Wieting Design

Should I Use Theme Website Or A Custom Designed Website?

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We know that setting up a new business can be expensive. You need those start-up dollars to work for you. You will need branding, business cards, stationery, a brochure and a website, all necessary creative to help you launch. While having a custom website design would be a perfect solution because you will get what you want, sometimes it is not an option.

The theme marketplace has completely exploded in the last 5 years and a lot of talented designers have created some good looking themes and made them available and very affordable. It’s a great way of getting a cost effective website if your budget doesn’t allow for a custom website design.

You can get themes that contain the options like drag & drop builders, short-codes, multiple layouts, plug-ins, demo templates & unlimited color choices. The customization options give you the ability to personalize your theme so your website looks unique to your brand. When you create a website or blog using the WordPress platform you’ll have a powerful Customer Management System (CMS) with endless theme and plugin choices.

EASY SET-UP

Website themes will usually come with large amounts of built-in functionality, widgets, and options which will make your job of setting up the site much easier, in addition to providing you with flexibility in creating your design. If you are a beginner, demo templates provide you with a framework into which you can plug all of your site’s content with ease; those with more development experience can use a template as a jumping-off point for slightly more complex adjustments.

AFFORDABLE PRICES

Website themes are not only relatively easy to set up, but they are also cost-effective in many ways. While the price of the template itself is typically quite low (usually between $60-$120), the cost of setup and development is diminished by maximizing the potential of the template’s built-in features. Whether you choose to hire a web design company to assemble the site for you or not, the time saved in using website templates as opposed to custom web designs will save you a lot of money on development.

ABUNDANCE OF CHOICES

If you Google “Wordpress Templates,” you will instantly find thousands of results. When using a template, what you see is typically what you get, so there are no surprises when it comes to your final product. With such an abundance of choices, the hardest part of using a template is finding the one that best suits your design needs.

If you decide a template is appropriate for you, we recommend hiring a development firm to make sure the theme will work for your business.  To make sure it works at launch and to be able to make some custom design adjustments in the development phase. The last thing you want is a website that does not perform when the user lands on it looking for the information they want.

CUSTOM WEBSITE DESIGN

Custom website design involves hiring a website design firm to do the heavy lifting for you. A good website designer will set up a creative session with you to find out more about your business and how you want your site to work. They’ll consider SEO best practices. You’ll be able to control the process and get custom features built into the design to make it easy for the user as well as in-house management.

Because custom website design includes more than simply how the website looks, it may seem like the process takes a little longer at the outset and yes it will cost you more. However, it can save time in the long run because your website designer will ensure it is built with clean code, doesn’t break due to bad plug-ins, does exactly what you want and is built for YOU’RE business. Templates can work for bare-bones organizations that just need a website to function as a business card, or for a young company that just can’t spend the dollars on a custom build.  But, most companies should consider custom website design for growth, a professional look, and for the care and consideration that goes into designing and developing a custom website.

We have developed both theme websites and custom built sites, if you have any questions or want to learn more please email us or give us a call at 203 414 9692, we would be delighted to help you with your decision.

 

Wieting Design | Theme Website Design Fairfield County CT

Wieting Design is a full-service, graphic and website design agency based in Fairfield County, CT and serving all of Connecticut (CT). We are committed to sharing our experience and expertise in website design, graphic design, social media marketing, search engine marketing (SEO), and video production to help build powerful tools and campaigns that work for your Connecticut business. Whether your objective is to grow your reputation, create client loyalty, drive traffic to your website or set up a marketing strategy, we will adapt our approach to get you the results you need with the services we provide.

 

 

Do Website Pop-Up Ads Work?

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Pop-ups can be very annoying to readers, but they’re a favorite with some marketing companies. According to a Sumo study of nearly two billion pop-ups, they found the average rate of conversion for those types of pop-ups was 3.09%. There is no mistaking the value of a well executed pop-up. The real challenge lies in displaying pop-ups in a way that’s most effective for conversions, and at the same time not intrusive to readers.

For the most part, if you’re using a pop-up, you want visitors to take action. How do you get a visitor to take action without disrupting their experience or driving them off of your site?

Here’s what NOT to do with your pop-ups:

  • Triggering a pop-up immediate upon entry
  • Making a full screen pop-up with no clear way to dismiss it
  • Triggering a pop-up in the middle of a conversion
  • Offering the wrong content in your pop up
  • Asking for too much information in your pop-up form

Here’s what you SHOULD do:

  • Change your pop-ups to acquire leads intending to exit your site
  • Delay your pop-ups until your visitors have had a chance to engage with your content.
  • Tailor your pop-ups based on the page the user is on
  • Design your pop-up to match your brand and your message
  • Make your call to action very clear, i.e. “Join our email list for 10% off”
  • Offer Value in exchange for the visitors information
  • Eliminate barriers with 3 form fields or less
  • Have a plan to continue to nurture the visitor after they’ve left your site

Pop ups executed correctly can be a valuable lead generation tool on your website. You also need to consider the effect of pop ups on your mobile site. To get visitors to stick around longer on your webpages, and to get Google to list you in a search result, you need to ensure that the pop-ups are not intrusive to the user. Effective January 10th, 2017, Google has started to penalize pop-ups on mobile web pages that are intrusive to the reader. Google wants to be sure that content being served to users is easy to access no matter what device they use to browse the web.

 

Wieting Design | Website Design Fairfield County CT

Wieting Design is a full-service, graphic and website design agency based in Fairfield County, CT and serving all of Connecticut (CT). We are committed to sharing our experience and expertise in website design, graphic design, social media marketing, search engine marketing (SEO), and video production to help build powerful tools and campaigns that work for your Connecticut business. Whether your objective is to grow your reputation, create client loyalty, drive traffic to your website or set up a marketing strategy, we will adapt our approach to get you the results you need with the services we provide.

5 Changes that will make a difference in your business and your life!

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About 60% of us admit that we make New Year’s resolutions, but only about 8% are successful in achieving them. Regardless of the outcome a year ago, the majority of us go right ahead and make a new set of resolutions–hoping for the best. This year we want to inspire you to see the next twelve months differently and find success and happiness in wherever your business is.

Here are 5 small changes that will make a difference in your business and your life to help you start the new year off right:

Don’t promise more than you can deliver – you want to deliver value to your clients, but if the desire is bigger than the possibility, you have to scale back. Desire vs. possibility. Weigh them. Stop, think. A lot of the time, desire is 10 and possibility is 2. If you’ve apologized for missed deadlines or not meeting expectations in 2017, examine how you can set realistic expectations this year.

Keep it simple silly – systems perform best when they have simple designs rather than complex ones. KISS is also an acronym for “keep it short and simple” and “keep it simple and straightforward”. Ask a friend to hear out your idea or plan for a new product, if they don’t understand the product or how to get to the end result, step back and simplify it.

Give more than you take – THIS is how you build personal and professional relationships. Share your knowledge, your connections, and help fellow businesses. You never know where life will take you, but 99% of people do not forget those that helped them along the way. It’s just about listening to what people want, and if you can make an introduction or a connection — or even a simple thank-you — doing it.

Put the social back in your social media – Cut through the clutter of all that content you just don’t care about and take a moment to get back to basics. Remember the sociology behind social media, and why this whole thing started — as a way to allow people to more easily keep in touch with those who matter. Build relationships and it will pave the way for your marketing goals.

Bring your “Why” back in to focus. Most of the time when people say they have no time, what they really mean is “I don’t see the value in that task”, that task makes them feel overwhelmed, or they don’t understand the task”. Why are you in the business you are in? Why did you want to become a business owner? If what you are doing now doesn’t make you happy or doesn’t make sense, change it. Share your goals with your team around you too so they understand the “Why” behind their actions too!

These 5 sayings do not belong to us, but are churned around the internet on motivational quote cards, pinterest boards, and social media. Our happiness and success rely on thinking constructive thoughts, acting with intent and creating strong relationships with others. Small changes made consistently over time can have a big impact on your life. Actions you can take starting today.

Happy New Year!

 

 

How To Make The Most Out Of Facebook To Promote Your Business

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With over 2 billion active daily users, Facebook is notably one of the best platforms to grow your business. While it is free to use, Facebook does encourage a pay to play mentality, but once you’ve built up a fan base you can keep them engaged for free or better yet, convert them to your email list. You can promote your products and services, and you can sell your products to them without marketing costs. You can update your fans to let them know about any special events or deals that your business is running. Facebook is also one of the best platforms to interact and stay in touch with your customers by listening to what they have to say, and responding to their comments. By consistently engaging with your Facebook followers you can let people know what your business is up to. This allows you to stay fresh and relevant, so hopefully when your customer base makes their next purchasing decision, they will think of you and not your competitor.

Whether your business is new to Facebook marketing, or just in need of a refresh, here’s our best tips to help you make the most out of Facebook and make sure you are maximizing your engagement.

Set Up Your Facebook Business Page The Right Way

  1. Claim a vanity URL by visiting http://www.facebook.com/username
  2. Choose the correct category for your business
  3. Get reviews – ask your family and friends first then start asking your customers to give you a review.
  4. Pick the best picture for your profile photo and create a custom cover that shows what you do, creates an emotional response, and has a clear call to action for your business.
  5. Complete the about section and use keywords that align with your SEO plan.

Encourage Traffic To Your Facebook Business Page:

  • Add the Facebook icon wherever you can – Promote your Facebook page on all marketing, including business cards, signs, email signatures, website,
  • Add a Follow Button on your website – Make it easy for your website visitors to Like your page by adding a Follow Button to your website or blog. A Facebook Follow Button is a widget you can add to your website that links people from your website to your Facebook Page.
  • Ask people in person – Ask people that come into your store to like your page. You know they already are interested in your business, so why not ask them to like your social media pages? You can even offer them something on the spot (e.g. discount, free item) if they like your page while in the store.
  • Ask people online – Have a pop-up box on your website that asks people to like your Facebook page. You can also ask people to like your Facebook page after they have purchased something on your site. The message can be along the lines of “Thanks for your purchase! Like us on Facebook to hear about new products and promotions.”
  • Get involved on Facebook – You can post on pages and groups that are related to your industry from your business page. If you offer helpful answers and advice, you may get people to click back to your page and like it.

Promote Your Business On Facebook:

To really boost your page, you need to be human first and promote second. This may sound counterintuitive, but with content marketing at a record high, users are tired of the hard sell. Here’s how you can maximize your Facebook reach in a way that builds a long term following.

Set up a regular posting schedule – Try to post original content at least once a week, but prioritize quality over quantity. Ideally, 3-5 times a week is a good sweet spot.

Monitor when your fans are online and tweak your schedule – once your page has attracted some attention, the Audience Insight tools gather quantitative information about the people who like and visit your page. In fact, Facebook’s highest traffic usually occurs mid-week between 1 to 3 pm which tells us two things — 1) Almost everyone hits that after lunch productivity slump than we think and 2) people are always looking for new content on their newsfeeds.

Provide value – the worst thing you could do for your page is to post any old random quotes or images. Why would your ideal customer care about your post? Is your goal to inform them of your company values, the team behind the brand, how your business can help them, how your business helps the community, and lastly, what can you do for them? The best rule of thumb in marketing is the 80/20 rule. Give away something 80% of the time and then sell 20% of the time. Your “give” message can be knowledge, motivation, a smile, or a laugh, but it shouldn’t be focused on the sale. When you do post your “sales” message they should fun and light.

Share relevant images – This is a great way to show up in user’s news feed organically. By tagging your fans in pictures, you are not only alerting them of the post, but your post is also likely to appear in the news feed of the fan’s friends. People are more likely to “like” and comment on a post of someone they know. So how do you do this? An example would be, If you’re a real estate agent, take a picture of your client in front of their new home and congratulate them on your Facebook page.

Give your fans a laugh – Don’t overthink it; just do something to give your fans a chuckle. Keep their interests in mind and make sure the humor is relevant to your audience, and appropriate for all audiences. Quotes get a lot of shares. People who get a laugh or feel inspired from a post want to share the feeling with others. You can use Canva to create this type of image for free. Include your logo, so if it’s shared by a third party, you are still advertising your business.

Respond to EVERYONE – If your business replies quickly to messages on Facebook, then others will be able to see that your page is active and responsive. Pay attention to the posts that get reactions and comments. Comments generally indicate a higher level of engagement because it takes more time to type a response than to simply hit “Like”. If you receive negative comments, carefully respond that you hear their concerns and invite them to email or call you directly. Don’t delete negative comments or ignore them, address them head on and you’ll build your brand’s trust.

Post native video – Videos on a Facebook user’s newsfeed auto-play, and therefore are very attention grabbing in nature. Have you noticed all those videos of people making delicious looking dishes in fast motion? That type of video could work well if you own a restaurant. You should consider posting a featured video to your page as well. People will connect more with your business if you show them the people behind it all.

Post and share events – Create Facebook events for your next big sale. When events are happening in the community, you can draw attention to those as well. Many businesses fail to leverage events as opportunities to promote their social media page. Creating an event page can increase the turnout for your real-world event because Facebook events make it easy for users to invite friends and see how many people plan to attend.

Ask a question or poll – This is an easy way to get people to comment on your post. Pair the question with a cute picture, and you’ll get people to pause at your post long enough to read the question.

Partner with other local business pages to cross promote – By tagging another business your are reaching their fan base as well as your own. You can encourage fans to tag a friend and you are exponentially increasing the reach of the post too. People will be notified if they are tagged and encouraged to check out your page and products. Moreover, you are spreading brand awareness. By sharing the best content from any source you become the one-stop-shop for the information your buyer personas care about. Once your fans rely on you as their go-to source for information, your Facebook engagement will organically increase because they’ll visit your page when they don’t see your posts in their newsfeed. Sharing others’ content also shows that your brand is helpful, not just going out for the sale.

Use tracking URLs and Facebook insights – You want to establish a routine to see how your posts are doing, how your fan base is growing, and to measure your social media marketing effectiveness. If you have a particular post doing well, consider boosting that post to extend it’s reach.

Tailor your messages to your fan base – Learn more about their demographics, and use that information to reach out to new groups. If your page is attracting more middle-aged women than expected, for example, then you may want to include posts that are particularly relevant for those potential customers.

Success with Facebook marketing doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time. Increasing your Facebook engagement requires the persistence to be active on the platform day after day. Ultimately your goal should be to give value, build a relationship with your fans which in turn then leads them to see you as a valuable resource and eventually buy your product or services. Marketing is all about making consumers want and need what you have, your Facebook Business page is one powerful tool if you use it correctly.

 

 

Wieting Design | Social Media Fairfield County CT

Wieting Design is a full-service, graphic and website design agency based in Fairfield County, CT and serving all of Connecticut (CT). We are committed to sharing our experience and expertise in website design, graphic design, social media marketing, search engine marketing (SEO), and video production to help build powerful tools and campaigns that work for your Connecticut business. Whether your objective is to grow your reputation, create client loyalty, drive traffic to your website or set up a marketing strategy, we will adapt our approach to get you the results you need with the services we provide.

 

 

 

 

How to Win At Visual Content Marketing With Your Own Photos

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As much as we hate to admit it, appearance is everything. We are visually stimulated and our brains can decipher an image instantly compared with reading text. When it comes to web copy, people rarely read a piece of content word for word. On the other hand, images stick with readers longer and are more likely to give you a greater return on your content investment.

As a small business owner you or your team should be taking pictures regularly and maximizing the value of each image to boost your visual content marketing.

 

Why should you take and use your own pictures in your marketing?

The internet is packed with images and most of the time you can find a picture of exactly what you need, so why should you go through the effort of taking your own? Because chances are that image has been used over and over again and possibly by your competitors. A personal image boosts your trust factor and allows your audience to relate to you and your business faster. If the stock photo you’re using is at all similar to another website that created a negative experience for the visitor, subconsciously, they’re projecting their negative experiences onto your stock photograph, reducing trust & adding friction to the process. In marketing studies, when visitors see real images they are 35% more likely to sign up and make a purchase. Think about it this way: if someone asks to “be your friend” on your personal Facebook account, or requests to follow you on Twitter and the only images they have available are cat pictures, or an image of a celebrity, are you going to accept their request? Chances are most people won’t unless they are pretty sure that they know this person. Otherwise there is no telling who is really on the other side of the computer.If you are dead set on using a stock photo, go to Google Images and drag the photo in the search bar and Google will pull up all the of the exact instances of that photo so you can see who else is using that image.

 

Need some ideas for the types of pictures to take?

  • Showcase your facilities
  • Show Before and After Images
  • Ask your best customers if they would be willing to take a photo with you
  • Photograph people in your business enjoying your product
  • Capture behind the scenes moments
  • Share team photos

 

Where can you use these images in your marketing?

Everywhere! You don’t need to be a professional photographer to create captivating images, and you don’t need a fancy camera. Make sure your phone has at least an 8mp camera and start snapping some photos. As you get comfortable, play with the lighting and angles to help you share your story. Afterall, that’s all marketing is is telling a story and having your audience buy in.

  • You can use your images on your website.
  • Use your images in your blogs
  • Use your images on your social media accounts

Every visual you create should be simple which in turn will make it easier for repurposing. Think about the longevity of your visuals and keep in mind where it could be used after its initial purpose. We’re not saying these images should replace a professional photographer, but if you don’t have a budget yet or your main focus is social media – a camera phone is all you need to get by.

 

How do you maximize the value of each image in your marketing plan?

The great part about images is they are evergreen and will always be useful, even the outdated ones will be great for a #ThrowbackThursday post now and then. Create a folder of images that you can pull from over a period of time. Save them all in a place where you and your team can easily access the photos when you need them, like Google Drive or similar cloud storage location.

To recycle images more than once you can:

  1. Add text overlays like your favorite quote or a testimonial
  2. Use a filter and share the image again.
  3. Create a collage using multiple images
  4. Crop the photo for a new angle
  5. Turn your visuals into infographics
  6. Create a video slideshow with apps on your phone

You’re not going to become a professional photographer overnight. But with more high quality cameras in our phones and editing apps available on the market, it’s easier than ever to take great images of your business. So don’t be afraid to try something new! As you gain new skills, your visual content marketing photos will get better and better. And, no matter what, any images you share of your products and business will be better than no images at all or a stock photo that doesn’t inspire.

 

Wieting Design | Digital Marketing Fairfield County CT

Wieting Design is a full-service, graphic and website design agency based in Fairfield County, CT and serving all of Connecticut (CT). We are committed to sharing our experience and expertise in website design, graphic design, social media marketing, search engine marketing (SEO), and video production to help build powerful tools and campaigns that work for your Connecticut business. Whether your objective is to grow your reputation, create client loyalty, drive traffic to your website or set up a marketing strategy, we will adapt our approach to get you the results you need with the services we provide.

One Page Website Design Fairfield County CT

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Is A One Page Website For You?

We get many calls from new clients wanting an inexpensive website. Some of the reasons are because they want it simple, they want to spend less money, their business is small and feel they don’t need a website that has multi pages with links that are not suited for their business. Or they simply don’t have the content and are offering only one service or one product.  A one page website design can be effective, scrolling is easier and there is a clear beginning, middle, and end.  If your goal is to tell a story, sell one service or product then a single-page site can be natural choice and will still work as a selling tool for your business. One page website designs are also great for responsive design, displaying on all mobile devices smoothly and in a precise manner.

What Is A Single Page Website?

A one page website aims to provide the perfect amount of information needed for that particular business.  A simple one page scroll site doesn’t have multi pages like: about, services, blogs, or a contact page) (a contact page is part of the overall design for a one pager, so the user can still have ways to contact you).  It focuses on the information that is needed. The purpose of a website is to engage your visitors and communicate a specific message, to sell your services or product. If designed right, a one page website offers you greater opportunities to do just that.  One page websites are not for everyone, but if you have the needs as mentioned above it could prove to be a great solution without the cost of a multi page website.

What Are Some Of The Benefits To A One Page Website?

User Engagement: Direct and informative, explaining what your company does and what it offers on a single page.

Content Flow: The flow of information is direct and to the point.

Cost and Timing: In a hurry? Need a website quick? A single-page website is much quicker to design and develop than a multi-page site. A single page website is also less expensive as there are less pages, less information, and less programming time. Multi-page websites take longer to design and develop because we need to include page-by-page designs and optimization. When we design a single page website we can create strong consistent design which leads to a more direct experience for users that are looking for the information they want quickly.

Mobile Devices: One-page websites are much easier to optimize for mobile devices, and are easy to scroll without having to toggle back and forth to other pages for unnecessary information.

It’s Okay To Be Different.

One-page websites are growing in popularity as they are less expensive, direct, and will stand out in the crowd if designed right. The best way to decide if they are right for your business is by carefully analyzing your needs. Ask yourself: what exactly do you want to accomplish with your online presence?

Thinking about a new website but not sure what is right for you?

Wieting Design | Website Design Fairfield County CT

Within 5 seconds your website must compel visitors to read on. If not, your visitor moves on—most likely to visit your competitor’s site. The design of your website—it’s attractiveness, ease of use, and opening content—determines whether visitors read on or move on. At Wieting Design we specialize in crafting unique website designs that will have your visitors engaged on every page (or one page) and will work as an information and “sales” tool for site visitors giving them an immediate high-level of confidence about who you are and what you’re offering.

 

 

CONTACT US

Wieting Design, LLC
………………………………
o: 203.414.9692
e: cindy@wietingdesign.com