3 min readGoogle’s Latest Search Algorithm Update: BERT
January 23, 2020
In October 2019, Google announced a new core algorithm update known as BERT, short for “Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers.” Google…
3 min read
3 min read2018 Holiday Hurrah Retrospective
November 27, 2019
Last year, we did something new at Blue Flame Thinking to celebrate the end of the year and the holidays….
1 min read3 Questions With Director of New Business Development Laurie Moran
November 19, 2019
Laurie isn’t one to shy away from tough challenges or complex topics in her role as director of new business…
2 min readGoogle Announces Algorithm Update for Nofollow Links
November 18, 2019
Google recently announced a significant update to its algorithms: They now treat nofollow attributes as hints for ranking purposes. So,…
2 min readOur Top Takeaways From Digital Summit Detroit
November 11, 2019
Back in September, I had the privilege of attending Digital Summit in Detroit for the third time, along with my co-worker,…
3 min readSEO Best Practices: Steps for Improving Your Website’s Performance
November 5, 2019
When it comes to your organization’s website, it’s easy to get complacent about its performance and focus on other business…
1 min read3 Questions With Junior SEO & Analytics Specialist Mary Gimby
October 17, 2019
Mary has always had a deep interest in the power of SEO and analytics. She enjoys sharpening her analytical skills…
2 min read3 Questions With Junior Developer Kelsie Miller
October 15, 2019
When Kelsie chose her major in college, she didn’t know much about web or digital development. But with her drive…
3 min readWhy You Should Consider Mobile-First Design
October 7, 2019
When it comes to designing a website, it’s easy to want to jump to seeing a large, beautiful site on…
4 min readWhy Social Media Should Be Included in Your Marketing Strategy
September 3, 2019
As marketers, we are tasked with mapping the customer journey in order to understand how they interact with our brand….
4 min readMobile User Experience Best Practices in 2019
August 12, 2019
Designing a good mobile user experience and interface is not an effortless task. Today’s mobile users are sophisticated, impatient, very…
1 min read3 Questions With Designer Daniel Gallegos
August 8, 2019
For Daniel, a designer with Blue Flame Thinking, an important part of creating work that resonates with audiences is a…
1 min readIs Your Website Crippling Your Marketing Efforts?
July 10, 2019
We’re more than halfway through 2019, but ineffective, outdated and unhelpful websites still hamstring a majority of organizations’ marketing efforts….
2 min read3 Questions With Senior Designer Andy Jansma
July 2, 2019
According to Andy Jansma, a senior designer with Blue Flame Thinking, inspiration can really come from anywhere. In fact, he’s…
1 min read3 Questions With Account Supervisor Michael Lewis
June 10, 2019
Digital media is a passion for Michael Lewis. With more than 16 years of experience supervising accounts across a variety…
1 min readTechstars Startup Weekend: A Validating Experience
June 7, 2019
Our own Jason Wagner recently served as a coach and mentor for the Grand Rapids edition of Techstars Startup Weekend,…
2 min readMorningstar® Investment Conference Takeaways
May 20, 2019
Last week’s annual Morningstar Investment Conference at Chicago’s McCormick Place gave our team an opportunity to catch up with ongoing…
2 min read3 Questions With SEO & Analytics Specialist Rachel Barnes
April 12, 2019
Collaborating with clients on their digital marketing strategies, especially on ideas that may be outside of the box, is the…
2 min read5 Steps for Building Stronger Customer Relationships Through Content Marketing
March 22, 2019
Unlike paid advertising, content marketing is about more than prompting an immediate purchase. It’s about cultivating awareness of your brand…
1 min read3 Questions With Social Media Strategist Eryn Leedy
March 8, 2019
Building the right a brand story, one that really resonates with the people you want it to, is something of…
2 min readWhat’s So Creative About Mornings?
February 22, 2019
Inspiration can come in many forms: a new song, brilliant sunsets, even a clever headline. For more than a few…
3 min readOwn Google Search Results With Featured Snippets
February 15, 2019
Getting your page rewarded with a Google featured snippet appearance is great for visibility and improving click-through rates, especially if…
2 min readThings Have Changed: Social Media’s Relevance to Marketers Post-2018
January 29, 2019
While social in 2019 may not have the cleanest reputation, it’s still the best place for B2B marketers to engage…
2 min read7 Ways Online Retailers Can Boost Web Page Performance
January 25, 2019
With revenue from ecommerce projected to grow by 8.6% annually through 2022, ensuring your digital presence is as compelling as…
1 min read3 Questions With Senior Account Manager Sam Suranne
November 20, 2018
Whether it’s teaching herself guitar or working to understand the consumer mindset, Sam Suranne, who joined Blue Flame Thinking as…
1 min readThe Role Design Plays in an Agency
October 1, 2018
Our Design Director, Adam Rice, was recently a guest on the PR Hangover podcast, where he discussed his thoughts on…
2 min readSay What You Mean
September 7, 2018
Every industry has its own language. From acronyms to buzzwords, we all have a verbal shorthand we use at work….
2 min readOther Voices: August 6, 2018
August 9, 2018
In an industry that is heavily influenced by newsworthy and timely events, there’s always a lot to catch up on…
4 min readReflections on Leadership: A One-Year Anniversary
August 1, 2018
Today marks my one-year anniversary as a small business owner. I’ve never thought of myself as an entrepreneur, but I…
2 min readOther Voices: July 6, 2018
July 6, 2018
In an industry that is heavily influenced by newsworthy and timely events, there’s always a lot to catch up on…
3 min readWhat Is Brand? Logo Don’t Brand Me. Don’t Brand Me, No More.
May 31, 2018
Your logo is great. Everyone agrees that it’s clever, smart and sophisticated. It even looks amazing on mobile. It’s simple…
2 min readThey’ll Believe It When They Feel It
May 8, 2018
Recall an experience where you established a connection with something you touched. Perhaps it was that warm, rough, sunlit stucco…
3 min readOther Voices: March 22nd, 2018
March 22, 2018
In an industry that is heavily influenced by newsworthy and timely events, there’s always a lot to catch up on…
2 min readOther Voices: March 2, 2018
March 2, 2018
In an industry that is heavily influenced by newsworthy and timely events, there’s always a lot to catch up on…
1 min read3 Questions With Amanda Jakubowski
February 21, 2018
From keeping us organized to understanding the most complicated of requests, we wouldn’t know what to do without our account…
3 min readMonday AM Quarterbacking: The LII-Edition
February 5, 2018
While the outcome of the Super Bowl was in doubt up until the end, the advertising challenge was settled early—at…
1 min readMarquette Associates New Website Wins Awards
February 2, 2018
The Marquette Equation: Industry Knowledge + Digital Chops = Award-Winning Website Marquette Associates needed its financial consulting website to work…
1 min readPentair’s New Website Earns Industry Awards
January 8, 2018
Pentair’s Website Earns Awards In the First Year As a respected leader in the pool product manufacturing industry, Pentair sets…
1 min readThe Power of Proper Punctuation
December 21, 2017
The Power of Proper Punctuation Admittedly, we have a passion for grammar, in general, and punctuation, in particular. A well-crafted…
3 min read‘Tis the Season to Unsubscribe
December 7, 2017
It’s time to unsubscribe. If you have any brand affinity at all, you’ve probably subscribed to notifications from the brands…
2 min read3 Questions with Tyler Wayner
December 1, 2017
Tyler Wayner, Junior Designer at Blue Flame Thinking From creating GIFs for our clients’ social posts to designing their websites, Tyler…
4 min readLittle Red Riding Hood: A Customer Journey Framework for Marketers
November 16, 2017
On the Road to Grandma’s House You may know “Little Red Riding Hood” as a cautionary folk tale about placing…
Finding Their Better: Pentair Pools Takes Silver
August 2, 2017
Pentair took home the Silver at Chief Marketer’s PRO Awards for “Best Holiday or Seasonal-Themed Campaign.” Now, since awards are…
Data Detective: Are You Afraid of the Dark (Data)?
March 14, 2017
A quick web search on the term “Dark Data” will give you chills. You’ll come across articles outlining its high…
New Hires at Blue Flame Thinking: Springing Forward
February 22, 2017
We’re happy to introduce you to a couple of new hires on the BFT team. Elise Schmeider and Liz Le…
4 Ways to Beta Your Way to Better
February 13, 2017
Adapting a Beta Mindset We believe considering our work as “done” is not as helpful to our clients as it…
Monday AM Quarterbacking
February 6, 2017
When it comes to football, the sign of a good Super Bowl is when the game is more exciting than…
Data Detective: Digging for Analytical Treasure
January 20, 2017
You’ve created great content, crafted a compelling call to action (CTA) and built a special landing page. But, do you…
3 min readOther Voices December 16, 2016
December 16, 2016
With an industry that is heavily influenced by newsworthy and timely events, there’s always a lot to catch up on…
2 min readOther Voices December 9, 2016
December 9, 2016
With an industry that is heavily influenced by newsworthy and timely events, there’s always a lot to catch up on…
2 min readOther Voices: November 18, 2016
November 18, 2016
With an industry that is heavily influenced by newsworthy and timely events, there’s always a lot to catch up on…
3 min readOther Voices: November 11, 2016
November 11, 2016
With an industry that is heavily influenced by newsworthy and timely events, there’s always a lot to catch up on…
3 min readOther Voices: November 4, 2016
November 4, 2016
With an industry that is heavily influenced by newsworthy and timely events, there’s always a lot to catch up on…
Fanning Brand Affection: 5 Key Considerations in Virtual Merchandising
October 27, 2016
Virtual Merchandising Considerations How do you translate offline brand affection into an online destination for virtual merchandising when retailing isn’t…
The Fresh Faces of Blue Flame Thinking
September 30, 2016
We’ve recently enhanced our client services roster with some fresh faces and even fresher thinking. Meet the newest members of…
The Smart Stranger: How an Outside Perspective Boosts Creativity
September 15, 2016
The truth is familiarity can lead to familiar solutions. Sometimes, you’re just too close to the subject to see beyond…
2 min read3 Questions with Developer Jason Wagner
July 30, 2016
Earlier this month, we welcomed Jason Wagner to our Digital team as a developer. With a professional background that ranges…
Data Detective: Building the Big Picture with Analytics
July 6, 2016
Dream big? Start small. Analytics. We’ve all been there: an annual or quarterly meeting, a state-of-the-organization address, a corporate debriefing….
Know Your Audience: Why Personas Are More Important Than Ever
July 1, 2016
Cleaner Targeting with Personas While programmatic media buys can help pinpoint where targeted audience members are likely to be when…
Content Marketing: Where Marketing, Customers and Your Bottom Line Converge
July 1, 2016
I recently had the opportunity to attend the NewsCred #ThinkContent Summit 2016 in New York. This year’s theme, “Convergence: The…
Mythbusting: 3 Mobile Misconceptions
June 17, 2016
Nobody likes to be labeled. Being painted with broad strokes rarely captures a true likeness and can lead to false…
Beyond Words: How Businesses Use Visual Social Channels to Connect With Customers
June 10, 2016
For many businesses, having a social media strategy means posting to LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. All are highly effective channels…
1 min read3 Questions With Bill Barsanti
January 25, 2016
Recently, we welcomed Bill Barsanti to the BFT team as a Senior Account Director. Bill brings with him more than…