The company’s WordPress website hadn’t been updated in a number of years and some modules had become  unusable, providing the owners with motivation for an overhaul. Adding to the site’s senior age was an inflexible visual design and poor navigation, as well as a lack of analytics for tracking site success. Goals for improvement included:

• Providing visuals that would draw visitors to wine country
• Improving contact information accessibility
• Adding a reservations system
• Adding in numerous photo galleries
• Providing back-end [popover title=”Analytics” title_bg_color=”” content=”Analytics software provides feedback data on site performance. This can be anything from visitor count to traffic flow, e-commerce conversion, demographics and the source from which a visitor came to the site.” content_bg_color=”” bordercolor=”” textcolor=”” trigger=”click” placement=”” class=”” id=””]analytics[/popover]

Solutions

• Crafted a compelling visual story using the client’s images of wine country
• Created WordPress site with [popover title=”Responsive Design” title_bg_color=”” content=”Site design that responds to the size of the viewer’s window screen: Site features rearrange and resize on screen to fit the desktop, tablet or phone size being used. Older websites did not offer this feature and required manual zooming in and out to read the text or navigate pages.” content_bg_color=”” bordercolor=”” textcolor=”” trigger=”click” placement=”” class=”” id=””]responsive design[/popover] theme
• Improved accessibility to contact information and service reservations
• Created several photo galleries of the client’s touring service locations
• Installed Google Analytics to track all site traffic

Results

This up-to-date site has garnered many ways to view content from desktop to mobile platforms. With the added flexibility it is much easier to make a reservation or contact the owners, regardless of viewing platform. Finally, site analytics show site traffic steadily climbing in search results.

eNewsletters remain one of the most successful communication tools with fans and customers. For those with products to sell, e-newsletters continue to garner the highest open rates and click through rates to generate engagement and sales. Shown above are but a few of the e-newsletters I manage for clients.

Of greatest advantage, e-newsletters provide immediate feedback regarding success. Analytics provide valuable data on which items were of greatest interest to recipients. And the ability to A/B split test allows business owners to truly fine tune what keywords, subject lines and products resonate most strongly with recipients.

Last, but not least, depending upon the size of your emailing list, e-newsletters can produce dramatic results on a shoe-string budget. No printing costs, no envelopes, no postage and no 2+ week wait time for results. If you’ve ever wondered if and when to jump into contacting your customer base via e-newsletter, wait no longer! Your customers are waiting to hear from you!

One of the trickiest brochures to design is the one that represents everything for the company.  It represents the brand and all product lines. Chief among the challenges is choosing which products to showcase in the artwork. Print brochures represent a mere snapshot in time these days. It’s tempting to treat it like a catalog. But in doing so, the essence of the company would be lost. This effort represented a marriage of branding while highlighting only a few of the company’s core product lines.

BROCHURE DESIGN Sometimes making a client’s products look extra special takes extra special work in Photoshop. While the foodstuffs were photographed in the basket, it wasn’t on the table. And the tablecloth color didn’t match, nor was the table even in the room shown here. The flooring and rug were added as was all the special lighting to tie it together. …But it did sell a lot of bronze-colored baskets!

Metal baskets rarely ellicit the same emotional reaction as photos of cute kitties and adorable puppies. But a client needs as strong an emotional reaction to their products that images of baby animals generate. We provided the client with a complete backstory and set styling instructions for this closet before their photoshoot so that the finished ad and brochure would turn heads. …And they did!

TRADITIONAL PRINT ADVERTISING Despite the success of various onlne marketing tools, traditional print venues, such as newspaper, magazine and postcard ads remain strong producers of new business. Ad design services include sourcing appropriate photography or illustrations, copywriting and overall creative direction to differentiate you from the competition. This client was specifically targeting restaurants for their payroll service.

Challenges in marketing and design include creating eye-catching artwork for businesses that don’t have inherently visual products or services. This client supplemented a traditional print ad campaign with a postcard mailing, reinforcing the message.

The parent organization’s website was considerably out-of-date, with an inflexible visual design and poor navigation, as well as lacking analytics for tracking site success. The chapter chose to craft their own site. Goals included:

• Employ [popover title=”Responsive Design” title_bg_color=”” content=”Site design that responds to the size of the viewer’s window screen: Site features rearrange and resize on screen to fit the desktop, tablet or phone size being used. Older websites did not offer this feature and required manual zooming in and out to read the text or navigate pages.” content_bg_color=”” bordercolor=”” textcolor=”” trigger=”click” placement=”” class=”” id=””]Responsive Design[/popover] for ease of use on all platforms
• Provide back-end [popover title=”Analytics” title_bg_color=”” content=”Analytics software provides feedback data on site performance. This can be anything from visitor count to traffic flow, e-commerce conversion, demographics and the source from which a visitor came to the site.” content_bg_color=”” bordercolor=”” textcolor=”” trigger=”click” placement=”” class=”” id=””]analytics[/popover]
• Improve the user experience with an up-to-date event calendar
• Merge the existing blog and add multiple content pages

Solutions

• Created WordPress site with [popover title=”Responsive Design” title_bg_color=”” content=”Site design that responds to the size of the viewer’s window screen: Site features rearrange and resize on screen to fit the desktop, tablet or phone size being used. Older websites did not offer this feature and required manual zooming in and out to read the text or navigate pages.” content_bg_color=”” bordercolor=”” textcolor=”” trigger=”click” placement=”” class=”” id=””]responsive design[/popover] theme
• Transferred their blog to new site and added many content pages
• Installed Google Analytics to track all site traffic
• Improved the user navigation along with installing a new event calender module

Results

One of the best features of this new site is that it is constantly evolving today due to ease-of-use. New pages and posts are regularly added; existing content pages are adjusted as needed. And site analytics have proven invaluable in showing how site visitors use navigation and content, directing how improvements are made.

While the existing website was functioning okay, it could not be updated. And the company’s owner wished to update her site with new information, staff enhancements and give it a more modern appearance. Goals included:

• Ability to easily update now and in the future
• Incorporate artwork and copy from the current traditional ad campaigns
• Add client testimonials
• Maintain a high-level of site security

Solutions

• Created WordPress site with [popover title=”Responsive Design” title_bg_color=”” content=”Site design that responds to the size of the viewer’s window screen: Site features rearrange and resize on screen to fit the desktop, tablet or phone size being used. Older websites did not offer this feature and required manual zooming in and out to read the text or navigate pages.” content_bg_color=”” bordercolor=”” textcolor=”” trigger=”click” placement=”” class=”” id=””]responsive design[/popover] theme
• Updated site with new artwork, content and can be updated by anyone in the future
• Assessed site security requirements thoroughly prior to implementation ensuring site will remain protected.

Results

An interesting challenge in developing this site was crafting a story from the new photos used on the home page slider. Each image captured the potential pitfalls of accounting. And the trick was to convey The Payroll Factory could resolve any problems — not be stuck in them. It all worked out. The client said,  “I love my website so much. Thanks so much!!”

This site (still under construction) makes a good example of design on a budget. Goals included:

• Inexpensive site hosting and design
• Showcase the owner’s many client testimonials
• Focus on the business’ primary services and brands
• Establish a professional brand identity

Solutions

• Created WordPress site with [popover title=”Responsive Design” title_bg_color=”” content=”Site design that responds to the size of the viewer’s window screen: Site features rearrange and resize on screen to fit the desktop, tablet or phone size being used. Older websites did not offer this feature and required manual zooming in and out to read the text or navigate pages.” content_bg_color=”” bordercolor=”” textcolor=”” trigger=”click” placement=”” class=”” id=””]responsive design[/popover] theme.
• To reduce costs, a free WordPress theme was incorporated while the client chose an inexpensive site host.
• Design was established with minimal bells and whistles so the client could make his own changes.

Results

What is “design on a budget”? Depends upon the client. In this case, the client was just going out on his own having worked for an appliance repair service for years. Since there was no collection of images taken over years of appliance repair, we improved the site with free images and shots I could quickly take. Not perfect! But appliance don’t have super model looks either. Stay tuned for more when the site is finished!

The company’s old site was out-of-date, un-updatable and did not reflect their current construction portfolio. Goals for updating included:

• Craft an up-to-date website including all their recent construction project photos and case studies
• Highlight new services not mentioned on the old site
• Create calls-to-action throughout the site
• Simplify the process of choosing a contractor
• Employ [popover title=”Responsive Design” title_bg_color=”” content=”Site design that responds to the size of the viewer’s window screen: Site features rearrange and resize on screen to fit the desktop, tablet or phone size being used. Older websites did not offer this feature and required manual zooming in and out to read the text or navigate pages.” content_bg_color=”” bordercolor=”” textcolor=”” trigger=”click” placement=”” class=”” id=””]Responsive Design[/popover] for ease of use on all platforms
• Provide back-end [popover title=”Analytics” title_bg_color=”” content=”Analytics software provides feedback data on site performance. This can be anything from visitor count to traffic flow, e-commerce conversion, demographics and the source from which a visitor came to the site.” content_bg_color=”” bordercolor=”” textcolor=”” trigger=”click” placement=”” class=”” id=””]analytics[/popover]

Solutions

• Created WordPress site with a premium [popover title=”Responsive Design” title_bg_color=”” content=”Site design that responds to the size of the viewer’s window screen: Site features rearrange and resize on screen to fit the desktop, tablet or phone size being used. Older websites did not offer this feature and required manual zooming in and out to read the text or navigate pages.” content_bg_color=”” bordercolor=”” textcolor=”” trigger=”click” placement=”” class=”” id=””]responsive design[/popover] theme
• Selected the portfolio images that showcased the client’s diversity of projects
• Crafted series of case studies to demonstrate client’s abilities and results

Results

The client now has a showcase of his current work which can be updated at any time. Over the past several months we have supplemented the portfolio with new case studies and client testimonials. Reports the client, “We are so pleased with your services. Great job!!!”