The DreamPix Studio

Release of new Top Level Domains Coming Soon!

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What’s new on the Internet?

Coming this April an onslaught of generic top-level domains (TLD) including extensions such as .money, .sport, .accountants, .music will be available for registration.

This move represents the biggest change to the internet since the first set of TLDs (.com, .org, .net, and .gov) were introduced back in 1984 and the industry expects mass chaos as a result of a return of the wild, wild, west days on the WWW!

The move can potentially change the way businesses and consumers use the internet and of course, the way brands are marketed – the learning curve never ends in this business! There is a lot of concern from large businesses such as Coca Cola, Microsoft, and P&G who bargaining with Icann for limited preventative registration in order to protect their trademarks.

What Color is Your Businesss?

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When branding your company be sure to give careful thought to your color scheme as the choice can elicit different behaviors from users.  The following provides a glimpse into what stimuli are generated from certain colors.

BLUE
Is said to be the color of conversation. It promotes an air of ease and inspires visitors to browse a site endlessly. It is considered to be one of the most effective colors in sales as it signifies trust and reputation.

RED
Draws attention and causes visitors to concentrate. It also creates excitement but overuse of the color is useless!

YELLOW
Promotes happiness and optimism. It can be difficult to read so it should be used to highlight information or as a background color.

GREEN
Always calms people. It should not be used to highlight important information as it can easily be passed over. It is a conservative color.

PURPLE
Symbolizes elegance, royalty, and wealth. It is well served on topics that focus on benefits and solutions. Young people are drawn to purple which is why it is often used to provoke conversation and on community websites.

Went considering colors to be aware of the contrast and the mixed signals. Certain colors work well together and deliver a punch. Color should reflect the identity of your company.

What is the Secret to a great Website?

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Typography

Most web designers and developers would laugh at the idea that typography can make or break a website. That is because most of them have approached their craft from the technological end of the business as opposed to the creative end. None-the-less, I am not just referring to the font selection itself but to the styling of the type to the spacing, the weight, the variation in size. What would the website look like if all of the color and images were gone and all that was left was text and spacing? Take a peek at websites that you frequent and note the differences. If you can’t quite put your finger on what is making a site so flat and unappealing the culprit might be the typography.

Here’s what Brian Gardner, the founder of StudioPress, a WordPress website design framework that I fully embrace, has to say about typography.

BrianGardner.com

Do you need an SEO Guru?

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People often question me about SEO, tossing around phrases that they have picked up over the years like incorporating META tags and optimizing keywords. The truth is that, while these techniques are effective to a point, there is really only one way to create a website that effectively targets your market niche and gets the nod from Google.

Create a useful, information-rich website, and write pages that clearly and accurately describe your content.

There is no secret way to receive a high ranking with Google in fact, when web pages appear to be over-optimized they will actually be punished by Google and bounced from the rankings because webpages should be created for users, not robots.

Think in terms of becoming an authority in your field. Here are a few useful tools to incorporate that will boost your site’s ranking:

  • An interactive Blog
  • Sharing research findings
  • Q & A pages
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Videos
  • White Papers & Case Studies

Does your website need a facelift?

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Upgrade to WordPress today!

Your website should serve as a viable marketing tool that offers a dynamic interactive experience and, at the same time, is easy to update. WordPress has become an industry standard for business owners and developers alike. WordPress was initially created as an open-source blogging platform but it has evolved into so much more. It is a powerful content management system that is free but essentially priceless!

New functionality can be incorporated into a WordPress site using plug-ins with the click of a button. If you can name it – WordPress has it! Choose from:

  • Interactive Blogs
  • Image Sliders
  • Photo Gallery
  • Shopping Cart
  • Event Calendar
  • Social Media Links & Feeds
  • Contact Forms
  • Member-Only sections
  • and more

    If your website is built in HTML it’s time for change

    Ten years ago many websites were little more than online business cards and most websites were built in HTML. But, that was then and this is now! If your website was built in static HTML it is time to upgrade to an interactive website.

    To learn more about WordPress and the upgrade process:

    Email Leslie DiNanno or call 508.265.6222

Marketing Resolutions for 2013

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Here are a few marketing resolutions for 2013 that will help to grow your business.

  • Commit to a regular blogging and social media schedule even if it is once a week. Think in terms of sharing your knowledge and taking advantage of the viral opportunities online. It sure beats knocking on doors!
  • Make your website more engaging and interactive if you have a static HTML site upgrade to WordPress it will breathe new life into your business.
  • Identify your local market niche and target it through content on your website and social media platforms. It may be called the world wide web but the onus lies on you to make sure your potential customers can find you.
  • Organize your data and make the most of the free and affordable resources that are now available to us. Familiarize yourself with Google Apps & Analytics, Email Marketing programs like Vertical Response, DropBox for storing and sharing, Evernote to eliminate lists, and more. All of these applications will help to simplify administrative work and make room for more important things like blogging and engaging in social media to grow your business!

Make the Most of Facebook

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If you are struggling with how to entertain your fans on Facebook you are not alone. Only a small percentage of fans actually engage with a product or brand. How can you get their attention? I always tell my clients to behave as though they are a guest at someone’s home dinner when engaging in social media.

Getting a like on Facebook is the equivalent of being invited into someone’s home for dinner and, the prodigal guest would never show up empty-handed! Reward your fans for giving you the nod. It can be something as simple as a discount coupon, a glass of Prosecco (if you happen to be a restaurant), or a depending on your business a complimentary service.

Be a good conversationalist the give and take must be mutual. Respond to their comments, answering questions, and share but be sure not to monopolize the conversation. Lastly, remember, that everyone likes to feel as though they are important. Ask them for their opinion or help – inviting a fan to participate in a brand that they love will make them feel honored and we all know that what goes around comes around.

Try It … You Might Like It

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Despite the fact that CBS just reported that Facebook is causing stress among users with too many friends, the site has the largest user base of any social network and it is essential to have a FB presence or your business will be missing opportunities.
Here are a few tips useful tips:
  • Remember that content is still king. Posts that work are those with valuable content.
  • Peer to peer recommendations and sharing are powerful referrals. Sponsored posts will give you a leg up in the game and will drive your content to newsfeeds.
  • Facebook is a platform where you can step outside of the box and show your fun side. They are not on Facebook to be sold to. Entertain them a bit.
  • Try experimenting with FB ads. It’s all about trial and error in social media.

Checking that Holiday List

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Holiday greetings cards are a great way to reach out and touch your customers and stay on their minds in the winter months. They don’t necessarily have to go out in December. Look at what Maison Esthetique, a Day Spa in Danvers, MA,  has done this year in an effort to connect with customers prior to the big days.

Website Design

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The DreamPix Studio primarily uses WordPress in website development today. WordPress is one of the most popular and widely used blogging platforms in the world … it is a free open source CMS platform that is free, but priceless!

arrayharborIt is being used by millions of people and is much more than just a blogging platform – it can be used for creating many different types of websites and can even be used for eCommerce. WordPress allows for all the interactivity demanded by consumers today – from slideshows to galleries, to social media and RSS feeds, WordPress has it all. Contact The DreamPix Studio today for more information on creating a WordPress website that will bring your business to a new level.

The open-source website design platform WordPress has quickly become the number one choice among business owners for several reasons. It is are flexible, high quality, cost-effective, secure and requires no vendor commitment. WordPress brings all the bells and whistles to your website and at the same time allows you to have complete control of your content.

The DreamPix Studio can design a website with a custom theme that suits your industry and reflects your brand. Once created, you will have the freedom to change content, add and subtract menu items with a click, and upload and insert new media via the Content Management System (CMS). Using a CMS does not require programming skills, in fact, it is similar to using a word processing program and can be accessed via your laptop, computer, or mobile device.

There is a multitude of interactive plug-ins that can be included on your WordPress site including:

  • Interactive Blogs
  • Image Sliders
  • Photo Galleries
  • Shopping Carts
  • Event Calendars
  • Social Media Links & feeds
  • Contact Forms
  • Embedded Videos
  • Website Search
  • and more!

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