Grand Rapids Marketing Blog

Custom Website Developed With Built in CRM

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:22:00 GMT

In this video I will show you an overview of the Business Catalyst robust customer relationship management (CRM) module. This is a great tool for tracking client activities on and off the web and off.

Some of the key features to point out before you start the video.

Tasks
Task reminders via email
Cases (Support Tickets)
Custom customer data fields
Email marketing
Client notes
and more

Our Client North Peak Brewery Featured on Great American Brew Trail

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:52:00 GMT

It's always fun seeing people do what they're good at, and this video is a great opportunity to see our client North Peak Brewing Company in action. Be sure to check out their website, which is one that we designed. And, be sure to check back shortly as we will be programming a mobile site for them.

Grand Rapids Business Journal's 40 Under Forty

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Congratulations are in order! Our very own Co-Owner and Creative Director, Andrea Snyder, was selected as part of this year's 40 Under Forty class, presented by the Grand Rapids Business Journal. This is the second time Andrea has received this prestigious honor.

The reception was held at the Goei Center and entertainment was provided by the talented Ralston Bowles. Once again the Business Journal put on a stellar event.

Here's Andrea proudly displaying her framed piece from the event. You can read the 40 Under Forty publication in its entirety here - Andrea is featured on page 17. Thank you again to GRBJ for the recognition, this is always a fantastic list to be a part of!

Our Theatre Photos in Mainstream Media

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT

It's always fun to see our photos being used in mainstream media to help promote a great show. There were a few that were featured in a recent broadcast on WZZM promoting Grand Rapids Civic Theatre's Flat Stanly. If you would like to check our more of our theatre photos, view our photos site.

Website Design For West Michigan Specialty Printer

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 04:00:00 GMT

We recently had the opportunity to work with Mettek LLC on a website redesign. After our initial meeting we had a strategy and were ready to move forward.

We needed to showcase their products and provide relevant content that would increase their search engine traffic, so we developed a blog.
Mettek prints on many different surfaces so we reviewed their products to determine the best way to organize the new website, allowing users to easily find what they were looking for.
Because they have so many specialty products and services that needed to be displayed on their home page, we created a JavaScript slider allowing us to show more products, and also increase the use of search engine friendly keywords.
Product photography was an important part of this site because Mettek has a great list of clients and sample products that needed to be displayed.

Take a look at the screen shots, or better yet check out their website and let us know what you think.

Michigan Brewery Website Redesign

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 04:00:00 GMT

One of the perks of being in this industry is that we get the opportunity to work with so many great clients. When we combine the great state of Michigan with microbrewed beer, you know we're happy campers.

We recently had the opportunity to do a website redesign for Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery located in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan. We knew right away this was going to be a fun website to redesign!

Blue Tractor had some very important requirements and goals that needed to be met, so of course we kept those things in mind when going through the design process.

Design the site to have a fun and clean look, but still show the character of the brewery
Integrate social media such as Twitter by feeding their tweets directly into the website footer. This is also a great way to allow the brewery to add news to their site
Show visitors how great the brewery is by feeding a video tour into the website
Create a way for users to easily view their large menu by having expandable menu lists.

As we expected, this was a fun site to work with and we are happy with the outcome. Check out the their new website and let us know what you think.

West Michigan Cars and Guitars!

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Don't forget... this weekend is the start of the 22nd annual Del Shannon Car Show!

STUDIO3TWENTY was approached a few years ago by the Del Shannon Car Show committee to volunteer our time and marketing skills to help with their website and promote the show. Of course we jumped at the opportunity. What's more fun than cars, guitars, food, and outdoor fun? More importantly, by sponsoring and volunteering we were able to help raise money for two really great community causes: Coopersville's NEO Forum and the Del Shannon Scholarship Fund. NEO Forum is the Northeast Ottawa County program designed to reduce drug, alcohol, tobacco, and violence within the PreK-12 population. The Del Shannon Scholarship Fund is for students graduating from Coopersville High School to study the Arts.

Between the 800+ beautiful classic cars and the great cause this show benefits, it's a win for everyone involved.

Photo courtesy of Chris Moe Photography LLC

The Coopersville Rotary is the main sponsor of the car show, which draws in approximately 400 cars for the Friday evening car cruise, and 800 cars for the Saturday show. This all day event is the main attraction of the Coopersville Summerfest and will feature food, trophies, music, and cars from every decade.

Photo courtesy of Chris Moe Photography LLC

Be sure to check out the event schedule below. There's something for every member of the family!

Friday, August 10
Car Cruise line up: 4pm
Cruise starts moving: 6pm
Port City BBQ cook-off starts: 6pm
Fireworks start at dusk

Saturday, August 11
Car & Motorcycle Show: 7am - 4pm
Registration: 7am - Noon
Pancake Breakfast: 7am - 10am
Keyser’s Port City Racing Vendor Row: 9am - 4pm
Awards and Trophies at Port City Racing at 3pm
Live performances by Luke Cunningham
Train Shuttle Wrist Bands available

Portfolio Book: Made-From-Scratch

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT

I made a portfolio book from scratch, and despite my lack of knowledge when it comes to using tools and building things, I think it turned out well.

The cover is made out of wood, which I stained with two coats of Minwax. The first coat of stain took about 10 minutes to dry, while the second coat of stain took 3 days to dry.

I used continuous hinges on the inside, 12" long. The posts are screw posts from Lowe's, 1/4" long.

The prints inside are actual photos, 11" x 17", which makes it easy to swap out for new images in the future.

There are currently 14 pages, but there is flexibility to grow in the future.

Meet Ms. Merrill

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 04:00:00 GMT

We had the pleasure of meeting Merrill through the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre while we were photographing the play, “Hello, Dolly!” Merrill does a fantastic job playing the always entertaining part of Ermengarde. We were thrilled when she contacted us to shoot a dance session along with some head shots and others to be used for future acting gigs.

Merrill has amazing eyes and a sassy stature that made our job very easy, and, she’s a super fun girl. We had a great time getting to know her!

Grand Rapids Civic Theatre

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT

STUDIO3TWENTY recently had the opportunity to do some volunteer photography for the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, and it was truly an amazing experience.

During the last 6 weeks we went behind the scenes to document all the hard work and dedication that goes into a production like “Hello, Dolly!” Our photos range from the nightly rehearsals to the finishing touches on stage.

Below are just a few or our favorite photos. If you want to see more of the action, check things out on Facebook.

And, be sure to do yourself a favor and get out and see see a show and at The Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. They have some amazing productions yet to come this season.

Hello, Dolly! is on stage through March 20, and its definitely worth checking out. Performances run Wednesday through Sunday.

East Grand Rapids Polar Plunge Photos

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Recently we had the pleasure to attend the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) Polar Plunge held each year in East Grand Rapids Reeds Lake. This is a great event that raises money for Special Olympic Michigan. While we were there we had to break out the camera with the hopes of sharing this great event with others. After seeing how much cool and crazy fun was had by all, while raising money for a great cause, we might have to take the plunge next year.

Enjoy our photos and let us know what you think.

Young Entrepreneurs Series

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

The Grand Rapids Press recently did a week long series featuring young entrepreneurs in the West Michigan area, and you can only imagine how thrilled I was to find out that STUDIO3TWENTY was going to be among the businesses featured. The call from the reporter was just the start of wonderful things to come.

6 days after our initial conversation we were seated in our office with Cami Reister, a business reporter for The Grand Rapids Press. She and I spoke on the phone various times over the previous week, so it was great to meet her in person. She had a bevy of questions for us, inquiring about everything from our backgrounds to our clients to our spare time. I admired how quickly she was able to write notes. One of the many skills of reporting, I suppose.

Up next was our photo session with Press photographer Cory Morse. We thoroughly enjoyed this portion of our 15 minutes of fame, considering we have a particular interest in photography ourselves. It was interesting to be on the other side of the lens.

We had to wait almost 2 weeks to see the actual article in print, and honestly, we were a bit nervous and excited. When I purchased that day's paper I was surprised to find that we were pictured on the front page of the Grand Rapids Press. We quickly turned to the article and were so pleased to find that Cami did a wonderful job accurately portraying STUDIO3TWENTY, the way we do business, the way we think, and where we had come from. It truly was a very accurate and positive article. We were also really pleased with the way the photos turned out. Cory has a great eye and a knack for interesting angles.

The response we got from the article was nothing but positive and we've had a number of potential client interactions due to the coverage. Above all, we are truly thankful that Cami and The Grand Rapids Press saw potential in our business and felt we were worthy of covering.

You can read the entire article here. All photos included in this blog post were taken by Cory Morse of The Grand Rapids Press and can also be found at the article link.

An Evening with the Griffins

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Something you may not know about STUDIO3TWENTY is that we often help our clients with event planning. This is a part of my job that I thoroughly enjoy because it lets me exercise my left brain and my handy organizational skills.

When IT Resource wanted to celebrate their company's birthday, I worked with them to plan an event that would ensure a good time was had by all. We ultimately decided to host a night of hockey with the Grand Rapids Griffins. We reserved the swank Corner Office, which allowed guests to watch the game from the comfort of a recliner. Equipped with end tables to house your food and beverage, this is definitely the place to be for any event at the Van Andel Arena.

As a part of our event planning duties, we serve as the main point of contact for the facility, we coordinate the food and beverage, design the invitations to be sent to customers, and handle all loose ends that may pop up the day/night of the event.

Andrea Receives One of Grand Rapids' Top Honors!

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Excitement came recently in the form of an email notifying me that I had been selected as one of the Grand Rapids Business Journal's 40 Under Forty. According to GRBJ, they are looking for those who lead the community in one way or another, provide business and community leadership, and make a difference. To be recognized among such an elite group of young professionals was truly an honor.

To start the process I had to get a professional head shot taken for the publication, which I found to be a pretty exciting ordeal, even though the whole photo process only took about 2.5 seconds. After directions to tilt this way, turn my chin that way, and smile, we ended up with what you see above. Thanks Johnny Quirin, for making me look nice:)

The 40 Under 40 recipients were honored at a reception held at the Goei Center. It was a beautiful facility and the reception was top-notch! The keynote speaker was Mike Jandernoa who spoke about the state of Michigan's economy, as well as how Grand Rapids has the opportunity to thrive. Very interesting stuff.

Each recipient received a framed piece with their article and photo.

It was not only a special night for STUDIO3TWENTY, but also for one of our clients, IT Resource, of Coopersville. Their sales manager, Carrie Borchers, was one of the 40 Under 40 recipients as well. Here we are, happy together:)

Being recognized as one of Grand Rapids Business Journal's 40 Under Forty was truly an honor. I thank those that thought I was worthy of the recognition, and I thank the other recipients for all they do for our community. Grand Rapids is a great place to encourage business to thrive!

See the Grand Rapids Business Journal 40 Under 40 publication in its entirety here. PS: Take a look at page 22:)

Using our skills to give back...and eat a lot

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Over the course of the last few years, we've seen a bevy of local restaurants go under. Just this week we saw the Adobe sign in Allendale get covered up, while the McDonald's right next store was swamped. We asked, what's wrong with people? Buying local keeps money local, which makes a community thrive. A year ago we found ourselves not helping the situation by dining at any one of the numerous chains in town. We asked ourselves, what can we do to make a difference, even if it was just a small one?

Welcome the arrival of Local GR Eats (or Local Greats, depending on how you write it.) Since the inception of our concept, we can honestly say we have not had dinner at a chain restaurant. We even gave up my fave, Fajita-Rita Monday at Chili's, which was a regular hot spot for us. In return we've been rewarded with great food, wonderful service, and the opportunity to genuinely support the local businesses that make West Michigan great.

The idea was to use social media and word of mouth to find great locally owned restaurants, visit them with a group of friends, then spread the word. We started a blog and began using Facebook and Twitter. We never imagined what would become of it. Within weeks we had hundreds of hits a day to our blog, and we had 200+ Facebook fans, 90% of which were people we didn't know. They just liked the idea and wanted to support it. If you "like" Local GR Eats on Facebook, you can see where we're going next, and you can check out our blog to see where we've been.

Each time we dine out we make an attempt to speak to the owner, who is almost always working, and what we find are hardworking people who are passionate about what they do. They truly appreciate the fact that we bring a group in to their restaurant, then tell everyone we can about them. We've had fantastic experiences, wonderful food, and great service at places we had never been to before. Authentic Mexican fare is right in our backyard at Maggie's Kitchen. Never been there...read the post, its phenomenal. Looking for quirky decor with an incredible menu? Kopper Top is the place. The cutest restaurant with the most adorable owners goes to none other than Marie Catrib's.

We felt great when people would send us messages saying they had never heard of Angel's Thai Cafe, but after reading our blog they had to try it and went there for lunch the next day. Are we changing the world? No, but we're happy if get just a few more people to think about supporting local business and trying some of the many fantastic places in their own backyards.

Eat up...and do it locally!

Got a great restaurant we should visit? Send us a message on our Facebook page.