Insights
News and best practices from our pros
Stay up-to-date on the latest digital news, trends, and resources. Each month, we will offer valuable insights and tools to our online community that focus on digital experiences, digital marketing, ecommerce, and support.
Top Oktoberfest Celebrations in Wisconsin
Looking for a way to celebrate Oktoberfest and enjoy a little good cheer and gemütlichkeit? Here are five of our favorite harvest-time celebrations in Milwaukee and beyond.
Building Your Brand through Customer Service
PODCAST EP: 10 — Today in the final episode of season one, Nora and Andy are talking all things customer service, and how small choices you make can have a big impact on your brand and customer loyalty.
Five 2021 Design Trends That Are Here to Stay
Some design trends are flashes-in-the-pan, others fundamentally change the way we understand how users think about and interact with the internet. Come discover five new trends that are here to stay.
Betsy Cook
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Digital Experiences -
Simplifying Ecommerce Tax Compliance featuring Avalara
PODCAST EP: 09 — Today, in episode nine, Nora chats about the ins and outs of ecommerce tax compliance, collection, and reporting with Meg Higgins, VP and GM, ecommerce and marketplaces at Avalara.
Top Myths About Web Accessibility
Web accessibility is getting a lot of buzz, but most people don't have a clear idea of what it means to their business. To help sort fact from fiction, we've debunked four of the most common misconceptions about web accessibility.
Corey Megown
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Digital Experiences -
Brick & Mortar: Bringing Retail Online with Callisters Christmas
PODCAST EP:08 — Today in episode eight, we're talking to one of our largest ecommerce success stories. Come discover how we brought this traditionally brick and mortar business online.
New Ecommerce Tool: Mailchimp's doing what?
PODCAST: BONUS EPISODE — Today we're discussing Mailchimp's new ecommerce tool and the current state (see: abundance) of tools available for businesses looking to include retail.
Spotlight on Kentico: Top Features & Use Cases
Companies considering the Kentico system are often looking for a long-term digital solutions that can grow with their business. Come discover our favorite tools and use cases that leverage the full power of the Kentico.
Staci Tischer
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Platforms -
Our 60-Minute Content Audit: An Investment in the User Experience
We've distilled our process down into a 60-minute-or-less content audit that your team can use to identify gaps to create a stronger user experience.
Kate Kallenberger, Taylor Belmer
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Maintenance & Support -
Ecommerce Design: Does User Experience Really Matter?
PODCAST EP: 07 — Today, in episode seven, we are digging deep into user design. Join hosts Andy and Nora as they welcome Lightburn's lead UX/UI designer, Caitlin Mackay.
Markets, Markets, Everywhere: Omnichannel and You
PODCAST EP: 06 — Today, in episode six, we're shifting over to marketplaces. How omnichannel markets are a key part of our plan, and why you may want to take advantage of this strategy.
Lightburn Named by Clutch as Top SEO and UX/UI Design Company
Lightburn, an award-winning digital agency located in the heart of Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward, announced today that they were named by Clutch as Top SEO and UX/UI Design Company in Wisconsin.
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Marketing Strategy: How to Beat the Competition
PODCAST EP: 05 — When you think of marketing, do your eyes light up, or do they glaze over? Today, in episode five, we'll help you understand how to get the ball rolling with your own marketing strategy. It's a big, beefy topic and we cover a lot of ground, offering real-world advice on how to move forward without getting in your own way.
Product Branding: So, What Do We Call This Thing?
PODCAST EP:04 — Today, in episode four, we'll explore the process of selecting a name for our fledgling company. That's right, it's time to drop the name, project X. We'll miss you project X. You served us well and had us feeling like mysterious super villains, but it's time to move on. We'll give you a sneak peek into how we did this with a startup mindset, that is, quickly and cost-effectively.
Save Thousands by Migrating Your Sitecore Website to Kentico
In industry reviews, both Sitecore and Kentico have an overall successful ranking in the marketplace, with Kentico outranking its competitor by just a few points in pricing, integration, deployment, and support.
Staci Tischer
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Platforms -
Product Design: OMG, Making a Consumer Product Is Sooo Hard!
PODCAST EP:03 — Today, in episode three, we've started to skim the surface of product design from folks who have exactly zero experience designing a product. Fun times. Topics include; creating a production process, managing feedback overload, sourcing product materials, and creating physical prototypes.
Microsoft and WordPress Bid Farewell to Internet Explorer
On May 19, Microsoft officially announced that it would be retiring the Internet Explorer (IE) desktop application on June 15, 2022. It will be in the best interest of organizations to transition their legacy materials sooner than later to ensure the evolution of their websites and applications are seamless into a more modern environment before integration and support disappear entirely.
Selecting an Ecommerce Platform
PODCAST EP:02 — Today we're talking about picking the right e-commerce platform for a small or medium-sized business. Topics include; the history of e-commerce platforms, common assumptions, product personalization, back-end management, and fee considerations.
SEO vs SEM: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters
Nearly every day, marketing directors, advertising planners, and agency partners are asked about the pros and cons of search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM). Commonly, business owners and sales leaders are uncertain how to define these different, yet impactful digital marketing strategies.
Taylor Belmer
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Digital Marketing -
Launching an ecommerce company
PODCAST EP:01 — Join us as our digital agency launches an ecommerce company and the challenges we — and you — are going to face along the way. This series will focus on solving the complicated minutia involved in starting a direct-to-consumer business.
Lightburn Launches Ecommerce Podcast
Lightburn, an award-winning digital agency located in the heart of Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward, announced today the release of their new podcast series, Beyond the Cart. Topics will include; Getting Started, Selecting an Ecommerce Platform, Product Development, Branding, Market Research, Customer Challenges, Overhead, Operations, Inventory, and Customer Service.
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The Power of Personalization & Marketing Automation
Content personalization and automated drip email campaigns are two marketing-automation tactics with relatively low barriers to entry. which makes them a surefire way to take your digital marketing strategy to the next level.
Upgrading Your Kentico Site: What You Need To Know
Every year, Kentico releases a major version upgrade with exciting new features, but "immediately" isn't always the best time to implement it. Here’s what you need to know before taking the leap into the next version of Kentico.
Accessible For All: An Introduction to Web Accessibility
You’ve likely heard about the ADA and website accessibility concerns. In this blog series, we'll demystify the jargon, legalese, and technical complexities surrounding web accessibility.
Nora Lahl
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Digital Experiences -
Lightburn Named a 2019 Best and Brightest Company to Work For
Lightburn was named a 2019 Best and Brightest Company to Work For in Milwaukee, an honor that reflects the ongoing personal and professional growth that forms the foundation of Lightburn’s culture.
Nora Lahl Promoted to Partner and Principal at Lightburn
Lightburn is thrilled to announce that as of January 1st, Nora Lahl is a partner at Lightburn.
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5 Milwaukee Nonprofits That Need Your Help
If you're looking to get more involved with the community in 2019, we're here to help! Here's a list of five non-profits in Milwaukee that are always on the lookout for volunteers.
Not Your Boss’s Office: 8 Spots to Work Remotely in Milwaukee
As a big fan of taking things off-campus and working remote a few hours a week, I’ve compiled eight spots in the Milwaukee area that are ideal for setting up shop and getting down to business.
Kate Kallenberger
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Digital Experiences -
8 Clever 404 Error Pages We Love
404 error pages are a great opportunity to show off a website’s personality while also offering help to potentially confused or lost users. Here are a few 404 pages we love.
Improve Lead Form Conversions With Click Maps
With click maps, you can track users' activities on your website, see what elements they're clicking on, and gain other valuable insights that can be put toward improving your lead conversions.
Three Things We Love About The Kentico-Salesforce Integration
By leveraging the integration between Kentico and Salesforce, you're able to close the gap between sales and marketing, allowing your team to increase productivity and create a more meaningful connection with your users.
Quick Guide: Kentico Email Marketing
If you're in the market for a solid email-marketing platform, look no further than Kentico. With its lead scoring, contact management, personalization, and workflow tools, it creates a robust system that will simplify your digital marketing efforts.
HubSpot CRM: What You Want (& Need) To Know
HubSpot offers a free, high-powered CRM, so no matter the size of your company or your budget, you can take your business to the next level. We’re here to provide you with an overview that will help you determine if HubSpot’s CRM is the right tool for your business.
How Understanding UX Leads to Better Design
By partnering UX and visual design at the earliest stages, you can create a website that is both visually appealing and allows users to easily accomplish their goals.
SEO Audit: Does Your Website Need One?
An SEO audit gives you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the factors that affect your website's performance in search engines, but it can also yield some valuable insights into UX, content, user behavior, and performance.
Recruiting for User Research: There's Got to Be a Better Way!
Finding users for interviews or usability tests doesn't have to be an overwhelming task. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you embark on the recruiting process.
Schema.org and Its Impact on SEO
From providing semantic context for news articles and product reviews to identifying movie clips and upcoming events, schema markup is an important component of your overall website, SEO, and marketing strategies.
Three Ways to Improve Your Ecommerce Conversion Rate
Conversion rate is one of the most important metrics for measuring performance. Here are three things you can do to lift conversion rates and improve your bottom line.
Three Ways to Improve User Experience with FullStory
FullStory gives you a look at how users are interacting with (and potentially struggling with) your website. Here are a few of our favorite ways you can use those insights to improve the user experience.
Why Your Website Needs Professional Photography
Being bland or unmemorable—among other design faux pas—is one of the worst crimes a company trying to establish its brand can commit. Here's why you need professional photos for your website.
Four Next-Level Ways to Get the Most Out of MailChimp
MailChimp is one of the most popular email marketing platforms on the market, and for good reason. Here are some tips and tricks to get to the most of the service.
So, What Are Wireframes?
Given that wireframes are such a prominent part of the UX process, it’s important to talk about their role in the larger design process. Let's learn more.
Is Shopify Right For Your Online Store?
Here’s our take on what makes Shopify such a fantastic ecommerce platform and when you may want to think about choosing a more complex platform.
5 Common Adwords Mistakes
Google AdWords and Bing are amazingly powerful digital marketing tools. Here are five common issues we’ve encountered in accounts of all budgets and sizes.
3 Ecommerce Enhancements That Could Lift Your Online Sales
Here are three simple ecommerce projects that can increase your conversion rates, improve your customer experience, and help your ecommerce business grow.
1.1 Trillion Reasons SEO is Still Important
Even as Google increases the visibility of paid ads, organic search is absolutely, 100%, without a doubt still important, and as long as organic search is important, organic search optimization remains important.
Is Page Speed All It's Cracked Up to Be?
Make no mistake, page speed is critical to a site's success from both search engine and user perspectives. However, is it the gold standard by which the performance of a site should be measured? Well, not exactly...