The DreamPix Studio

The Christ Initiative Website Launched

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theci_logoFINALThe DreamPix Studio created the brand for  The Christ Initiative, the newly formed collaborative that is comprised of St. Agnes Parish in Middleton, MA, and St. Rose of Lima Parish in Topsfield, MA. We began by creating a logo which was the foundation of the branding of the new collaborative. From there we built a custom interactive WordPress website that will ultimately provide streaming live sermons and complete online registration capability for the various programs offered at the individual parishes. Please visit the website at The Christ Initiative.

The Art of Choosing a Stock Photo – or Not.

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Black Labrador Retriever
 

I recently purchased a new Canon Rebel T5i for both personal and professional use. While I encourage business owners to hire a professional photographer for headshots and photos of their office space, I often need to fill in the blanks with stock photos and it can be a painful process. Often times after an inordinate amount of time searching for the right image, I fight the urge to settle for a mediocre choice I remind myself that an image can make or break the final product. Here are three questions to ask yourself as you rifle through the glut of stock photos on the internet.

Be Emotionally Real:

Photos of executives jumping up and down or posed shots of coworkers grinning at one another are not believable. Regardless of the emotion is that you intend to capture be sure that there is at least a hint of authenticity.

Make the setting believable:

Many staged office settings show blank computer screens, white walls, and workers with matching coffee cups. These unrealistic scenes lack conviction.

Do the people look real?

The people in the pictures must look like they belong in the scene. If the women in the photo are all wearing identical stilettos shoes for example the credibility of the photo may affect the brand itself.

The Power of the Hashtag

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HASHTAG

hash•tag
[hash-tag]

Noun

  • A word or phrase that is preceded by a hash or pound sign (#). Originated by Twitter, it is used to categorize messages on social media platforms. On Twitter, for example, the hashtag turns the word or phrase that follows it into a searchable link thereby allowing a person to track discussions based on the keywords.The power of the hashtag has exploded throughout the years. But exactly how powerful is the hashtag in influencing our world today? Here are a few of the most popular hashtags this month.

#ScotlandDecides

#Scotland Decides was one of the biggest trending topics because Scotland was deciding on whether to be an independent country or not. If it passed, the world map would have changed.

#love

#Love is always trending as it impacts people’s lives in so many different ways.

#OS8 Release

#iOS8 was released last week bringing with it many changes to the iPhone.

#NameObamaISISOperation

This is Twitter poking fun at current events with a name game – Naming President Obama’s ISIS Operation.

#NYFW: New York Fashion Week

Forget about Fall – fashion forwards in NY were focusing on the Spring ’15.

#NFL

Has been trending above normal since the start of the season and this is no surprise.

It’s a simple tactic and makes sense for simple search-ability. But you never know when your hashtag may be the next big trend.

Five Common Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

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I come across websites and social media pages on a daily basis that violates some of the most basic marketing rules today. There was a day when a simple ‘business card’ website would suffice as an online presence. That is no longer the case. Neither does it make sense to hang your hat on a Facebook Page and call it a day! If you are putting your name on any marketing platform you need to embrace it.

Here are a few marketing Dos and Don’ts:

  1. Look Good – Be certain that every piece of marketing material bearing your company name and brand looks good. Quality counts.
  2. Do Not Overuse Social Media – surprisingly enough it is NOT necessary to have a presence on every social network just because you can. Select the medium that best reaches your customers and do it well.
  3. Complete Your Website Or Social Media Page. Leaving it incomplete or outdated is worse than not having an online presence at all.
  4. Avoid Shameless Self Promotion – while your website should be a viable marketing tool that provides information about your products you need to offer more than that. Valuable, relevant information that meets the needs of your market will bring you far.
  5. Do Not Blindly Follow The Experts – test different approaches in order to determine which one works best for you. You might be surprised at the results. For example, Google Adwords does not work for everyone.

What Should I Blog About?

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blogMy best source for blog topics is the questions that my customers ask me on a daily basis. With every week that passes, it seems that there is at least one question that emerges as “The” question of the week. Last week the question was “Do I really need to Blog” and this week the question is “What should I blog about?

Often one of the first obstacles business owners encounter is the concern about sharing information that they feel they might otherwise be paid for. Why share? Here are three good reasons.

  1. Your goal is to become an authority in your field. You want to become the go-to resource for information on your industry. By providing useful, relevant information you will also be helping your competitor’s customers and they just might decide to switch teams.
  2. I use the internet like a Ouija Board, plugging complete sentences into search engines as I look for answers … and I am rarely disappointed. It is safe to assume that if one person is looking for answers to a question that there are other people who are struggling with the same problem.
  3. Sharing information helps to build trust. Potential customers will see that you are a reputable business owner and the next time they need a product or service in your industry you will come to mind.

Blogs are presented in several different formats.

  • There are lists where the blogger elaborates on such topics as the Five Best WordPress Plugins.
  • A How-To blog is more of an ordered list that explains how to do something such as How To Export My Database.
  • Comparison Blogs compare two products or services weighing the advantages and disadvantages of both. I recently used a Blog to make a camera purchase and the information was valuable.

There’s no need to worry about your creative writing skills – if you are good at what you do then you should be able to speak (write) about your own industry with authority. If you write in a conversational tone as you are speaking directly to a customer you will find success. Go ahead and try it … you will find the process rewarding and it will add value to your business.

Content is King

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Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.

content_marketing
Whether your business is service-based or product-based, content marketing is the key to successful online marketing. When people search online their primary goal is usually to find something they need or want, and your content is the main way people are going to find you and learn more about your business, products, and services.

Blogging and Social Media Marketing are the two best ways to get your information in front of the public. The key to making your efforts work for your business is to make sure to provide quality content that will benefit your target market. It’s all about becoming an authority in your field.

Are you legally using online photos?

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Clever monkeys are just copycats: Animals learn skills by imitating others.
Clever monkeys are just copycats: Animals learn skills by imitating others.

This week I was contacted by a local realtor who questioning an image that appeared on one of my client’s websites. A quick Google search told me that the image of a nearby town waterfront had originated from the realtor’s online portfolio. After apologizing to the woman, I removed the image and decided to do a little research on copyright laws as they relate to sharing and using online images.

The social networking age is largely driven by the sharing of online images and, as you can imagine, US Copyright laws are struggling to keep pace with technology.

When is it legal to use another person’s photo or image? Here are a few simple rules.

Did you take the photo or graphic?

Unless you did the work for a client in which case it belongs to the client it is safe to assume that if you created the work then you likely own the copyright and can use it however you like.

Plagiarism VS Copyright

While plagiarism can be avoided by giving credit to parties in question the same rules do not apply to copyright infringement.

My best advice to avoid problems is to use Public Domain Images which are free of known copyright. Here are the links to a few of my favorite sites.

http://www.freenaturepictures.com
http://www.morguefile.com/
http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

What is Branding?

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brandingBranding is the marketing practice of creating a name, symbol, or design that identifies and differentiates one product from another. Branding is essential for all businesses as it enables them to make connections with their customers. Your logo is the foundation of your brand and your website, packaging, and promotional materials should integrate your logo and communicate your brand. Here are a few branding do’s and don’ts.

  • DON’T underestimate the power of your brand. Make sure that your identity is well defined and know your target market.
  • DO keep your message simple but concise. Logos need not be complicated.
  • DO stay true to your brand. Be sure to monitor marketing and communication efforts to be sure that your brand guidelines are being met.
  • DO hold your brand to a high standard in all aspects of your business and strive to stand out in the crowd.
  • DON’T be a copycat. You can’t compete with corporate giants but you can carve out your own market niche.

#IceBucketChallenge

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ethel-kennedy-issues-ice-bucket-challenge-to-obamaUnless you have been living under a rock for the past week you have seen the videos of people taking the Ice Bucket Challenge which is intended to raise awareness about ALS – Lou Gehrig’s disease. People are challenged to pour a bucket of ice water over their heads and post it on social media channels within 24 hours with a challenge for others to do the same. Those who are fail to meet the challenge must write a check to to ALS for $100. Some people are pooh-poohing the effort calling it an over kill and questioning the value. After a bit of research I found out that the viral campaign has not only raised awareness of the dreadful disease but the organization has raised $2.3 million since launching the campaign on July 23 – during the same time period last year the organization made $25,000. Does social media work? You bet.

Custom WordPress Design & Development

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WordPress is a powerful CMS that is free, but essentially priceless. It is a versatile open source platform that provides both B2B and B2C business owners with the tools necessary to manage their digital marketing and more, meeting the marketing needs of everyone from small businesses to large corporations.