Digital Marketing for the New Year

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New Year’s is my favorite season. It’s a fresh start, a new beginning and excitement for the future fills the air in the business. Here’s a simple way to get started on your New Year’s marketing plan:


First, identify your marketing goal. Most business owners want to bring in more money by bringing in more customers. But make sure that’s really what you need. You must have the time and resources for new customers. You may just need to raise your prices or find ways to cut costs or time.

 

Second, identify your target market. This is vital to know where to find your customers and know how to encourage them to buy. Utilize their likes and dislikes, motivations, lifestyle, interests, values, attitudes and beliefs.

 

Last but not least, know your marketing budget. This should be 10% of your gross income. For example if you business makes $150,000 per year, you should budget about $1000 per month for marketing. We can make that go a LONG way. Not only that we can reach your specific goals and track results confirming it’s worth the investment.

The answers to these questions will allow us to create the perfect marketing plan for you. Some of the marketing options may include a new website or updates to website, new photography or video commercials, social media posting, marketing materials, event planning, SEO (search engine optimization), PPC (pay-per-click) with Facebook Ads or Google Ads, email marketing, etc.

Begin the holiday planning!

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It’s 4th quarter which means …. the holidays are right around the corner! Now is the time to start planning! Is your company …

  • Selling products online?

  • Want to sell gift cards?

  • Need employee or client holiday gifts?

We can help! We design and build a wide variety of e-commerce websites. We can sell products directly online and give them a boost using Google or Facebook Ads. We can manage your e-commerce store or train you how to manage it on your own. We can even setup your store to sell and redeem gift cards! If you are looking for holiday gifts, we can also design and print custom apparel, drinkware, bags and offer some great ideas from some of our incredible clients!

Focusing on the “Website Design”

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When it comes to website design, the DESIGN can make a big difference in a WEBSITE. Whether you are trying to use your website to communicate information or to sell your products, the professional graphic design helps to communicate to your viewers visually. This is important because we have only a couple seconds in front of your potential customer. Using strategic colors, fonts, layout and imagery communicates your message quickly and effectively, not to mention adds credibility by presenting your business with a professional look.

Check out this before and after of a website page  we re-designed this week for our customer. It’s easy to SEE THE DIFFERENCE just a little graphic design can make!

WEBSITE HEADER BEFORE:

 

WEBSITE HEADER AFTER:

Website Design in Sioux Falls, SD

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We are so excited to announce, Downtown Design, LLC is now operating as a husband and wife website design and marketing agency in Sioux Falls, SD!

We both now live in Sioux Falls with four of our combined children. Jonah (16), Gideon (15), Asher (12) and Emma (8). We work out of our home most days, but we do also have a shared workspace available to us at the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship on the northwest side of Sioux Falls. However, since COVID, most of our meetings are online with Zoom and communicated daily with our clients via phone and/or email.

Our main areas of service are divided two parts – website design and digital marketing.

Our website design services include small start-up websites to large e-commerce platforms. All of our websites are fully responsive, adapting the size of the website to any device – mobile, tablet or desktop. Our digital marketing services include social media posting, blog writing, keyword optimization, SEO (search engine optimization), PPC (pay-per-click), monthly ROI reporting and consulting.

Beyond that, we also offer hosting, graphic design, photography and videography.

We are looking forward to serving the Sioux Falls, SD area. We love helping other business owners succeed in their market. Call us today for a free consultation. 605.368.0987

New Onsite Website Design Services

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A new popular concept in website design and development – we come to you!

We have had a great response to working with our clients onsite. This helps keep our clients in control of their services and meets their needs in a timely matter, getting exactly what they are looking for in their website services. Our clients have found this service perfect for them, here’s why:

  1. You get exactly what you want, communicating efficiently.
  2. Professional photography and videography while onsite.
  3. No waiting on emails, no communication delays.
  4. You will know exactly when each section of project is completed.
  5. Watch and learn while we work, we can train you while we work.

All companies can take advantage of this concept, including business starting a brand new website, existing businesses revamping their current website, big companies that have intense and complex websites, e-commerce businesses and non-profit organizations looking to save money and resources.

 

Listen as Christy speaks about our Onsite Website Design services on KDLO Radio:

WordPress Database Update Required

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This first quarter of 2019 has been a busy one for WordPress developers. There has been 10 significant updates for WordPress 5, 5.1 and 5.2, not to mention some huge PHP updates this quarter as well, that has resulted in some required maintenance and updating needed on some of our websites. We have been running checks on all our client’s websites, but it’s a good reminder to take a look at your website and make sure that your site is running optimally. If you see any concerns please don’t hesitate to contact us. If you are hosting with us, most likely we can fix any issues at no cost to you. The most recent update we are getting is the database update that’s required, in which you can go ahead and click, “Update WordPress Database” in the window that pops up the next time you login. We’ll keep you updated on any other actions needed for you, but most of these updates are completed by us behind the scenes. As always, let us know if you have any questions.

Best Website Designer in the Business

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One of the biggest things that makes Downtown Design the best in the business is our friendliness, honesty and integrity. Our account reps are not the pushy sales types, using scare tactics to demand loads of money from our clients – we simply listen to our clients needs, offer our suggestions and deliver what we promise. To accomplish this with every client, every time -we have a full-time project manager to make sure every project moves smoothly; full-time talented website designer on staff; and a variety of account representatives that follow-up on every project to assure that we are meeting and going above and beyond our client’s exceptions. We have perfected a step-by-step process to complete each project successfully using clear communication from beginning to end. This is why we gain many clients from our competitor’s clients reaching out for a better solution and after we earn their business we proudly hold a 98% retention rate.

This is why are tagline is, “Big City Quality & Small Town Service”

WordPress Websites are Targets for Hackers

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Did you know that according to Forbes magazine, over 30,000 websites get hacked a day? Of course you never think that this will happen to you. However, we come across hacked websites often with new clients. One of our most recent clients came to us because her website, where she sells children’s products for eduction (where hundreds of teachers, principles and educators visit daily) were being forwarded to an adult website. How credible does this look for your company? Do you think that that visitor will ever go there again? Do you think they would ever do business with you? Chances are … probably not.

It is CRUCIAL that your website is protected from hackers and malicious code. Unfortunately, because WordPress is the most widely used content management system, it is the largest target for being hacked today. Once you have been hacked, it can take hundreds if not thousands to clean up and restore your website. Luckily, at Downtown Design we have our own server, hosted off-site where we have a multiple threat detections active at all times, a firewall, plus we take daily back-ups of every website to protect and restore if and when a hacker strikes. It’s no worries, we just have you covered.

If your website is being hosted with a cheap, largely advertised company, you are likely to be prone to hackers. Get protected with us. Almost all migrations are FREE of charge and our hosting with all the hacker protection only starts at $29/mo.

Credit: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jameslyne/2013/09/06/30000-web-sites-hacked-a-day-how-do-you-host-yours/#19e6dc151738

Why Hire a Local Website Designer in Minneapolis, MN?

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With the excitement of Summer (sadly) winding down, it’s time to put all of your focus back on your business. The easiest way to give your company some much needed attention is with a NEW WEBSITE. In order to create a new website, you need a LOCAL Web Design Company. But why should you choose a local compan
y and not one half-way across the country (or even the world)? We will break down the main reasons why!

  1. Loyalty
    • Everyone knows that the general rule of thumb is that neighbors are usually more loyal to you than someone who is on the other side of the country. Supporting your community with using a local company improves your loyalty as well. If other local businesses notice that you supported a local business, you are more likely to gain their business.
  2. YOUR Competition is Always on Their Minds
    • If you and your web design company are in the same area, then they know who your competition is. Local web design companies know how competitive or uncompetitive your local competition is. For example, would a web designer in California know about the Grand Finale Car Show that is coming to Downtown Anoka this September?
  3. Meetings are More Likely to be Face to Face
    • Most likely if you hire a web designer out-of-state, you will never come in face-to-face contact with them. But if you use a local web design company, the chances of having face-to-face meetings with them improves drastically. When clients are face-to-face with their web designers, the whole process tends to go more smoothly.
  4. Get to Know You on a More Personal Level
    • Since you have chosen a web design company located closer to you, you are able to have more contact with them. If you were to choose a worldwide freelance development service, or something of that nature, you would only be a number to them. Local businesses will know YOUR name!
  5. Quality is Always Better
    • Now that you have a great relationship with your web designers, they will not want to disappoint you with low quality work. You will be able to check on them more frequently to be sure your site is getting done right.

If you or someone you know in the Minneapolis, MN area needs a website or some SEO help call us today!

Are free sites, really free?

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So you are in the market for a new website. You begin doing your research. However, you don’t have to do much research to find out that websites can cost thousands from your local website design company. You are determined that there is a more affordable option. You are watching your favorite TV show then, WHAM! There’s the option you was looking for … they are giving away FREE websites! Wow, cool! Why pay thousands for a website when I can get one for FREE. What’s the catch?

Great question! So what costs are we missing here?

1. Cost of un-professional design. 
Ever heard the expression, “Do what you do best and outsource the rest”? Do you want your website to look professional or look like a 5th grade art project? Think about the customers you want to attract. Think about how your competitor’s websites look. If you do not have a creative edge, designer education and professional layout tools, your website will scream “cheap” and “unprofessional” and your potential leads are sure to jump off your site and on to your competitors.

2. Cost of on-site optimization. 
Unless you are a professional search engine optimization specialist, you will be missing all the onsite optimization that can be placed internally in the website. This is REQUIRED to get your website listed on Google. If it’s not done when the website is created, you will need to pay for this to be completed, costing thousands of dollars anyway.

3. Cost of poor customer service. 
According to online reviews and ratings, Weebly and Wix scored “Terrible” and “Disappointing” overall customer service ratings. In fact, Weebly’s NEGATIVE customer support feedback was a shocking 90%. So not only you are expected to create your own website using their technology, they are not there to support it.

4. Cost of your time.
Would you rather set aside a marketing budget to get your online marketing professionally done .. or would you rather spend the next few months struggling to learn a new constantly changing profession on a computer with an internet technology with no help, then come to find out that your new website that you created only works partially and can’t be found on search engines anywhere. Very frustrating!

5. What they don’t tell you, costs you.
If you ever want to do anything cool or upgraded for your website – you’ve got to pay. Also, most of the time your website will have an Advertisement for FREE WEBSITES in the footer area… that just makes your whole company look cheap. Furthermore … You’ll pay for more pages, bells and whistles.

6. You don’t own the site.
You really won’t own the site, you are renting it. You won’t have full control and worse yet, if you ever leave their services – you lose everything!

7. Spamming you … and your customers.
Some of these sites also SPAM your customers. So let’s say they come to you to buy one of your products. Well, for the next few days or weeks all of the ads on any other website they visit will present your competitors to them… This is spamming your customers. You can lose revenue very quickly.

 

Take our advice, we see this all the time. We are the ones that fix these issues for our new clients. They don’t really mean free. It’s COSTLY and TIME CONSUMING, so they can make money off of you and your customers. Don’t let it happen to you.

 

Customer Service Scoreboard, (http://www.customerservicescoreboard.com/)

Webtegrity, (https://webtegrity.com/our-blog/web-design-tips/wix-vs-webs-vs-weebly-free-websites-really-free/)