Welcome to the fourth annual year in review post for Lockedown Design! I like year in review posts, because it forces you to take a step back and evaluate what you’ve actually accomplished. Publishing your progress each year allows you to see things in a larger perspective. We have a tendency to get caught up […]
2016 Year in Review
Why You Should Invest In Web Design Retainers
The basis of all great service work is good relationships. Think about your personal life. When you hire somebody like a car mechanic, accountant, or plumber, and you find someone that delivers great work, you keep going back to them. In some cases, you might even keep them on a retainer, like with a lawyer, […]
Building A Strong Brand For Local Success
I’m a firm believer that when you’re busiest is when you need to step on the gas the hardest. When you’re getting more and more business through the door, it’s a sign you’re doing something right. In 2016 and beyond, SEO is all about building a strong brand. Don’t believe that? Look at the sites […]
Web Design Discovery Helps Solve Business Problems
The biggest opportunity for most web developers is actually assessing the business problem that needs to be solved. A scenario I keep observing in the web industry is focusing too much on the technology and not enough on the business problem. This scenario plays out in different ways, but usually with newer developers, or fledgling […]
Should You Join Your Local Chamber of Commerce?
Every business day this week in Sacramento, all the local Chambers are organizing crossover events designing to help small businesses. I attended a function last night where there were six or seven chambers in attendance. I even got interviewed for a promotional video being out together to encourage membership. Later this week I’ll be attending […]
Trust Is The Key To Great Web Design Projects
Web design and development is a curious industry. A lot of people would say that we deal in design. Or code. Or graphics. Or marketing. These are merely by-products of what we deal in. They are not the products themselves. Web agencies only have a few things that they sell: their relationship with the client, […]
Why I Don’t Bill Hourly On Large Projects
For large projects, I don’t have an hourly rate. In fact, I don’t even worry about measuring increments of time until we get down to smaller things like maintenance agreements, or smaller projects less than a few hours in scope. A rate implies that you’re measuring effort in increments of time, not return on investment.
Why You Don’t Need Business Network Referral Groups
In every city in America there’s at least one business network referral group or BNI-style club. These are where business owners get together and refer leads to each other. Membership is usually paid, and restricted to one type of each business per group (so there’s no competition). Regular meetings in these groups are usually mandatory, […]
Who Is Your Perfect Customer?
Who is your perfect customer? Do you know them when you see them? Developing customer personas is an important part of your marketing strategy. Sometimes we ask businesses who they are targeting with their products. Occasionally, the answer sounds something like this: “men and women, 18 to 100 years old, all demographics — basically everyone”. […]
What Is VAT Tax? How Does It Affect Your Online Store?
If you own a regional e-commerce store based in the United States, you may or may not be aware of something called VAT. VAT stands for Value Added Tax, and it’s most common use is in the European Union, though other countries have similar systems. VAT is similar to sales tax, except that while sales […]