Down & Dirty or Up & Clean
Posted on | August 10, 2010 | No Comments
Don’t let your website get dirty. My latest client’s (now fired) web designer purchased Nature’s Way Cleaners URL and then wouldn’t give it back. When googling Nature’s Way Cleaners, this is what you got “this site is being cleaned”.
Skagit Marketing came in and took care of this dirty job. We recommended purchasing http://www.natureswaydrycleaners.com as it was close enough and actually better for SEO than previous URL http://www.natureswaycleaners.com/. Skagit Marketing customized a wordpress template to create the website on a tight budget. To tidy up this job, we claimed Nature’s Way Cleaners Google Places listing and submitted the new URL along with updated information.
Up & Clean is how we like it as does the Nature’s Way Cleaners owner and customers.
Bitchin’ Boudoir Noir – I Love Marketing
Posted on | May 21, 2010 | 2 Comments
One of my favorite clients, artist and friend, Suzanne Fogarty, pays Skagit Marketing (me) on a monthly retainer (which sometimes consists of wine and food) for assisting with marketing strategy, content marketing, social media, and organic search engine optimization (natural search result on search engine result pages). Most recently we have been focusing on branding and promotion for her new website and business “ Hush-Hush Boudoir….sexy forever”.
Branding and strategy first started with the question, “What is boudoir? A boudoir to me is a woman’s room of one’s own (thank you Virginia Woolf). My boudoir is mother nature – the forest, the fields, the islands and the mountains that surround me. Another woman’s boudoir may be her bedroom and another woman’s boudoir is a 50’s diner. One’s boudoir is as individual as the woman . Boudoir Photography is a genre of photography opening a curtain to a women’s sensuality – envision a bloom opening in fast motion.
The etymology of Boudoir? Boudoir is derived from the French word “bouder,” which means “to pout”. This is taken from french literature around 1877 – “room where a lady may retire to be alone” and from 18th century literature “pouting room”. Pouting to me does not mean sulking but rather expressing sensuality. Pouting is to push out that lower lip ever so slightly, bend your head forward just a little, and look up ever so mischievously while slowly raising and softly touching the lips with an index finger while whispering…”hush-hush”.
After working on branding we moved onto promotion. We decided that a website launch party for women would be essential to the success of this new venture. Over glasses of wine and including a couple more women to brainstorm, Bitchin’ Boudoir Noir (aka Girls Night Out!) was created. After pulling in an event stylist, a custom floral designer, and a boudoir boutique along with a restaurant with live music and a bar serving a specially created hush-hush drink just for us, the star was born.
- Created Facebook Page – Boudoir Noir
- Within 2 weeks over 200 Fans
- Posted Event on Facebook
- Created Posters and Promotional Postcards
- Created a Viral Contest – Tag the Postcard to be entered in over $1,000 in giveaways including 4 mini-boudoir sessions.
- Result: 75 Confirmed guests on Facebook and 65 maybes. That’s not counting who the rsvp women are bringing or word of mouth outside of Facebook.
And this is only the beginning. Bitchin’ Boudoir Noir is the foundation of Hush-Hush Boudoir Parties. Spas are out and Boudoir is in. Women can gather up their girlfriends and do something that will celebrate their individual self and sensuality. And they will walk away with a little black book which will last a lifetime – sexy forever.
Have to go get my sexy on for the big night! I will be sure to update you on the success of Bitchin’ Boudoir Noir.
Photo Credit: Suzanne Fogarty...of course.
Oh…and did I mention that I Love Marketing? (See Photo)
Take 10 and feel the Google Places love.
Posted on | May 7, 2010 | 2 Comments
On April 20, 2010 the Official Google Blog announced that the Google Local Business Center is becoming Google Places. Places pages were originally launched last September. At that time I immediately uploaded clients including one of my businesses, Childhood Bliss. Not only does this help tremendously with your organic search engine optimization, but as a business owner you can utilize features such as adding events, coupons (formatted for mobile too!), videos, photos, list of your brands, and access to insights (baby google analytics). It’s basically like having a free mini-website.
If you are starting at the beginning with Google Places, check out this video for a quick overview.
Now for the new features (taken from the Google Blog):
- Service areas: If you travel to serve customers, you can now show which geographic areas you serve. And if you run a business without a storefront or office location, you can now make your address private.
- A new, simple way to advertise: For just $25 per month, businesses in select cities can make their listings stand out on Google.com and Google Maps with Tags. Google is rolling out Tags to three new cities — Austin, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. — in addition to ongoing availability in Houston and San Jose, CA. In the coming weeks Google will also be introducing Tags in Chicago, San Diego, Seattle, Boulder and San Francisco.
- Business photo shoots: In addition to uploading your own photos, businesses in select cities can now request a free photo shoot of the interior of their business which Google will use to supplement existing photos of businesses on Place Pages. Google has been experimenting with this over the past few months, and now have created a site for businesses to learn more and express their interest in participating.
- Customized QR codes: From the dashboard page of Google Places, businesses in the U.S. can download a QR code that’s unique to their business, directly from their dashboard page. QR codes can be placed on business cards or other marketing materials, and customers can scan them with certain smartphones to be taken directly to the mobile version of the Place Page for that business.
- Favorite Places: We’re doing a second round of our Favorite Places program, and are mailing window decals to 50,000 businesses around the U.S. These decals include a QR code that can be scanned with a smartphone to directly view the mobile Place Page for the business to learn more about their great offerings.
What are you waiting for? Come over to my Place. Take 10 and feel the love.
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