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Tingalls Blog - Marketing Tips & Tricks

Why You Should Review Facebook Insights

Do you ever feel as if you are flying blind on Facebook? Lots of marketers do. They realize that the world’s most popular social network gives them a great way to reach out to customers, fans, and prospects, but aren’t sure how to measure the progress they are (or aren’t) making. A good first step to solving this quandary is logging into Facebook Insights. It’s an analytics tool that’s provided for every Facebook business page you create, and can be accessed by anyone who has been designated as an admin for the page. Let’s see how you can use it to optimize your social campaigns and get more from every […]

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Posted in Social Media Marketing, Tips

The 3 Biggest Website Design Mistakes

As the web has gotten to be bigger and more important, web design has become more crucial to the success of small businesses everywhere. And yet, we continually see business owners (and the creative teams they hire) make a number of unfortunate mistakes again and again. To help you avoid them, here are three of the biggest website design blunders we are still seeing in 2016. #1 Creating a Template Website – Your website should not be created from a template. If it is, it will have a generic look, contain lots of unnecessary code, and probably won’t make an impression on buyers. What’s more, you won’t own the design […]

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Posted in Search Engine Optimization, Website Design

Tingalls Graphic Design Voted Madison’s Top Website Development Company for Second Consecutive Year

InBusiness Magazine’s Executive Choice Awards Honor the Best of Madison Business Local Madison business leaders have voted Tingalls Graphic Design the area’s best website development company in InBusiness Magazine’s 2016 Executive Choice Awards. The firm also took top honors in the same category in 2015. Winners in a variety of categories are chosen by majority vote of 1,000 Madison executives, business owners and decision makers. In a statement announcing the 2016 winners, InBusiness Editorial Director Joe Vanden Plas said, “Since the winners and three finalists in each of 37 categories are chosen from a fill-in-the-blank survey, these are companies that have achieved top-of-mind awareness in the business community. They represent […]

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Posted in About Tingalls, Website Design

7 Ways to Stay Healthy and Energized at your Desk Job

Do you work in an office? If so, then you already know it can be great for your paycheck, but not as great for your health. In fact, sitting at a desk can make you lethargic and lead to weight gain and other health problems if you let it. The key to that statement, though, is “if you let it.” As it turns out, there are a number of ways you can stay healthy and active, even if your job has you sitting still from 9 to 5 (or longer). Here are a few things you can try starting today… #1 Exercise before you get to work – You’ll be […]

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Posted in Tips

Why Your Best Website Design Company Isn’t a Website Design Company

Although we post a lot of material on our blog about website design and development, the fact is we do a lot of other graphic design and marketing work, as well. And, if you’re serious about growing your business, you should work with a creative team that has lots of different specialties and capabilities—all under one roof. In other words, your best website design company probably isn’t a website design company at all … it’s a creative team like Tingalls Graphic Design that starts with your brand and messaging strategy first, then applies that to your website design and not the other way around. To understand why, you only have […]

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Posted in Graphic Design, Logo Design, Print & Package Design, Website Design

Do You Own Your Website Design?

A lot of business owners have never considered this question. Here’s a hint: If you aren’t sure if you own your website design, then you probably don’t. That’s because many websites are designed from publicly available and commonly used WordPress templates. That can be a bad thing for a couple of reasons. First, it means your website probably has a generic feel to it. It wasn’t created for your company; it was designed to be used for any company. The difference is going to show in a lot of subtle ways. Another issue is that you could find a competitor with a nearly identical website. Anyone can use the same […]

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Posted in Website Design

Why Brand Consistency Matters

For a lot of business owners, branding can seem like a vague topic that involves market research, focus groups, and the kinds of conversations people have in Fortune 500 boardrooms. But what they might not realize is that branding is just as important—or maybe even more important—for smaller companies. In particular, small businesses need brands that are consistent from one communication or campaign to the next. The reason is simple: If branding isn’t consistent, then customers won’t necessarily recognize that a communication is coming from your business right away. And, given that smaller companies have fewer chances to make an impression than bigger ones, they have to make each point […]

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Posted in Branding, Marketing, Nonprofit Design, Start-ups

How to Get Subscribers to Open Your Emails

It’s not easy to find and keep subscribers to your email newsletter. That makes it all the more frustrating when the majority of them don’t actually open your messages. You can’t get results from your email marketing campaign if no one bothers reading what you send, so how can you get subscribers to make your newsletters a priority in their inbox? Here are a few quick tips to help you out… Use Catchy, Intriguing Subject Lines In general, you want your email newsletter subject lines to be short, timely, and attention grabbing. It’s important you don’t go too far to get readers to open your message, though. Anything that looks […]

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Posted in Branding, Email Marketing, Marketing, Tips

What to Do If Someone Has Already Verified Your Business on Google

Have you ever wondered how your business profile appeared on a list of Google searches? Not sure if you’ve actually verified your business on Google? These questions have come up with multiple clients, so we figured we’d share some advice on the blog to help other businesses that may be in the same situation. Here is a short, helpful video that walks you through what to do if someone has already claimed your business on Google. Key points: You need to create a Google account for your business if you haven’t already done so and then you can verify/claim the business right on the Google results page If someone has […]

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Posted in Google, Tips

Get to Know Tingalls: Kallie

We at Tingalls like to think we’re a pretty fun bunch. Get to know us a little bit better as we take turns in the spotlight in the upcoming months. This week, it’s Kallie’s turn! Kallie Role: Graphic Designer Has been with Tingalls: 3.5 years Your role in a few sentences: Concept, design, and refine ideas for logos, print layouts, digital designs and websites. Prepare and send files to press. Occasionally win a game of spoons or two. Favorite thing about your job: I love the range of projects I get to work on. First thing you do when you get to work each day: Check my email and google […]

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Posted in About Tingalls

How to Stay Creative and Inspired at Work

In our line of work, inspiring creativity is a must. Generating new ideas and staying motivated on a tight deadline is the lifeblood of our business, and something we spend a lot of time thinking about. Regardless of your profession, being creative and inspired is a good way to keep your edge and separate yourself from your competitors. Here are a few ways you can stay at your sharpest, mentally and emotionally: Try to take on projects you enjoy – It’s always easier to be creative when you’re having fun. So, as much as possible, take on jobs and projects you enjoy working on. Be sure to share this with […]

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Posted in About Tingalls, Marketing, Tips

What is SSL and Does My Website Need One?

Lately, some of our clients have been asking about purchasing an SSL for their website. Usually, it’s because they’ve heard it’s a big trend in web design and Internet marketing, but might not know exactly what it is or how it can help them. And, there are also scams selling fake SSLs, taking your money and never touching your site. So, let’s get to the bottom of things by answering a few questions that might be on your mind… What is SSL? SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, and it basically means that a website that’s hosted in this way forms a secure, encrypted connection with each visitor. You might […]

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Posted in Website Design

What Cats Know About Social Media Marketing

Forget ad agencies, YouTube Stars, and reality television personalities – the real winners of the social media revolution have been ordinary house cats. No matter where you look, they are chasing yarn, being “jerks,” and launching new memes. Cats probably collectively generate billions of likes and shares every week. And best of all, they do it without even trying. Regardless of whether you’re a devoted cat fan, or more of a dog person, you’d have to admit that felines get their fair share of attention on Facebook and Twitter. And for that reason, they are the true masters of the medium. It’s often been said that even if cats could […]

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Posted in Social Media Marketing, Tips

Why the Best Logos Are the Simplest

Sometimes, when clients come to us for logo design, they ask that lots of different elements be incorporated into their visual identity. Their enthusiasm is understandable, but we always like to remind them that the best logos are the simplest. Less is definitely more when it comes to logo design. The reason is pretty simple: A logo is all about showing identity and personality. Its job is to generate an instant impression. When a logo is simple, it only takes a fraction of a second for a viewer to understand. It’s more memorable because it conveys instant meaning. When you lose simplicity, you introduce clutter and confusion. People have to […]

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Posted in Logo Design

How to Get the Most Out of Every Networking Event

Networking events can be wonderful opportunities to generate leads and make new business contacts, or they can represent wasted hours that would be better spent on other parts of your business. The difference, more often than not, is in the approach you take. To help give you a better idea of what we mean, here are a few easy ways to get more from every networking event… Plan Ahead – look to see what kinds of people will be at the event, and put some thought into your strategy. To whom do you want to introduce yourself, and what kind of impression do you want to leave them with? Look […]

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Posted in Networking

How to Get More Facebook Likes Today

Every marketer wants to get more attention on social media, but making your posts stand out on Facebook can be difficult. You can expand your reach, and stay in your followers’ feeds more often, if you could generate more “likes,” shares and comments from your content, but how do you get that? We are glad you asked, because we want to share a few simple things you can start doing right now to get more reactions to your posts. Use the Right Format – Did you know Facebook gives preferential treatment to videos and images vs. straight text in news feeds? Instead of writing about an answer to a frequently […]

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Posted in Social Media Marketing