PulseCreativePartners.com

Pulse: Forever In History, Part 2

Well, as you can see, we've made the book again. A few days ago we told you about our Alive logo and how it had made Logo Lounges first book in the Master Library Series which focuses on Initials and Crests. Well, as you can see, our Herron High School logo made it in as well. We're pretty exstatic about these recent events and appreciate all the recognition we've been getting lately. Keep watching, who knows what will happen next.

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Acquaint: Better Email Marketing from Pulse Creative Partners

Acquaint, our highly anticipated email marketing solution has arrived! For years we've been using our own e-newsletter solution for our clients, but only recently decided to take this live giving you, the user, the opportunity to edit and send your own custom designed newsletters affordably, efficiently and attractively. Sure, we have some free templates to get you started, but we suggest signing up to have us develop your own custom designed newsletter so you stand out, and so all of your marketing is cohesive and consistent. There are three levels of customization to choose from, so select the one that fits your budget and best meets your needs and begin creating beautifully effective email campaigns today.

Also, as a special treat, we're offering, to the first five people who sign up for our free account, a free upgrade to customize one of our generic templates with your brand's colors and logo. So you better move fast, we're sure this special won't last long.

GET STARTED NOW

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Pulse Creative Partners Is On Twitter and Picky List

Recently we finally joined Twitter to try to expand our marketing presence. Twitter is one of the many FREE options you have to get your name out on the web and to drive traffic back to your site. It's a way to also build a community around your brand and keep them connected to news and updates about your business.

We also stumbled onto an Indianapolis based version of Twitter with a twist, called PickyList. It's very similar to Twitter in how you update content and follow other members, but it also adds a marketplace feature where you can post items for sale, list job openings, post a resume or whatever your heart desires. This is a great local option to begin building more of a local community around your brand.

Just another example of a much more extensive community based social media site is Smaller Indiana, which we are also a member of. This actually gives you so many more options for posting discussions, meeting and networking with other members and promoting your business.

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on PickyList

Follow us on Smaller Indiana

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Pulse: Forever In History

Recently we received an email from Logo Lounge, a well respected member of the design community that chronicles logos from around the world and places their favorites in books like Logo Lounge 4. We couldn't have anticipated that they were working on a new project and they had selected one of our logos (see above) to be featured in the first book in their Master Library Series which focuses on Initials and Crests. We are delighted to share this exciting news with all of you and will keep you up to date as we continue to be recognized on a national level for the work we do.

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Some Logos We’ve Been Working On

So, as you can see, our site has been a bit of a ghost town for a while. Really there's no good excuse except that we have actually been really busy. But as you can see we're working hard to update the site a little more regularly so it's fresh and you benefit. Plus, we figure we better take our own advice to keep our site fresh.

To keep this moving right along, you'll see a few logos we have been working on in the past year. The top row are all logos for Kettle Maid, a family of restaurants. These logos are for restaurant concepts they hope to launch sometime in the near future. They are currently seeking investors to help them get the Cantina Diablo's concept going. So if you or someone you know wants to invest in a restaurant concept we feel is pretty exciting, please email me and I will get you his information.

The bottom row are some random logos we like. Hairistotle's is a little boutique salon right around the corner from us and they have been in need of a look that matches their sense of style. OCGO is actually an annual event hosted by Overseas Council to educate their donors and leaders on how they are working for Christ in the world. And the final logo is to announce Overseas Council's 35 years in ministry. That's quite a milestone in ministry today.

Keep watching for more design and marketing updates.

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Seeking Smart, Resilient Clients

In today's economy there are two kinds of businesses, those who fear what might happen, and those who focus on making things happen. So many businesses resort to the mentality that we must be conservative, or we will certainly crumble. While this might seem like the logical solution, the companies who are realizing that if they don't make their move now, there most certainly won't be a better opportunity down the road. So, one business is taking the initiative while the other is just hoping they survive.

Don't get me wrong, this economy isn't something to be taken lightly, but one thing is for sure, the stronger companies will end up on the other side of it, and if you aren't one of those strong, driven companies, then natural selection will take its course.

So, how do you become one of those strong, smart companies that makes it out on the other side? The answer is actually in continuing to market you business, or if you haven't, to start now.

The best, and most cost effective ways to make the most of your marketing is to focus on your web site. If you don't have one, get one. If you have one, have a consultant or web designer (like Pulse Creative Partners) take a look at it and make sure it is working for you through excellent brand representation and strong search engine optimization. Or it may be a good time to think about redesigning your site altogether.

If you are thinking about a new site, there are some things to consider that will help you build your client base:

1) Incorporate a blog. A blog gives you the opportunity to update your site with industry relevant information. From tips and tricks, to insider information that could help your clients save money or improve their own businesses, whatever your blog focuses on, it should relate to your business and it should provide value to the reader. A blog will also help your search rankings, giving you a better chance of being found over your competitor. Your visitors will also see that there is value in returning to your site regularly leading to more sales and more loyal customers.

2) Make sure the most important information is easy to find. If your visitors can't find the information they are looking for in just 2-3 clicks, then they will lose interest and look for others with easier to use web sites.

3) Make sure the site looks professional. We all want to help out family, but if little Timmy wants to design a web site, let it be his own. We so often see businesses with great potential who have terrible websites. People actually do judge a book by its cover. If your site is professionally designed, it most likely will be appealing and will make visitors want to stop and take a look.

4) Use web analytics. Web analytics actually take daily reports on how many visitors you have, where they are being referred from, how long their visits are, and what pages of your site they are reading. This gives you a lot of power to continually update your site and drive traffic to specific places within your site. If you have a special, make sure you have a prominent notice about it on your home page so visitors will take a look. Monitoring your analytics will also help you increase your web traffic and improve your SEO.

5) Share web links. The more opportunities you have to drive traffic to your site, the better. So try to find businesses who have similar clients and see about doing a link swap. List their site on yours and yours on theirs. This gives you another mention on the web, and drives potential customers to you from them. The more traffic you can get, the higher you will rank in search rankings and the more business you will get.

6) Use social media. Facebook and Twitter are an excellent way to begin building communities of people who want to know about your business and who will likely utilize your services. These groups give you extra opportunities to promote your business in a conversational way. They also allow you drive new traffic to your website which always improves your search engine rankings.

There's plenty more you can do to improve your site, but these are really the big ideas right now. If you're ready to be one of the smart businesses and are prepared to take the next step to improve your presence on the web, contact Stefan Bean (stefan@pulsecreativepartners.com) at Pulse Creative Partners and we'll set up a time to discuss your web needs. A new web site doesn't have to be an expensive venture either, we have all kinds of solutions to help you reach your goals at many different price points.

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