Web Design and Development in Greenville, SC | Merge

After only a year and a half at our location on W. North Street in Downtown Greenville, Merge is moving once again. Since moving in May of 2008, Merge has had the good fortune of experiencing growth and doubling it's amount of employees.

As a result of this growth we have run out of space and are expanding into the Next Innovation Center. Merge worked with Bo Garland Architecture, Debbie of Dailey and Associates and Mitchell Contractors to create a space that truly reflects Merge's culture and personality. We are ecstatic with the final results and are thrilled to be a part of the Next Innovation Center community. As we get settled into our space we will be posting pictures on our Facebook Fan page for all our out of town friends. Until then, you can check out the "before" pictures.

Please be sure to update our address in your contacts!

411 University Ridge, Suite 225
Greenville, SC 29601

The holiday season inevitably involves lists of many kinds. Lists of gifts, guests, grocery items, resolutions, as well as the “Merge Annual Top Ten List". Because there are so many things to be thankful for, it was tough, but we narrowed it down to the top ten. Some of them are personal, some of them are edible, but in one way or another they all attribute to the development of Merge in 2009. We've made our list, and checked it twice:
 
10. Free Learning on any given day you can find at least one person at Merge taking advantage of free learning.  Whether it’s reading an industry blog, watching a webinar or reading through a tutorial, we are constantly learning and trying to better ourselves in order to better serve our clients.

9.  Doughnuts&Bagels Although Merge is still absolutely thankful for Peanut Brittle and Cinnamon Disks during the holidays, doughnuts&bagels have served as a constant source of motivation throughout all of 2009.  Merge employees are known to bring in these two sources of carbs to give the team a pick-up during a busy day or just because it’s a Tuesday.

8.  Team Building Activities In 2009, Merge employees participated in several team building activities including a trip to LivN Nsidout, running the Spinx Half-Marathon , playing shuffle board at Barleys, as well as our monthly Lunch and Learn Sessions.  We spend up to 8 hours a day together in our office so we like to take advantage of opportunities to get out for an hour or two to participate in activities that further strengthen our bond.

7.  Innovation As individuals and as a company, we are constantly looking for opportunities to improve ourselves, our processes and our resources.  A recent innovation within Merge is the use of Sketchboarding  to map out web site concepts.  We also look for innovation in industries other than our own, such as BMW.  The entire merge team recently took a fieldtrip to tour the BMW plant to look for ways that they use innovation that can also be applicable to web development. 

6.  Bottom lines  When we say bottom lines, we are not talking about money.  Rather we are talking about the moral of a story, or the main point that we can take away from a book or an event.  These bottom lines are invaluable to us because they add so much to our “Merge Mentality”.  We have made it a habit to use bottom lines in our blogs because we want our readers to take away at least one point or lesson that adds value to them professionally or even personally.  Next time you read a business article, try to see the bottom line for your company and we are willing to bet that you will see why we are so thankful for them.

5.  Greenville  We love this dang town.  We love being a part of the Greenville community as well as the business community.  We love walking down Main Street and being able to wave at friends and business owners that we have formed friendships with.  We love the pride of the city leaders and citizens and how equally in love with this town they are.  It shows by how beautiful everyone keeps our city.

4. Partners We have always been thankful for our vendors and we have built relationships with several vendors in 2009 that have really taken our business to the next level.  Up until earlier this year, Merge has handled all of its hiring internally.  By outsourcing our recruiting to Find Great People, Merge has added 2 top notch employees to the team.  We have also partnered with Greenville’s leading insurance company, Rosenfeld Einstein as well as The Wyche Law Firm.

3.  Employee Friendships Merge had a tremendous growth spurt during the end of 2008 that has carried on throughout 2009.  Along with these new employees, came amazing new friendships that have also grown throughout the year.  Somewhere along the way we formed the “Guad Squad” meaning that we all go eat at Guadalajara together at least one time a week, sometimes two.  We also had our first Annual Lake Day this summer and all took a trip to Toccoa, GA to hang out on the lake all day.  No team building exercises, no assignments.  Just good food, fun times and great friendships.  We consider ourselves a group, a team both in and outside of Merge and that is something that we are all extremely thankful for in 2009.

2. Merge Clients We like happy clients, enough said (see our client list in on our Portfolio page). For that reason, we are thankful every year that our clients have chosen us to grow their company online and entrusted us to guide them to achieve their business goals.

1. Family We are sincerely thankful for our families who are both supportive and understanding of the demands of providing excellent web services. When we have to stay at work until 10pm to ensure we meet a deadline for a client, our families welcome us home with open arms. Our family members have also become a part of our employee friendships.  We have nicknames for each other’s spouses, we know what’s going on in their lives and we see them as part of the Merge Family.

Bottom Line: Even though 2009 has been a tough year for everyone, we can all take time these holidays to look for things to be thankful for.

1. Start Blogging
If you already have a blog set up, great! If you don’t, what are you waiting for? There are several free blog sites available including WordPress and Blogger by Google. Once you set up your account you can begin blogging immediately.

2. Include Pictures
Pictures draw in your audience and keep them interested. Try using Flickr or Google Images to search for the main theme(s) of your blog post and see what images turn up. Here is a recent example from Merge’s Blog. If you are posting pictures that belong to someone else, make sure the copyright allows it and if so, be sure to give them the proper credit.

3. Human Voice – Be Personable
You are the expert and people come to your blog to learn. Don’t intimidate your audience by using corporate speak. Relate to your audience and show them your true personality and they’ll keep coming back for more.

4. Unique Topics
Keep your audience in mind and use unique topics. The more mainstream your topic, the less likely new followers will be able to find your blog in the mass results of the search engines.

5. Add Value
Don’t be selfish with your blog. It is not purely a marketing tool, it is a chance for you to share your knowledge and provide value. You are an expert in your field and you should not view your readers as competitors.

6. Review of Products Relative to your industry
Review products and your blogs will be more easily found in search engines and provide you credibility for reviewing industry related goods. However, be careful about reviewing local products or services—in the days of social media, blogs can be posted and distributed easily through social media networks like twitter and Facebook. National product reviews, good; local product reviews, beware.

7. Link to Resources
Linking to outside resources indicate that you've done your homework and you're sourcing another expert--which gives you additional credibility. Also, if you provide links to other resources you increase the chance that they will return the favor and link to your blog. Give and you shall receive. When linking to other web sites, be sure to have your link open in a new window or tab. Having links open in the same window is a guarantee that your reader is done reading your blog and might miss out on valuable information.

8. Final Question or Final Thought
A blog is more about a conversation than a soliloquy. A conversations can be had by encouraging the reader to leave comments. Utilizing a final question or final thought is a great way to summarize your topic or theme and also to spur reader comments. Anything that challenges a reader to think is a great way to prompt comments.

9. Make it easy to comment
Almost any blog has the ability for readers to leave a comment, but sometimes it's not so easy to find. For instance, in Merge's redesigned web site (coming soon), we will display a much more prominent comment button. Also Make it a priority to respond to your readers comments. Keep the conversation going!

10. Get the Company to Blog – Not Just One Person
Incorporate several employees into your blog and have them post regularly. This will give your readers an even more comprehensive view of your company culture and your company’s range of expertise. A great example of this is Brains on Fire.

11. Be Consistent – Blog Often
Once you start your blog, block out time on your calendar at least 1-2 times a week to write and post new blogs. Nothing bugs a reader more than to find a blog that they like but is only updated once or twice a month. If you allow too much time in between posts, your readers will forget about you and find other blogs to follow.

12. Track Traffic
Use a tool to track your traffic. Merge’s tracker of choice is FeedBurner which makes it easy for your readers to subscribe to your blog. Be sure to check your subscribers often in order to better understand who your audience is which will should be reflected in your topics.

Now it's your turn: What blogging best practice do you think could be added to the list?

The current state of the economy has forced all of us to think of new and better ways to provide value to our customers. Here are 6 ways that Merge adds value to our clients, prospects, and strangers – for minimal cost or free!

Blog

Blog. Blog. And blog some more. On average, Merge blogs approximately 1-3 times a week.

The Contest:

Short version: Get a free shirt, take an interesting picture, possibly win
a prize.