Project Spotlight: Sycamore Canyon Gardens Teaser Brochure
When I first hear from a new potential client, the first thing I do is a little background research. So when I got my first message from the owner of Sycamore Canyon Gardens and found their Instagram, I was immediately interested. This has to be one of the loveliest garden venues I’ve ever seen, and I wanted to get in on it! Here’s a little more info about this delightful client and the project we completed together. About the Client Sycamore Canyon Gardens is a capital-g-Gorgeous event and wedding venue in Montecito, California. With room for up to 100 guests, this landscaped garden venue is ideal for elegant-yet-intimate weddings. Every…
How to Get Your Restaurant into the Google Local Pack
If someone asked you, “Where should we eat around here?” you’d assume they intend to go out to eat sometime soon, right? Well, the same is true of Google searches for restaurants. When people search for restaurants in the area, they have high purchase intent. Either they’re hungry right now or they’re planning a meal for the near future. So you want to show up in that search! But here’s the problem: most of the first-page search results on Google aren’t individual restaurants. They’re from aggregate sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor. These sites have thousands upon thousands of pages and huge domain authority. Your little taqueria may have the best…
Contact Form vs. Email Address: Which One Is Better for Your Contact Page?
The contact page is one of the most important—and most overlooked—pages on your business website. It’s the place where site visitors make the final decision to either abandon your site (the easy choice) or reach out to you (the harder choice). So this page should be all about helping the prospect overcome inertia and take the next step. Does that mean making a phone call? Sending an email? Filling out a contact form? Obviously, this will vary based on your business. For a restaurant or hotel, a phone number is a must since you will have to answer time-sensitive questions about same-day reservations. But for many of the other businesses…
What’s the Best Length for a Business Website?
Planning a website from scratch is a bit like building a house. Where do you begin? How many rooms should you have? Is it possible for a kitchen to be too big? A website can be designed in an infinite number of ways, with an infinite amount of content. If you start without a plan, you’re basically building a house with no blueprint. And that’s not a house I’d like to live in. Your website content can be broken down into two primary categories—the number of pages on your site, and the amount of content on each page. Here’s how to get started. How Many Pages Should My Website Have? If only…
How to Work With Freelancers: 9 Tips for Better Project Results
Ever said some version of the following? “It’s so hard to find good freelancers.” “Freelancers just don’t feel like part of the team.” “Freelancers aren’t reliable enough.” Through my freelance career, I’ve worked with dozens of small businesses. And I’ve learned that the success of freelance gigs comes down to a lot more than how well the contractor knows their stuff. Here’s what potential clients should know about how to work with freelancers for a happy, productive relationship and projects you’ll both be proud of. 1. Get Crystal-Clear on the Project Details in Advance—Every Time A new freelancer/business owner relationship is a bit like dating. You’re getting to know each…
Plain Text vs. HTML Emails: An Easy Guide for Non-Marketers
An email is more than just an email. Some are simple text, like they were written by a friend. Others, especially in ecommerce, are flooded with images, videos, gifs, and other visual elements. There are reasons why some companies keep their email formats simple, and others go for more complicated designs. We’re going to talk about the types of emails you could send to your email list, and what to know before you choose. Plain Text vs. HTML Emails: What’s the Difference? A plain text email is just that: an email that consists of simple text. It has no images, graphics, videos, gifs, or colors, and it’s easy for ALL…
Should Your Event Venue’s Pricing Be in Your Brochure?
When assessing event venue options, potential clients have a long list of questions. One of those will inevitably be the cost of the rental. But exactly when and how to reveal this information is the subject of some debate. Is it better to be upfront? Or should you hold back the pricing, letting the clients fall in love with your perfect venue before revealing the price tag? Here are four questions to help you figure out how and when your venue should share the numbers. Are Your Clients Cost-Conscious? The purpose of your event venue brochure is to sell your event space. That means we’re only including information that will help to make that sale. If…
4 Ways to Learn More About Your Customers—For Free (Beyond Google Analytics)
Think back to the last time you had a conversation with a complete stranger. I’d bet all the janglies in my pocket that that conversation was rather surface-level. Names, area of town where you live, family, maybe what you do for a living. Now think about the last time you had a conversation with a good friend. That chat would have looked quite different. Inside jokes, stories about mutual friends, maybe some deeper insight into how you’re feeling. To connect with someone, you have to know them. And that holds true whether you’re talking about two individuals or a brand and its customers. But as anyone who’s tried to really…
8 Common Copywriting Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
If I stepped into my kitchen right now and tried to whip up a Beef Wellington, it would not go well. Could I make something halfway edible? Maaaaybe. But I’m not a trained chef. Nor an amateur chef, to be honest. My husband is the cook in this family. I just eat gratefully and do the dishes. If you’re a small business owner or marketer, you’ve probably had to step into the role of a copywriter. But crafting effective copy is a skill that requires training and practice, just like running a successful hotel, event venue, restaurant, or making Beef Wellington. And if you’re not a copywriter by trade, you…
11 Overused Words (and Spicier Options to Try Instead)
There are over 170,000 words in the English language. Yet most of us only use around 1,000 words in 89% of our everyday writing. We default to the same overused word choices over and over, which can make each new piece of writing sound much like the last. While there’s value to plain language, we never want to be boring. Next time you write, do a search for any of these yawner words, and swap them out if you can. Overused Words (and Some Spicier Options) These are words that spring to mind without even thinking about them. If something is decent, it’s good. If it’s better than good, it’s…
