Creative Use of CARES Funding For COVID-19 Economic Recovery

ShopLocalVGA.com, the online marketplace for Virginia's Growth Alliance economic development region, has provided the platform for five Matching Gift Card Program sales that have gotten $2,706,000 to date into the hands of 266 small business owners and 7,620 shoppers in two rural Virginia counties over the past several months.

Halifax, Virginia, based web and marketing strategy firm Glerin Business Resources originally developed the site in 2014 and expanded it pro bono during COVID to include gift card capability after Tina Morgan, Tourism Director for Mecklenburg County, inquired about running a matching program through the site.

My father was blind, which makes the topic of disabled access dear to my heart.

As a kid, I had to learn not to do things like leave things in the floor for him to trip on, so I'm naturally more aware of the ramifications of limited access and how much sighted people take for granted.

Have you ever stopped to think about what it would be like to not be able to see a website, though, or use a mouse to navigate a site? Or what you have on your site that could, in effect, trip someone up?

About 8 million people in the US are blind or have a significant vision impairment, making it difficult or impossible for them to see your site. Another 20 million people have difficulty lifting or grasping, which can affect their ability to use a mouse or keyboard to navigate.

Recently I had a feature about accessible websites in Collective Hub magazine, which is sold in print in 37 countries and digitally worldwide.

Welcome to The Ave!

Vineland Downtown Improvement District in the city of Vineland, New Jersey, held their brand launch party on October 20 with over 300 excited people attending. In my 20 years of being in this business, Vineland is one of the most involved, positive communities we've ever worked with.

The number of volunteers involved is inspiring and they range in age from youth to retirees. They understand that the city is theirs, and they're not just waiting for change to happen. They're making things happen!

If you're like most people, you started out that new website project feeling excited and optimistic.

You couldn't wait to see your shiny new site! Sadly, that feeling often starts to wear off and you're left feeling somewhere on the spectrum between feeling ripped off by the designer you hired and wishing you had known how much work was involved on your side.

Marketing Automation isn't just for the big guys any more; businesses of all sizes are using it to communicate more personally with their customers. But many clients are confused about what automated marketing actually is, and we want to give you a better understanding. Though email marketing is often referred to as automated marketing, it's really just a part of a true automated marketing system.