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Ontario Ginseng Growers Association website launched by WorkCabin Communications

December 24, 2011 By Gregg McLachlan Leave a Comment

The Ontario Ginseng Growers’ Association’s new website has been launched by WorkCabin Communications. Prior to the new site, OGGA was relying on an outdated and extremely rudimentary CMS (Content Management System). The overall design was also outdated. It was far too complex for OGGA to manage by itself.

WCC set out to create a superior dynamic design with far more visual appeal. Ginseng is traditional and revered herb, so it was also essential that the overall design remain elegant and respectful, given the large traffic received from visitors in China. The colour palette chosen for the new site also better reflects earth tones which complements the essence of ginseng farming.

The site will soon be linked to a future OGGA website built specifically for the Chinese market.

The new Canadian website is based on a WordPress CMS. The association can now easily update its own website, grower and buyer lists, thereby reducing the previous expense of outsourcing all website maintenance work.

WorkCabin Communications is pleased to deliver an exciting new website for the Ontario Ginseng Growers’ Association.

Yes, every small business MUST have a website. Google is the new Yellow Pages

October 30, 2011 By Gregg McLachlan Leave a Comment

Before I begin, let’s clear up one business misconception: Having a Facebook page for your business does not equal having a website for your business. Don’t get me wrong, Facebook is a must-have too. But having a Facebook page and then not being able to drive that traffic to your business website = lost opportunity. You absolutely need both today.

It’s shocking how many small businesses have no website in today’s digital era. These businesses seem satisfied to be open to shoppers for only X number of hours and X number of days per week. The concept of being open 24/7 via the web is lost.

Consumers like to shop or browse from the comfort of their own chair. You must be accommodating this trend today.

Yes, you can afford a website for your business

October 12, 2011 By Gregg McLachlan Leave a Comment

One of the common misconceptions holding back many businesses, especially in rural areas, from having a website is the outdated thinking that it costs a small fortune. Maybe it always did many years ago. But not today.

I can’t stress this enough: Every business MUST have a website. It shouldn’t be a debate. Google is the new ‘Yellow Pages’. If you don’t have a presence on the web, you are not showing up in the search results of potential consumers. Forget that old slogan “Let your fingers do the walking.” Today, it’s all about “Let your mouse do the walking.”

3 handy web tools almost everyone can make use of — starting today

July 24, 2011 By Gregg McLachlan Leave a Comment

Most of us like freebie web tools we can use almost instantly. Don’t throw a 100-page manual at us. Give us something we can use today. And make it something useful and reputable. Put me in this category. So here’s a sneak peek into my toolbox of three gems I use regularly.

Yup. It’s a three-item list. The last thing anyone needs is yet another article listing 50 Internet tools. (OK, sometimes such lists have some good picks, if you have a week to wade through and sort the good from the garbage.) The three picks below are cool tools I use regularly. In other words, I recommend them!

Bad design: Oh, these really stink

June 3, 2011 By Gregg McLachlan 4 Comments

One of my pet peeves is bad design.

I cringe when I see a web design company forget to change a default favicon to the client’s custom favicon. (A favicon is that little symbol that shows up next to the url in your web browser.) Companies, organizations and people like to create and use their own favicons. But many open source web software systems, like WordPress and Joomla, come with their own default favicon.

I cringe when I see amateurish newspaper ads that recycle the same cartoonish clipart characters through many different client ads.

And I cringe when I see websites that are dreadful, because in this age of the Internet, a website does create the first impression in many, many instances.

Here are three sources to view bad design. Enjoy! Or, should I say, weep?

25 worst alternate jerseys in hockey history (via Bleacher Report)
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/707810-nhl-fashion-faux-pas-the-25-worst-alternate-jerseys-in-hockey-history

Worst websites of 2010 (via Web Pages That Suck)
http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/worst-websites-of-2010.html

Really, really bad logo designs (via the How Low Can Your Logo Go contest website)
http://howlowcanyourlogo.com/gallery/

Filed Under: Branding, Communications, Marketing, Web Tagged With: bad web designs, newspaper advertising in simcoe, newspaper advertising rates in brantford ontario, newspaper advertising rates in simcoe ontario, web design in delhi ontario, web design in port dover ontario, web design in port rowan ontario, web design in simcoe ontario, web design in waterford ontario

Marketing tips: Your company’s hotmail email address sends wrong message

June 3, 2011 By Gregg McLachlan Leave a Comment

I spotted a company van driving around town the other day. It was a van all decked out in slick graphics to advertise the business. It was impressive and eye-catching. Somebody obviously invested in great design work to promote their services. While stopped at a red light, my eyes travelled along the side of the van. All of a sudden the perception of branding savvy instantly came to a deadening thud.

There it was in big graphic lettering. An email address that went something like this (I’ve changed the actual email address soas not to blatantly promote the company’s services): thebestairconditioningandductcleaning@hotmail.com.

How to build a Facebook landing page for your business or organization

May 16, 2011 By Gregg McLachlan Leave a Comment

Facebook is the planet’s largest social networking site. Chances are your business or organization has a fan page on Facebook. But it’s very likely your organization isn’t using Facebook in a way that helps you stand out in a very crowded space. You have two choices with Facebook: 1. Be like the other hundreds of millions of fan pages. or, 2. Have a unique look on Facebook.

Most organizations have the standard logo and that’s it. But you can do much more. Facebook offers the capabilities to have a custom-made landing page created. It’s probably not something you can do yourself, unless you know HTML and have some design skills. But regardless, having a custom-made Facebook landing page built is an affordable option. It’s also a great way to drive traffic back to your main website.

Below is the custom-made Facebook Welcome page we built for WorkCabin.ca, Canada’s largest Environmental Jobs Site. We also use a custom Welcome page on WorkCabin Communications’ Facebook page. Plus, here are some other custom-made pages to check out featuring major brands built by other designers: Red Bull, Wine Library. The possibilities are endless for design and messaging that meets your needs.

Filed Under: Web Tagged With: Customized fan pages on Facebook Ontario Canada, Facebook users in Brantford Ontario, Facebook users in Norfolk County Ontario, How to build a Facebook landing page, Organizations on Facebook in Brantford Ontario, Organizations on Facebook in Haldimand County Ontario, Organizations on Facebook in Norfolk County Ontario

Why some businesses suck at promoting themselves

March 28, 2011 By Gregg McLachlan Leave a Comment

Don’t have a website?

“A website?” some business people will ask, their faces showing that surprised look. “Why do I need one of those? It doesn’t matter for the business I’m in.”

Doh. Yes, it does matter. You absolutely need a website. Even if it’s just a one page basic site. It’s hard to believe one even needs to promote the value of having a website, but clearly, not everyone gets it.

Download this terrific free email marketing guide

January 3, 2011 By Gregg McLachlan Leave a Comment

Email marketing is perhaps the most used, yet most prone to error, form of quick and simple communications today. Bad subject lines. Poor choice of words that trigger spam filters. And challenges of deliverability. These are just a few of the trouble spots.

Here’s your opportunity to download a terrific 35-page guide for best practices in email marketing. The guide, produced by the reputable and professional email marketing company iContact is a must-read. It covers many subjects, including how to reduce bounce rates, understanding black lists, HTML or plain text, personalization, and frequency. >> DOWNLOAD GUIDE HERE (p.s. it’s a direct pdf download from WorkCabin Communications). Enjoy!