Chief Creative Officer talks Social Media with LACC President, Dr. Edith Valladares McElroy

CGR Creative's Chief Creative Officer & Partner, Julio Colmenares to speak to Charlotte to Business Professionals

 
When: Monday, October 18, 2010 | 06:00PM - 08:00PM

Where: The Dunhill Hotel -237 N. Tryon St. Charlotte, NC 28202  Show Location map

What: Monthly CharlotteBP networking meeting.
See a list of people registered to attend.
The Charlotte Business Journal's Erik Spanberg tweeted today October 14 during the Charlotte Retreat in Pinehurst (twitter hash tag #cltplan)

"Keys for diversity include possible launch of chamber campaign to get companies to spend 10% with local small biz each year. #cltplan"

Dr. Valladares McElroy and Colmenares not only have their finger on the pulse of the Latin American business community in but Charlotte small business community period with over 2 decades of combined experience.
When asked to give a preview of his social media speech Julio said,

"What 'new media' means changes rapidly so the question becomes, "how can I keep current without going crazy or bankrupt?" The answer is simple, "Jump In!" Learning to swim requires that you get in the pool. You can research, compare, look to your competitor, etc. but eventually you must get wet. I want to teach small businesses how to take new media and promote their business"

Join in to what will surely be time well spent. 

The (Yes THE) CGR Creative Web Design Checklist: Part 1- Favicons

Good Website Design is Authoritative
The web is full -- full of more stuff than one person can read in many lifetimes.  How do you stand out?

Authority.

Authority is what makes a website stand out.
We have all seen websites that look homemade.  An authority site is polished. 

Polish is obtained in the details.

All polished authority sites use favicons.   You will be very hard-pressed to find an authority website that does not use  favicons.
Favicons are the little emblem that show at the top in your browser next to your website’s title.

In this image you can see the flame icon and the twitter bird icon on the tabs above. 
Favicons are subtle, but these small subtle steps are the difference between an authority site that wins appeal and a marginal site that gets the back button.
Be an authority.  Charlotte’s greatest web designers are standing by.
CGR Creative

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THE (yes "THE") CGR Creative Web Marketing Checklist: Introduction

Did you get an A in Web Marketing?

We are going to drop the knowledge on you beginning today in our new online series (no charge for awesomeness).

THE ( yes, "THE") CGR Creative Web Marketing Checklist.

This is the last check list you will need.  Why?  Because it is the most awesome checklist in the world.  We're talking about 20 pages long and two columns wide of little golden checkboxes to help you become the shining star of your little internet slice of heaven.

What about Cross browser functionality?  Navigation? Buttons? Privacy Policy?

Man.  We're with you!

And when we say, "We're with you" we don't mean, "We're with you."   We mean, "Put us on your payroll after you knock it out of the park!"   

You may want to get a biscuit to sop this up.  Definitely a napkin because this is going to be GOOD.

Don't worry, as long as you pay your electric bill, we'll wait...  Got it?  OK.

Part 1.   -  How to Pick a Kick-A...Awesome Domain Name and URL

What do you call yourself.  What do you do?  This is all huge.  Like, invent-a-time-machine huge.  Google "Credit Cards" and see what the first natural #1 result is after the paid and news items.  #2 is Visa and  #1 is not Mastercard.   That ranking is natural and the traffic is free.  You can see, even at $12 per click, there are more ads on this page than stormtroopers at the original Death Star opening (before the remix).   

Step 1

Figure out your #1 keyword.  What would you type into Google to find that so sweet special thing you have to offer.  Youtube and Facebook are one in a million.  Domains that exactly match (exact match) your keyword or have the keyword in them (phrase match) is the fastest way possible (period!) to get to the top of Google.  www.creditcards.com is not as powerful of a website as Visa.com nor do they have the same budget I can assure you.  This is so powerful that if ninjas would have known this fact they probably would have gone into web marketing instead of becoming ninjas. 

Check us out at The Hottest Advertising Agency in Charlotte NC for more information about web marketing!

Hit the Digg button (bottom right)!!  Fun things will happen.

Charlotte Web Design Advertising Tips

Web design is all about driving traffic, without traffic to a site, no e-commerce or brand awareness can occur. So your biggest concern when advertising on the web or designing a web site is how you are going to drive traffic to specific pages within your web site. Obviously some form of online advertising is suggested, but there are so many options out there that this can get overwhelming. When you add in the industry terms like PPC (Pay per Click), SEO (Search Engine Optimization), CMS (Content Management System), etc. it just becomes a blur of acronyms and Internet babble. At CGR Creative we do our best to simplify the process. Our clients run the gamut from Internet savvy professionals to novice business owners that know they, "just need a good web site." No matter what your level of expertise we can help make your online based advertising more successful.

We have compiled a list of Web Advertising Tips that we think are the core of a good online campaign. These represent tried and true ways to increase traffic to your site whether it has been around for years or weeks, and while CGR Creative is based in Charlotte, North Carolina these tips will work no matter where you are located!

CGR Creative's Web Design Advertising Tips

1 Update and maintain your website in every way possible using blogs, social media, online articles, etc. Basically branding yourself within your market.

2 Contribute to any and all reputable online forums, groups, or associations within your market. Many of these exist online, and it is therefore easy to maintain a more constant presence than with traditional groups.

3 Always collect the name and email addresses of visitors to your business, trade shows, or your web site. Send these contacts relevant updates and a company newsletter.

To see tips 4 through 7 simply visit: http://cgrcreative.com/latest-news/177-charlotte-web-des ...

Again these tips are really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to online advertising, but they represent low cost ways to establish your brand. At CGR Creative we work with all our clients to help place their business exactly where they want it. Call us today to see what we can do for you!

Charlotte based CGR Creative is a full service advertising agency offering cutting edge Web Design and more. CGR Creative prides itself on supporting their customers in a way that larger agencies can’t, often times committing all their resources to ensure the success of their client’s projects. CGR Creative’s fundamental belief is that the client’s success is their success. The agency, with an office in Charlotte, North Carolina, is fully bi-lingual, with a Latino marketing division that offers a variety of marketing channels that are specifically targeted to reach the Hispanic market.

Before You Design Your Website Answer these Questions

Charlotte Web Design Specialists CGR Creative Lists Six Questions your Business Should Answer Before Designing Your Website

If you are serious about developing a successful business in today's marketplace, taking the time to educate yourself about modern Web Development, Web Site Design, Internet Marketing, Online Promotions, Copywriting, and Search Engine Optimization is of the utmost of importance.

Above all else, your first priority must be your website. If your site does not look professional, all of your marketing and promotional efforts will be wasted. Although you may be able to drive traffic to your web site, if it is poorly planned and looks unprofessional, you will most likely not make any sales.

We highly recommend visiting CGR Creative to contact us about designing a highly professional looking web site. It will be well worth the price, as it will save you a great deal of time and effort.

In addition to developing a professional web site, you must also know exactly what you will be selling, and we can help design your web site accordingly. This should include developing your web site's theme, sales strategy, marketing strategy and promotional strategy. Each part of this web development strategy will play an important role in your success.

The answers to these questions will assist you in developing a successful web presence. For additional information, make sure you don't miss http://cgrcreative.com/latest-news/176-charlotte-web-design-specialists-cgr-creative

Charlotte Web Design Specialists CGR Creative Lists Six Questions your Business Should Answer Before Designing Your Website

Charlotte’s Web Design specialists CGR Creative explains the importance behind answering these six questions before designing your company’s website. CGR takes pride in taking the time to fully research a client’s market and industry before beginning any creative project. Located in the historic South End neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina, CGR Creative has been quietly cranking out some of  the best web design in the Country.

Answering these six questions can literally put your business on the map, and you need to do that before you put it on the web! Give CGR Creative a call today to see how we can help meet your business' design needs.

CGR Creative’s Six Web Design Questions

Who is your client? It is critical that you identify your target market. This is not as simple as it sounds. Often business owners make assumptions about their market that do not stand up to investigation. Knowing your core demographic can inform design decisions and directly influence the effectiveness of your web site.

What problem are you solving? In order to be really successful, you must solve a problem for your customers. Your first job is to inform your audience about the problem and then direct their attention to your ingenious solution. The more dramatic the problem the more valuable your solution becomes.

What is your core service or product? What product or service are you most interested in selling? Often this is not the most or least expensive option you have available. At the movies, this is called MEDIUM. What product or service has the highest profit to effort ratio? In other words what is your company best at?

For the last three questions please visit Charlotte Web Design Specialists CGR Creative!

Pictures From Julio's Presentation

Pictures From Julio's Presentation