Spindustry Blog

Michael Bird

Michael Bird is President and a co-founder at Spindustry Digital. Michael’s high level of engagement and enthusiasm in solving business problems is felt by clients and team members alike. He instinctively works well in all team environments and he bridges the gap between business and the marketing and technology solutions we provide. Michael develops creative, strategic ideas for client’s marketing programs, including those for Iowa Economic Development Authority, Brownells and Kuder. Michael was an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Finalist in 2000, Technology Association of Iowa IT Leader in the Community in 2002 and is a member of the Business Record’s 40 under 40 class. Michael has a BA in Marketing and Computer Information Systems from the University of Colorado.
Find me on:

Recent Posts

Twitter for Business

Posted by Michael Bird on December 17, 2013

Many executives ask us if Twitter has a place in their business. As with most tools and strategies, one size does not fit all. It is easy to get cynical about a channel primarily used by celebrities (and worse, teenage non-celebrities) to vent or share trivial life details. If you can look deeper, you will find Twitter is what you make of it by who you follow and how you use it. Here are a few ideas to help your business make the most of Twitter.

Read More

Topics: twitter, social media

Iowa Tourism Conference Recap

Posted by Michael Bird on October 24, 2013

Last week, a few of us from Spindustry Digital attended the Iowa Tourism Conference (#iatourism) in Waterloo (@WaterlooIowa). We built the site for Travel Iowa, so it was a great chance to see how their team interacts with the tourism and destination marketing professionals around the state who are learning how digital marketing is changing their world.

First, it was interesting just how much of the program centered on digital marketing.

Read More

Topics: marketing strategy, social media

Happy 17th!

Posted by Michael Bird on October 2, 2013

Spindustry is celebrating its 17th year in business this October. Not the most popular anniversary or birthday. Many wedding anniversary sites have no suggested gift for the "big 1-7" if that is any indication. Regarding 17th birthdays, you’re stuck between just getting your driver’s license and officially being classified as an adult. We have joked in the office, as we hear the Midwestern chirp of the locust / cicada outside, who emerge every 17 years, that we have reached our cicada anniversary; still not helping…

Read More

Topics: about spindustry

Innovation

Posted by Michael Bird on August 28, 2013

Innovation is a big concept and sometimes hard to define; sometimes a “you know it when you see it” type situation and others when you didn’t even know it happened. Does innovation occur when a crazy inventor first dreams up the impossible or when the use of it becomes ubiquitous? As an example, you notice it to be odder that someone does NOT have a cell phone than those that do. Either way, innovation happens and it drives us forward.

Is Spindustry Digital an innovative company? In a way, we use modern programming languages, social media channels, mobile technology and other tools to implement the dreams of our clients; but we didn’t create those programming languages or marketing techniques. But again, as stated above, does innovation truly happen when some unique tool is developed or when someone figures out a great way to apply it? I think the answer is both.

Read More

Topics: technology, about spindustry

Connect

Posted by Michael Bird on August 6, 2013

In 2012, Spindustry updated its brand. We went from Interactive to Digital. We went from
a web firm to a creative agency. We went from ideas, technology and success to create, design and connect.
To be honest, there are words and parts of the past and present I prefer over the other but there is one part of the new brand that, for me, embodies our direction best. Connect.

Read More

Topics: about spindustry

Seinfeld 2.0 Would be Different

Posted by Michael Bird on July 20, 2012

Read More

Topics: technology

Pondering Our First 15 Years and the Next

Posted by Michael Bird on April 13, 2011

Spindustry started in 1996 and spent a good deal of time building offline applications.  In those first few years, the web was starting to become recognized, not as the default platform, but a real contender.  We had a lot of discussions in those years about if you needed a website, if the website would have a real business impact, and how companies would use this new channel to communicate to their audience more directly.

Read More

Topics: about spindustry