Improving websites

Websites are not something that you create and leave; they should be constantly amended to keep browsers engaged and coming back for more. They should also be linked with the rest of your social media.

Top tips for your website:

• In a glance, make it clear what your company does on your home page.

• Make your contact details easy to find and uncomplicated. A phone number and email address is ideal.

• Include photos of you and your team so people can relate to you.

• Keep updating your website with interesting news about your sector. Make your website engaging.

• Have a special section for awards or testimonials your company has won.

• Make sure your website is developed on a content management system (CMS) so it can be updated regularly.

• When designing your website make sure that it can be browsed from any device, computer, mobile phone or iPad.

See our page about WEBSITES, we can help you get it right!

What is branding?

Branding is not just a logo, which is the visual representation of your brand. Branding can be described as what your company does and how it behaves. Your brand tells your customers what you stand for; perhaps it’s quality, innovation, value for money, good business ethics, eco-friendly products or fantastic customer service. Ideally it should promote a strong connection with your customers and encourage loyalty.

How both customers and prospects feel about your brand is determined not only by their experiences, but their perceptions. Some of these you are able to influence and others you can’t.

RocketZone Marketing can help you define your brand and work with you so your brand remains consistent in all areas of your business. Staying focused on what your brand stands for will ensure your customers feel they can depend on your products or services and keep them coming back for more.

I HEART Design posters!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More thinking like this is exciting!

Green message in a milk bottle - A British inventor believes he’s found the answer to the nation’s developing landfill crisis.

Each day Britons use about 15 million plastic milk bottles, and as the average bottle takes 500 years to decompose, the waste mountains will have an impact on generations to come.

But Suffolk man Martin Myerscough used his son’s efforts making a papier-mache balloon for school to design the GreenBottle, a sturdy paper shell with a plastic liner to keep the milk fresh. The GreenBottle looks remarkably like conventional two-litre plastic bottles on supermarket shelves, and costs the same, but once the lining is ripped out the paper shell can be flattened and recycled up to seven times – plastic bottles can be recycled only once.

Alternatively, the paper bottle breaks down into compost in weeks. It has been trialled at Asda supermarkets in eastern England, and a national roll-out across the firm’s chain starts this week. Myerscough got the idea talking to the man who runs the local landfill. ”I asked him what was the main problem and he said plastic bottles, especially milk bottles, and that set me thinking.”

Recalling his son’s papier-mache balloon, Myerscough played around with several designs before coming up with a prototype. He claims customers have been “overwhelmingly positive” and plans to make the bottles entirely from paper and use them for other products such as detergent and shampoo. Myerscough says GreenBottle production has a low carbon footprint, even if the paper cases do come from Turkey.

There are already greener alternatives to plastic bottles, such as pouches, but he says some supermarkets have withdrawn them because customers found them unwieldly. “The way the consumer uses the GreenBottle is identical to a plastic bottle.”

- OBSERVER

I wish for this work station…

Designed by MisoSoup Design, a New York design company.

New websites for a new year!!!

This is the old website design for Daniel Hunt & Associates, an accounting firm specialising in tax training and advising, see www.dhatax.co.nz

The new updated 2011 website for Daniel Hunt & Associates.

Testing email greetings

I’ve often wondered whether people respond differently if their name is in an email or not. The general belief is the personalised approach is more powerful when connecting with an audience. But I don’t believe people are stupid, they realise software generates these greetings so I think intelligent content that is relevant to the audience stimulates a more genuine connection. This little experiment (link below) interested me as it noted a positive response to a general “Hi again” greeting verses the readers name. It was suggested that the difference highlighted “viewer fatigue” as a possible factor, seeing the same introduction gets old so variation is important too.

Email Marketing: Should You Use Their Name or Not? | Foolish Adventure

DHAtax gets personal

Tax director, Daniel Hunt has become the proud owner of a new Mazda and he has the personalized plates to prove it! You will spot his car parked outside a training institute or business near you! Be assured he is inside showcasing his vast tax knowledge and proving his experience in training others about tax is his passion. If you need to know about any tax compliance, paying tax to IRD or filling out complex forms with the hope they are right then make sure you say HELLO!  The DHAtax team are really nice guys, Dan, Nick & Charlie, they think like accountants but they speak a regular language, Kiwi.

We are Tax trainers & advisors!

Dear Santa,

The Mill House has everything I want for Christmas!

• Designs by Trelise Cooper, Moss, Paula Ryan, Obi, Chocolat, FoundBy, Sakaguchi, Alistair Trung and many more…
• Stunning accessories including jewellery, shoes, handbags, belts, scarves, wraps and summer hats. They have gift vouchers too.
• Fabulous fashion for all my Christmas parties, from casual barbeques to cocktail parties.
• Gorgeous Christmas gifts for my Mum, sister and best friend. (Maybe I need to drop a hint to the man in my life) They even gift wrap!
• Plenty of stress free customer parking for your sleigh!

Fashion accessories

Time management ideas

Like me, when business owners run their offices from home plenty of time management skills are required, my top three are:

1. To-do lists: They are essential for organising tasks while freeing the mind to be creative and productive. Prioritising the list every morning is a fresh way to start the day, it is easy to timelog for billing if notes are added and stages are written into a detailed scheduled. A to-do list keeps me on task and motivated to complete stages in a timely fashion. It also keeps my multitasking traits under control and utilises time more effectively.

2. Projects & deadlines:  Working for more than one company requires a level of organised self disciplined especially when life gets in the way. Daily deadlines, project goals and quality objectives need to be balanced with the distractions of working from home. My difficulty is switching off when the office is always open and to be honest this is the most organised space in my house which creates a calming effect and I love being productive. To balance this I break down projects into chunks of time or activities therefore aiming for a realistic goal each day. Then enjoying my own time is more relaxing and refreshes my brain for the next day (learning to perfect this is a work progress ;oP).

Staying on target

3. Clear Communication: To stay on target with each project requires clear and defined instructions between me & the clients plus all the other professional people involved. Getting everyone the right information, coordinating the flow of information in the order required is definitely an important skill for remote work. I can’t go up to the next floor to the graphics department or meet the advertising agent in 10 mins for a chat. The best way I’ve found to meet the needs of my clients is to connect with professionals I trust. I communicate clearly all my requirements and organise all activities with plenty of spare time in the schedule so noone feels they are working under pressure. This level of organisation assists my time management and reflects in the quality of the work I’m able to produce daily. Plus I love connecting with more and more talented people with specific skills that benefit my RocketZone clients.