Setting Up for Success with Empire Solutions
August 6, 2025
We travel where our clients need us. That’s what we did last month, heading to Nashville with our friends at Empire Solutions for Aluminum USA.
We travel where our clients need us. That’s what we did last month, heading to Nashville with our friends at Empire Solutions for Aluminum USA.
Look, we don’t play favorites with our clients, but if we did… Copper Peak would be right up there. And not just because they’re working
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization for the uninitiated, is a form of dark magic that only a chosen few marketers are able to harness. Kidding,
Delivering Impactful Results Across Industries At 8THIRTYFOUR, we pride ourselves on understanding our clients’ unique needs and delivering tailored solutions. Here’s how we’ve helped some
As a small business that supports other small businesses, we get pretty fired up when the government makes changes that have the potential to screw
As marketers, our goal is to help companies grow their business. That means using our expertise and kickass tactics to get you where you need
Welcome to another enlightening and entertaining edition of 8THIRTYFOUR musings or ravings, take your pick. We love marketing, but we have some serious pet peeves.
In marketing, design serves as both a strategic Swiss army knife and an artistic playground—and when you put it that way, it’s an unlikely pairing.
Believe it or not, we do a lot more than social media, PR, and websites. We excel at crafting kickass videos, too. We recently collaborated
Here at 8THIRTYFOUR, we have several clients in the defense industry, where the opportunities are massive but the competition is fierce. Fortunately, we’ve picked up
GovCon marketing is a game of skill, strategy, and precision. Every message you send out to a government agency has to hit its mark with
Everyone can launch a social media campaign, it’s like super easy. It just consists of some posts, maybe a few ads, throw up a story
We were originally going to write a blog about cannabis marketing today (4/20), but we don’t actually know much about the subject outside of enjoying
Would you believe we consulted Rolling Stone for this blog? We did. Everyone wants to unravel the mystery of Gen Z, totaling some 68 million
We do a bad job of celebrating our own successes and when we win for clients, it’s a win for us. We’ve had a busy
This blog isn’t about crafting the perfect email, or developing an enticing subject line, nope this blog is about the most important aspect of email
2022, you’re kind of being a d*ck. Seriously?! Bob Saget? Many of us grew up on TGIF (Thank Goodness its Friday) with Family Matters, Full
We were discussing blogs the other day, something we actually do quite often and we realized we have tackled a lot of topics this past
We live in the age of data, and it’s incredibly overwhelming, especially as a business when you’re sifting through all of it to determine how
8THIRTYFOUR’s tone is humorous, sarcastic, self-deprecating, knowledgeable without being preachy and to-the-point. If you were to look at your website right now, without any of
Last week we held our “Won’t you be our neighbor?” party with the major themes being gratitude, empathy and celebration. It was amazing to come
According to the Harvard Business Review (and endorsed by us), a complete strategy has to encompass carefully coordinated choices about the business model with the
Cool title, right? We had to tie this into Halloween somehow, it’d be a marketing miss otherwise. It’s hard for businesses to truly understand public
Hi, hello there. This is your reminder that 2022 is right around the corner and you know what that means (besides a party to send
You know that feeling when you leave a really great project kick-off, get back to your desk (or maybe, more likely) end a Zoom call,
Being an integrated communications agency means we focus on not only inbound but also outbound marketing, and print is an important part of that. Outbound
It’s been a while since we’ve set aside our sweatpants and jumped on a plane to head to an industry trade show. We’re kind of
We’re throwing lots of client love toward our friends at Cubi Market, we loved the work we did with them, and we really wanted to
Political unrest, vaccination debates, women’s rights, return-to-office…seems like a lot of topics are off-limits, and we’re all walking around on eggshells. Even the weather has
If you live in and around West Michigan, you may have noticed some bright blue locker/shipping containers pop up in Eastown or downtown Holland. Our
Changemakers, purple cows, outsiders or entrepreneurs; it doesn’t matter how you label them, they’re changing the world and succeeding despite it. One of our favorite
One of our more popular blogs (it really wasn’t) we’ve ever written was on website plugins and our recommended go-tos to improve your site’s functionality
Do you even exist if you don’t have a website? The answer is no, which is why we are writing another blog on website trends
Hi, 👋🏼 As you’ve probably noticed from our socials, we are in a new location on the NE side of Grand Rapids, known as Creston,
This is our third time writing this blog on the age-old question, “what is the difference between marketing, public relations, and advertising?” You guys sure
We shared with you our favorite stories of 2020, cause we all needed to remember that 2020 wasn’t ALL bad. We did some really cool
Nothing says holidays like a raging hangover. Since 2020 has been…a year, we wanted to help you along in your journey to a horrible next
We recently had Josh Byler on the Happy Hour Hustle podcast. For those of you that don’t know, Josh is married to Kim. If you
Sick of PJs and a messy bun being your workday attire? Just because we aren’t heading to an office every day doesn’t mean you can’t
Digital speak often sounds like a foreign language. Sometimes we’re not even sure what we’re talking about. To help you better wrap your brain around
We love to write. The two blogs a week and countless social posts are a testament to that. We make a point to ensure the
You know the saying, “we study history to not repeat the mistakes of the past?” It’s kind of like that with market research. Communication strategies
Hey there. It’s the Gen-Zers of 8THIRTYFOUR here 👋 (don’t be too disappointed). In the past few months, we’ve seen quite a bit of speculation
We like to reminisce at the end of the year. As a team, we reflect on our wins, losses and everything in between. We wake
This blog started out being about our core value, “We are not assholes,” but we’re gonna pivot and discuss strategy. We don’t like to give
‘ello! Boss lady here. Today, I want to chat about time management and the absolute evil necessity of deadlines. Deadlines are the worst. They are
One of our favorite things to hear from companies is, “We don’t need marketing. We’re doing great.” Marketing is definitely something you should utilize as
Yeah, we know. It’s one hell of a blog title. But that’s fine, because we’re one hell of an agency. If you aren’t familiar with
Edit: This post is great, but the new version is even better. First off, if you are a college student who found this blog while
The world is a hectic place nowadays, isn’t it? It’s hard to focus on just about anything, especially anything remotely important. It seems like no
As you may know, we love to celebrate national “holidays,” even the most absurd ones. January 4th is National Trivia Day, which is a holiday
There are a few things you need to know about Veterans Day before acknowledging it publicly through your marketing channels. Anytime we can recognize the
Social media giants have had no lack of issues when it comes to political elections, but are they starting to figure it out? Are they
We get it – you’re busy, and spending time sorting through thousands of data points about your website isn’t too high on your priority list
Sales and marketing are a classic play on siblings: they’ll always be there, together, as part of the same family, but here and there they
We originally posted this blog on February 21, 2018. Things have changed since then (shocker), so we updated it on August 26, 2025. Everyone
*This article was originally published in West Michigan Woman Magazine* If there are two things that people should know about Michigan State Spartans, it is
**Contains This Is Us Spoilers The year is 2018 – a year of advancements in space exploration, peaceful protests across the country, unrest and uncertainty
One of the top questions we are asked (right after, “Where’s Jimmy?”) is, “What exactly is integrated communications?” Which is fine because we LOVE talking
The term work/life balance has been a popular topic of conversation for some time, with lots of professionals sharing their tips and tricks on their
Facebook is returning to its roots. And while this might mean a breath of fresh air for users, it will present challenges for businesses and
As 2017 comes to a close, we’ve covered the latest trends in the worlds of SEO and marketing, so it only makes sense we would
This time of year, many people are traveling. They may be on vacation or working remotely while offices clear out and get quiet. This means
Live video, stories, and captioned video have all made a splash in 2017 when it comes to reaching audiences and building brands. But, the world
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, according to most. The holidays offer up a special time for many to celebrate and experience meaningful
There’s more to Thanksgiving than going overboard on stuffing, being asked awkward questions around the dinner table, and consuming too much wine. (Hey, it happens.)
Halloween just passed and in true 8THIRTYFOUR style, the day was marked with lots of treats…and a few tricks – we like to keep things
Millennials catch a lot of flack. They’ve been blamed for killing entire industries (chain restaurants), foods (cereal), and pastimes (golf). As a millennial, I am
If you’ve been in the web world for any amount of time, you know about keywords and SEO (search engine optimization). You’ve heard of them;
Sometimes it’s really hard to stay focused, stay organized, and stay on task. When this happens, it’s hard to be productive. Don’t worry, it happens
Does the following scenario sound familiar? You craft a witty Facebook post for your business page, add a few funny emojis, giggle to yourself the
Social media accounts can be a beast to manage. The secret to staying on top of social media management is using tools that will help
Just do it. Got milk? I’m Lovin It. As you read those taglines, I bet certain brand names popped into your head. I didn’t say
Think about the last thing you read that immediately pulled you in and made you want to know more. Was it an opening line in
This spring our Digital Associate Mari Behovitz competed in the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) alongside her fellow Laker classmates. Take a look at her experience…
Public relations is much more than relating to the public. According to the Public Relations Society of America, “Public relations is a strategic communication process
A study conducted by Yahoo’s Aabaco Small Business shows that 83% of eCommerce customers never buy the stuff in their cart. (Hint: eCommerce customers = people who are
Print is by no means, dead. Print, unlike any other form of branding material offers a tactile, engaging display of your brand, that if presented
This is an old post! Check out our updated one here. Graphic design and public relations are often thought of as two separate disciplines, independent
Disclaimer: This blog is not about employee advocacy. While that’s still very important, we are focusing on personal online brands, and why you and your employer should equally
We’ve heard the terms unnecessary, irrelevant and wasteful used to describe the online marketing from a manufacturing business perspective. We’ve heard claims that ‘my customers don’t look
Failure Sucks Failure can really suck. It’s embarrassing. It derails your confidence. It can be held over your head for months to come. But when
As an integrated marketing firm, we handle anything and everything, from marketing and PR, to design, website development, SEO and event management. Our clients engage
Do you expect your business developers to do marketing? Do you expect your marketers to generate leads? If so, this decision could be wasting money
With growth comes hiring, with new hires comes lots and lots of interviews. How do you stand out from the crowd? How do you leave
We are excited to announce 834’s newest employee, Leigh Rapaport! Leigh is stepping in as project manager and will be working with a number of
A communication strategy really does serve a purpose, it isn’t just something you read once and set on a shelf. It should be your roadmap
Clients often come to us with rebranding requests of all shapes and sizes. It’s rare, however, to find anyone outside the industry with an in-depth understanding
Unless you live your life under a very large boulder (possibly a mountain), you have inevitably heard something about Pokémon GO, the viral mobile game
Over the past few years Millennials have gotten a bad rap when it comes to making their way into the workplace. They’re “entitled”, corrupted by
View the updated 2019 version of Marketing vs Advertising vs Public Relations. At 834 | Integrated Communications, clients rely on our ability to provide
It’s Thursday, so we are throwing it back a year and rebirthing one of our most famous blogs, Life on the Interwebs: Creating Digital Relationships.
‘Less is more’ is a little cliché, but for the sake of argument, we aren’t going to reinvent the wheel. It’s a concept that applies
At #Team834, we’re usually on our second pot of coffee by 9 a.m. Dark chocolate brownies take the edge off of the “didn’t have time
As marketers, advertisers and public relations practitioners, we are constantly building strategy around messaging. How to send the right message to a consumer, how to
Watch two of our amazing clients on ABC’s Shark Tank! Shefit, the ultimate sports bra, and R. Riveter, American made handbags, will pitch their products in
Everyone always asks us, what is integrated communications? What do you mean 834 is an “integrated communication firm”? Here is the deal. A long time
Some call it the proven method for the digital age, we call it’ The measurable’. All of us refer to it as, Inbound Marketing. So
Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, networking is a necessary evil, unless of course you work in a cave and are required to
Whether you are creating or maintaining your brand image there are certain “rules” to follow to ensure the success of your brand. Patience: Consumers do
Social media, how much time can it really take? A post here and there to Facebook, a tweet a day. Easy peasy…right? We tell our
The team at 834, worked on a logo, website and set-up of social media networks for a newly formed marketing organization called the Vignette Group.