Leslie and Sarah held regular jobs with lots of responsibility, deadlines and long hours. Although they were doing their best to make differences in peoples’ lives and giving their all, they began to get messages and “hints” that God was leading them to something more fulfilling. After several pleasant and unpleasant experiences, the two began to realize that their skills fit together like a crazy quilt; random, surprising and absolutely unexpected at times. And so was born a company that the ladies could combine their patchwork pieces of business, marketing and creative skills to create a new, simply pleasurable quilt. With Simple Pleasures, Etc., Sarah and Leslie’s passion shines for creating personalized, beautiful gifts and making that special someone feel just exactly that, special!

Goals

Leslie and Sarah wanted a site created to convey softness, relaxation, calmness and most of all simplicity. They wanted to show off the company’s unique, affordable products in a simple, easy to navigate format. They also wanted an artistic look to illustrate Simple Pleasures, Etc.’s products.  This new site needed to be a prelude to the eventual expansion of Simple Pleasures into a storefront and needed to create a fun awareness of products. The site was to be interactive, allowing for feedback from viewers and also include a discussion forum as a social, fun feature.

Process

Leslie and Sarah worked to ensure that the new site would reflect the opposite of previously more chaotic times by showing simplicity and convey the feeling of getting back to a simpler, slower time. They had the honor of using a painting by nationally and internationally renowned artist, Donna Berryhill, as the site’s background and went to work formatting it with a coordinating color scheme. Together, we worked with the relaxing design while keeping simple functionality in mind with drop down tabs for easy browsing of  the wide variety of products offered.

Outcomes

• Design

We were honored to use a painting by Donna Berryhill, who was known for her “women” and the emotion evoked from her work to create a soft, feminine, relaxed feel for the site. Donna passed from ovarian cancer in June of 1997, but her work lives on through her daughter, Leslie Berryhill, lead designer for Simple Pleasures, Etc.  We thank the Berryhill family for allowing us to use this beautiful piece of artwork as the site’s background.

• Functionality/Features

Ease of navigation and simplicity were imperative for the functionality of the new site.  A variety of tabs were created, one being  special event gift baskets including drop downs for baby, birthday, get well, just for her/him themed baskets to name a few. Another tab was added for browsing holiday themed baskets including drop downs for Valentine’s, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.  Other tabs made were one with special orders (including drop downs with pictures), customer service (allowing for viewers to leave feedback and suggestions), and a discussion tab with a variety of topics such as “Ask Us Anything” and “Gross Things that Men Do.”

Leslie and Sarah use the customer service and discussion tabs to interact with their customers and get to know them using this function of the site (and to ensure the best functionality by listening to and acting upon viewer comments). They want the discussion tab to be used for customers to express themselves and ask questions or get tips about anything from home grown recipes, creative decorating tips, suggestions on a good glass of wine and just a place to share.

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We also added the WordPress shopping cart, which interfaces with Fed Ex and UPS shippers, with payment options (Paypal) and  created Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for the site, as well as customized Google Analytics. Then we trained the owners on updating the site and shopping carts themselves.

• Information Architecture

During the planning phase, we laid the foundation for Simple Pleasures, Etc.’s new site with this sitemap.

Follow Simple Pleasures,Etc. on Facebook and Twitter!

Before (Joomla CMS)

After (WordPress)

Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland Website Rebuild

Project Overview

For 100 years, the Girl Scouts have been building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.  Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland serves more than 16,000 girls and adults in 80 Kansas counties through its operational headquarters in Wichita, Kan., and regional offices in Emporia, Garden City, Hays and Salina.

We are so proud to have worked with Cat, Dianne and Traci at the Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland office to design and build a new website. The project spanned about 3 months and was launched just in time for cookie sales kickoff.

Goals

Goals for the new website included a fresh, new design that conveyed a clean, concise impression with better organization and content control. It was also important that we utilize widgets and feeds to better manage reusable information, and create an information  architecture and navigational system that was more automated and efficient. Lastly, we wanted to utilize the WordPress platform.

Process

The process included initial planning meetings to gather information and requirements for the new site. Phases of the project included content organization and migration, design planning, WordPress theme development and functionality development. The process also included migrating content from another WordPress blog, testing the site with various browsers and, most importantly, patience (and occasional girl scout cookies to keep us going).

Outcomes

Design

A textured background with a color-coded ribbon effect, using earthy tones was created to in the process of designing a cleaner, more concise site.  The slider on the homepage was designed with lots of color to create a fun, lively effect.   Transparent drop downs create an clean effect and navigational items are color-coded according to content category. Stylish sidebar widgets were custom created, offering an appealing way for information to be viewed.

Functionality/Features

A tiered navigational system along the left sidebar of secondary pages was added for easy browsing and allowing for the homepage to have a cleaner look. Automatic feeds were made for the calendar of events with the added ability to specify which events are fed to the site (as opposed to simply feeding chronologically) for the Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland to decipher which events to promote. The calendar can also be filtered to show specific color-coded categories for different councils.

Information Architecture

During the planning phase, we laid the foundation for the new site’s content and navigational system in this sitemap.

This plan includes dedicated, daily interaction equivalent to 30 minutes of account management per day, or 15 hours per month. Cost is $480 per month with a 3-month subscription.

• An initial campaign strategy consultation
• Dedicated account representation
• A plan for building awareness
• Interaction that can include contests, incentives and coupons
• Creation, monitoring and management of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or a blog
• Scheduled updates, live interaction, monitoring for mentions
• Options for additional support include event coverage to include live updates, website integration, blogging, Facebook application development, QR codes and idea development

The next step is to schedule an initial consultation which will be used to gather information and interview key stakeholders to develop the interaction plan.

This plan includes dedicated, daily interaction equivalent to 30 minutes of account management per day, or 15 hours per month. Cost is $480 per month with a 3-month subscription.

• An initial campaign strategy consultation
• Dedicated account representation
• A plan for building awareness
• Interaction that can include contests, incentives and coupons
• Creation, monitoring and management of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or a blog
• Scheduled updates, live interaction, monitoring for mentions
• Options for additional support include event coverage to include live updates, website integration, blogging, Facebook application development, QR codes and idea development

The next step is to schedule an initial consultation which will be used to gather information and interview key stakeholders to develop the interaction plan.

This plan includes dedicated, daily interaction equivalent to 30 minutes of account management per day, or 15 hours per month. Cost is $480 per month with a 3-month subscription.

• An initial campaign strategy consultation
• Dedicated account representation
• A plan for building awareness
• Interaction that can include contests, incentives and coupons
• Creation, monitoring and management of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or a blog
• Scheduled updates, live interaction, monitoring for mentions
• Options for additional support include event coverage to include live updates, website integration, blogging, Facebook application development, QR codes and idea development

The next step is to schedule an initial consultation which will be used to gather information and interview key stakeholders to develop the interaction plan.

Social Media is a whole new thought process for businesses when it comes to interacting with people. If you don’t have the dedicated, experienced and skilled resources to manage your company online, know that it’s okay to ask for help.  Social media management now demands a combination of communications skills, reputation monitoring and public relations strategy.

Don’t risk losing your company Facebook Page because your employee who uses Facebook all the time didn’t follow Facebook policy when they created the account or published a contest. Don’t disappoint the people who choose to interact with you because you didn’t respond to them in a relevant, timely manner. It’s your company brand we’re talking about; it deserves more attention than that of someone’s mom who runs your Facebook Page just because she’s a Farmville pro.

Let us help you get started. We’ll show you how to do more with less, how to integrate and leverage your traditional marketing with new media and how to create an awareness and become a trusted source to follow online. We’ll coach you along the way until you feel comfortable enough to either manage it yourself, hire an in-house staff member to do it, or decide that it doesn’t fit within your company strategy.  It’s a new way of communicating – and you won’t know if it works for your business until you try it.

We offer three introductory plans to get you started. All plans include:

• An initial campaign strategy consultation
• Dedicated account representation
• A plan for building awareness
• Interaction that can include contests, incentives and coupons
• Creation, monitoring and management of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or a blog
• Scheduled updates, live interaction, monitoring for mentions, Liking other people, posts and businesses, following and talking to others
• Options for additional support include event coverage to include live updates, website integration, blogging, Facebook application development, QR codes and idea development

Weekly Interaction - Small Talk

This plan includes dedicated, weekly interaction equivalent to 1 hour of account management per week, or 4 hours per month.  Cost is $200 per month with a 6-month commitment.

Every Other Day Interaction – Social Butterfly

This plan includes dedicated, daily interaction equivalent to 30 minutes of account management every other day, or 8 hours per month.  Cost is $320 per month with a 6-month commitment.

Daily Interaction - Chatterbox

This plan includes dedicated, daily interaction equivalent to 30 minutes of account management per day, or 15 hours per month.  Cost is $480 per month with a 3-month subscription.

1. Create a new post.
2. Above the WordPress post toolbar, beside Upload/Insert, click the Add an Image icon.
   
3. Browse to find the file on your computer.
4. Click File URL and then click Insert into Post.
5. 1-pg_resume is the link that was added to this post by following the above steps.
6. See screenshot below for visual.

• Custom WordPress site
• Integrated Campaign (Facebook, Twitter, Email Marketing, LinkedIn, Website)
• Private Client Login Area
• User Training

We are proud to announce the launch of a new website for Wayman Oil in Mulvane, Kansas. This was the first website Wayman Oil has had, so we worked through the process from the ground up.  We created a site map, worked on content and built the site using the WordPress CMS.  Other features include:

• Social Media Integration [Facebook, Twitter]
• Online payment capability
• From the GM blog

What a privilege it has been to work with Holy Cross Lutheran Church in building a new website. This group is willing to accept and embrace technology to help meet their mission of sharing God’s love through faith in Christ. Katherine, Web Administrator and Technology Coordinator, handled the change of learning a brand new website CMS – WordPress – with grace and style.  The church staff understands the importance of adapting and changing to serve the needs of their membership, young and old alike.

The Process

• We began with an evaluation of the existing website, which had previously been built with Joomla.  The content needed to be organized, the design needed updating and the functionality needed to be improved.
• A sitemap was created, reviewed, revised and approved.
• An initial design was proposed; the layout was readily accepted but it was the colors – the visual look and feel that we struggled with. This website needed to appeal to young people, but also strive to serve multiple generations – and have a sense for those with a serious love of Christ. We went through three design revisions before deciding on a bold and colorful scheme that wasn’t overwhelming, but had airy feel with jovial splashes of color behind the strong Holy Cross logo.
• A new, custom designed WordPress website was built and coded according to the final design.
• The website was tested with popular browsers and devices.
• A home page slide show is provided, with links to featured articles.
• A feedback option called “Share Your Thoughts” is available on every page of the website.
• A special login area was created for members only. This system included a registration and approval process before accessing internal documents.
• Sermons are now posted to the website instead of previously sent as email attachments.
• WordPress training is provided as needed by appointment.
• Maintenance and support is on-going. Currently we are working to make sure that the website is accessible for those with a vision impairment.

We look forward to working with Katherine and Kent to continue to build the online presence for Holy Cross Lutheran Church.