This one has been a long time coming, but we finally launched San Clemente Soaps, the all handmade, custom designed soap company in San Clemente, California. They run a very interesting business in that they largely create custom branded soap & body products for businesses, hospitals, and hotels. Talk about a cool leave behind–how about your logo in soap?

It brings to light the effectiveness of creative marketing concepts. Especially in times like these, you have to do more to gain attention because consumers aren’t out spending hand over fist. I know that’s true for me anyways. The economy is precarious, so I’m only shopping for what I need. Granted, I’m sure I don’t need everything I think I need. Usually, my conception of “need” comes from marketing.

Ours is a culture and economy that rewards risk-taking and remarkable business ideas, at least currently. Spawning a cheap imitation of an imitation doesn’t really cut it anymore. Bringing it back to San Clemente Soaps, the business they do enables a company to really stand out, to be unique. And I’m convinced that right now, that is something you need.

Personally, I always enjoyed school. But Sir Ken Robinson makes some very interesting points that I can really get on board with. The crux of his discussion was the historical dissection of the public education system.

Public education began in the 19th century and is very much a product of its times. Industrialism was the primary concern so math and science were the most important subjects. Next came the humanities, and finally the arts.

It is very difficult to make a living as an artist, dancer, etc. Is it because artists have less inherent value than a mathmetician? Actually, yes, at least according to the laws of supply and demand. Unless you live in a big city, it’s almost impossible to make it as an artist, except as a diversion for the rich. We as a majority culture seem to appreciate hard goods, practical things, nothing too fancy.

But what if our cultural values shifted so that handmade, creative objects were in higher demand than the cheap plastic crap from China? Or if average, working middle class families went to see art shows instead of dime a dozen Hollywood flicks?

It’s interesting to think about what cultural values inform our definition of “real job.” What if being an artist was culturally considered a… *gasp* real job. What a different world that would be.

These days, most businesses have some sort of web presence. There are so many advantages to a web presence, it’s almost a requirement. If you’re wrestling with the question yourself, I’ve listed 5 reasons why it’s a sound investment.

1. Gives customers a preview of your business, putting them at greater ease when they do walk in
   As you the business owner already know, customers will go with what they know. It can be an uncomfortable feeling to walk into a store or restaurant for the first time. If the web presence does its job, it will provide customers with a sense they “know” your business already, making it more likely they’ll choose you over the competition.
2. Greater visibility for your business
   For some potential customers, your web presence provides them with another avenue of communication. You have the ability to put your web address on your business cards, signage, and any other printed material which gives passers-by a risk free way to check you out. Most people will be more likely to look at your website first, increasing your visibility. Additionally, web presences reduce the detrimental effect of your storefront being in a less-than-stellar location.
3. It’s Convenient
   The internet makes life more convenient. Along with the added convenience comes laziness. I haven’t cracked a phone book in nigh on a year. When I need to find something, it’s quicker and easier to search in Google. You want to give those lazy customers of yours a way to find you, see your open hours, and any other quick information you can give them. They’ll appreciate you making their lives easier.
4. Low cost advertising
   A web presence is a very low cost way to advertise. It may have a larger initial investment than more traditional advertising methods, but it’s a gift that keeps on giving. You can use it for a long time afterward to advertise any new changes in your business, upcoming specials, or coupons that can help generate new business.
5. It’s long overdue!
   This may not seem like a good enough reason in and of itself, but it is actually very important. Customers expect a modern business to have a beautiful, usable web presence. Having one says a lot about your business. Unfortunately, not having one says a lot too. The days are long gone when cutting edge companies were the only ones with a web presence. It is a necessary cost of doing business.

So you’re convinced. Contact me and I can walk you through any additional information you need to make your final decision.

Whew! We just finished the frenetic-spinny-top-ritual that is moving. Between Sheena and I, we have close to 30 moves under our collective belt. But the lessons I swear I’ll remember next time always end up fading from my mind the minute crunch time is on. Like burying important items way, way, back in God only knows what box. Or forgetting to call to turn utilities on or off until they’re needed. This time, I’m making a list which I promise I’ll check before our next move (yeah, right).

We’re exhausted, but happy. Our new place is right down the road from our old one, but it’s a bit bigger with quieter neighbors. And get this: it has doors to separate different parts of the house! Talk about an upgrade.

Make a note in your Outlook/Thunderbird/Rolodex/whatever so things don’t get swallowed in the void next time you try to send me something:

1119 W. Washington St. Apt. A
Boise, ID 83702

Happy Halloween!

Well, I finally launched Crossroads Community Church’s website!

The time for an upgrade had come, and they were looking for a site that could be managed by several people on their ministry teams. They also needed the ability to use it as a teaching tool. In the future, Crossroads’ vision is to use their site to deliver teaching materials and content to members of their congregation regardless of geography.

We put together a Wordpress solution that fits their current needs with the ability to scale up in the future. Check it out: Crossroads Community Church.

After playing around with developing websites in Joomla, I’ve decided to move back to Wordpress for the time being. My site was easy enough to manage and templating was fairly smooth. But truthfully, Wordpress does a better, cleaner job of displaying content both from a technical and aesthetic standpoint.

Joomla has many, many advantages for sure. It is a robust CMS useful for managing large amounts of content. But in the case of frequently updated content (like a blog), Wordpress really stands out.