Blog - Frank's Designs

Dealing with Negative Reviews

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Frank

If you have a way to be reviewed anywhere be sure to ask clients for reviews on a consistent basis before you find out you have 1 review and it is negative. Negative reviews can kill your business. If you end up in a bad situation, here is what I recommend: Take a step back and think about whether the reviews are really deserved. If so, you need to look at your business and how you run it. Excruciating honesty is required. Is it you? Your staff? Your systems and processes? Most complaints are about customer service. Where are the … Continue reading →

Tips on Recognizing Fake Domain Service Bills

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Frank

Usually fake bills regarding domains and web services come in the mail. I was surprised when a client sent me a copy of an email which he received today titled “Domain Services Notice.” An example of an actual (fake) bill is shown below with some clues highlighted so you can learn to recognize the clues yourself. How to Tell if a Bill for Your Website or Domain is Fake Who is it from? Is it your registrar (where you paid for the domain)? Is it your web host? Interestingly the bill below doesn’t even say who you are paying! Unless … Continue reading →

Pop-Up Window Effectiveness

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Frank

A client recently asked me to add a “overlay window” (a special kind of pop-up) which said “save money.” If you click on it the pop-up it takes you to a page about how you can save money with their company. While I’m not a fan of pop-ups it seemed reasonable that it would be appreciated and clicked on because visitors would want to learn about saving money. After several months I looked at Google Analytics to see how many people clicked on the “Save Money” pop-up and the end result was out of thousands of page views not one … Continue reading →

Responsive Web Design Case Study

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Frank

background image of macarons used for transition between pages

I was excited when I was approached by Le Macaron to create a new website to coincide with the launching of their franchise program. After working with them for many years I anticipated they would decide to do this. The owner, Rosalie asked me to create a website that was dynamic and “full width” that would look good on any screen. She basically asked for a “responsive website” without even knowing that such a term existed. Responsive web design takes into consideration screen size, browser selection, and human interface technology, to ensure that a website looks good and functions well … Continue reading →

The Referral Engine: The best way to market your business

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Frank

The Referral Engine by John Jantsch caught my eye because I believe that referrals are the best way to market your business. This book is definitely worth reading for the advice on how to get more referrals. The author makes the case that everyone likes to help others and therefore can be trained to send you more referrals (some need to be encouraged.) Once you determine your ideal client the author educates us about “the ideal customer life cycle.” Know—How the referred lead first learns about your company and what they learn. Like—The referred lead should want to dig deeper, … Continue reading →

Fascinate – 7 triggers to ramp up your business

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Frank

Book Cover for Fascinate by Sally Hogshead

Among business books there are very few that I would consider a “must read.” Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation is definitely a must read for any small business owner or marketing professional. Sally Hogshead is a marketing guru who really knows how to make a product or service stand out. Using the 7 triggers explained in this book you can make a major difference in your own marketing efforts no matter what your product or service is. Sally Hogshead deserves credit for making many brands stand out in recent history. My favorite was the Mini. A small … Continue reading →

Creating a Unique Brand and Sticking with it.

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Frank

While I bear no animosity towards vista print and their “free” business cards there is no place for them in your branding. They have beautiful samples, backgrounds and other options that can make it easy to create a beautiful business card. Branding is not just your logo… Branding is everything that defines the look, feel and emotions triggered by your company. Your brand absolutely must be unique and memorable. So by using a service like Vistaprint you are killing your brand (not unique and maybe not memorable). Many people say “I couldn’t afford anything else.” It really isn’t a question … Continue reading →

Website Design Case Study – Sarasota Bay Estuary Program

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Frank

Sarasota Bay Estuary Program website thumbnail

When Randy Moore of Triple 3 Marketing contacted me about rebuilding the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program website I was both surprised and excited. Surprised, because I didn’t know Randy, who had already decided that he wanted Frank’s Designs to do the project. Excited because I sincerely care about the environment and Sarasota Bay and because I wanted the challenge of taking on a major web design project. The old website had already won an award for being the best website of the 28 national estuary programs so the redesign had to be even better. The primary goal was to update … Continue reading →