March 7th, 2010
I recently had the pleasure to design a new logo and collateral pieces for Liz Livernois, a local realtor with Rose & Womble Realty who is one of the hardest working people I know. We wanted her logo to look professional yet reflect her unique sense of style and warm personality. She also understands the importance of brand consistency, which made this project a joy to work on. Thanks Liz!
Logo Design, Business Card & Thank You Card for Liz Livernois
Tags: Design, logo, print, real estate
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February 19th, 2010
Sajo Farm Pool and Clubhouse
We are lucky enough to work with some awesome photographers on our projects and we always enjoy working with Chris Crumley. He took this photo of Sajo Farm Pool and Clubhouse at dusk for one of our favorite clients, The Terry•Peterson Companies at one of their new home communities, SajoFarm in Virginia Beach. Chris makes everything look easy. Taking evening or dusk photos involves more than just using your flash. This shot needed the right angle and elevation, property must be cleaned and prepared, lights scheduled to be on, pool furniture situated, sprinklers turned off, multiple lighting techniques used via voice radio and last but not least, calling the right day for good weather. It also involved complex post-production work to marry a lot of images together. Beautiful – thanks again, Chris!
Tags: Chris Crumley, Photography, Sajo Farm, Terry Peterson Homes
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October 22nd, 2009
We designed and built this new website for one of our clients, Ken Cohen of Cohen Homes. Launched in early October, the site features the beautiful architecture style and details that are custom with all Cohen Homes. It was a pleasure working with Ken and his team to help us roll this one out in no time flat! Visit website.
Tags: custom home builder, ken cohen homes, web design
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August 12th, 2009
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn…I’m sure you have heard about these popular Social Media sites. And now businesses are taking advantage of this marketing tool and reaching people they may otherwise have never reached. Where do you start? There are a lot of business bloggers out there who can tell you how to do it, why you should do it and if it’s worth it. However, unless you are willing to put in time and effort, it won’t do much for your business.
First, you need to set goals, determine your audience and find a consultant to help. Communication is the key, and you can’t do it all yourself. Social Media marketing takes time and it is very difficult to measure your ROI (Return On Investment). Why bother? Because you will be connecting with people you may not otherwise have reached through conventional advertising. In turn, those people will tell their friends, colleagues and peers. What’s more, consumers today are trusting referrals before any other form of advertising. Wouldn’t you?
The bottom line is, it’s all about a new way to develop relationships with your customers. Lidija Davis of ReadWriteWeb posts: Marketers today are caught up in a jumble of buzzwords that mean very little. It’s a confusing time, but to get the marketing right, you need to start thinking about relationships first. “It’s not about selling something anymore; that might be the end result, but to get there, you need to work on the relationship.”
More to come on this hot topic, so stay tuned…
Tags: business, communication, internet, marketing, social media
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June 12th, 2009
I’ve met a few business owners recently who just paid for their brand new website that does…nothing. They hired the web designer, approved the design and the website is now live. Yet nothing is happening. They are receiving minimal e-mail submissions, very few hits on the site, maybe a few phone calls and no search engine ranking.
The first problem is that many sites are not designed - nor are they built - for search engine optimization (SEO). In addition, once the website is finished, owners think they can just sit back and the contacts will roll in. In reality, it’s only the beginning – there is much more work to be done. Think of your website as your car – it won’t get you anywhere unless you keep adding fuel and continue to maintain the engine. (I’ll bet car enthusiasts will love that one).
How you advertise your website is just as important. If you only advertise twice monthly in a newspaper ad, you are missing the boat. Online advertising, social networking sites, mobile media and blogs are today’s keys to your website’s performance. Monitoring your website hits through web stats is vital. Changing content frequently is also important for search engine indexing. I could go on here.
If you need an evaluation, give Maurice Design a call. What have you got to lose?
Tags: search engine optimization, seo, social media, Web Hosting, website design
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May 26th, 2009
We received a phone call recently from one of our customers about a domain name renewal solicitation they received. It looked legitimate until you read the cleverly hidden small print.
These “domain name renewals” are notifications that may be sent to you by U.S. Mail, fax or perhaps by email. These mailings are unsolicited and from unscrupulous domain registrars that are attempting to trick unwary domain owners into transferring their domain name to their services. They begin their letter announcing that your domain name is about to expire and you need to renew. These companies typically mark up the cost of the domain significantly beyond the market rate of domain names. As soon as you send a check or credit card payment, your domain name registration transfers to this company and you will pay additional costs. One recent mailing we received was from “Liberty Names of America” which has been given an F rating by the Better Business Bureau.
Please be wary of any notification you receive from someone who is not your current domain name registar. If you are not sure, contact your website host.
Tags: better business bureau, domain name scam, marketing, registrar, solicitations
Posted in Web Hosting | No Comments »
May 7th, 2009
Aaaah…it’s that time of year again. Fruit so sweet it’s like eating candy…only with a lot less calories. I’m only hoping I don’t eat them all before making jam and a few strawberry margaritas. Here are some tips for storing, freezing and cooking.
Tags: hand-picked, local farms, strawberries
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April 2nd, 2009
There are quite literally thousands of web hosting companies on the Internet. Of course there are the few that manage to percolate to the top of the morass. The big companies such as GoDaddy, Network Solutions, DreamHost and others are usually the brands that come to mind when a business is considering a web hosting provider. There is also a plethora of fly-by-night web hosting companies that are either resellers for bigger companies or believe they can make a quick buck by hosting cheap and promising the impossible.
Read the rest of this entry »
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April 2nd, 2009
We noticed a unique business yesterday based in Newport News…called Butta Cuts. (Perhaps a take-off from Mike Myers’ SNL skits?) Butta Cuts is a barber shop on wheels. The company uses their truck as a billboard with the tagline: For family reunions and truck stops. Now there’s a business owner who knows his target market.
Tags: barber shop, butta, Humor
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March 26th, 2009
Welcome to our new blog! We hope you’ll check back with us often. We’ll have information on advertising-related topics such as search engine optimization and design news in addition to pet peeves, our favorite recipes (because who doesn’t love food), humorous advertising gimmicks and life out here in Carrollton.
Posted in Miscellaneous | No Comments »
