Head quarters for home staging (and home stagers)

A new bit of business recently was the completion of the homestagershq.com project which involved the design of a new logo, letterhead, business cards, with compliments slips and a presentation folder.

Homestagershq.com is a yet to go live website specialising in providing home stagers a dedicated hub to promote their business and their industry, irrespective of which training organisation the stager is part of or what part of the world the home stager hails from.

The most interesting element of this project is the fact that while it is a resource for home stagers to promote their business (and indeed even use to create their own website on) it also serves as an online tool for home staging professionals who have signed up to a membership to be located by home sellers looking to engage a property stylist.

A home seller simply heads to the home, enter their town and city and the details of registered stagers in the area will be provided.

The site will offer subscribing home stager members:

- a landing page to promote their business

- a portfolio section to upload before and after shots

- a blog function

- a forum to discuss topical issues

- an online store to buy eBooks and training resources

- industry information on home staging trends

- a resource for new business leads based on Google Maps technology

- a high level of search engine optimisation (SEO) and back links to the members own website

The site is expected to go live in April and membership details will be made available at that time.

To register your interest to become one of the first home stagers on the site, go to homestagershq.com.

To see the new logo for homestagersgq.com visit the Shift Branding logo gallery

Can a SEO expert guarantee you the #1 spot in search engines??

I see a lot of Search Engine Optimization providers that promote a guarantee that they can obtain their clients the #1 spot in search engines for given terms or keywords. This always surprises me as there is no sure fire way to climb the rankings to own a given keyword other than time, good site maintenance (in relation to new content) developing links from higher ranking site of relevancy and managing keywords.

To promise or guarantee this elusive spot at #1 for your keyword is often a lure to get you in more than it is a reality. When you consider the thousands of websites that are launched each day in given industry sectors it is incredibly hard to guarantee you any rankings, let alone the top spot.

Sure these companies offer great software programs that analyse and crunch data, they offer dedicated account managers and promises of the #1 spot, but they also charge you an enormous amount up front and then seem to lose interest in you once the initial process is complete. However this does not stop them billing you monthly as they attempt to get you that elusive #1 spot.

The SEO landscape is a forever changing one. One day you can be ranking well and the next your competition take the top spot (or push you back a page in rankings). The trick with SEO is not to consider it a one off project that you tick off the to do list once you have had someone review your site but instead look towards the ways that you can constantly improve your site and in turn improve your rankings.

Don't believe the hype with a lot of SEO providers though. If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.

Shift Branding International believe in helping small to medium business with gaining ranking with their website. We provide our clients with sound and relevant advice as well as the skills to implement most SEO processes themselves (if they wish) or we will integrate the concepts for you. On top of this, you only pay for the advice you need, no large up front payments just an hourly rate to meet your budget.

So if you are a small to medium business that needs SEO advice, contact adam@shiftbranding.com or visit www.shiftbranding.com for more information.

Shift Branding International is launched...finally!

Setting up any new business takes time. There are the hurdles of setting up the name, the bank details, the legals...it goes on and on. Then of course there is the marketing side of the business, getting everything sorted so it looks just right. Brochures, business cards, logo, photos and of course the website. Then, with the website comes Search Engine Optimisation (or SEO) which essentially ranks your website against the hundreds and thousands of other sites competing for the same space in the same industry within the likes of Google.

Shift Branding has been set up to assist small to medium business get through the minefield of setting up a brand and an identity for your business. We can help create a logo, design material for printing, assist in the development of your website and provide strategies to help you rank organically in search engines. We can even help you make sense of your website analytics package so you and your online users get the most from your website.

Shift Branding International has been set up with a particular interest in assisting those starting a business and a career in Home Staging (the hugely popular industry that assist home sellers improve the value of their property prior to sale) but has clients from many other sectors including tourism, not-for-profit and even an emerging rock band in Dubai!

Why home staging? Well in addition to running Shift Branding International, Adam is the co-Director of home staging company Shift by Design which he and his partner, Donielle, co-founded in 2006. Since then Adam has developed good professional relationships with stagers from all over the world and provided simple and effective advice on how to improve and develop their branding for their business.

Adam has held positions in industries such as advertising, multimedia and online education, media and public relations, online management and marketing, marketing manager and now director of Shift by Design and Shift Branding International.

The Shift Branding International website will soon be launched and more details on clients and their outcomes of their requirements will be made available here.

In the interim, if you are a Home Stager who needs help in getting the branding and marketing of your business ready for launch, or need SEO assistance with your website let me know at adam@shiftbranding.com. It does not matter whether you are based in the US, Dubai or even here in Hobart, Tasmania, Shift Branding can assist you.

Cheers

Adam

Home staging logo development

Shift Branding International has been launched recently to assist home stagers gain the maximum potential from their business as possible through high quality presentation of marketing collateral and branded material.

Director of Shift Branding International (SBI) Adam Luttrell says it is the combination of his two passions, home staging and marketing. 

"It was of terrific benefit to me when setting up my own home staging business (Shift by Design) a number of years ago to be able to utilize the skills I had learnt working in advertising agencies, media, multimedia and more recently online management and marketing to bring my company to fruition." said Adam.

"Being an experienced home stager also means I know what fellow stagers are looking for in their designs and I know that they need a quality design to reflect the work they are doing in their client's homes. If a home stager does not present well in their marketing they will have little chance in attracting new work. After all, a home stager that cannot present themselves well will have very little perceived value in being able to present a client's home well."

Shift Branding International has assisted a number of organizations with either their branding and search engine optimization needs including the Australian Rosny Children's Choir, Trekka 4WD Club, Shift by Design and emerging Dubai based rock group Borrison Ivy.

If you need assistance with your marketing or brand development, email adam@shiftbranding.com for more information.