The award recognized the firm’s work last year in developing the Web site for an episode of the ABC television program Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that was filmed in Bigelow, Arkansas featuring Job McCully. The award was the only award of excellence in either the Internet/Commercial or Internet/Non-Commercial categories.

Smart Media Consulting was recruited by the producers of the program in 2008 to develop the Web site that was used for recruiting volunteers and donations as well as providing information about the construction schedule. The site also included a blog that detailed the progress of the build, photo galleries, and visitor comments. The site can still be viewed at http://www.thehousejackbuilt.com/extreme/.

Designed to recognize and honor statewide creative excellence in business communications, the Bronze Quill Awards are presented annually by IABC/Arkansas. Bronze Quill nominations are open to both IABC members and non-members, and entries are judged by IABC-member panels from other chapters throughout the United States. Scoring is based on a seven-point scale, and awards are presented at two levels: awards of excellence and awards of merit.

Your customers are spending more and more time online, but chances are your Web site is not their “home page.” That means they will only find your Web site when they think about what you sell and do research to find you (if you’re lucky).

To increase sales you need to make sure your customers think of you whenever they need your product or service, which means they need to be thinking about you frequently, even when they don’t need your product or service. So, what are you doing to make them think of you more frequently?

How We Can Help

There are lots of ways to use new Internet technologies to maintain good old-fashioned top-of-mind awareness much more affordably and more efficiently than ever before. From micro-blogging with Twitter, to connecting with your “fans” on Facebook, staying in touch with your customers with Email Marketing or even sharing product demos on YouTube, we have the knowledge and experience necessary to develop a customized internet marketing program just for you.

E-mail us or call us at 501-912-6153 to find out more.

Smart Media Consulting, LLC of Little Rock, Ark. recently launched a custom Web site for National Pet Insurance, Inc. that allows dog and cat owners to research and purchase pet insurance for their dogs and cats. The site, located on the Web at http://www.1npi.com features an instant online quoting engine, dynamic pet insurance policy information, instant online enrollment and a custom payment solution.

“This is by far the most ambitious project we’ve undertaken, and we’ve been very pleased with the outcome,” said Harper Grubbs, partner and creative director, of the Little Rock Web consulting firm. The project is still in progress, and the recent launch of the site represented the first phase of the project.

“We are continuing to work hand in hand with the staff of National Pet Insurance, and we plan to roll out additional functionality and enhancements in the near future,” continued Grubbs.

In addition to designing and programming the Web site, Smart Media Consulting has been retained to maintain hosting of the site, functionality upgrades, maintain site security certificates, perform search engine optimization and manage the company’s domain name registration.

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Smart Media Consulting, LLC is a privately held Web consulting and development firm located in Little Rock, Ark. Founded in 2005, Smart Media Consulting specializes in creating custom Web sites and providing online marketing services for small businesses and non-profit organizations. The firm has developed sites for such companies as the ABC television program Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Aloha Pools and Spas, Lulav Eatery, Cornerstone Clinic for Women, and the Arkansas EMT Association. For more information, visit www.SmartMediaConsulting.com.

Recent news reports indicated that Target has settled a class-action lawsuit brought by the National Foundation of the Blind (NFB) which claims that the Target.com Web site is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The reports say that Target will pay the NFB $6 million to settle the suit that alleges that Target’s Web site is subject to the regulations of the ADA. This is the second such case brought by the NFB against companies whose Web sites were inaccessible to visually impaired visitors who use reading software to navigate through Web sites.

Is your Web site ADA compliant?

This new development sends an important statement to other businesses – make your Web site compliant with the ADA and reading software used by the blind and visually impaired. Now more than ever, it’s important to make sure the blind and visually impaired are able to use your Web site with reader software widely used today. Of course, there are more than legal reasons that you should make your site standards compliant for such reading software. It just makes good business sense to make your Web site readable by the blind. Every Web site should be designed to maximize usability by ALL audiences, and that means those with visual impairments. Otherwise, your business is missing potential customers!

How to make your Web site work with reading software for the blind and visually impaired

Smart Media Consulting can work with you to make sure your site is ADA compliant and visible to the blind and visually impaired. Whether your Web site is an e-commerce shopping cart, a blog, or a static information site, we can help you bring your site in line with standards to protect you from a fate similar to Target’s and to increase your available audience and thereby help grow your business.

Contact us today to find out how we can work with you and show you how to make your Web site compliant with the ADA and other regulations that promote accessibility for the blind and visually impaired.

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Smart Media Consulting, LLC was selected to design and implement the Web site for an upcoming build of ABC’s hit TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The Little Rock Web development firm was selected by Lock and Key Productions and their selected local builder Woodhaven Homes, Inc. to create a Web site to provide information about the upcoming build and to recruit volunteers and donors to help with the project.

“We are thrilled to be part of this exciting project that will provide a brand new home to a deserving family in our area,” said Harper Grubbs, partner and Web developer of Smart Media Consulting. “This is an opportunity to make a difference in our community, and we’re proud to have been chosen to create the key communication element for this project.”

The Web site for the Greater Little Rock Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project is located at http://www.TheHouseJackBuilt.com/extreme and includes several Web 2.0 features such as a content management system, volunteer sign-up form, information about the family (once selected), news releases, visitor comments and more. During the build, the site will include a builder’s blog and photo gallery.

The Extreme Makeover: Home Edition television program features an intense one-week build that changes the life of a deserving family. Builders, individuals and volunteer groups donate their time and resources to work around the clock to build a home in less than a week. Five families in the Little Rock area are being considered to receive a life changing gift – a brand new home – and the recipient will be named soon. For more information on the project, and how you can help, please visit http://www.thehousejackbuilt.com/extreme.

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Smart Media Consulting, LLC is a privately held Web site design and development firm located in Little Rock, Ark. Founded in 2005, Smart Media Consulting specializes in creating custom Web sites and Web applications for small businesses and non-profit organizations. The firm has developed sites for such companies as Aloha Pools and Spas, Lulav Eatery, Cornerstone Clinic for Women, Advanced Insurance Group of America, and the Arkansas EMT Association. For more information, visit www.SmartMediaConsulting.com.

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” which has won back-to-back Emmy Awards as the Best Reality Program (non-competitive), is entering its 6th season on ABC. The program is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. Anthony Dominici is the executive producer; and David Goldberg is the president of Endemol USA.