VIEO Design is excited to introduce the Website Design Makeover Contest!

Seriously, it’s pretty cool.  Here’s how it works:

Sally has a pretty terrible website…or maybe it’s just not “great”…or maybe she has to pay her host to update it because it isn’t in a modern CMS.  But whatever her reasons, Sally is not happy with her website.

What’s poor Sally to do?  How about winning a complete Website Design Makeover to take her website from from average to awesome?!?

The website design makeover isn’t just about creating a beautiful website for the winner.  We also create a complete branding package so the winner’s website design look and feel is implemented in all of their social media, email and postcard mailing campaigns.

Learn more about the contest at www.websitedesignmakeover.com.

Yes, it’s true – you are our pink chocolate hearts.  And here is our business Valentine to you.

VIEO Design just loves people who love great web design – specifically our customers, and our prospective customers, too!

When we unwrap your business’ outer layer and bite into the sweet, chocolaty wonderfulness of what can make your business grow online – a special something that’s different for every client – and we figure out what that special something is for you… it gives us an endorphin rush like no other.

So on this day of romantic love, just know that there is business love, too – and we love learning how to make your business ROCK online, then translating that into a seductively awesome website.

Won’t you be ours?? <3

Mac & the VIEO Team

You are a gazelle, better known in business as the solopreneur.

And you’re in good company.  Top college students are graduating with poor job prospects, as are lawyers and MBAs; long-time professionals have been laid off; and stay-at-home parents are in search of flexible income opportunities.  Together, you’re finding niche opportunities to make your way through the hard world of business on your own.

There are a lot of advantages to being a gazelle: you’re lean, fast, and able to leap over competition and other obsacles.

You can travel in herds with other gazelles for safety and networking – grazing together through great savannas of pumpkin muffins and lakes of lattes from Starbucks and Panera Bread.

You’ve got great senses, too – with eyes that can follow leads in two directions at once, keen hearing for picking up new trends, and with those gnarly horns of yours, you can butt heads with the best of them.

But do watch out for the lions, dear gazelles.  You know – the small companies that do the same things that you do, but with more muscle, resources and bigger reputations.  They’re the ones that can eat you for lunch, literally, and all your speed and agility may not be enough to help you escape.

Sure, you’re less expensive than them, and that can’t be ignored.  But don’t forget that they’re always out there, ready to pounce on your lean self to take away some of your customers along with a piece or two of your hide.

I know – I’ve been a gazelle myself for most of the past three years.  After losing a loved one, I decided to leave my comfortable job in higher education to pursue my passion for online entrepreneurship.  I had a good background in the field, some nice online real estate, and a hefty savings account.

A little more than two years later, I was much wiser, had more stamina, and I was a whole lot better at what I had set out to do.

You haven’t asked me for my opinion, but here I am blogging, so I’ll share it anyway.  Once you’ve got some great experience as a gazelle, try looking for a lion pride that might be open to new partners.

That’s what I did — I ran with open arms…or hooves, per say…right into the lion’s den.  I merged my small solopreneur company with VIEO Design, and it’s been a fantastic transition for both of us.  Together, we’re growing the company and making some beautiful websites, if I do say so myself.

Think about it.  If you’re a successful solopreneur, you’re a great possible asset for a bigger company.  You’ve proven yourself to be a self-starting go-getter, capable of making it on your own.  You don’t have to fight off all the predators and herds of competition by yourself.

Whether you merge or you continue to fly solo, I salute you, solopreneuring gazelle.  You’re running a hard line, and it’s one with big possible payoffs.  May you have much success.

In the mean time, maybe I’ll catch you at the latte lake and we can share a bite.  Heheh.

Seriously, we’ve been fortunate enough to make some great connections in the Knoxville area, and I’d be happy to get the chance to meet you over a business breakfast or coffee to learn more about you and what you do.  Perhaps we could help each other.  Use the contact form to get in touch!

You are the Henley Street Bridge.  Consider your bedrock-deep foundations in core values and corporate mission and your keystone products that could support the needs of untold numbers of new customers.

But your business isn’t very friendly to people who are on the go.

You’ve heard it before, but are you listening?  No matter how good your business is, it could be better by conceiving and implementing a mobile strategy to reach out to your potential customers while they’re on the go.

Just having a website isn’t enough.  Even if it looks OK scrunched up on the a smart phone or tablet screen, it probably isn’t what people need or want when they’re trying to find you from the passenger seat of the car.

It’s worth considering too that you have a rapidly-shrinking opportunity to get in the mobile game before your competitors.  The odds are someone has come to their business and talked about it.  Offered it.  Suggested it.  Just like they have to you.

You may be resisting implementing a mobile strategy because it intimidates you, or because you tell yourself you don’t have the budget, or because you simply don’t believe that it could benefit your business.

But please believe me, you don’t want to be the Henley Street Bridge.  You don’t want to turn away mobile customers, because they’re looking for you.  And when they can’t find you, they’ll find your competition.

The opportunity is real.  People are rapidly shifting their Internet use to mobile platforms, and though we mobile consultants hate to say it, most businesses haven’t yet taken the mobile plunge.  You absolutely can gain a real and lasting competitive edge by taking your business mobile now.  The easiest place to start is with your mobile website.

Would you like to discuss your business’ mobile opportunities?  Get your free mobile web consultation.

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VIEO Design lead designer and web developer, Paul Gibson was awarded  “Best Web Programmer” in AAF Knoxville’s second annual Big Wig Awards.  This is Paul’s second year winning the Best Web Programmer award and we couldn’t be more proud!

Fellow VIEO Design team members in attendance were Maria Talley, Andrea Presley, and Holly Yalove.  We were all decked out in “Cyborg” attire (although we admit, we looked somewhat like mutant Zombies…oh well).

Nominations for the award came from within the East Tennessee communications community. The goal was recognizing the “unsung heroes” of advertising and marketing.  Paul was one of 3 finalists this year in the Best Web Programmer category.

The Big Wigs awards night held October 27, 2011 included a costume celebration at one of our favorite local restaurants, Latitiude 35.  The VIEO Design team enjoyed the chance to connect with fellow marketing and advertising professionals including WBIR’s Erin Donovan, PostNet owner Joani Leeds, Knoxville Opera Marketing Director Michael Torano, our good friend and Orange Apple Branding owner Susie Norris, and Designsensory’s Josh Loebner.  Josh won the first annual Unsung Hero Award for outstanding dedication and devotion to the principles and ideals of the advertising community.  You can check out Josh’s new blog called advertisinganddisability.com.

I’m so thankful I attended Knoxville’s sold-out Social Slam this year.  The 2011 event was held in April at the Knoxville Convention Center, and before we know it Social Slam 2012 will be here.  The 2011 event changed lives for many of the 430 attendees and received high marks in follow-up surveys.  Although there were proud sponsors (including our sister company Infinity Hosting Solutions), a number of the the speakers and panelists contributed expert advice at their own expense.

“Changed lives” may sound dramatic (I am sort of dramatic), but this unique business conference was not just a day of learning the latest and greatest in digital media trends. Social Slam was thought-provoking, inspiring, and will surly change the way many attendees think and plan their digital marketing/social media futures.

VIEO Design (follow VIEO) is thankful to our client Mark W. Schaefer (follow Mark) who organized the event and gave us a chance to be part of it.  Mark is a globally-recognized blogger, educator, business consultant, and the author of the popular Tao of Twitter book.  Mark spoke throughout the 2011 event which included many other talented speakers and panelists including:

Many neighborhoods have Book Clubs, Bunco Nights, Bake Sales and Block Parties all in an effort to bring neighbors together. With today’s increasingly popular social web, there are new ways to communicate neighborhood events and build a sense of community both online and offline.

One option is starting a Neighborhood Facebook Group. This is a great way to communicate with others in your subdivision without having to actually “friend” your whole block. Facebook Groups have multiple privacy options and members of the group don’t all have to be “friends” in order to see each other’s posts.
Closed Groups work well for members who want to keep content and posts private within the group, but don’t mind having the group name and members displayed. Facebook Groups are also a great way to keep up with family members that may be spread across the globe.

Facebook Groups provide multiple ways to communicate and share information with your neighbors. Members can create and promote neighborhood events, organize garage sales, share recipes, provide trusted vendor lists, discuss HOA policies, or even promote neighborhood businesses.

How is your neighborhood using Facebook or other platforms on the social web?

VIEO Design is growing as websites abound and we are excited to now have the talents of Maria Talley.  Maria joined our team in May 2011 and is VIEO Design’s Internet and Social Media Marketing Manager.  Maria has an MBA in Marketing from the University of Tennessee and has experience creating Internet Marketing campaigns for small businesses.

Prior to joining VIEO Design, Maria’s experience included creating a digital media campaign for country music singer Martina McBride including development of a makeover plan for the official website, marketing and sales analytics, and designing a social media utilization system.  This social media system increased traffic to the official website, built a fan community and increased ticket sales.

Maria’s Internet Marketing passions include consulting with clients on use of mobile applications and blogs to engage a social media fan base and amplify direct marketing campaigns.  Maria’s talents include Graphic Design, Web Design, Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, and she is committed to creativity and innovation.

VIEO Design’s clients will enjoy meeting Maria during their Website Content Consultation and will receive her guidance throughout our website projects to ensure a high-quality website with high ROI!  Maria’s experience managing Townsend’s TalleyHo Inn gave her a strong base of customer service experience and she shares VIEO’s passion for delighting clients.

Welcome Maria!  We are so excited you found us online and that we have such a talented new member of the VIEO Design family : )

Like many small businesses today, home inspectors are looking for ways to maximize web presence, leverage social media, and ultimately increase business through a customer-engaging and Search Engine Optimized website.

In a recent home inspector website consultation, I was honored to be asked to speak at a Home Inspectors of Tennessee Association (HITA) meeting and provide website and social media training to 61 Tennessee home inspectors (thank you, Gene Walshaw!).  The three-hour training focused on getting the most out of the home inspector website, and leveraging social media to market online.

The HITA website training covered many topics including website functions and features that help engage home inspector website visitors:  Client Testimonials are a great way to display trusted recommendations to website visitors.  Home Inspector Blogs educate customers on important topics, improve website traffic, and improve Search Engine Optimization.

Sample Reports can be posted a number of ways to allow customers and website visitors view sample home inspection reports.  Contact Forms on a website increase client contact and can be customized in a variety of ways to provide to allow contact for scheduling home inspection appointments. Links to Social Media Profiles on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn can be displayed on every page to encourage visitors to engage with you on the social web.

Are you a home inspector or other small business wanting to get more out of your website?  What are you wishing your website could do for you?