Archive for Graphics

Four Steps Towards A Successful Marketing Campaign!

/ January 31, 2012 / No comments

Why is it that so many companies keep going back to what they know! Perhaps it’s because the unknown represents taking risks!  Let’s face it, the unknown can be a scary place…what if we fail?  On the flip side of that, what if you win and win big?

Is your company at a stand sill? Are you doing the same things over and over again with your marketing? If it’s not working for you, THEN IT’S NOT WORKING and you NEED to change something.

1. Take A Survey or Ask People You Trust!

Take a survey of your products/services and ask people what they think of: 1. the product 2. the marketing approach and ask them if they would buy your product/service. So many times, marketers are in front of the same product/services and they loose sight of the big picture. Listen to what the feedback is and try not to take offense.

2. Ask Questions to the right Audience!

So many people make it a habit to copy and paste the same thing to the different venues. For example, if you write a blog about your product/services, offer advice or ask questions. If you’re on LinkedIn, post your blog on the various groups but ask relevant questions that the specific group will relate too! I strongly encourage you to use the groups in LinkedIn. You can target the right audience and offer helpful tips or suggestions OR receive good feedback.

3. Change Your Graphics

How often do you change your graphics on your website? If you write a blog, do you add new graphics that are relevant to the blog? Research show that you have about 2 seconds to grab someone’s interest. Chances are, two seconds will be decided with a relevant graphic or a short-to the point header! Go ahead, change it up a bit and grab beautiful, relevant graphics and add headers to your graphics.

4. Think Outside the Box

This saying has probably been overused in the last 10 years, but no matter how much people use it verbally, they need to use it in action! If your marketing plan is not giving you the results you are looking for, you clearly need to change something. Have a good marketing plan in place with target dates and action items. The best people to give you good feedback are your customers- they really do know best! Try something that you’ve never tried before! Look at Best Practices by others. Although they might be from another industry, is there something you can learn from them?  Have fun with your marketing campaigns. It’s OK to incorporate some humor, just beware of the cheesy stuff… again, ask people what they think!

Have fun marketing and if you need help with your marketing, give us a call or email us info@rainandcompany.com or visit our website: http://www.rainandcompany.com

Until next time, I wish you successful marketing campaigns!

Helene

 

 

 

Category: Branding, Content, Graphics, Marketing, SEO, Social Media, Uncategorized, Web Design / Tags: , , , , ,

You CAN Have Both!

/ January 28, 2012 / No comments

Appealing & Functional – Websites

So many people settle for one or the other. They think that they need to give up beauty and appeal of a website if it’s going to be highly functional. The truth of it is… you can have both… NO- You Should HAVE Both!

Having your own business is not a cheap venture. Your website is the last place you want to “cheap up” because your website is a direct reflection of how your company operations, thinks, organizes and so much more.

What does your website say about you?

Take a hard look at your website and look at it through the eyes of a potential customer. If you cringe just a little bit, then you really need to do something about it!

Call To Action!

Give us a call! Our firm always does appealing and beautiful designs all the while making it highly functional. Our prices are affordable and in the end, you will look like a true professional on the top of your game in your market!

Call us today or send us an email info@rainandcompany.com or http://www.rainandcompany.com

Don’t settle anymore!  We also specialize in marketing for small to mid-size businesses! Let us be your marketing today and experience growth tomorrow!

Helene

 

Category: Branding, Content, Graphics, Marketing, SEO, Social Media, Uncategorized, Web Design / Tags: , , ,

How Can I Get Your Attention!!! Look at me please! LinkedIn Can Help with that!

/ January 24, 2012 / No comments

Are You Looking Yet?

Trying to get someone to notice you online is like going into a stadium during the hype of a game and screaming “Look at Me!” Just because we say “Look at Me” doesn’t mean anyone hears us!

When we drive our cars, we often see signs on the side of the road “open house” and for the most part, we never pay attention.  If I go back eight years when my husband and I we were looking for a house, we did pay attention to the “open house” signs on the road!

The same is true for marketing. If we want to be heard, we need to be in front of the right audience.  We’re not going build a vegetable stand in the middle of the mall- people don’t go to the mall to buy potatoes and squash. The flea market might be a better option.

LinkedIn Can Help with That!

Obviously, you need to be in front of the right people… seriously, you don’t to sell guns to toddlers!  Get involved with GROUPS on LinkedIn and you will be in front of the right audience!  Once we’re in front of the right audience…then what?  Glad you asked! Make your story highly visual and personable! Tell your story of how you became a business owner and who you are. Have some of your clients post referrals about you. Send your story to local news stations and newspapers… don’t just make it about selling your product/service…. let people know your story. No matter how digital we all become, nothing will ever trump the relationship card. So, what’s your story? Why should businesses or individuals choose you?

We can help you with all that and we can also make some pretty sharp, highly functional websites with SEO! http://www.rainandcompany.com

Make it a great day and live today with a purpose!
Helene

Category: Branding, Content, Graphics, Marketing, SEO, Social Media, Web Design / Tags: , , ,

The Importance of Beauty + Functionality+SEO=Successful Website

/ January 21, 2012 / 4 comments

Design beautiful, creative, SEO, functional websites in Tampa Bay, FL

Do you know that the average person will look at a website for less than two seconds? If you ranked high enough or had the right keywords and you attracted a potential customer, two seconds is not a long time. People don’t read a chapter in two seconds… what determines if they stay or leave?

1. Beauty: Are you graphics appealing and relevant to your products/services?  Do you have tag lines that can be captured in less than two seconds?

2. Functionality: Are the items positioned in a way that is easy for the ready to follow? Do you have too many functions or banners or advertising on your website? Can someone find what they want at a glance (even if it’s the product button).

3. SEO: Do you have tags on each image? Do you have nice long titles that are relevant to what you offer? Do you regularly research what keywords people are using to get to your website and are those in your meta tags?

I know, I’m asking a lot of questions for a stranger! I want your website to be all that it can be 🙂  Problem is, it can’t do it without you or someone who has the knowledge to do so. The way I see it is pretty simple. You’ve already paid to have a website and hosting and email addresses…. but that’s only half of what needs to be done. If you can’t do it, there are experts who can help! Your website should be your best seller, if it’s not, maybe it’s time to contact us!  http://www.rainandcompany.com

Until we speak again!

Helene

Category: Branding, Content, Graphics, Marketing, SEO, Social Media, Web Design / Tags: , , ,

Four Items Every Website Should Have!

/ January 17, 2012 / One comment

Four most important thing a website needsWe’ve all seen the “not so pretty” websites. There’s the highly functional but ugly websites and then there’s the “really, what were you thinking” websites out there.

As a web designer, I try to stay on the edge of the latest trends.  Here’s a list of four things every website should be mindful about and should absolutely have.

  1. Relevant Photos and Images. The goal is that you want people to read what’s on your website right? Study show that you have less than 2 seconds to entice a viewer to “want more” so if you don’t have relevant and captivating images, people won’t stay on your site.
  2. Captions that describe who you are in 10 words or less. Who are you? What do you offer? Why should I pick you? Those are all key questions that should make up the main caption on your website. Make it big and bold so that people don’t have to search.
  3. Social Media. Many people refuse to get on board with social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Blogging (just to name a few.) This is not a contest about who will give in first. Social Media is about driving traffic to your website. Times have changed and yes, Social Media has become important if you’re a business owner. Ask for help if you can’t figure it out!
  4. Blogging. If you have a website, you can drive twice as much traffic to your website if you have a blog. I’m not talking about a blog that is hosted on another server. In order to drive traffic to your website, you will need a blog with your url- example: http://www.yourwebsite.com/blog. Every time you add a blog, you add another page to your website. Although I create all my websites in HTML/CSS, I use WordPress for my blogs because they can be interactive. I can add categories, tags and photos.

If you’re in business, you should at least have all the items that I listed above. There’s a lot of competition out there, why not stand out and be the best you can be!

Make it a great day!

Helene

 

Category: Branding, Content, Graphics, Marketing, SEO, Social Media, Web Design / Tags: , , , ,

Small Businesses: Spread the Word with Social Media!

/ January 12, 2012 / No comments

Successful B2B = Word of Mouth!

Social Media and Small Businesses

Hubspot published an incredible Whitepaper entitled “Marketing Data: 100 AWESOME Marketing Stats, Charts, & Graphs.”

In my previous blog, I talk about adding the personal aspect for B2B Marketing. This graph is a good example of how effective personal opinion can be.

Don’t be afraid to use social media to get customer feedback. Of course a company will always say good things about their product(s) or service(s)… BUT when it comes from a third party, people pay more attention.

A wise person once told me “You can’t argue with experience!” That’s it right there, in a nutshell! Contact us today and let us be your marketing department!  http://www.rainandcompany.com

Have a great day!
Helene

Category: Branding, Content, Graphics, Marketing, Web Design / Tags: , , , ,

Keep It Simple in Your eBlasts! NO OVERCRAMMING ALLOWED!

/ January 7, 2012 / No comments

eNewsletterWe get them all… those e-Blasts that have the tiny font size and little images with on-going topics that have nothing to do with the company!

The clean and simple look with relevant headlines is the way to go if you want to draw attention!

If you send an e-Blast- try the following:
1. The biggest thing in your e-Blast should be a relevant image
2. Have ONE goal and one purpose pertaining your product/services
3. Offer tips, news or relevant information
4. Add links to your social media sites. (small icons please!)
5. No over-crowding allowed! Keep you images clean and captions short
6. Make it fun and entertaining- No one wants to be bothered with blah,blah,blah
7. Give them a reason to check out your website
8. Don’t be afraid to buy nice images that are relevant and grab attention

Have fun with your e-Blasts!
Helene

Category: Content, Graphics, Marketing, Web Design /
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