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Tingalls Blog - Marketing Tips & Tricks

Is an Exhausted Brain More Creative?

I recently stumbled upon an article at Inc.com called 6 Surprising Ways to Become More Creative. It got me thinking about how the creative process is affected by internal and external influences. One thing the article suggests is that exhaustion is a catalyst to creativity. But does exhaustion really get your creative juices flowing? Or is the research behind this statement all fluff? According to the article, optimal productivity is attained when you’re most awake and alert. Morning people do best at dawn, while night owls do better after the sun goes down. “But when it comes to creativity, you should just throw this conventional wisdom out the window.” Research […]

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Posted in Tips

Tracking Your Networking Success (or Lack Thereof)

In our recent blog post, Networking is Still a Viable Way to Grow a Business, we talked about five tips to help determine what types of networking groups are best for you to join. But once you find groups that are a good fit for you and your business, how do you track the actual effectiveness of the group to see if it’s generating business leads, or business insights, on a regular basis? Assuming that you are a regular attendee of the group, is it really worth your while? To answer these questions, you’ll first need to determine your intention for joining the group in the first place (which hopefully […]

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Posted in Networking, Tips

Networking is Still a Viable Way to Grow a Business

There was a time when a handshake was our social media. Live conversation, awkward pauses, and the exchange of business cards were our means of disseminating information to each other. And although the Internet has permanently changed the business landscape, networking is still an excellent way for many businesses to be more involved in the community, and grow their business. That being said, you may not want to join the very first association or group you stumble upon. Doing some research to find a networking group that offers value to you and your business — either with educational opportunities, or potential to meet customers in your niche — can go […]

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Posted in Marketing, Networking, Tips

Creating a Successful LinkedIn Page, Part 3: Adding Connections

How many LinkedIn connections do you have? Did you know that the amount of connections on your LinkedIn account affects where LinkedIn ranks you? As a matter of fact, if you can attain 500+ connections, LinkedIn considers you a “power user,” which can give your page an immense boost in authority. Now just hold on, before you go and attempt to connect with everyone in your “people you may know” section, let’s examine legitimate ways to increase your connections so you can rise up in the LinkedIn algorithm while extending your reach on LinkedIn. 1. Search for colleagues you know (or knew) at your current job, as well as previous […]

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Posted in Networking, Social Media Marketing, Tips

Creating a Successful LinkedIn Page, Part 2: Skills & Endorsements

Have you ever received an email from LinkedIn stating you’ve been endorsed? It’s always a nice feeling to know that someone you know took the time to give you a shout-out for a specific skill. But what about when the skill is something irrelevant, or something you don’t want highlighted? The good news is that you now have much more control over the “Skills & Endorsements” section of your LinkedIn profile page. Even better news is that this section can have a positive effect on the value of your LinkedIn page, which means you’ll rank higher when people are looking for what you do. Let’s take a look at how […]

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Posted in Networking, Social Media Marketing, Tips

Creating a Successful LinkedIn Page, Part 1: Your Profile

Are you on LinkedIn? If you’re a business owner, do you have a company page? LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for connecting with others, and for acquiring business leads — but setting up a page and connecting with a few colleagues isn’t enough. You’ll need to polish your page so it meet’s LinkedIn’s best practices if you want to achieve “All-star” status. In this installment of our LinkedIn series, we’ll take a look at how to populate the first two sections of your profile page — specifically your “masthead” at the top of the page, and the “Experience” section. This is relevant to business owners and individuals, alike. Populating […]

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Posted in Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Tips

The Importance of Your Website’s Title Tags, H1 Headlines & Meta Descriptions

Have you ever seen anyone using a metal detector on the beach? When they get close to a metal object, the device starts making noise because it can actually sense the metal. Search engines like Google and Bing function in a similar manner, but instead of looking for treasure, they’re searching for keywords. Two of the main areas search engines look for keywords are in your website’s title tags and “H1” headlines. If these areas are populated correctly, search engines have a better chance of detecting you, which can lead to higher page ranking on search results and increased traffic to your website. At Tingalls Graphic Design, part of our […]

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Posted in Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Tips, Website Design

Is Your Website Design Aimed at High-Context or Low-context Customers?

The answer to this question can be a deciding factor in whether your website design is creating raving fans, or increasing your website’s bounce rate (the amount of people that leave your site in under 30 seconds). The theory of high-context and low-context cultures is a concept that was coined by Edward Hall in his 1976 book Beyond Culture. Now you might be thinking, back in 1976 there weren’t even personal computers, let alone an Internet, so how can an almost 40-year-old book have any relevance when it comes to websites? Good question. The answer lies in the underlying principals of Hall’s theory, which supposes that the culture of a […]

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Posted in Branding, Marketing, Tips, Website Design

When Social Media Becomes Antisocial

Many companies understand that social media is now an inherent part of running a business. But when it comes to understanding HOW to use social media effectively, they struggle. The whole point of social media is to engage with readers and hopefully start a discussion. But many companies are actually inhibiting discussion by disseminating content that looks more like an advertisement, or a one-sided sales pitch, that can easily be perceived as spam. Since none of us want to be antisocial, at least not with social media, let’s take a look at some best practices we follow here at Tingalls Graphic Design, which encourage readers to participate in a conversation […]

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Posted in Social Media Marketing, Tips

Blogging 101: Using SEO in Your Blog

Are you using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on your blog? Whether you know it or not, you definitely are. The real question is, are you using SEO effectively? Many of the topics we’ve already covered in this series contribute to successful SEO on your blog. If you’ve missed any of the Blogging 101 installments, you can find links to all of them below. Let’s take a look at one more element that needs to be discussed: the use of keyword phrases. But first let’s take a step back and answer the question … What is SEO? Search Engine Optimization is a multi-step process designed to help increase traffic to your […]

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Posted in Copywriting & Blogging, Search Engine Optimization, Tips

Blogging 101: Blog Post Frequency & Length

In the fifth installment of our Blogging 101 series, we’re gong to cover optimal blog post frequency and length. These are two more pieces of the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) pie that need to be understood so they can be used effectively to reach more readers. Blog Post Frequency So, you’ve decided to start blogging and you’re wondering how many posts you should produce each week. And while one is better than none, and two is twice as good as that, the sweet spot for most businesses is three times per week. Why? Because it provides your blog with a good amount of fresh content each week, without producing too […]

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Posted in Copywriting & Blogging, Search Engine Optimization, Tips

Blogging 101: How to Write a Blog Post

We’re often asked how to write a blog post in the most effective way. And although content will vary depending on your industry, customer base and company personality, there are certain contingencies you’ll want to meet to make sure each of your posts is awesome. How to Write a Blog in 6 Steps: Pick Your Topic This may sound obvious, but picking a topic in advance makes the process of writing a blog post more enjoyable, and less time consuming. We suggest creating a blog campaign for each month so you know all of your topics in advance. To do this, simply pick a topic for each post, create a […]

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Posted in Copywriting & Blogging, Tips

Creating Memorable Tradeshow Marketing

Imagine for a moment that you’ve just arrived home from a tradeshow or networking event. There’s a good chance you’ve accumulated a stack of business cards and marketing collateral from the people you met. You’ve also handed out your share of marketing materials at the tradeshow yourself — but were they memorable? Whether it’s your business card, a one sheet, or a tote bag — which are all the rage at tradeshows these days — what makes an impression is always something unique. Of course it’s easy for me to suggest that you make your marketing materials original, engaging, clear and well produced. It’s another story altogether to produce said material. […]

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Posted in Tips, Tradeshow Marketing

Are You Using Your Website to Build Customer Loyalty?

Although most of our clients come to us for website design to attract new buyers, don’t forget your website can be a powerful tool for strengthening existing relationships, too. This can be a more important goal than you might realize. After all, it takes a lot more time and effort to find new customers vs. maintaining genuine relationships which those companies who have already purchasd from you. So, how are you using your business website to build customer loyalty? Here are seven of our favorite tools that help you keep buyers coming back and boost your bottom line: 1. Coupons and discount codes for repeat customers. Nothing says “thank you” […]

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Posted in Tips, Website Design