One of my favorite customers, Sleigh Bells Christmas & Gifts, is having a HUGE sale starting this Thursday, with at least 20% off STOREWIDE, and 50-75% off clearance. If you're in the area, be sure and stop by! Click here for details.
I've known Bruce, owner and founder of Phillips Basement Waterproofing, for a number of years, but until he started having problems with his website hosting company, we never really talked business. But once he asked me to help him out, I was more than happy to take his dated website and create a new one with a fresh look and feel and content that really showed everything his company had to offer.
Bruce started his business in 1989 and has been doing business in Columbus, and throughout the state, for over 30 years. Bruce and his team take great pride in their excellent customer service. I was surprised to see that, despite the fact that he never asks customers to write reviews of his company, how many nice ones I found on Angie's List, the Better Business Bureau and other places on-line. I just had to work some of those kind words into his site so that all his potential customers could see what an outstanding company he has built. Welcome, Bruce! More information about Phillips Basement Waterproofing can be found at www.PhillipsBasementWaterproofing.com. ![]() After 10 years, Jan and I agreed that her website needed a fresh new look. It's still fun, whimsical and simple to navigate, but it fits the times, and her shop, just a little bit better. We've added more information about the Studio, the history of PIzazz, and of course, lots of great new lines that she now carries in her shop. If you haven't been to Pizazz Studio lately, you've got to see all of her new offerings. She has something for EVERYONE on your gift giving list. Our inboxes are getting longer and longer. Our mobile phones are ringing and beeping. We have information coming from TV, newspapers, websites, twitter, Facebook and more sources every day. As amazing and convenient it seems to having all this information readily available, how much of it can we really take in and process at once?
As a digital marketer, our message could easily slip past the attention of it's intended audience, which makes it that much more important to have visually pleasing and useful content. Take the popularity of Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest - all indicators that consumers want and gravitate towards more visual content. Research from Hubspot shows that photos generate 53% more likes than the average Facebook post and 104% more comments. Bottom line ... more and better visuals in your posts that express emotion. And don't forget to link those images to relevant content where you want your customers to land. ![]() After learning of this clever little tool this morning, I immediately put it in to action and created this image for one of my customer's website. Just upload a screenshot of the app you want to showcase, and PlaceIt puts it on the laptop, tablet or smart phone of your choice. If you don't mind their logo on the bottom of the image, it's free. Otherwise the prices range from $5 and up per image, depending on the size and intended commercial use. https://placeit.net ![]() I've just completed the holiday calendar for one of my very first clients, Pizazz Studio, and it's hot off the press. We have been producing this calendar for 5 years now, and it has become a tradition at Pizazz. Not only do they have amazing sales and special events almost every day through Christmas, but everyone especially looks forward to their "12 Days of Christmas Sale." Check it out and "Shop Small" this holiday season! ![]() When an old friend and colleague, Kelly McLendon, told me he had been nominated for President Elect of the American Health Information Management Association and asked me to to create a website for him, I said "of course!" The election is in September so we didn't have much time. But within a few weeks, we came up with a marketing plan that included a simple website, flyer, email marketing template, twitter account, Linkedin updates and a print ad. Good luck, Kelly! You are definitely THE Choice! After a successful launch to their new website, Rich and Wrenda, owner of Sleigh Bells Christmas & Gifts in Walton, KY, decided they wanted to start sending out monthly newsletters to all of their loyal customers. They had been collecting email addresses from all of their customers that were interested in their "future newsletters" and were happy to find out that they had already collected over 500 customer emails for their first publication.
We worked together to keep the newsletter simple, while concentrating on just four topics: 1) "Product Spotlight" to let their customers know all about a particular product line that they love and think their customers will love too, 2) "Upcoming Events" - they wanted their customers to hear about all the wonderful events they hold throughout the year, from their "Candy Cottage" making events for children, to their HUGE Christmas in July sale, 3) "What's New" - Sleigh Bells is not just a Christmas store, and they like to remind their customers of any new lines or merchandise specific for the current time of year that has arrived - from their new outdoor barbecue line to their Fourth of July decor, and 4) they wanted to highlight one of their many "Customer Services" they provide, from Gift Wrap to Personalization. I think they were happy with the First Edition, which received an unbelievable open rate of 48%, compared to the retail industry average of less than 20%, and a higher than average click rate as well. ![]() Rich and Wrenda's dream of opening a Christmas store became a reality in the fall of 2012. Now they have a new website to go with it! It was a pleasure working with Rich on the design of his website and I wish them both the best of luck! Not only do they offer fabulous Christmas decor, but they offer an amazing selection of beautiful and personalized gifts for any occasion If you live in the Greater Cincinnati Tri-State area, or plan to pass through, please stop by their adorable shop. More information and directions can be found at www.sleighbellschristmas.com. |