DIY Websites

I am offering DIY websites now through Foremost Media.  Check it out!!  These are awesome sites for a very good price!!  Add up to 300 pages.  Build a beautiful photo gallery!!  Turn pages on and turn them off, it's all there!!  Learn more by visiting this page:  http://www.foremostmedia.com/Services/DIYWebsites/tabid/361/Default.aspx

Thanks and make it a great day!

Holiday Slows Me Down

Not sure if you are all feeling this way, but with the Holidays it's just hard to work!!  Before Christmas it was moving, (yes...we moved!) and then decorating which included finding the right boxes that had the Christmas decorations in them!  Amongst the decorating it was shopping and cooking and visiting and travel and agghhh!  Why do we put ourselves through all this?  And then on top of it all, we miss work.  So to me, this sounds like things should be done a little differently for next year, soooo.....I think a trip to a nice warm beach would be a better idea!  Question is:  Maui or Florida?  I think I will let TravelZoo help me with that one!!  


Happy New Year to you all and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.  It is a reason to celebrate, just without the shopping!!

If Architechts Had to Work Like Web Designers (repost)

I found this on a really cool blog called: whatconsumesme.com

If Architects Had to Work Like Web Designers Unknown January 10, 2002

Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I need, so you should use your discretion. My house should have somewhere between two and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such that the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted. When you bring the blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of what I want. Also, bring me the cost breakdown for each configuration so that I can arbitrarily pick one.

Keep in mind that the house I ultimately choose must cost less than the one I am currently living in. Make sure, however, that you correct all the deficiencies that exist in my current house (the floor of my kitchen vibrates when I walk across it, and the walls don't have nearly enough insulation in them).

As you design, also keep in mind that I want to keep yearly maintenance costs as low as possible. This should mean the incorporation of extra-cost features like aluminum, vinyl, or composite siding. (If you choose not to specify aluminum, be prepared to explain your decision in detail.)

Please take care that modern design practices and the latest materials are used in construction of the house, as I want it to be a showplace for the most up-to-date ideas and methods. Be alerted, however, that kitchen should be designed to accommodate, among other things, my 1952 Gibson refrigerator.

To insure that you are building the correct house for our entire family, make certain that you contact each of our children, and also our in-laws. My mother-in-law will have very strong feelings about how the house should be designed, since she visits us at least once a year.

Make sure that you weigh all of these options carefully and come to the right decision. I, however, retain the right to overrule any choices that you make.

Please don't bother me with small details right now. Your job is to develop the overall plans for the house: Get the big picture. At this time, for example, it is not appropriate to be choosing the color of the carpet. However, keep in mind that my wife likes blue.

Also, do not worry at this time about acquiring the resources to build the house itself. Your first priority is to develop detailed plans and specifications. Once I approve these plans, however, I would expect the house to be under roof within 48 hours.

While you are designing this house specifically for me, keep in mind that sooner or later I will have to sell it to someone else. It therefore should have appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers.

Please make sure before you finalize the plans that there is a consensus of the population in my area that they like the features this house has. I advise you to run up and look at my neighbor's house that he constructed last year. We like it a great deal. It has many features that we would also like in our new home, particularly the 75-foot swimming pool. With careful engineering, I believe that you can design this into our new house without impacting the final cost.

Please prepare a complete set of blueprints. It is not necessary at this time to do the real design, since they will be used only for construction bids. Be advised, however, that you will be held accountable for any increase of construction costs as a result of later design changes.

You must be thrilled to be working on as an interesting project as this! To be able to use the latest techniques and materials and to be given such freedom in your designs is something that can't happen very often.

Contact me as soon as possible with your complete ideas and plans.

PS: My wife has just told me that she disagrees with many of the instructions I've given you in this letter. As architect, it is your responsibility to resolve these differences. I have tried in the past and have been unable to accomplish this. If you can't handle this responsibility, I will have to find another architect.

PPS: Perhaps what I need is not a house at all, but a travel trailer. Please advise me as soon as possible if this is the case.

Haven't we ALL had customers like this!!! Agh!

The Importance of Web Presence for a New Business

A business without a website is equivalent to a person without an identity. The World Wide Web is a huge encyclopedia of information, but it has also become a way to validate your business. If you currently have a business, whether it is online or offline, you will need a website to advertise effectively.

This from: www.designfloat.com

Poster Design

Just finished the first poster for the Ministry "He's SPEAKING! Are We Listening?" Check it out and then visit the site to learn more! This is exactly what us busy working people need to stay connected!

Re-designed the Website for Paras Chiropractic in Middleton.

Click here to Check it out!

Latest Web Site

New redesign for The Brink Lounge just launched! 

Check it out!!
 

Excellent place for wine, martinis, food and live music!

Flash for The Brink Lounge

If you want to Blog....25 basic ways to do it!

Learn more about my services, click here.

100 Jobs you should outsource!

I handle most of these so please give me a call:  608-558-9908 or visit my website.

YourNews.com

Well I have found an awesome product that is affordable and getting traffic like crazy. And it is growing like crazy! It's an open source news site (similar to youtube) that allows you, the public, to post the news! What better way to get informed! We are offering banner advertising for your business to get represented on pages of the site. The pricing is unbelievable! It's budget style marketing similar to pay per click. It is trackable and can be linked back to your site which is awesome!! Call me to get more information: 608-558-9908
Learn more here: www.debfoesch.com/yournews
View the site here: www.yournews.com/ Enter your zip code to get to your local news section.

Motivational Video

Everything is Possible - video powered by Metacafe

Advertising Plunges but not Search Marketing!

Check out this information about online advertising! I emphasize this often in my presentations!

REAPING THE BENE'S

I have been promoting Social Media to my fellow BNI members for a few months now. During our meeting last week, I was not the only one to brag of success. Two other members received business through their social representation!! This is awesome. So we are all excited to duplicate those effects. If you are not up on Facebook or LinkedIn yet, it only takes a few minutes to get your FREE account set up. Be sure to link back to your website or blog. If you want to search for similar blogs and ad a comment with your website link, that helps too. Twitter is a good tool for this. Get your account there, search for groups or affiliations and click on follow. They usually reciprocate. Email me if you have any questions or check out my website at www.debfoesch.com

TWITTER

So we are all asking, what does this Social Media really mean. It means money. If you have a network of friends that spread the word about you and your services which leads to a sale, isn't that a good thing? There are other means of marketing. Those usually take some investment. So check out the Social Media. Get into the game while the going is HOT. I can try to answer questions you might have or offer up some research materials that I have come across to better explain it. Email me or phone me for a one on one if you like. We can even meet over the net. Thanks and have a great Valentine's Day. Be sure to eat your share of DARK chocolate, paired up with some Merlot from Napa Valley. Try the Douglass Hill. Hard to find but for the price, you can't beat it!! And be sure to view my twitter page:

Social Media for BNI

I am presenting to my BNI group about SOCIAL MEDIA today which includes blogs. Blogging is an excellent way to stay in front of your clients. Offer them tips about your business or services. Make it so they can send this information on to other people. That is what makes it Social, because they are spreading the word to help your business grow.

Search Engine Optimization

We build it and they will come. This is not the Field of Dreams. As much as we all love Kevin Costner....ok...well....some of us do. :) But it isn't true. You have to drive traffic to your site. There are many ways this can be done. I specialize in making your site rank high based on keywords. We meet over your site. We discuss your business, products, services, key market and competition. With that information, I can propose ways to bring your site up in the rankings within a 1 - 6 month time frame, depending on your competitive nature. Please call me for more information: 608-558-9908. More to come....thanks for stopping by and God Bless.

Tips for Email Marketing

I just posted some tips for Email Marketing on my website. If you are wondering about cost, please email me for pricing. So many of my customers are feeling the squeeze of the economy and one way for you to get your special promos out to your loyal customers is through a free, nicely designed email which they have signed up to receive! Let them know that you are happy to help them save in gas by bringing them a photo of a new piece that has been recently added to your stock or maybe its one they have been admiring and you are discounting it this month! Get creative on your marketing thoughts and get those customers back in for purchasing! And as always, have a great day!

Email Marketing

Most of us are in business to make money. The cost to market your business can sometimes be very high. Well not with Email Marketing. This little tool is so affordable. Use it to send pleasantly designed emails with fun facts and information or better yet, include ways for them to save on your services or products. Now this is designed to go out to a list of your existing customers so that you can stay in front of them on a regular basis. Everyone knows that their existing customer is the most highly valued since they can bring you business. (Are you asking for referrals?) This is a no brainer people! I have the tool that you need to format the email. It will design it for you with colors, photos, logo and text. You can even add in surveys if you want. It's all very cool. To see an example check out my home page at http://www.debfoesch.com. Email me if your interested. Thanks and have a great day!

Website Design

When putting designs together, I really like to balance the design between photos and graphic design in 3 colors. That seems to be what I have been focusing on lately. Click on any image in the slide show to see it up closer. Please give me a call anytime. I would be happy to consult with you on any design or website upgrade or marketing campaigns you have in mind.