Tingalls

Tingalls Blog - Marketing Tips & Tricks

Do You Use Social Media Management Tools?

Managing even a handful of social media platforms can suck up a large portion of your day. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was one place you could go and disseminate messages to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and the like, all at once? The good news is there are many social media management tools that let you do just that. And, many of them allow you to schedule future posts to go live whenever you like, making your social media campaign a whole lot more manageable. Here are the top three tools that Tingalls Graphic Design likes best … Hootsuite This is the platform I’ve worked on most extensively, and […]

Read More
Posted in Social Media Marketing

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 […]

Read More
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 […]

Read More
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 […]

Read More
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 […]

Read More
Posted in Social Media Marketing, Tips

Keep It Short: The Benefits of Brief, Clear Content

In a world where we’re berated with information, the last thing most people want is long-form copy that’s more metaphorical than understandable. Don’t get me wrong, there’s always room for a brand’s personality & style to shine through. But we have to be as clear, brief & impactful as possible when broadcasting our messages — both electronically & in print — while making sure we connect on an emotional level with our audience. Some great examples of this are “Just do it,” from Nike, and “Think Different,” from Apple. Even this blog post is designed to be incredibly short. It’s a great exercise for our minds, which trains us to […]

Read More
Posted in Advertising, Copywriting & Blogging, Marketing

Has Pantone’s Color of the Year Affected Your Branding?

Now that we’re well into 2014, how do you feel about Radiant Orchid as the Pantone color of the year? Is it something you’ve used in your designs and branding, or is this the first time you’re hearing about it? I asked some of the Tingalls team how they feel about the color, and if it’s influenced how they design and think. Overall, they felt that although it’s interesting to see what color Pantone picks each year and how they apply it, it has very little affect on their work. “All of our designs are very client driven. We tend to brand for our customers in a more timeless way […]

Read More
Posted in Branding, Color

Are You Running Your Business with Passion?

How much of your business is affected by outside forces, rather than by internal passion? I’m not talking about listening and responding to customers — this is a cornerstone of any successful business. What I’m talking about is our ability to be true to who we are as a company — even if that means potential rejection. Back in the mid 1990s, Apple was allowing Mac clones to be produced by third party manufacturers. When Steve Jobs returned to the company in 1997, he put that to an end. Steve wanted Apple computers to be made only by Apple. And he wanted them crafted with his vision in mind — […]

Read More
Posted in Branding, Marketing, Print & Package Design, Website Design

How Sketching with a Pencil Can Improve Graphic Design

Do you sketch with a pencil and pad or on your computer? In our digital world, more and more people are opting for sketching apps, but is something being lost in the process? The answer to this question depends on many factors, including your preferred art tools, as well as if you’re working on your own or with a group of designers. We recently ran across an article on the YouTheDesigner blog that inspired us to share some of our design process on our own blog. At Tingalls, our graphic design team uses both pencil & digital sketching to create our clients’ designs — but we always begin with our […]

Read More
Posted in Logo Design, Print & Package Design, Website Design

Best Practices for Website Design

Whether you have a website you’re looking to revamp, or are in the process of creating a new one, there are some best practices you’ll want to be aware of to make sure your website design is the best it can be. Not All Code is Created Equal Coding, or the language on which your website is built, is an important component of website design. If your code is built well, it will make for a better user experience because pages will function optimally and load faster. How your site is coded also affects your SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which is critical to gaining more traffic on your site. Content […]

Read More
Posted in Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Website Design

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 […]

Read More
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 […]

Read More
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 […]

Read More
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. […]

Read More
Posted in Tips, Tradeshow Marketing

Why Professional Website Designers Give You the Best Chance at Professional Results

We live in an interesting time as far as business web design and online marketing are concerned. On the one hand, there are more tools than ever that you can use to design a website, and more people than ever taking advantage of them. And at the same time, it’s never been more important to have the kind of site that attracts attention from search engines and sets you apart from your competitors. Given those two contradicting ideas, can you really get a great deal on a business website by using a template or hiring someone who might not have professional experience (like a student, or a computer-savvy family member)? […]

Read More
Posted in Website Design

« Previous Page — Next Page »