Take time to look at areas you have been wanting to improve.  There were most likely several times throughout 2012 when you thought,” I wished we did this differently”, or “I would like to start doing this next year”, etc.  NOW is the time to take action on those items and turn them into tangible changes that will make your business operate better and be more profitable.

One of the key areas that my clients talk about more often than not is: “Did I advertise effectively, and did my advertising methods work?”

Advertising

How did you advertise your business in 2012?  Did you rely on the same old methods of just newspaper? radio? billboard? Did you use a combination of those traditional media methods? Do you have a website or maybe a web presence in the form of social media (Facebook or Twitter)?  These are questions that you need to ask yourself because one of the best ways to make your business more profitable is to sell your product or service, and letting as many people know about your product or service as possible is the best way to accomplish that goal.

At Gradient Graphics, we believe that the answer to effective advertising is a combination of all of the different types of traditional and digital media that will allow you to reach the broadest sampling of your client base.  If you rely too heavily on just one type of advertising media, you are missing out on many potential clients that may get their information differently that others.

One thing that does remain constant is the need for an informative and well designed website to be at the core of your advertising efforts.  The preferred flow of customer interaction with your advertising should be to entice the customers to visit your website with every piece of advertising you do, and then convert those website visits into leads and ultimately customers.  Is your website up to par?  Is it current in both content and visually?  These are questions that you can’t afford not to answer, as they may be costing you customers with every visit.

Getting Help

All to often business owners have good intentions of re-evaluating their advertising and wanting to do much more than they have been, but lack the time or knowledge to bring their ideas to fruition.  That’s where Gradient Graphics comes in.  We are much more than just a top website development company in Fort Wayne.  With over a decade of experience in website development and nearly 15 years worth of experience in marketing and advertising, we can offer our clients services beyond simple website development including:

• Website Design and Development
• Website Review and Re-Design
• Search Engine Optimization
• Advertising and Marketing Consulting and Planning
• Advertising Creation (Billboard, Flyer, Direct Mail, Newspaper, and so much more)
• Advertising Placement and Scheduling

Take Action This Year!

If you need help reviewing your advertising efforts and developing a custom marketing solution for your business, contact Gradient Graphics and together we will put a plan in motion that will grow your business in 2013!

The post Start 2013 off right appeared first on Gradient Graphics.

Here is a simple way to remove Contact Form 7 From the WordPress Admin Menu for all users that do not have Admin access to the WordPress dashboard:

/* Remove Contact Form 7 Links from dashboard menu items if not admin */
    if (!(current_user_can('administrator'))) {
	function remove_wpcf7() {
	    remove_menu_page( 'wpcf7' ); 
	}

	add_action('admin_menu', 'remove_wpcf7');
     }

Simply place this bit of code in your functions.php file and you will see the WordPress Contact Form 7 admin menu link disappear for all users other than the admin.

The post Remove Contact Form 7 From WordPress Admin Menu appeared first on Gradient Graphics.

View our Website Hosting Plans

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What is the Designer’s Job?

We will design the layout for the website, develop/code the website files for presentation on the internet, test the website rigorously in multiple browsers to ensure the integrity of the design across different platforms, and upload the files to an online host to present the website to your customer base.

One thing that most clients overlook when pursuing a web presence is the information that is to be placed on the website. As designers, we are not experts on your business, products, or services. We can plan the layout of the information and images on your website, but we need your help to generate the content that is to be placed on the website…this is where you come in.

What is the Client’s Job?

In addition to footing the bill, the client is responsible for providing the designer with feedback about the design to move the process along and provide the content and information that is to be presented on the website. This information is the heart of the website, the real reason that your customers will stop by. Granted, a engaging design and good informational positioning can’t hurt and will help bring visitors to the website and encourage people to talk about your business, it is not the whole reason they are there, and without content that matters, they will only stick around for so long.

Your feedback is also very important to the development process. Too often a client drops the ball, taking too long to approve a design change, provide content, or answer any questions the designer has. In addition to being increasingly frustrating for the designer, it delays the completion of the project and pushes deadlines out farther than they have to be.

So if you are planning on developing a website, here are a few things to keep in mind:
• Organize your thoughts
• Collect text for pages (i.e. About Us, Products, Services, etc.)
• Collect images for use on the website
• Make a list or bookmarks of websites that have features or design elements that you like
• Take notes on ideas you have as they happen

Staying organized and preparing for the development of your website beforehand will be invaluable and help expedite the process of building your website.

If you need help organizing your thoughts or if you would like to discuss starting your website project, please Contact Us!

The post We all have a job to do appeared first on Gradient Graphics.