Digital Marketing News in the Tampa Bay Area and Vestal New York.

SSD Launches the Life Enrichment Center of Tampa Bay

We are proud to launch the Life Enrichment Center website. The relaunch of this website, with a new WordPress upgrade, supports critical functions for operations during this period in history. Due to the lock down from the COVID-19, the calendar and online reservation system allows the LEC to stay operational even through a city wide lockdown.

Used as part of workflow management, the site assists members in participating in classes virtually and provides accountability for who participates in classes. Looking into the future, the site can provide the opportunity for online classes for individuals who are disabled or are home bound.

We are proud to be a part of this project. Please check out the LEC’s website at https://lectampa.org If you know anyone in the Tampa area who would like to become a member, please share this page.

Life Enrichment Center Tampa Bay

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Launches Saints Youth Sports Website

I have played sports my entire life, specifically soccer. As a parent, I put all three of my children in sports through their school and also at a club level. As the seasons passed I became irritated that scheduling for games and practices appeared to be last min or only a week in advance.  It is hard enough to balance the lives of three kids but not having clarity on what was going on a week in advance was frustrating.

Then I became a coach. I could see the perspective of both the parents and from my point of view as a coach.  What was missing was transparency in everything. Parents had no idea where booster money went, when camps or next seasons sign up were going to happen, and in this case, how do you funnel kids from kindergarten to 6th grade into a high school platform? Mind you, these are all private schools individually supports under one county umbrella.

After looking at each major sport that the schools had to offer, spending time talking to parents, administrators and coaches, we came up with a set of tools to solve the challenge of transparency. Transparency was not just with parents to coaches, it was also to groups of coaches, who at the time just did what they needed to do to accomplish their seasons goals. Once the season ended, where did these athletes stand with either, the next seasonal sport or the next season of their sport?

Most people do not realize that 90% of all sports programs run on booster money or donations. Fees for the sports pay for some uniforms and insurance. It does not cover the field maintenance, equipment, coach’s costs, and improvement projects.

Back to tools. We created Saint Youth Sports out of the necessity to retool the Catholic Schools of a Broome County’s sports program. By building a platform where everyone could see the calendar of events on a seasonal basis and when camps or pickup games are occurring. Showing the projects and needs of the entire program while providing donors a place to directly contribute to a specific project they care about. Allowing donors to receive tax benefits to their contributions and show the progress of a project as it progresses. Setting up vendors to provide spirit wear and merchandise that can be bought directly off the site and returns a portion of sales back to the booster program. Allowing parents to showcase their child on the site by a submittal process.

Finally the most important part, the student athletes. Providing athletes resources to help them develop their skills. As an addition to the site, we started to use the Team Snap App to manage an athlete’s sports profile. This allows a workflow from K all the way through to 12th grade, where coaches no longer have to hunt down parent’s information and can communicate more effectively with athletes, parents, and other coaches.

Now before we pat ourselves on the back, a great big thank you needs to also be given to everyone outside of our organization who helped with this project and will continue to help with this project. This type of project would never possible without everyone’s help.

#livelifepositively #schoolsystems #education #saints #sports #extracurricular #youthsports #littlesaints #saintyouthsports #loveofthegame #games #womensports #mensports #growth

 

Prefecture Studio Park and Gaming at Synapse Summit 2020 Tampa FL

Come visit us and our client Prefecture Studio Park & Gaming during the Synapse Summit at the Amalie Arena February 11th and 12th in Tampa Florida. We are super excited to be representing Prefecture Studio Park and Gaming.

Prefecture is  a youth/amateur Esports training & education center. Their philosophy is based on having club members  decide what they want to play, the content they want to learn and which events they want to have! It is a training center for the gaming community by the gaming community!

We would be honored if you came and visited us in section 109 of the Amalie Arena. Don’t forget gamers Rule!

Pine Wood Durby Track Rebuild

I am a den leader for Boy Scouts of America, Pack 244 out of Vestal NY. Over the last few years we have been running the pine wood derby on an old wooden track that is about as old as when the pack was founded. Seeing that the track was aging, I decided this year to refurbish

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Sun Sign Designs Launches Never Ending Basket Website

Sun Sign Designs has just added the launch of another new and exciting website to its ever growing portfolio. A Never Ending Basket, a company making thoughtful, one-of-a-kind gift baskets, now has an online presence that showcases its beautiful work.

The stars of A Never Ending Basket are the handcrafted and compiled baskets themselves. That’s why it was so important to show plenty of examples of previous work on the site, including a large rotating slider of pictures on the homepage.

With an option for fully customizing your own basket, the website has been built with a page on which it features fields to fill out and explain everything from the date it is to be delivered, to the occasion for the basket, to the favorite colors and hobbies of the recipient.

At the top right of the header, the visitor can click on a link titled “Our Baskets,” to see a whole variety of previous themes with pictures. From baskets as thoughtful as a Spa theme, to a Grilling theme for dad, a Welcome basket for new employees, or a Surgery Survival Kit, the site shows that these baskets can be designed for any and every occasion.

With a blue and white color palate, the site exudes feelings of calm and serenity, and ties into the company’s focus on gratitude. The idea of gratitude can be seen throughout the website, with mention of it on multiple pages. This serves to emphasize what the company’s owner believes to be the importance of sending someone a basket. Each sent with a handwritten note, no matter the occasion, the individual gifted it will feel your gratitude for having them in your life.

With well though-out Search Engine Optimization (SEO) content that also expresses the true message of the brand, not only will the site realize an increase in exposure, but also the company will be properly represented when seen.

With its simplistic text, easy-to-understand verbiage, and beautiful, color photos, A Never Ending Basket’s website is one that makes both its company and ours quite happy.

To learn more about A Never Ending Basket and how you can show your gratitude to someone, visit the website or email [email protected].

To learn more about Sun Sign Designs and the services that we offer, visit us online or email [email protected]today!

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Sun Sign Designs Launches Seeds To Sew Website

Sun Sign Designs is SEW proud to launch the new Seeds To Sew International Website. Here is the break down!

Seeds to Sew International, Inc. is a US-based, 501(c)3, non-profit organization with the mission of improving the lives of women and girls in disadvantaged communities through education and job skills training. Their goal is for the women and girls in their programs to use these job skills to earn money and to support themselves and their communities.

By purchasing products on their website, you directly support the artisans who made them. Whether you are buying our design-patented Enkiteng bags (cloth gift wrapping bags), Enkisoma jewelry (Maasai beaded jewelry), Githomo gifts (handicrafts made out of banana tree bark and other natural materials), Kiondos (baskets made out of recycled plastic), or one of our featured pop-up items, your purchase directly contributes to their mission of empowering women and girls in impoverished areas of the world.

Check out their site and our website development work at https://seedstosew.org

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Dirty Words

How Everyday Business Terminology Can Get Flagged by SPAM Filters

I recently had a conversation with a client about how the use of his business name in the subject line of his email was getting picked up by SPAM filters when he sends out his monthly newsletter. Why had the word “financial” become a dirty word? If you are like me you get 50 calls a day about expansion capital. Not only do I get calls, I also receive unwarranted texts and emails with regards to this same topic. If you get enough people complaining and marking these emails as SPAM, then certain words get targeted going forward.

So where is the line between legitimate businesses and SPAM? In many cases that line has disappeared.

Lets add another variable to this equation. Content. A lot of companies use their newsletter as archives on their website to help broaden their website’s footprint and help improve their rank on the search engines. You’ve probably heard a lot about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how using certain keywords can raise your website’s visibility. But what you may not have heard is that the word choice in your content not only has the power to allow more people to see you, but when it comes to emails, it can influence whether you can be seen at all.

While certain keywords can help to improve your online ranking, certain words can also trigger the SPAM filter. You may have stellar content that properly represents your brand and gets your messaging across in an easily understood manner, but if your email includes certain words, it won’t matter how great your content is – it simply won’t be seen. But why is that? It may just end up in your SPAM filter.

Trigger Words

There are actually hundreds of common words and phrases that most SPAM filters will pick up on. These are known as “trigger” words. Though this list of words and phrases is continuously changing, here are just a few examples – you may be surprised.

• #1
• 100%
• Affordable
• Cancel
• Buy
• Click Here
• Credit Card
• Deal

It is not easy to predict all of the words that will trigger SPAM filters, however there are many online resources that you can use to check to see if a word has been listed as a common SPAM word.

Here are a few best practices that can be used to avoid the dreaded SPAM filter:

• Use more than one word in subject lines
• Double check spelling
• DON’T USE ALL CAPS
• Do not include exclamation points!

Sun Sign Designs Can Help!

If you want to learn more about trigger words, email marketing, SEO, and other methods for improving company visibility, Sun Sign Designs, Inc can help. To learn more about Sun Sign Designs and the services that we offer, visit us online or email [email protected] today!

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Sun Sign Designs Launches Autism Website During Awareness Month

Sun Sign Designs is extremely proud and honored to have worked on a very meaningful new website. Autism Shifts, a non-profit organization in Tampa Florida that is working hard to dispel old, harmful, and often engrained stigmas that keep individuals with Autism from securing employment and living independent lives. The new site launched in April, just in time for Autism Awareness Month.

Truly adhering to the old adage that a picture says a thousand words, the site showcases many members of the Autistic community, in various positions of employment and socialization.

The thought provoking content on the site, which incorporates Search Engine Optimization (SEO) also serves to share some of the many benefits associated with the organization. It includes paragraphs regarding service of individuals with Autism, service of parent/caregivers, service of businesses, and service of the broader community.

If you scroll down the page, you will notice a section titled, “Autism Today,” which discusses the current movement associated with Autism acceptance, often referred to as the Neurodiversity Movement. Also in this section is a featured video, which touches on the current statistics associated with those living with Autism, such as their unemployment rate (90%) and rate of dependent living (70%).

The colors on the site align with the organization’s logo of blue and green – colors that invoke feelings of calmness and optimism. At the top of the page we have included clickable links and dropdowns for each of the groups it services (individuals with Autism, parents & caregivers, business and employment partners, and community), while at the bottom the visitor has the option of clickable buttons for joining the organization, donating, volunteering, and mentoring.

At the very top of the page are links that are important though need not be as predominant as the rest of the information. This includes links to the organization’s social media pages, events, its store, about us, and news.

With its calming colors, inspirational quotes, motivational video, and thought provoking imagery, Autism Shifts demonstrates the real importance of inclusion. Something that Sun Sign Designs also strongly believes in.

To learn more about Autism Shifts and how you can become involved, visit the website or call them at 813-251-2787.

To learn more about Sun Sign Designs and the services that we offer, visit us online or email [email protected]today!

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Sun Sign Designs Launches New Home Funding Website

Sun Sign Designs has just added the launch of a new and exciting website to its portfolio. Ken Kolodziej Home Funding, a company that provides jumbo loans and loan programs including reverse mortgages, renovation loans, and FHA loans) has been brought to life online with a website that speaks to the brand and its messaging.

As one of the most important offerings of the company, jumbo loans had to be a focus of the website. This was executed by including information about jumbo loans with no PIM and a low down payment as one of the features on the homepage slider as well as by incorporating it into a pop-up with the option of learning more.

The information contained therein shares that jumbo loans are those that exceed the conforming loan limits set by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise and are not eligible to be purchased, securitized, or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. The content ends with a call to action, telling readers to give the company a call to find out if a jumbo loan (or another loan) is right for them.

Websites are so important when it comes to successful lead generation and can make a big difference with a business’ bottom line. From designing the company logo, site layout, and color scheme of greens and white, to its well-thought-out content and incorporated Search Engine Optimization (SEO) keywords, the site is set up to rank favorably on search engines, while staying true to its brand and sharing the most important information with its audience.

Another great feature of the site is its mortgage calculator. The sliders contain various factors including

  • Home value;
  • Down payment;
  • Interest rate;
  • Amortization period;
  • Start after;
  • Annual property tax;
  • Annual hazard insurance;
  • Monthly HOA; and
  • MI.

Simply by moving the sliders to adjust to the right numbers, the calculator reveals a total breakdown and yearly breakdown with corresponding remaining balances, providing color-coordinated graphics as well as itemized figures.

With its unique features, look, and feel, the Ken Kolodziej Home Funding website is a source of pride for both Ken as well as for us at Sun Sign Designs.

To learn more about Ken Kolodziej Home Funding (www.kenkolodziej.com) visit the website or call Ken at 757-434-4993.

To learn more about Sun Sign Designs and the services that we offer, visit us online or email [email protected] today!