduces the need for manual deployment, allows for better and faster detection of integration problems, and helps reduce and even prevent errors and loss of data – all resulting in reduced development costs.
Integrated Campaign Management 
Brands are facing issues when it comes to creating, managing, and evaluating campaigns based on incoming data.
Kentico 9 enables such brands to do all of that from a single, unified control panel. The new reporting engine is accessible not only for campaign management, but also for email marketing.
ASP.NET Model View Controller (MVC Support)
MVC is the fastest growing developer framework, helping companies to build better performing, more scalable websites.
In recognition of this trend, Kentico 9 has embraced MVC to a much higher degree than ever before.
Improved Web Farm Support
Kentico 9 is optimized for cloud deployments. Improvements such as auto-scaling support are geared at simplifying every user's life.
The platform has been geared to respond to the environment as it scales up or down, minimizing the amount of administration that companies have to do in web farm scenarios.
Modularization
The final major upgrade comes in the form of modularization.
With Kentico 9, it's much easier to move code between modules, and move modules in between projects. This functionality had its beginnings in version 8, but it has been dramatically expanded in version 9.
<h2>Evolving &amp; Delivering on Promises</h2>
Kentico's Technical Evangelist, Bryan Soltis, made some interesting remarks about how the product is evolving:
<blockquote>“Kentico 9 is evolving along with the .NET community and is a major step forward in terms of technology and capabilities.
The new release demonstrates that we're listening to our customers, to our partners – and even to those companies that aren't customers and partners – to see what features and capabilities they need and what obstacles remain in their way.”</blockquote>
Kentico's CEO, Petr Palas, on the other hand, spoke of how Kentico is keeping its promises:
<blockquote>“There are only a handful of vendors who offer customers the full range of capabilities, from CMS through E-commerce to Online Marketing. There are even fewer who can deliver on that promise. Kentico is one of those companies.”</blockquote>
To find out more about Kentico, <a href="http://www.kentico.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">visit their website</a>, or check out the Kentico 9 announcement. You can also view the new home page for Kentico 9 at <a href="http://www.kentico.com/kentico9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.kentico.com/kentico9</a>.
Plus, you can explore more of <a href="/products/kentico/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kentico via our CMS Directory</a>.

Kentico 9 Released With Integrated Campaign Management, MVC Support & More

<a href="http://silvrback.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Silvrback</a> is a sleek blogging platform that was designed with simplicity in mind.
Its creator, Damian Sowers, started working on Silvrback because he couldn’t find a blogging platform that completely satisfied his needs. So, he developed his own instead.
<a href="http://silvrback.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-05 at 23.12.25.png" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/E3OSZ_t5XuLXBa24w0vr5awlt2A3esxjvnOfvScrworheHk0OhesKpBJQ4CN4no5www-pMkTmTIzgdNxNVVKYySiZZHrf3hNh4QYbJqXeYCc-bzGL6XLCBWwEhu4U69WzOATr4Jp" /></a>
With Silvrback, Sowers has built a platform that provides a truly minimalist blogging experience, by incorporating the best elements of other similar platforms such as Svbtle and Medium. You can read more about these platforms in our list of <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/minimalist-blogging-platforms/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">15 Blogging Platforms That Encourage You To Write</a> (Silvrback also gets a mention).
Sowers has spoken out about the pros and cons of these two platforms in particular, citing Medium as a platform that’s great for readers – but not so great for writers attempting to establish themselves in a highly populated market.
Key features of Silvrback include syntax highlighting for developers, custom domain support, and email subscriptions. However the lack of features it has on offer is actually its selling point; Silvrback aims to create a distraction free writing zone for authors by scaling back on the customization options available.
Silvrback offers a 14 day free trial for new users, and after this the pricing is set at $29.99 per year.
As a long-time WordPress user (and a self-confessed widget addict), I was curious about Silvrback – so I decided to check it out. Read on for my full review.
<h2>The Set-Up</h2>
Setting up a Silvrback account is easy. Once you’ve entered your name and email, you’ll be sent a registration email which will allow you to log in and complete the signing up process.
At this stage, you’ll need to come up with a username and a short description of yourself. Following this, there are optional entries where you can set up a custom domain name, add your social media links, and more.
The customization is pretty basic, but that’s what Silvrback is all about.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-05 at 23.07.13.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ahb2oyusJvpQK_L8AvdDm6k_yf_mFRgekMEDCR-fKhkDTBVRTazd6HsB_i8bUO9l5DH2c21ouKH_fsc8kzCXsOcRZhTDOQezLO1lrTDtQGgySe2hdtWUNJP_oQgBE_aNnEivrn-E" />
<h2>UI Schemes (Themes)</h2>
There are only two UI schemes to choose from on Silvrback, so the design options are limited – but that’s really the beauty of it.
Once you’ve selected your UI scheme, you can also add your profile photo and background image/color.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-05 at 21.44.01.png" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/riqm1yug7K-5xLKCbP7WLQ8LZ6ODFj6b_hmTqKIWvCYFAmkZhtVZvEWbiiYNNbExlpI3GMfopEKoRjPuAAbc6YNN2ulg0emumGG2Fpsu1D-uwsRq3DNGOV4M0tdx3FWGkP2OsHfa" />
<h2>The Bio Page</h2>
When discussing the author bio page he created for Silvrback, Sowers described Silvrback as ‘more than a blogging platform’, and ‘more like a branding platform’.
On the author bio page, writers can list projects they’re working on, places they’ve worked, education, and lots more. So it’s definitely a step up from the standard ‘about me’ section.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-05 at 22.20.42.png" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/qRSxstSAevD338BAb7o7h-qanSOj3ehIriKxYuZkkoruxso_cVb3tylzIcAOxLH1NwmT0goKbuw2XmXrn7S_tMTw0yfz4amBVQPq9NFBdy4N5InkrnWA67lRznLir0FqRTYbWbJx" />
<h2>Writing &amp; Publishing</h2>
Silvrback supports markdown, which automatically converts your plain-text input into HTML. The writing interface is almost identical to the published blog posts – as the same color, font, and spacing is used.
The markdown formatting symbols will be on display in the interface, but if you need to check your coding you can click the ‘preview’ button to see the ‘live’ page before publishing.
<img alt="Screen Shot 2015-12-05 at 22.09.05.png" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/qRs1cq6y_jsJduKP5HGaL8aNI1ZsN4m_CZZ8EZQaOFmfFe9xM6gTr9T3eCIQevPmTJ9oImrbiw5srkwtyWwbzIGjsXqNbZstVYeyH97HalTgxuTudyYc3b-vQ7sHN_gOX3zgMXWk" />
Everything you write is also automatically saved in your browser and on Silvrback’s online servers.
So if your laptop is a bit temperamental side, you can rest assured that your work will be saved regardless. And, if you’ve ever had a catastrophic laptop freeze about half way through a 5000 word article (I can’t be the only one) – you’ll know how important this backup feature actually is.
<h2>The Verdict</h2>
In my opinion, Silvrback is a great markdown powered blogging platform that offers just enough customization, without overwhelming the user with unnecessary features.
If you’re looking for a feature-rich content management system, then Silvrback definitely isn’t for you. But if you’re after a cleaner and more simplistic interface, with a sleek and modern design, then this is a platform that’s worth checking out.
What’s your preferred blogging platform and how is it working for you? Why not share your favorite with us in the comments section below.

Silvrback Review

Thursday November 19th, 2015, was a momentous day for the open source community. After 1,716+ days of work <a href="http://garfieldtech.com/blog/drupal8-happy-not-satisfied">by more than 3,312 developers</a>, the Drupal community finally released <a href="https://www.drupal.org/8">Drupal 8</a>. There were release parties and celebrations all over the world. Guides where written about <a href="https://www.drupal.com/why-drupal-8">Why Drupal 8</a> and <a href="http://www.drupalpartners.com/blog/drupal-8-everything-you-need-to-know/">Everything You Need To Know About Drupal 8</a>. And big names (Like Red Hat, The Economist, Johnson &amp; Johnson) proudly announced that they migrated to the best version of Drupal ever made. It’s been an incredibly exciting time.
But I don’t want to talk about Drupal 8. I want to talk about Drupal 6. It may seem odd to talk about a seemingly ancient version of Drupal, but I think what happened with D6 should not be repeated with D8.
Full disclosure: I work for a Drupal development firm and we strongly believe that Drupal can be a wonderfully great fit for all types of industries and businesses. However, how firms got others to adopt D6… Well, read on.
The Over Promise Of Drupal 6
<a href="https://www.drupal.org/drupal-6.0">Drupal 6 was officially released</a> February 13th, 2008. With much the same fanfare and hullaballoo, Drupal 6 promised to be the, “easiest version of Drupal ever,” with a litany of tools and features that were supposed to change the open source world forever.
Now, with the release of D8, The Drupal Association has officially announced the <a href="https://www.drupal.org/drupal-6-eol">End Of Life of Drupal 6</a> – Come February 24th, 2016, D6 will no longer be supported.
Surprisingly, there are <a href="https://trends.builtwith.com/cms/Drupal-Version-6.2x">3,000+ websites still on Drupal 6</a>. Not a huge number, but enough for us to launch a, “move from Drupal 6 to Drupal 8” campaign.
From mom and pop shops to financially robust SMBs, we’ve talked and emailed with people all over the US that are still on Drupal 6. With all the possibilities of Drupal 8, we thought it would be an easy sell to get these businesses to migrate from D6 to D8.
But it’s been the exact opposite: Because developers over promised Drupal 6, many SMBs have plans to no longer use the CMS.
Expectation Didn’t Meet Reality
As stated earlier, Drupal 6 promised the world to web developers. Quick and easy setup, drag-and-drop administration, great new core modules, easy theming, super secure, etc. Sound familiar?
What happened next was Drupal development companies got excited about all these fantastic features and used them as talking points to attract new web dev clients. The Drupal firms then promised the world to their customers and really sold clients on the idea of this, “user-friendly” and easier-than-ever idea of Drupal.
Customers, having their own idea of easy and user-friendly, drank the blue Kool-Aid and migrated or developed their site on Drupal. When they were delivered the final, “user-friendly” product, many felt duped – The backend was difficult to understand, page creation wasn’t intuitive, simple HTML elements were anything but and more. Expectation didn’t meet reality.
Despite this, many SMBs thought, “Oh. Well. I guess it’s just me. I’ll adapt and make it work.” After all, it was 2008 – Businesses expected websites to be difficult.
As new Drupal updates were released, these same SMBs were told that they should update their version for better speed, easier use, more safety, etc. Many companies did (After all, that’s what you’re supposed to do, right?) and were then hit with incredibly high development invoices. SMBs thought, “Oh. Well. I guess that’s just what it costs. I’ll adapt and make it work.”
Still somewhat believing in this open source idea, SMBs continued to update and use Drupal. Thinking that they’d save some money, many cut corners and hired cost-effective firms to update or maintain their Drupal sites. The bills and invoices were low, but then their sites stopped working, crashed or were hacked. These SMBs thought, “Oh. Well. I guess that’s just what happens when you go cheaper. I’ll adapt and make it work.”
Quick recap:
<ul>
<li>Drupal 6 user-friendly promise: Not realized</li>
<li>Cost of Drupal 6: Much higher than anticipated</li>
<li>Cost to update Drupal 6: Even higher than thought</li>
<li>Going cheap with Drupal 6: Even worse outcomes</li>
</ul>
At the same time as this was happening, the internet as a whole was getting, well, easier. A LOT easier. Websites became incredibly simple to make (Think <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website_builder">Weebly, Wix and Webs</a>). Emailing and form capture got a lot more fun (Think MailChimp and 123Contact Form). Online eCommerce platforms popped up everywhere and were, out of the box, much simpler to customize (Just look at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_shopping_cart_software">all the options now</a>).
Further, smartphones started to penetrate the market, revolutionizing the way we work with this thing called an app. An app that was very intuitive, simple and, well, actually user-friendly.
So. If you were a SMB on Drupal 6 in 2013 and everything you were sold about Drupal didn’t meet expectations (simple, user-friendly, cost effective, etc.), you weren’t going to invest in anything else related with Drupal. Sure, <a href="https://www.drupal.org/drupal-7-released">Drupal 7</a> (released January 5th, 2011) promised new and great things, but you weren’t going to budge.
And Here We Are Today
Here we are on the new release of Drupal 8. A release where the community is promising fantastic new features and wonderful user additions that will supposedly revolutionize the open source world, once more (and it will). And, again, we’re going to our D6 customers telling them the wonders of D8. But this time, they’re not buying it. They have done all that they were supposed to, updated their sites and still are not satisfied with their solution.
Sure, you can postulate that Drupal is not the best fit for everyone. But there is a level where we, as development firms and open source enthusiasts need to ensure that we’re on the same page as our customers.
For Drupal dev firms, here’s your take away: Make sure that D8 is a darn fantastic fit for your customer. Make sure they know the hows, whys and whens of Drupal. Heck, even give your customers a walkthrough of the backend to make sure they can even comprehend it. Train them and foster their love for Drupal. Don’t just code and leave.
And for SMBs, here’s your take away: A CMS is a fantastic tool to grow your business. But make sure your expectation meets reality. Fully understand what is involved with any CMS (cost, maintenance, solution, and more) and use it to its full potential. That way, when it comes time, you’re more than ready to update.
I’ll leave you with this: No one person or company is perfect – Even <a href="http://buytaert.net/why-the-big-architectural-changes-in-drupal-8">Dries Buytaert</a> has learned a lesson or two. As for us, will we recommend Drupal 8? You bet your blue Kool-Aid we will… But only after a long conversation about expectations, realities and, well, being open (source) and honest with our clients.

With The Gloom And Doom Of Drupal 6, Let’s Learn From Our Shortcomings

Best Video Experience

Give your audience the best video experience

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Marketing automation is a concept that’s a little tricky define, which is probably why many businesses find it just as difficult to implement.
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A well defined marketing automation strategy can help to streamline business processes and improve the effectiveness of various marketing channels – such as email marketing, blogging, content marketing, and social media. However, a poorly structured automation strategy will do exactly the opposite.
<h2>What Is Marketing Automation?</h2>
After doing some research, I noticed that many descriptions of the marketing automation process have arisen from this popular definition by Hubspot:
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“At its best, marketing automation is software and tactics that allow companies to buy and sell like Amazon – that is, to nurture prospects with highly personalized, useful content that helps convert prospects to customers and turn customers into delighted customers. This type of marketing automation typically generates significant new revenue for companies, and provides an excellent return on the investment required.” – <a href="http://www.hubspot.com/">Hubspot</a>
</blockquote>
Lets focus on the wording of that for a minute:
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highly personalized
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useful content
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delighted customers
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new revenue
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excellent return
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</ul>
Are these the things that usually come to mind when you think about marketing automation? I doubt it. I bet you think about your Twitter inbox instead, and the ridiculous amount of promotional spam you’ve received in the past week alone.
Unfortunately, many business owners instantly correlate automation with ‘spambots’ and little else. And this is what needs to change.
You will never see the value in your marketing automation strategy if you don’t have a clear understanding of what it can accomplish.
To get you started, I’m going to run through the most common misconceptions that businesses have about marketing automation – so that you can better understand how it can benefit your business.
<h2>1. Set-Up In Seconds</h2>
You need to schedule some time to get your software up and running, and whilst it’s not difficult – it’s not a 5 minute job either. Before investing in marketing automation software, it’s important to spend a certain amount of time to researching the marketplace and choosing the right product for your business.
Following this, you need to review your current content and assess whether this needs to be improved upon – before feeding it through your marketing automation workflow.
Most marketing automation software is designed to integrate seamlessly with your CRM, and this makes life a lot easier. But you’ll still have to do the groundwork when it comes to setting up campaigns and programs.
<h2>2. It’s Cold And Impersonal</h2>
When marketing automation is done right, it’s the opposite of cold and impersonal. Automating your marketing gives you extra time to focus on the quality of your messaging, so that your communication is personalized and relevant – i.e. not spam.
With marketing automation, you can collect data on your prospects which will allow you to categorize them by common interests, behaviors, and locations. Using this data, you can deliver targeted content based on each individual’s unique user profile.
<h2>3. It Does The Job For Us – We Can All Go Home!</h2>
Sorry, but no. Every type of marketing automation software needs a human being at the steering wheel in order to be successful – so you’ll have to hit pause on the iRobot movie marathon.
A successful marketing automation campaign must be supported by a strong digital marketing team who have analyzed your target market, created the content that market is looking for, and established preferred marketing channels.
<h2>4. Small Companies Don’t Need Marketing Automation</h2>
Marketing automation can benefit both small and larger businesses in different ways with pretty similar results. In the case of enterprises, automation will streamline internal processes, save time and money, and make life a lot easier.
In the case of smaller companies, automation will ease the workload of a startup founder, save time and money, and make life a lot easier. See what I mean? Marketing automation works just as well for small start-ups as it does for large businesses and SMEs.
<h2>5. The More Expensive It Is, The Better It Is</h2>
This doesn’t apply to marketing automation software any more than it applies to your everyday purchases. The amount of dollar signs on the price tag can’t tell you whether you’re choosing the right software option for your business.
Many marketing automation software vendors will offer free trials to start with, which you should definitely take advantage of. Following this, a lot of these platforms – such as Marketo, Parquo, and Hubspot – will offer a tiered pricing plan depending on your specific needs.
<h2>6. All Leads Are Created Equal</h2>
Not only will this assumption ruin your marketing campaign, it’ll also create unreasonable target expectations for your sales team. With marketing automation, you can send the best of your bunch of leads into your sales team – i.e. ‘high grade + high score’ leads.
However, not all of these prospects will be ready to purchase. So, it’s important to assess the journey that prospect took to become a qualified lead, and then take the next step based on that.
Some leads will need a little more ‘warming up’ than others, for example – someone who filled in a ‘contact us’ form will be more receptive to a sales call than someone who simply entered their details for a competition.
According to <a href="http://www.marketingsherpa.com/">Marketing Sherpa</a>, “organizations that nurture their leads experience a 45% lift in lead generation ROI over those organizations that do not.”
So, if you first identify which leads are ready to buy, and focus on converting those, you can guide the others through the sales funnel until they reach a stage where they self-qualify.
<h2>7. Engagement Is Time Consuming and Unnecessary</h2>
The fastest way to get me (and most people) to unfollow your business on twitter, is by sending out 30 tweets a day without actually engaging at all. If I initiate a conversation about something you’ve shared on social media, I expect a response within a reasonable period of time.
However, this isn’t always how it goes. Many companies simply set up their automation software and leave it at that. And guess what happens then? You start to lose the attention of your audience; people stop engaging with your brand because they don’t feel valued enough, they stop following your brand, they stop visiting your site, and your sales numbers go into the gutter.
<h2>8. It’s All About Email Marketing</h2>
Many businesses seem to think that marketing automation is limited to email marketing only, but this isn’t the case.
As I mentioned previously, marketing automation can be used with various channels such as lead generation, social media, landing pages, and more.
<h2>9. Automation is For Lazy Marketers</h2>
Correction, automation is for busy marketers. It’s the lazy variation who give marketing automation a bad name in the first place. Quality marketing automation is hard work – and if it’s not, then you’re just not doing it right.
Once your marketing automation strategy works in tandem with other marketing activities, then it’ll increase business efficiency and provide you with extra time to work on other important tasks.
<h2>10. I Never Need To Work On Lead Generation Again</h2>
Many marketers seem to think that marketing automation is the holy grail of lead generation. It’s not. It’s crucial to recognize marketing automation as a single tool in your marketing toolbox, and not your only source of lead generation.
It’s up to you to create compelling and relevant content that will guide your customers through the sales funnel process, so that they will convert into strong leads for your sales team.
<h2>To Automate Or Not To Automate?</h2>
Marketing automation is definitely a buzzword at the moment and it’s a great way to increase your productivity, but if you want it to work for your business it really has to work in tandem with your overall marketing strategy.
Hopefully, this post has cleared up a few common misconceptions for you so that you can make an informed decision.
Do you have marketing automation system in place at the moment? We’d love to know how it’s working for you – why not let us know in the comments section below.

10 Common Misconceptions About Marketing Automation

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