The Schepler Network is up and running!

I put the finishing touches on www.schepler.net today! Kirk and Sherry Scheplers website is a "dual" site, meaning it serves two businesses. Both Schepler and Stults Inc. and Cattle Inc. are accessible through one domain name and hosting account.

Schepler and Stults Incorporated was their first priority! They wanted a crisp clean site with no bells and whistles. They also wanted to have clients be able to book appointments online and post new tax law changes as they came into effect. I started by building a simple text based logo for the company. Once I had a "face" for the business I began to design the site. I gave the site the look of an accounting ledger book! Sherry provided me with the contextual information for the site and we were off and running. They have basic information available and an online contact for to communicate via email. Using a third party provider Schepler and Stults Inc customers can also book appointments with Kirk and Sherry online! They can also sign up for reminders via email so they dont miss their appointment. Its a great solution! Lastly they can update the website on their own!

Cattle Inc. came next. They wanted a place to be able to sell their cattle and calves along with other animals such as donkeys, goats, and chickens! We started by updating their existing logo and decided on a western theme. Because this site is contextually lacking I took it to the next level with the graphics. They will be able to add modify and delete any animals they have for sale all on their own! They can also be contacted directly through the website!


Basic Search Engine Optimization was added to each site and they were both submitted to the major search engines so they should start appearing soon!

I loved working on the Cattle Inc portion of the site! The graphics really came together well. It has the western tone without having the stereotypical western gear.

*MUAH*
Sarah

Marketing your website!

There is a common misconception amongst many people with regards to Web Sites and it is that as soon as you have a Web Site people will start looking at it, and therefore it will attract new business. This is not true.

My answer to this is always the same "When you get a telephone does it start ringing?". I won't insult you with the answer to that one. A Web Site is like anything else, for people to look at it they've got to know it's there first.

Spread The Word

There are a number of ways in which to let people know about your Web Site. The first and most obvious is via your current marketing efforts. Assuming you don't already do Internet Marketing (but then you probably wouldn't be reading this article) this will often include:

Business Cards
Complement Slips
Media Adverts
Invoices
Quotes
Receipts
Store Front
Company Vehicles
Facebook
MySpace

Obviously there any many other ways but you get the idea. All of the above represent an opportunity to market your Web Site address. Take every opportunity to let people know the address of your site. Once your Web Site address is in a person's head it is a doorway to any amount of information you wish to provide on the site, more information than you could ever provide through an advert, and it is viewable at that person's leisure, when they have the time and the desire to digest it.

The above methods are a start in attracting visitors to your site. There are two problems.

Firstly these methods will not generally attract business that you wouldn't have got anyway, altough your Web Site will enhance the effiency of the communication with customers which will lead to happier customers they are not necessarily customers that wouldn't have discovered you without the Web Site.

Secondly people are not as good as computers at remembering things. And a Web Site address only needs to be entered with one character wrong to not find the site. If the person remebered the address at all.

Internet Marketing

There is a better way. This should not be considered as an alternative to the above methods but as a complement to them.

When people are looking for a company to provide them with a product or service they are increasingly turning to the Internet to find it. The most popular method of finding products or services on the Internet is through a Search Engine. When someone types the name of a product or service you provide into a Search Engine it is an ideal opportunity for you to attract them as a customer.

They are interested in the Product or Service you provide right at that moment. They are not in the middle of something else or in a frame of mind where they do not want to be bothered by your advert. They are ready and willing to get more information and possibly purchase your product or service straight away.

Internet Marketing involves ensuring that when someone searches for a product or service that you provide they will find you. This is achieved through Search Engine Optimization.

Every site I design has basic SEO built in, making it easier for your website to be found amongst your competition. Don't forget this important part of your website!!

Think you don't need a Graphic Specialist.... Think again.

I hear this alot, "I don't need marketing, we live in a small town.", or "I don't need a logo or website, my business has been going strong for years without one.". Sadly this couldn't be farther from the truth. Lets cover some basic points on the advantages of having a logo, website, and cohesive marketing materials.

Logos

A logo is the "face" of your business. Think of it this way... If you didn't have a face how would people recognize you? Logos also make your business look bigger and established. Home-printed business cards or cards printed with Microsoft clipart scream "small-time vendor" to your potential clients — and that is how they will want to compensate you. 

Websites

If you don't already have a Web site, you may not know that two-thirds of all Americans regularly use the Internet for email, research, education and entertainment. Small towns are no exception. Your on Facebook right now keeping up with family, friends, and coworkers around the world! 

Ask yourself this. How many calls a day do you get fielding the same questions over and over and over again. What if you could cut those calls in half? Well a website can do just that. Simply listing your hours of operation could potentially cut one third of the time and energy it takes to field a phone call. In essence you are able to expand your customer service hours to 24/7 but you haven't even lifted a finger.

How much do you spend advertising your weekly special in a local newspaper just to have that money thrown out with Thursday's garbage? Websites can be a cost effective way to advertise new products and services at half the cost! 

By having a website you show the world that you are a viable business. Not having one makes you suspicious in the eyes of many prospects. It is silly but true: a website will enhance perceived professionalism.

Cohesive Marketing Materials

Americans spend millions of dollars every year on clothing and accessories. We all want to be seen looking "put together". Having Cohesive Marketing Materials does the same thing for your business. Your business card, letterhead, advertising materials, customer forms and website should all have a similar look and feel. This gives your business that "put together" look.

The next generation is rooted in the age of technology and only those will to expand into the 21'st century will succeed. I hope to see you all there. 

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes

“The great menace to the life of an industry is industrial self-complacency.”
Joyce Carol Oates quotes (American Author twice nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature, b.1938)


*MUAH*
Sarah