Working with Clients

Search Engine Marketing Chicago, Inc. assists its clients to effectively use the full spectrum of digital media to accomplish business objectives.  The company offers core competencies in project management, Internet deployment, hardware and software evaluation, digital imaging and design.  Since 1996, sem[c] has created groundbreaking web services for clients like the Chicago Board of Trade and The Bradford Exchange.  Institutions like the University of Chicago, The Heartland Alliance, the Illinois Mine Subsidence Fund and the National Futures Association have used sem[c]'s service to enhance their web presence.

Businesses and institutions of all sizes have benefited from sem[c]'s expertise in online marketing, commerce and customer service.

Effectively using the Internet is not simple.  The marketing landscape continues to change. The Web offers a huge amount of information to a great number of people.  The number of people using the Internet continues to grow.  The power to disseminate information over the Internet is also growing.  But getting noticed is of paramount importance.  A recent Wired Magazine article cites the size of the Web as 10 billion pages.  sem[c]'s facility with online technology, combined with years of experience in other corporate communication media can put that power to work for you.  sem[c] will help you get noticed.

Approach

While the Internet is certainly still an emerging technology, enough people have learned the hard way that online goals cannot be attained by the unconstrained misuse of that technology.  Many have been misled to believe that the technology itself is an answer.  sem[c] believes that as wondrous as the Internet certainly is; it is only useful when its offerings have gone through the process of good design.  Any power that the Internet might convey is accomplished through the successful delivery of information.

The design process must be as three dimensional as the Web.  Technology must be linked to information in a manner that satisfies the Internet user's need to know and the company's need to do business.  The process can and should be a win-win situation in which both sides are empowered.

You need to begin to understand the fundamental difference between the way information is distributed on the Internet and the way it moves on a printed page.  A printed page, be it direct mail, corporate brochure, newspaper or magazine, must be delivered into the hands of the intended recipient.  There is a very large cost in printing the page, identifying exactly who to place it in front of and delivering it there.  If the page is interesting enough the recipient will read it and the information delivery process will be successful. 

The Internet visitor, on the other hand, only views information that has been requested.  They must be made aware of the existence of the information, its location and if it is sufficiently interesting and useful they will come and, then, return regularly.  You cannot place information in front of the intended recipient without some degree of intent on their part.  You don't have any of the costs or risks of distributing paper.  The nature of your business determines the approach and type of media that will be effective.  sem[c] itself found that its website produced no clients but, rather, increased its load of unsolicited email to over 1000 per day.  The company's consultancy has been best grown through word-of-mouth and targeted mail campaigns.

What is interesting and useful to your website visitor?  That answer resides in the understanding that you already have of your intended audience.  sem[c] takes that understanding and translates it into your online presence.

People

Gary Sigman founded Blink in 1996 as a natural extension of his established work in corporate communications.

After graduating cum laude from the University of Michigan, Gary Sigman continued his involvement in the Ann Arbor media production arena when he was offered a position at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching. The Center was founded by Dr. Stanley Erickson to investigate the ramifications of developments in learning technology. As media producer, he authored numerous video and multimedia projects for subjects ranging from the Chinese language to interactive gaming theory. He became fluent in the SNOBOL programming language in order to teach it to English majors and wrote an interactive tutorial that guided new users through elements of the mainframe operating system.

During this period he continued to show his fine arts work in galleries in Southeastern Michigan. He, simultaneously, founded a small advertising agency, Group Four. Its success led to his subsequent decision to move to Chicago in order to concentrate his work in corporate communications.

Sigman's award winning work in photography turned toward digital with the advent of desktop publishing.  His innovative multimedia promotional package was honored by Print Magazine and led to Blink's assignment to help the Chicago Board of Trade with its first website design.

In addition to his management, media production and consulting responsibilities at Blink, Sigman taught courses in various aspects of Internet development at the University of Chicago's Graham School over a period of several years.