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We recently launched the site www.homestagershq.com for our client of the same name. This business provides home staging professionals (the people that come in and help prepare your home for sale) a location online to be found by home sellers.

Well, as part of the strategy to provide solid news and relevant blogs to these users, homestagershq.com have also launched an exciting new element to their members and the general public.

The product is called the Homestagershq.com News Portal and this feature draws in blogs, news articles, home staging based Tweets and YouTube videos of relevance to the home staging industry. It provides all this aggregated content in one site, making finding out about developments in the home staging industry rather easy.

We really like the way that content from Twitter is instantly uploaded as soon as a relevant tweet is published by a home stager, very easy to watch and read what all the home stylists are up to from the home staging community.

You can check out the News Portal for home stagers here

Search engine ranking - Shift by Design goes #1

Shift Branding has worked very closely with its sister company, home staging professionals Shift By Design to optimise their site to return maximum returns on Google placement.

After lots of trials and tribulations, Shift by Design recently went to the #1 spot online on a worldwide search for the industry term, home staging. We never promise number one spots as this is impossible to guarantee so it is great when it happens through hard work and sound strategy development.

Interestingly enough, this placement put Shift by Design ahead of sites such as Wikipedia which was even more of a win.

See the screen grab below:

Time flies when you are having fun

It's so true, how quickly does time pass when you are doing the things you love?

Well at Shift Branding, that's exactly how things have been panning out. With a few tight deadline projects underway and a particularly large online website development in the pipeline, our resources have been stretched to the limit.

We have recently launched a number of new brands onto the scene including a company that specialises in product distribution and warehousing, a business that wholesales plumbing and electrical supplies and a massive project that will deliver online home staging resource to all the home staging professionals out there.

Move It is a local Tasmanian business that provides the all important service of logistics - getting one thing from one place to another. This particular business is quite interesting in that it not only does it help business and home owners move office and property, they also deliver your new fridge, sofa or dining table from most retailers around the state. Move It with Ritchie Rich is now online with a new brand identity courtesy of Shift Branding.

Brassware Agencies NT is another new client with a brand new identity and for the first time in it's 27 operating history a presence online with a new website. This business provides a wholesale service to electricians and plumbers seeking all manner of items such as tapware, basins, showers, toilets and baths plus loads of other interesting products. Brassware Agencies NT has now gone live with a new site and new logo.

Lastly, a large scale project for Shift Branding on behalf of homestagershq.com has recently gone live. The site has been developed over some 7 months and provides home staging professionals a new location to meet, find out about industry developments, and anew way to be found by home sellers. We are really excited about the potential of this site and hope you get a moment to inspect it.

We are working towards a number of new exciting projects in the coming weeks which should further expand the business categories Shift Branding International has worked in.

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

Keeping furniture being built

Shift Branding recently completed a project for a small local business called Built from the Box. Built from the Box are specialists in, well, building anything you need built straight from the box.

As a home stager, I know how difficult it is when installing furniture in a property not to have everything assembled, and as a parent, we've all been down the path where we have to assemble a bike or trampoline for the kids late at night because we have been at work all day.

Built from the box takes the pressure off these task by having one of their Ready To Assemble (RTA) technicians get to work on the project.

In our deliverables for this project was a logo, business cards, electronic letterhead and a one page landing page to get the client optimised and online so clients can find him.

The brief was simple, make the logo fully reflect what it is we are about. As the logo will appear on truck pantechs and vans, the logo had to scale up to quote large dimensions and we can hardly wait to share the images when we get them.

Thanks to Ritchie from Built from the Box for his work and trust to get the job done for him.

To see the logo, visit the gallery logo section at Shift Branding International

SEO for small to medium business in Tasmania

Shift Branding International was primarily set up to assist business in the home staging industry in North America but has found itself providing valuable consultancy services to local Tasmanian businesses looking to improve their performance in search engines and development of AdWords pay per click advertising.

Shift Branding has now introduced a new software to further improve the delivery of important tools for managing search engine optimization such as:

• Tracking rankings in search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing both locally and Internationally
  
• Managing keywords and identifying Keyword Efficiency Index (KEI) in content within websites
  
• Developing link strategies to create inbound links from external sites
  
• Auditing of existing websites
  
• Reviewing competitor websites 
  

This combined with existing services such as SEO specific content development and Google Analytics analysis and break down, Shift Branding International provides a full service online marketing and SEO offering.

Shift Branding International works with a number of Tasmanian small to medium business to help them fully enable their website and make the most of future developments and online marketing activities to convey their message to their customers efficiently and effectively.

Visit the Shift Branding International website for more details or email info@shiftbranding.com 

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.

Is branding a small business important?

When starting a small business or home business, what are the most important considerations? Getting an office? Picking a name? Selecting the right coffee machine?

We it's actually your branding. Branding is what differentiates your business from your competitors. It's what your customers see and how your customers see you.

Branding is the collective term for how you market your business and the process is just as important for small business as it is for large business. Branding is all about how you are seen and what your products or services represent. It summarises the values, character and personality of your business, the reasons why your customers buy from you.

However, not all small business has the capacity or the funding to successfully get their branding right and this can often be the downfall for the business. Whether we like it or not, our business is often judged by how we present it and putting your head in the sand is not going to change that.

Whether your small business exists now or is in the embryonic stage, serious consideration should be given to the way you brand your business in order to give it the competitive edge in a competitive market.

So whether you are looking for a streamlined brand for your small business at an affordable price, Shift Branding International can assist.

Shift Branding specialises in providing branding solutions to small businesses (and in particular home staging businesses) including logo development, business stationery, web site design and build and search engine optimization.

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Home staging logo designs made easier

Shift Branding International is now live and offering creative design solutions to those that offer creative design solutions! Home Staging professionals are one of the core markets Shift Branding International was set up to cater for due to the increased number of people turning their hand to this exciting industry.

"As home stagers are required to present other people's homes well it is vitally important that home stagers also present themselves well. It is as much about how you look as what you can offer and with a growing level of competition out there, often the consumer decision comes down to which home stager present themselves best." says Shift Branding International Director, Adam Luttrell.

"Most small business start-ups don't have the large marketing funds required to brand themselves the way they really should which can be detrimental to their business. Shift Branding International offers a cost effective alternative that will help define and create a personality for a business."

With almost four years experience running a thriving home staging business in Tasmania, Australia, Adam knows the ins and outs of the home staging industry which gives extra weight to his credibility in offering the right creative solution for home stagers.

"We offer more than logo designs, we offer a comprehensive selection of packages that can save home stagers valuable time and money in setting up their business. We offer help with brochures, business cards, web design templates, powerpoint presentations and search engine optimization (SEO) and even printing of your marketing collateral." said Adam

"What we aim for is design solutions tailored to our clients needs and budget. If you need an hours assistance developing your SEO strategy, that's fine. If you need a logo, no worries. If you need a full suite then we can do that too."

While Shift Branding International is based in Hobart, Tasmania this does not limit the ability to service any home stager around the world. In fact, given the weight of the Australian dollar against other major world currencies you actually get more value for your money.

To speak to Adam about any project you may have, contact info@shiftbranding.com or visit www.shiftbranding.com for more details.

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