Additions to the cascade Team

We recently added two members to the cascade crew. We ran them through some rigorous questioning to see if they could hang with our rowdy bunch:

Michael - Developer

Last movie you saw in the theater - Batman: Dark Knight Rises.

If you could be any superhero, who and why - Green Lantern, bad movies aside his powers would be fun since I can always think of better solutions then what's used in the stories. Granted my stories would end on page 3 and be a lot less exciting, but more efficient.

Free trip to anywhere in the world, where and why - The ISS is in low orbit if that still counts. To experience being weightless and to see earth the moon and other planets from a totally different perspective.

Ever been in a fight, if so, who started it - Nothing I'd call a fight.

Favorite restaurant in Portland - I'm a bigger fan of making food then going out for it, so I'll just go with Brew pubs.

Biggest fear - Not being in control.

What attracted you to working at cascade - Small business with people who care about what they do. I don't think I'd last very long in a world of cubes and tps reports.

Career goals - I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. But I'm enjoying what I'm doing.


Kelsey - Intern/Designer

Last movie you saw in the theater - Batman, Dark Knight

Dream aspirations as a kid – Wanted to be a pro ski racer… or a vet.

If you could be any superhero, who and why - I would be Pepper Pots, so I could hang out with Robert Downey Jr. all the time

Free trip to anywhere in the world, where and why - The ISS is in low orbit if that still counts. To experience being weightless and to see earth the moon and other planets from a totally different perspective.

Free trip to anywhere in the world, where and why – Ireland or New Zealand because I heard they are beautiful!

Ever been in a fight, if so, who started it - fights with the siblings, and they most likely started it ;)

Favorite restaurant in Portland - Grilled Cheese Bus. Yummm.

Biggest fear - Alligators

Nickname you had growing up – Pouch. No idea where it came from, but it’s stuck with my HS friends

What attracted you to working at cascade - Because we work in a train!

Career goals - I would love to further my web developing knowledge and I hope to be a front end developer soon!

LOYALTIVA: Mobile Engagement

The mobile space is one of the most innovative sectors in tech. The number of mobile savvy customers continues to grow and institutions are smartly making plans to engage with this audience through applications and platforms that provide insight into their habits and preferences.

Rojo Research, an Oregon-based market research firm that specializes in niche audience research for college and pro sports organizations, came to Cascade Web Development with an idea for fan loyalty platform that its clients could use to engage and analyze their fans. The result: Loyaltva, a mobile-focused web platform that uses QR codes to incentivize purchases and participation.

Rojo Research wanted to bridge their research expertise with the mobile space and create a fun, informative platform that brands could use to nurture relationships with their fans and garner valuable insight into their habits and preferences.

Using the next generation Evergreen CMS we were able to create an intuitive platform to manage various rewards, fan profiles and milestone prizes to track, summarize and report the behavior of fans through a designated purchase, action or event using their mobile QR code scanners.


The LOYALTIVA Experience

1. Loyaltiva client creates Rewards associated with purchases, actions or events and assigns distinct points and imagery to those Rewards.

2. A QR code is automatically generated that represents the Reward.

3. A fan, when making a purchase, action or at an event, uses their mobile QR code scanners to scan the QR code.

4. After creating a simple profile, points for that Reward are assigned to the fan.

5. The more Rewards fans scan, the more points they accrue.

6. Fans are able to use their Rewards points to redeem Milestone prizes. More Rewards points = bigger Milestone prizes.

7. All of the data associated with a Loyaltiva client - including fan demographics, Rewards and Milestone prizes are available via the platform for reporting.

The Loyaltiva platform is a robust reporting mechanism that’s easy and fun to use. Look out for Loyaltiva at a game near you.

Pinterest Tips from the Pros

How many of you have heard of Pinterest? Okay, hands down.

Now, how many of you actually know what it is and how to use it for your business?

Unfortunately, those of you who didn't raise your hand are already losing the race. Millions of companies, large and small, are flooding the site realizing Pinterest's business value. In fact, "[Pinterest is] driving more traffic to company websites and blogs than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined." ("How Pinterest is Becoming the Next Big Thing in Social Media for Business", Jason Falls, Entrepreneur.com).

We've turned to the pros at Pin Savvy Social to provide an answer to our second question, and, hopefully, help you catch up in the Pinterest race.

How to Make Pinterest Work for Your Business

Pinterest is one of the fastest growing sites in social media. It is the one place where consumers can search for and share the products they are most excited about and a necessary addition to the social media tool box of any growing company.

The unique aspect of Pinterest is that it is one of the few social media sites that is completely consumer-driven. If you look at a major brand on twitter or Facebook you will notice the brand has thousands of followers or “likes.” If you look at the growing number of companies with Pinterest accounts you will notice, in almost every case, the company is following many more Pinterest accounts than are following them back.

Pinterest is about finding the best of the best, “pinners” repin things they love and things that represent their own personal taste. They tend not to pin all of the products from one company thus giving them less of a reason to follow a brand, but there are a few ways that companies can help make sure their products have a decent pin-life:

1. Don’t pin solely your own products. Pin things to your boards that show your taste in other areas, books you enjoy, products that inspire your style. If pinners know you will be doing nothing but self-promotion there is no reason to follow you on Pinterest when they can just visit your website.

2. Create timeless boards. If you create a board of your Winter 2012 line no one will follow it in Spring 2012. Create your boards according to the types of products you produce such as “boots” or “linens.” If your fans love your shoes or the bedding you sell then they will be more likely to follow one of your boards in order to get a peek at what you are launching next.

3. Pin sparingly. No matter how fantastic your product is, if you pin every photo from your latest line at once it is going to fill up my whole Pinterest screen. Even if I LOVE your products I will not love seeing only your self-promotion. Pin three or four items at a time, wait a few hours or even a day and then pin more, giving your followers a little bit at a time.

4. Give Pinterest users a reason to follow you. Consider launching a promotion that gives your Pinterest followers a unique reason to follow you. Maybe you release your new line on Pinterest first or offer a giveaway once you reach 1000 Pinterest followers. Just like all other forms of social media, you will get out what you put in, interaction with your consumers is the key.

These suggestions are a few quick ways to become a Pinterest-friendly company and increase your likelihood of gaining followers and repins. The trick to Pinterest is not only gaining followers but keeping them, following a bit of pin-etiquette will keep your fans coming back for more.

The Pin Savvy Social team is available for individual consultation to help you effectively market to your consumers. Contact us for more information.

Train reflections: Intern out!

Hello all!  My time at cascade this summer has been a blast, but for better or worse I have moved to a remote mountain village in Western Tottori Prefecture Japan as a Coordinator for International Relations with the JET Program.  The basic rundown of my new digs is that it's my job to promote awareness and understanding among cultures.  This month I've taught the "Hokey Pokey" dance to several pre-schools, and sang "I Want it That Way" by the Backstreet Boys as a part of an English lesson in the local middle school haha!

There's a lot I miss about Portland already, and cascade is a major part of that story, so I'd like to share a few closing remarks to that end.  The post was inspired by this article.

Glamourous Lifestyle
Working at cascade was a lot of fun, but defiantly not glamourous!  But you know what?  I was totally cool with that.  For example, one of my many important intern tasks was to fetch water for use in the camper style pluming system inside the train!  Good thing I spent over $100K on my education.  Had to do some serious calculations for that one!  In all seriousness though, we all pitched in on the grunt work, because in a small business, those jobs NEED to get done.  It's either that, or spend resources in a way that won't really help the company grow.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
These all use gas, cost money, and destroy the environment.  One of my favorite parts about cascade was the genuine encouragement to find a way to get to work that didn't require any fossil fuels.  Ben's habit of kayaking to work was always good fodder for jokes with my friends about how we should be put on an episode of Portlandia lol.  I loved riding my bike to work, and even more so, I loved that everyone at the company is on the same page and tries to do the same.  Not every company uses almost 50% of their office space for bike, kayak, wakeboard, and skateboard storage!

Dream Big
One of my main interests while getting my MBA from Willamette University was entrepreneurship, and Fritz is the real deal!  Working with him was truly inspiring and I'm really excited to follow brandlive's future development.  He's got such a clear idea of the purpose and trajectory for the service that he's landed some really major clients in just the first year of operations!  A significant portion of what I did this summer was to get on board about how this service works and who it benefits and provide a sounding board for Fritz.  I also spent several weeks painting a video studio in the storage rail car.

Business = People

It's no small thing that the CEO of the company responded this way to the following question:

Nick:  "So, why do you think cascade has been doing so well for so long?"
Ben:  "We've been REALLY lucky with the people we've hired.  They have been star performers and nearly all of them stick around for a long time."

A lot of companies fall into the trap of forgetting that they only reason products or services exist is because people make them happen and other people find enough value in them to buy them.  Ben's attitude was really refreshing and really shaped the company culture in a positive way.

Mata ne, cascade!

"Mata ne" is a phrase we use in Japanese to avoid saying "goodbye," but rather "until next time."  I finally have internet in my little mountain town, so feel free to drop me a line at nick@cascadewebdev.net!

Blogs for Business: 5 Tips

For whatever business you are in, writing a blog can be beneficial for showing your current and future clients what you are all about and what value you bring to the table. A few of our clients have asked us for advice regarding their company blog, which inspired the following list of 5 tips that can help!

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Tip 1 - Determine who you want to read the blog, then write to them
Every blog needs to keep in mind who it's readers are, but for business, it is even more important to be strategic about who reads it. Is your blog for retaining current customers? Attract new customers? Once you pick that group, keep in mind that you are making the blog to give relevant information to the people whom you CARE about! It's not about you, it's about them.

Tip 2 - Pick a topic and stick with it
Keeping a consistent theme will help readers remember you as a resource for information. If they can rely on your free information to add value in their lives, they will remember you when it comes time to consulting you on whatever paid product or service you provide! The theme could be anything, as long as it has a purpose and meaning to the people you intend to read it.

Tip 3 - Write about something you like
One of our clients recently asked "How can I get my co-workers to contribute to the company blog?" and one answer is to make it fun! If the subject you have picked is entertaining for those writing posts, their enthusiasm will transfer into better and more prolific writing. It's a fine line to walk, but a successful blog both is useful to your readers and satisfying to the writers.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joelogon/866701286/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Tip 4 - Encourage reader participation
The biggest benefit of having a blog is not to distribute information, but rather the ability to engage readers directly on a given subject. It's essentially a free focus group online. The most obvious way to accomplish this is to respond to them if they comment on your post. You might also pose questions in your posts for readers to answer, or occasionally offering prizes of some sort.

Tip 5 - Tell everyone about your blog
Blogs work a lot better when they have readers. You'll have more motivation to write and readers will have more people to interact with. Getting to this point is the hard part. You have to put the link TO YOUR BLOG on every bit of promotional material you have. Tell people about it, Tweet it, post on Facebook, comment on other blogs, and/or whatever brings more traffic to your blog.

cascade's New Project Manager

After a vigorous hiring process, cascade is welcoming Chris Hammond aboard as our newest project manager!  Along with fellow project manager Kyle Bridges, they will be the Batman and Robin, the peanut butter and jelly, the Corona and lime, or whatever other great combination you can come up with to describe their dynamic dual punishment of pending projects!!

In an interview to determine the origins and psyche of this newest force at cascade, Chris has the following to say:

Last movie you saw in the theater - The opening night showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - I’m not what you’d call a Harry fanatic, but I can’t resist a good story coupled with pop culture frenzy. 

Dream aspirations as a kid - I used to participate in lots of theatre as a kid, so becoming a performer was appealing. I started to become interested in politics as I grew older, and public service was and still is something that inspires me. 

If you could be any superhero, who and why - Batman is pretty cool. He has all the material wealth you could want, but has experienced firsthand what it’s like to be hungry. He relies only on his physical abilities and tech know-how, plus he gets to fight some crazy villains that challenge him both physically and mentally. 

Free trip to anywhere in the world, where and why - I’d love the chance to bum around Kauai for a while, geologically the oldest of the Hawaiian islands and full of unparalleled beauty. 

Ever been in a fight, if so who started it - My twin brother and I have had some epic battles over the years, and I think we’re probably 50/50 as far as starting them. He’s the best person to fight with, though, because the fights are over about as quick as they start and things instantly return to normal, often to the dismay of witnesses. 

Favorite restaurant in Portland - The late Doner Kabob, creator of the delicious sandwich that tasted “like a gyro, only better”... I hope it returns. 

Biggest fear - Neglecting to let those I care for know it.

Nickname you had growing up - When my brother and I were about three years old, someone asked our names and we replied, “Jeff and Bonk”. I was Jeff. He was Bonk. I still don’t know where we came up with that... 

What attracted you to working at Cascade - I appreciated the edge, vision and simplicity of the company. Cascade prides itself on creating long-lasting relationships with its clients, which was appealing to me. These guys work hard and have vibrant lives on and off the train.   

Career goals - I’d like to get into public service someday. I also intend to be a change agent that helps small businesses, particularly in the Northwest, thrive.

How to Sign In to Multiple Google Accounts, Simultaneously

Google has been making a lot of changes lately, and change is hard. We love Google for the most part, but with new improvements come new headaches! One issue brought by the new changes that has been frustrating for us is juggling personal and business accounts. Previously, you could have multiple Google Accounts open in the same browser, however now (after accepting new terms and conditions) it is harder to use multiple Google Accounts simultaneously. Given Google's responsiveness to user feedback, I'm assuming this account consolidation is still in BETA (at least I'm hoping this is true).

We came across a good how-to-guide to fix this problem, (See Reverse Symmetry) and wanted to share it with you in our own adaptation in 5 simple steps!

Step 1 - Click on your account name in the top, right hand corner. Select "Account Settings."

Step 2 - Go to "Security," and check status of "Multiple sign-in" field. If "Off", click edit.

Step 3 - On the following screen (below) select "On" and check all boxes below. Save.

You'll notice that Google currently only allows for multiple sign in for a handful of their products. Therefore, you will still encounter some difficulties when attempting to access several Google Products (i.e. Blogger, Adwords, Analytics) that you control via different accounts. Hopefully, they will add multiple sign in to the full suite of products soon.

Step 4 - Complete steps 1-3 for all necessary accounts.

Step 5 - Now, when you want to open another Google Account: click on your account name again, then "Switch Account". You should see a drop down with your multiple accounts. Select the name of the additional account to switch from one to the other OR right click the additional account you'd like to open and select "Open in New Tab" in your browser prompt.

That should do it! According to Reverse Symmetry, Google is now completing this process for you whenever you make a second account, but should you need to do it manually, this guide should cover you! Happy tab toggling! Hopefully, Google will soon improve this process...keep hope alive.