Happy Holidays from Iceberg Web Design

Everyone knows 2020 has been challenging. This year, more than any, it is so important that we hold tight to the little things that bring us moments of joy. Here at Iceberg, we decided to share some of the holiday traditions that we are keeping alive for ourselves and our families on our company slack. We hope everyone is finding ways to celebrate as we close out the year!

Our Holiday Traditions :

hattie  

Hey Iceberg Penguins,  I would like to finish the month with a small discussion. What holiday traditions are you keeping alive even through the struggles of 2020?

jessi   

I’ve been keeping the magic of the season alive for the kids – though the lack of snow does make that a bit more difficult this year. A new tradition, which I expect to carry on each year now, is hanging cheerful lights outside on the house. Also, at my house in December, elves visit in the night and leave trinkets in little bags for the kids. It’s usually a small ornament, a gadget, or a treat. And while I haven’t talked with him personally, I’m sure that Santa will be making an appearance on Christmas morning.

heather   

We have certain cookies that we make every single year. Today we are going to try to get them done. One is called come drop peppernuts. It’s a German recipe for teeny tiny little cookies. The other is for the most wonderful cookie in the world. It doesn’t really have a name, I like to call it peanut butter patties. You just take two Ritz crackers and smear some peanut butter between them. Then, you dip the little peanut butter sandwich into chocolate or chocolate almond bark. Then you set the coated cookie on wax paper until it hardens. Finally, you try not to eat all of them at once.

mariann 

Day drinking?
Seriously though, when we chatted about Christmas and what our traditions are, neither of us had anything big we could think of.  Although both of our families are big on mimosas on holidays and I did plan to buy some stuff for that.

hattie  

I have to admit that this year, it was a little harder to put up the Christmas decorations and want to do some of the normal holiday traditions, it just didn’t feel like the holidays. I’m glad that I did, and we did take time to wrap gifts and have them sent to our families. We have also frosted cookies and we are going to try a new activity and tye die some onesies for our baby and a couple of shirts for us on Christmas. Here is a picture of some of the cookies we decorated:

jessie   

Even though I struggled with putting up my indoor decorations ( just kind of seemed like there was no point in it, although, I did manage to do it) I always, always decorate outside! Even this year, I did not hesitate even a little bit! I love to send joy to passersby, by decorating the house and yard.

shane 

Last-minute Christmas shopping, we put up a real tree and are having Christmas on Christmas Eve with one side of the family and Christmas Day with the other side although mostly virtual this year.

kari   

Usually, we light advent candles starting on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and adding one candle each week. We also have a song we sing and we add on one verse to it each week. It is my favorite family tradition. I measure how many family dinners we have in the month by how small the candles get. This year we have been in a time warp. Every day is the same and time is moving in super speed so it is very hard to figure out what day or month it is. With everything going on we didn’t get the Christmas decorations out until the fourth Sunday had actually passed, but I’ve decided that since this is a favorite tradition we are going to have one nice meal where we do a speeded-up version of the candle lighting and song. It seems fitting for this crazy year.

heather

That was a great idea! And it was so fun to hear everyone’s traditions. I might have to join Mariann’s family for Christmas. Day drinking lol! Seriously, all of them were so heartwarming.

mariann 

LOL yeah Alex’s god mom makes the best mimosas with Tequila and Champagne!

hattie  

great holiday traditions all around!

Let’s talk in 2021

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Most people would agree that 2020 has been a year, unlike any other. There have been a lot of ups and downs. The good news is that means there have been some ups. Those ups are the focus of today’s post as we look at what us here at Iceberg are thankful for.

We are sharing a conversation from our Company Slack about what we are each thankful for.

heather   

This is a little last minute, but is there ever a deadline on thankfulness? In this year of ups and downs, I would like to write a short post about what we are thankful for here at Iceberg. Could everyone share a few things? Thank you!

jessie   

I am thankful we are in an industry that we are able to work from home. 

heather    

Me too! What else? Ted’s got to be on that list. 

jessie 

I am VERY thankful for Ted, and that he is feeling better, I am thankful for my family and my home and for Charlie! I am thankful my mom is feeling better.

hattie  

It’s been a weird year to move to a new state, but I think it’s all worked out for the best. I couldn’t be happier with a new job here and my new community. Also, thankful for my growing family  Mike Gimli and new baby on the way! 

shane 

I’m thankful we are all safe and able to work effectively from home.   I’m Thankful that Lenny gets so much time with us since we are home.

jessi   

I am SUPER thankful for all of you, sticking with it and adapting to this new crazy work/life combination schedule. And for being patient with each other, as we all deal with our individual struggles during the pandemic.  And thankful that our customers have been supportive and understanding. And very thankful that people still need help with their websites.

kyle  

Company-wise, I am really thankful to work with such a cool team. I always learn a lot from you all, and you all even let me break things and learn, which is pretty fun. Also, really grateful we started EOS before the pandemic. I feel like it has really helped us be able to deal with all the changes and issues that have come up.

kari   

I am really thankful we have all stayed healthy through this! And I am very thankful for all of your grace and patience, and understanding as I work with the kid’s home distance learning.

mariann 

I’m thankful we all have been able to keep our jobs and this company running during this pandemic.
I’m thankful all of us are fortunate enough to be worrying about groceries or ordering food from restaurants this thanksgiving instead of waiting in food lines with the 50+ million Americans. I’m thankful that everyone I know who has had COVID has survived.  I’m thankful that MN is leading in vaccination planning, and our nursing home staff and residents will receive the first doses of the vaccine within 48 hours of FDA approval.

heather

I’m thankful that my family has stayed healthy so far. And I am especially grateful to work with such a fantastic team, doing what I love. There is always something to be thankful for, no matter what time of year it is or what pandemic we are living through. At Iceberg Web Design, we are especially thankful for our clients. We wish everyone a happy, healthy Thanksgiving, even if it doesn’t look like those we have celebrated in the past.

The post Thanksgiving at Iceberg 2020 appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

If you still plan to go shopping on Black Friday this year, here are some tips:

Call ahead to make sure the store you want to shop at is going to be open and what their Covid policies are. The following stores began Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving last year, but have already announced that in 2020 they will be closed on the holiday:

•         Walmart
•         Target
•         Kohl’s
•         Bed Bath & Beyond
•         Best Buy
•         Ulta

If you still feel the urge to brave the stores…

Give other shoppers (and yourself) plenty of space, bring hand sanitizer, and remember to wear your mask.

Take it easy on essential workers who are doing their best to make your shopping experience a good one.

Stores have been relatively tight-lipped about the hours they will be open on Black Friday this year since many wonder about the effects of the predicted second-wave of the novel coronavirus. Good Housekeeping’s website has a list of store hours that they keep updated as information comes in.

Business Owners

Are you a business owner who is concerned about making your bottom line this holiday season? Online sales are where it’s at! People feel safer and more comfortable shopping on their laptop in their pajamas. Start preparing now. Ensure that your e-commerce site is in top shape for Black Friday 2020.

•         Is your site intuitive and easy for customers to use? It is common for customers to leave a site altogether if the experience trying to use it is frustrating.
•         Do you have high-quality, optimized images that consumers can zoom in on?
•         Take your e-commerce site as seriously as you did when you opened your brick and mortar retail store.
•         Consider how you will get products to your customers. There are countless ways to ship your products, which will be the right one for your customers. The cheapest way isn’t always the best way (but it might be).
•         Make sure that your site is mobile responsive. Many people are using smartphones and tablets for their online shopping. Half of all, online transactions are completed on a mobile device. If your site doesn’t resize itself so that it is still easy for the customer to use, it is time for a redesign.
•         Protect your online store from cyber threats with PCI compliance and stringent security. Have an SSL certificate, a strong firewall, two-factor authentication, and a privacy policy in your website’s footer.
•         Keep the checkout process simple. Often people abandon their carts because of surprise shipping costs and time-consuming checkout.
•         Consider the importance of reviews that sell your products for you. Iceberg’s Reputation Management Services are perfect for anyone who wants to use their website to sell or advertise to customers. Call 612-440-8762 today for a free demonstration of how this service can revolutionize the way your customers see your business.

Is all this a little overwhelming?

Black Friday and the holidays will look different in 2020, but it can still be as profitable as ever. If you are a business owner whose website could use some updating, contact Iceberg Web Design today to see how easy we can make the process.

The post Black Friday 2020 Will Be Different appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

As of June 2020, 42% of the US labor force is working from home, 33% are not working, and 26% are essential service workers.[1]

Now that most of the pre-COVID-19 stigma surrounding remote working is gone, many employers and their workforce have discovered many benefits to working remotely.

According to recent surveys, with many companies deciding how to approach work from home options beyond the pandemic, working remotely is here to stay for 20% of the workforce. That is four-fold the pre-COVID-19 level of 5% of employees working from home.

How Iceberg Web Design Works Remotely

We at Iceberg Web Design continue to work remotely. In this post, we are pulling back the curtain to share some of the ups and downs we have experienced working from home. We will also share a few of the things we’ve done to overcome the challenges of working separately as a team.

At Iceberg, we have always had the option of working from home on a snow day or other such events, so the concept wasn’t a completely foreign concept to us. Still, there is a big difference between working from home for a day and working from home for months. It wouldn’t have been possible without the fantastic technology available to businesses. We have the advantage of being a tech-savvy group of people.

Technology Tips for Working Remotely!

For teams learning this new technology for the first time, there is a learning curve to be aware of. Start with the essential tools for running your business remotely and be flexible as everyone gets up to speed. And don’t be afraid to ask for help from someone who can walk you through the steps of using a new piece of software or some other tool. For that reason, finding the best way to communicate with customers and team members will likely be your number one priority in the beginning.

Our Favorite Remote Communication Tools

Zoom and Slack have become indispensable tools for keeping the lines of communication open. While we were comfortable with these modes of communication, over the past few months, we have learned to embrace them, which has enabled us to open up new ways of communicating with one another and our clients. We also use Teamwork, a project management app. This keeps us all on track and prevents anything from falling through the cracks.

We still have had to adjust to some changes in communication. It can be challenging to make sarcasm and humor translate from the spoken word to Slack messages. This is something for people to keep in mind whether they are emailing or sending a text or slack message. While not recommended in email correspondence, emojis are great for this purpose. Our team has found that they also are a way to add personality to our responses.

Also, to keep work and family life separate, it can help to turn off notifications from work when you have finished your workday.

Staying Social

Our team is a close-knit group, so to keep our connection to one another strong, we each write a morning update into Slack’s “Standuply” feature. We celebrate our wins and think about how to overcome any obstacles we encounter.

We also have a social hour every few weeks when we jump on a Zoom call and catch up. Morale needs to be aware of our need for connection. Simultaneously, less water cooler talk, because we are no longer in the office, means we have more focus and are getting more done in less time!

Flexibility at a Time When We Need It Most

One significant benefit of working remotely is the flexibility it allows us to have. This helps us to balance our professional responsibilities with the needs of our families. This has been particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic as parents help their children navigate distance learning for the first time. This balance between work and family life is one of Iceberg’s core values.

Finding that Balance Can be Tricky at First

We feel guilty when we take some time out from our workday to care for our children and pets. It can be difficult for family members to understand that even though we are home, we are still engaged in our work duties. We also feel guilty when family members return at the end of the day, and we haven’t done any household chores or meal preparation. This guilt is usually something that originates in our mind and is rarely heaped upon us by others. Employees with experience working from home in the past or who’ve had a partner work from home adjust more quickly.

It can help to have a designated workspace that you use for work only. This signals to your family—and yourself that you are on the clock. Keeping the same work schedule every day will also help you fall into a routine. Some of us use separate laptops for work and personal life.

Sometimes We Forget to Take Breaks

We can get so focused on a project that we lose track of time. Before you realize it, your shoulders and neck are tight, and your eyes are dry because you’ve been staring at your computer screen with an intensity that renders you unable to blink.

Set a timer, either on Slack through Slackbot, another app, your phone, or an analog timer. Stand up and stretch, get a drink of water, and move around for a few minutes. If you have a job where you have to sit for long periods, moving around every 30 minutes can cut your risk of death from “sitting disease.”[2] Two relatively simple apps are the Tomato Timer and Awareness.

Customer Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic

How we interact with customers has also changed in the past six months. We talk longer with them, and these conversations seem to always shift from the project at hand to non-work-related topics. This may be a side effect of customers—and us—missing the time we used to spend talking with other adults.

It’s unfortunate that for a while, at least, our customers aren’t able to meet with us in the office. Something is reassuring about the buzz of a busy office. It lets customers know that their project is backed by an entire team of website developers and digital marketing gurus. The value of that is hard to explain, but it is worth a lot.

Today and Tomorrow

Thankfully, that team still exists—more efficient than ever. Right now, we are just connected via Zoom and Slack, rather than the same office space. This has meant making some changes, even to our website. We used to encourage people to come and visit us in the office for a beer and a game of pool.

We look forward to the day when we can do that again. Until then, we are still answering the phone, offering you excellent customer service, and working to bring visibility to your business. In the future, our team would like to work part of the week from home and part of it from the office. It’s exciting to be able to tap into the benefits of both. Are you working remotely? What benefits have you discovered to work from home? What challenges have you encountered, and how can they be overcome?

We would love to talk to you about how we can help your business continue to thrive. Contact us today for marketing solutions (and a great conversation).

[1] Wong, May. “A Snapshot of a New Working-from-Home Economy.” Stanford News, 26 June 2020, news.stanford.edu/2020/06/29/snapshot-new-working-home-economy/.

[2]Chai, Carmen. “Sitting All Day at Work? Get up Every 30 Minutes to Cut Your Risk of Death.” Global News, Global News, 13 Sept. 2017, globalnews.ca/news/3740438/sitting-all-day-at-work-get-up-every-30-minutes-to-cut-your-risk-of-death/.  

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