http://www.wired.com/business/2012/12/free-google-apps/

Experience and passion.

• You get to capitalize on our experience working with WordPress. We’ve been building websites using WordPress since 2007; years ahead of other La Crosse area web design & marketing firms. We were fortunate early on to discover the potential of this software and it has matured into the world’s most popular content management system
• You get world class service and support right here in La Crosse. We sell, service and support our own WordPress themes online at AlohaThemes.com. We design and develop our own themes to meet our high standards. This includes building themes so that they are easy for average folks to use and manage.
• We also sell WordPress plugins online (ShortcodeKid.com & WordPressDealPlugin.com) and are in the process of preparing to launch a brand new breakthrough mobile plugin that we designed and developed from scratch (coming September of 2012)
• If your needs are more advanced, we have a team of developers that can develop applications that integrate with WordPress.
• You save money and time with Bernadot Studios. We have invested thousands of dollars into software so we can implement solutions for you at amazingly low costs and with efficient speed. This means, in most cases, that you don’t have to purchase additional software for your site as we have already made the investment.

Why WordPress?

• It’s free – no cost for the software
• WordPress can be setup to get you listed within the search engines quickly
• You can update your own site’s content, including the home page: images, text, PDF files, videos, etc.
• We offer support with our services that includes a full line of 30+ video tutorials to help you learn how to use WordPress.  You can learn at your own pace and the videos will be accessible through your site’s administration panel. It’s all about convenience.
• It runs on Linux based web servers. They are more stable (than Windows) and less expensive
• You will have access to tens of thousands of available plugins to give your site all the tools you need to reach your goals. Including: photo galleries, online forms, image sliders, Social Media integration, mobile-friendly solutions and much, much more.
• There is a revision history, so if you even screw something up on a page, you can go back in time and restore the page to a previous version
• Easy to use menu management so your site’s navigation is just how you want it; easy for your visitor’s to navigate

Need help with your site?

Please contact us with your questions.

Google Places

Does your business have a Google Places listing?  If you answered “no,” then you need to get on the task of setting up your Google Places listing, and right now.  There are a number of very compelling reasons to include Google Places as an integral part of your business marketing plan.  If you need some convincing, then you should look over this list of reasons for why having your business on Google Places is so important:

The Yellow Pages is obsolete.  Studies show that 97 percent of all consumers use the Internet to search for and choose local businesses.  Most of those people haven’t touched a Yellow Pages book for years.  Look at it this way: if 97 percent of your potential customers are searching the web for businesses just like yours and you are not there, you are missing out – plain and simple.

Your Places listing will work for you, even when you are sleeping.  The Internet never sleeps, and your page is always accessible to potential customers, even long after you shut-down your shop.  You can even link your Google Places page to your website, so that customers can make transactions while you catch your Z’s.

Branding.  Google Places is especially effective when it comes to your business branding (which, in today’s market, is essential to your business’ success).  By uploading photos and videos, and customizing your content to speak for your unique niche, you can go a long way in strengthening your brand.

Reaching your target market.  You can create content for your Google Places listing that speaks specifically to your target market, and then count on the Google search engine to deliver targeted traffic straight to your virtual-reality door.  There are very few types of advertising that enable you to reach exactly who you want to by means that are within your control, and Google Places is one of them.

Google Places is free advertising.  Regardless of how successful your business is, you have a business budget . . . and you simply cannot argue that many of your business choices come down to the bottom line.  Unless you have a limitless marketing budget (and who does?!), you need all the free help you can get.  It just doesn’t make any sense not to take advantage of such a powerful marketing tool when it won’t cost you a single cent to get involved.

Get started setting up your own Google Places page. You will need a free Google or Gmail account to complete this process.

• Over 93% of small-medium sized business websites do not properly render (appear) on mobile devices – including iPhones, Android phones or tablets.
• Of the small businesses surveyed that implemented mobile marketing, 84% reported an increase due to the initiative.
• 64% of small businesses plan on increasing their mobile marketing budget – this means your competition may be more effectively using mobile marketing than you are.

David Brown, CEO of one of the firms that accumulated this data, Web.com, recently said, “With more and more consumers specifically searching for local businesses on their mobile devices, it is imperative that small businesses invest in a mobile presence.”  He added, “Having a mobile presence can be a huge competitive advantage for small businesses trying to attract local customers by instantly introducing a potential customer to their business’ products and services in a mobile-enhanced way.”

Here are some more statistics showing why now, more than ever, your small business needs a mobile web presence and strategy:

• For small businesses who engage or plan to engage in mobile marketing, 34% say they do it to gain competitive advantage.
• For those small businesses already engaged in mobile marketing, only 1/3 of them plan to devote the same amount of funds and effort to it – the rest plan an increase. None plan to cut their programs.
• 23% of consumers say they are less likely to transact business with a company that gave them a bad mobile web experience.
• Another 40% of consumers say that a bad mobile web experience would send them to a competitor who offered the same or similar products or services.

These study results should convince you that if you don’t already have a mobile web presence and mobile marketing strategy, you urgently need one. For many consumers, your mobile web presence is the basis of their perception about your company. If you don’t have a mobile web presence, it tells customers you don’t care about their preferences. In contrast, a small business with a mobile web presence that engages the customer and enhances their experience will encourage both new and repeat business.

This post is the first in a series of mobile marketing entries that we will be rolling out. Things are changing out there folks, and we want to let you know what is happening so you can position your business ahead of the curve and take advantage of the opportunities that exist in the marketplace. – Scott Bernadot

This article breaks through the clutter.

The best Mobile SEO strategy is to not have a mobile SEO strategy

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/mobile-seo-is-a-myth/35012/

One critical aspect to marketing online is having a website that is inherently search engine friendly and gives you the ability to blog. We highly recommend using WordPress for your website solution as it is the most popular web platform in the world and is the choice of top internet marketers and SEO pros.

We’ve been using WordPress for about 4 years and are active in developing themes and plugins for WordPress. If you have any questions, feel free to drop us a line. Whether you use our services or that of another professional, you will be making a wise-decision choosing a WordPress-based website.

Bernadot Studios was hired to redesign the Mister Twister website by the guys from DigiSage.  The intention of the new design is was to position the site as an e-commerce store. While you could always purchase products online, it was not the primary focus of the site.

Here is what we provided:

• Unique, modern e-commerce  design
• JQuery sliders to showcase products and customer testimonials
• New home page to showcase specials and marketing materials (catalog, newsletter, Facebook, etc)
• Product slider for popular, clearance and new products

Bernadot Studios was hired to redesign the Mepps website by the guys from DigiSage.  The intention of the new design is was to position the site as an e-commerce store. While you could always purchase products online, it was not the primary focus of the site.

Here is what we provided:

• Unique, modern e-commerce  design
• JQuery slider to showcase customers and products
• New home page to showcase specials and marketing materials (catalog, newsletter, Facebook, etc)