Extra! Extra! Hot off the Presses

Marketing 101: What You Need to Know About Creating a Good Marketing Plan

Start a business and everyone will beat a path to your door, right? Wrong. You may get some decent word-of-mouth business, but that can only take you so far. If your customers don’t even know your door exists, how can they beat a path to it? This is where a good marketing plan comes into play. A good marketing plan will separate the successful companies from the failures, so read on if you don’t want the latter. Read more »

Understanding the Design Process (yes, there really is a method!)

Now I’m not talking about a method like in your kindergarten coloring book where everything labeled 1 is green, 2 is blue, and so on, I’m talking about a process beginning with a problem and ending in a solution. It’s something they teach you in design school early on, and the most successful graphic design companies and web design companies use this process. Good thing I went to class that day. Read more »

So You Need a Website Designed: Helpful Tips to Get the Most from Web Designers

Finding the right web design company can be tricky. Website design is an investment, and you need to find the best designer for the job, just as you would for your office or storefront. First, not all web designers will give you the best website for your needs. Check your web designer’s portfolio (just remember each website design is a custom solution tailored to a particular client, yours should be different), read what they are about. Do you think they can handle the complexity of your site? Is there work quality up to your standards? Do they answer their phone and email? Read more »

Search Engine Basics You Should Employ to Increase Website Traffic

Can your customers find your website? The majority of web surfers find what they are looking for through the major search engines. You may have the hottest looking website design, but if people can’t find your site, you’re losing money to the competition. On the other side, many sites which use website design poorly are also being found on major search engines. It’s questionable whether they can convert their visitors, but that’s another article. You need both, but here we focus on using the right content to get visitors to your website. Read more »

Is Your Website Design Beginning to Look Like a 80s Fashion Disaster?

Websites and the Internet are blends between real estate and fashion. It’s like real estate because the virtual world is so important these for business that you need an address and home, but because of its lower-cost of ownership, the styles get outdated like fashion trends. To add yet another twist, Internet technology is constantly changing and functionality and usability gets better all the time. What does this mean to you? Everything, if you want your website to help boost your company’s profitability. Read more »

Graphic Design and Web Design: Business Not Art

Graphic design companies and web design companies are in the business of selling design, their art, and their creativity. Well, see, they are selling art, you say to yourself. Depending how you look at it, you are correct. Consider this, art is created because an artist needed to create it. An artist has an emotional connection with the work created, and the creativity of the art illustrates this connection. Most artists create art for art’s sake, if someone buys that’s a plus, but it is not the driving force behind the art. Most people that buy this work have their own connection to the piece of art, whether it is emotional or aesthetic. Unless you’re running a museum, picture frame shop, or art gallery, I doubt Picasso or Monet will help your sales. Read more »

Email Dos and Don’ts

Is it me, or is it getting hot in here? Email has become a veritable battleground. There has always been a certain etiquette to email, but as spam and viruses are increasingly sent to your inbox, people’s comfort level in email has been on a dramatic decline. When email was first being used in marketing, the biggest problem people had, was misspelling words, obviously a huge turnoff. Although not using spellchecker, or even proofreading, is a pet peeve of mine, at least it wouldn’t carry a fine with it or get your ISP to ban you (although that should be an option). Read more »

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