We are steadily plugging our way through 2017, and the closer we get to the future, the more we look ahead to what the future looks like. Just like you’d likely not hire a designer to paint ‘country sampler’ stamp motifs in your kitchen, it is important for web designers to keep up with design trends so websites look fresh and new. Let’s take a look at some of the new designs and features we’re seeing on websites in 2017, as well as what may be here to stay and what is just a fad.
Written By: Adam Bennett | May 09, 2017
Adam is the president and founder of Cube Creative Design and specializes in private school marketing. Since starting the business in 2005, he has created individual relationships with clients in Western North Carolina and across the United States. He places great value on the needs, expectations, and goals of the client.
Though blogging was once primarily a vehicle for people to share stories and opinions from their personal lives, it has become an important part of marketing and relationship building for small businesses.
Effective blogging can help you build trust with potential customers and provide an extra level of customer service for your existing clients. It is also an important tool for generating new content for SEO and social media. In this article, we will discuss five reasons blogging is vital for small businesses.
Written By: Adam Bennett | April 30, 2017
Adam is the president and founder of Cube Creative Design and specializes in private school marketing. Since starting the business in 2005, he has created individual relationships with clients in Western North Carolina and across the United States. He places great value on the needs, expectations, and goals of the client.
You have probably seen a small business that impressed you for doing well despite its location. We have all also seen businesses open and thought to ourselves, "I hope they make it, but that building is cursed." In some industries, location is everything. Though your location on the internet is not necessarily important, the principle remains, you want your small business to be visible to your potential clients.
Written By: Adam Bennett | January 26, 2017
Adam is the president and founder of Cube Creative Design and specializes in private school marketing. Since starting the business in 2005, he has created individual relationships with clients in Western North Carolina and across the United States. He places great value on the needs, expectations, and goals of the client.
Entrepreneurs and small business owners are notorious do-it-yourselfers. Without the backing of major corporations, we need be able to create things and handle our own issues. However, there are some tasks to which we need to trust professionals.
Your website is your greatest marketing asset. There are over 3.5 billion google searches every day. Many of those inquiries are regarding services in your industry. The visibility and usability of your website are essential for Google's search engine to recognize your company as the answer to questions your potential clients are asking.
In 2017, to make the most of your website's potential, we encourage you to trust your greatest marketing asset to a professional. In this article, we have compiled four reasons to hire a professional to design and build your company's website.
Written By: Chad J. Treadway | January 03, 2017
Chad is our Chief Smarketing Officer. He will help you survey your small business needs, educating you on your options before suggesting any solution. Chad is passionate about rural marketing in the United States and North Carolina. He also has several certifications through HubSpot to better assist you with your internet and inbound marketing.
Design trends come and go. While some trends we can happily salute as they leave (anyone remember the "Rachel" hairstyle?), some trends bring great visual interest. This is especially true for businesses, where design trends can help set businesses apart. The following slides were presented at the PRIMA NC conference held at A-B Technical Community College in Asheville, NC.
Written By: Adam Bennett | September 15, 2016
Adam is the president and founder of Cube Creative Design and specializes in private school marketing. Since starting the business in 2005, he has created individual relationships with clients in Western North Carolina and across the United States. He places great value on the needs, expectations, and goals of the client.
We all have horror stories of service providers and lackluster customer care. Whether it be in a retail operation or the mail service, there are times when you have to dig in your heels as a customer in order to get a fair shake.
So what happens when you, as a customer, may be the one causing issues? Service providers also have horror stories of clients whom they deem “toxic” or a nightmare.
At Cube Creative Design, we pride ourselves on the best in customer service and experience. Rather than “dump a toxic client” like some industry publications suggest, we work through issues and get our clients the best possible outcome and solution for their business or organization.
How can that process flow smooth as buttah? Here are a few tips that will help service providers, especially design services, get you the solution you need and want as quickly as possible:
As we approach the midpoint of 2016, it has become quite clear that social media are a viable marketing platform for business. As we discussed earlier, social media shouldn’t take the place of a well-designed website. However social media can be a great way to interact with customers and build brand loyalty.
So what are some social media trends in 2016? How can you take advantage of social media trends for your business?
Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, Vine, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+, FourSquare, Yelp, Gryzzl (OK, that one is fictional): there is always something new to remember. It may seem easier to avoid jumping on the train and instead take a nap in the train station. Or it may be tempting to use these free social platforms to market your business and neglect a proper website.
As endless as the platforms may seem, there is a good middle ground to successfully market your small business online. You just have to view social media platforms as what they are: a marketing tool to reach out to potential and current customers and bring them to your business.
Last summer I went on vacation and wanted to secure the house in my absence. To do this, I got a sticky note and wrote “do not enter” and stuck it on my front door. Satisfied with all of my assets being properly secured, I left for a week out of state. When I returned I couldn’t figure out why my house had been ransacked. They even took my peanut butter!
Does that story sound completely ridiculous? Likely. Are you doing the exact same thing when you pick an insanely easy-to-crack password? You bet.
Who doesn’t have a Gmail account? Google’s popular email service is no longer only for personal email. The folks at Google offer Google Apps, which gives you all the features of Gmail, but with your own domain name.
Huh? So imagine I have a pet sitting service called See Spot Sit, and I use a Gmail account to handle all communications for this pet sitting service business. Perhaps the email is something like SeeSpotSit@gmail.com. My business picks up and I now have a super awesome website, SeeSpotSit.com. I want to look really legit, and I hear that using email from my domain name can help me gain that legitimacy. Adding email through my web site hosting service can be, frankly, ghetto. Email services are typically an afterthought for many web hosting companies. So I sign up for Google Apps for Business. Now I can have email accounts like YoDawg@SeeSpotSit.com or LeashLover@SeeSpotSit.com, and they all run with the same gears and cogs that power Gmail.
Perhaps the most important piece of real estate you can own is your domain name. It is the address at which every potential customer will find you, and it can have huge implications on your marketing strategy.
If you’re going to spend the money to brand your business – and yes, you should spend the money to brand your business – it seems logical that you could then use that branding across different media platforms, right?
Right! However there are some caveats to consider. When done well, cross-platform branding can make your business look and perform well. Done inappropriately, it can cripple your business potential.
Let’s start at the beginning. Your business brand, according to Entrepreneur, is your promise to your customer. It conveys what can be expected and how your business is different than others. It isn’t just a logo or a color scheme. It is your business “voice,” from the tone of written communication to visual images.
Here are five tips to successfully translating your print brand to an online brand.