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Online Marketing Works

To help our clients get the most out of their websites, Vermont Design Works has developed OnlineMarketingWorks, a full-service online marketing program that includes keyword analysis and placement, title tag and meta tag analysis, and submission to major search engines. Because each client’s needs are different, we have created several OnlineMarketingWorks packages, and we can customize these packages further with extra services such as targeted pay-per-click advertising and extra search engine submissions. No matter what the size of your website, or what your online marketing strategy is, we’ll be able to help you meet your website marketing goals.

All of our clients who have signed up for the OnlineMarketingWorks program have seen an increase in traffic to their site; for some, the increase has been 100% within 3 months.

"You have done a fantastic job in every respect while building my website. I am continually amazed at the speed with which you make changes, and the quality you infuse into every page. You have made my website a profit-maker after only three months. I expected it would take a full year before I started making money. Another most pleasant surprise. You have got to be the best website development company anywhere! Thanks for being there for me, and for the excellent work you do."

Dr. Terry F. Allen – TerrysTips.com

"I got my first response yesterday from my new site, a new wholesale account. That was fast!! Thanks again for the great job you all have done. I've really enjoyed working with and look forward to future things."

Jeanne Gallerani - WildWindFarm.net

For more information on our OnlineMarketingWorks™ program, please visit the OnlineMarketingWorks site at www.onlinemarketingworks.com.

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Hosting

Vermont Design Works is committed to performance and reliability for your web operations. We currently host over fifty client web sites on robust servers configured for maximum flexibility and stability. Your web site will easily be able to handle over 150,000 visitors per day, and there are no limits on bandwidth or FTP usage.

Each client’s web site is monitored twenty-four hours a day, and in the event of a problem, our technical team is paged immediately.

Technical Specifications

Each domain-based hosting account includes:

  • 100MB of server space
  • 10 POP email accounts and unlimited email aliases
  • SPAM control software
  • Server support for XSSI, CGI, Perl5, PHP, Flash, etc.
  • Web-based online site statistics
  • Custom DNS configuration
  • 24/7/365 FTP access
  • 27/7/365 Site Monitoring

Our web servers are hosted in a tier-1 carrier-class data center facility with the following features:

  • Multiple redundant gigabit fiber optic links to Verio, Time Warner, Cogent, and other providers.
  • 24 hour security personnel
  • Liebert air conditioning units
  • Mitsubishi Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) units
  • Industrial-quality fire suppression systems
  • Backup diesel generators with automatic fail-over

Our servers are provided by brand name manufacturers such as Compaq, HP, and Dell. We use Unix-based operating systems in order to make the most efficient use of system resources and to ensure a secure environment for your web site.

We employ industry-standard tools to provide 24/7 monitoring of our servers, including web, email and database services. We have a state-of-the-art firewall on each server to guard against unauthorized use, viruses, and other intrusions.

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Content Management Solutions

ContentWorks™

ContentWorks™ is a database system that dynamically generates the content of a website based on input from a designated group of site administrators.

The beauty of database systems is that they allow a website to grow and expand almost infinitely without expensive redesign or re-programming, and they enable our clients to manage their own websites in-house – meaning that updates are inexpensive and instantaneous. Vermont Design Works believes that the simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility of database-driven websites make them the wave of the future in web design. Without a doubt, they are the best long-term web investment for organizations with complex, frequently-updated websites, or that need to use the web as part of an integrated marketing and outreach strategy.

After comparing several database-driven website systems, Vermont Design Works has found a powerful, versatile solution that allows us to offer our clients a custom-designed database-driven website at a cost far lower than our competitors’.

Our ContentWorks™ system can be configured in a variety of ways, depending on your needs and preferences. However, we would like to give you a basic idea of how the ContentWorks™ system works, and briefly explain some of its many capabilities.

Features and Advantages of the ContentWorks™ System

Quick and Easy Updates

Using a PC with basic browser and word-processing programs (Windows 98 and Internet Explorer 5.5. or higher) you will be able to update your website easily and cost-effectively, on demand – even daily or hourly. A ContentWorks™ site is administered by a group of registered users, each of whom is typically responsible for the particular part of the site that corresponds to their own area of expertise. In other words, updates do not have to be made by a central website administrator, which saves time, hassle, and money.

Using a PC with Windows software and an Internet connection, registered users can update the site at any time, from anywhere – office, home, or on the road – a feature that facilitates family-friendly work options such as telecommuting, flextime, or job sharing. Whether the update is simple or elaborate, you will find changes easy to make from the user-friendly editing interface (a sample interface is pictured below).

Sample Update Page

Content can be cut from Word, HTML, Dreamweaver, or Flash documents and pasted into the window of the editor. The beauty of this flexibility is that it allows each user to update the page at his or her level of computer expertise and using already-installed software – no additional training or software purchases needed.

Content Management Admin Screenshot

Private, Password-Only Pages

The ContentWorks™ system allows your website to have both public areas and private, password-only areas. This makes it possible for a ContentWorks™ website to function not only as a means of communicating with your customers, but also as a channel for internal communication as well (an Intranet). The ways in which this capability can be put to use are almost limitless. You could use one private area to post company policies, calendars, or newsletters, or to preview and approve pages that will soon be posted on your public site. Private pages can also be used to offer subsidiary businesses or organizations their own websites under your auspices (for example, a non-profit group that hosts a variety of clubs and discussion groups could offer each group its own private site for members to post upcoming events, links to other web resources, or a message board).

FAQ Section

Whenever you receive a general email inquiry via your website, the question and the reply can automatically be uploaded to the site’s "Frequently Asked Questions" section. (If desired, of course, the answer can be edited before it appears on the site, or it can be removed from the site altogether.) The FAQ feature will cut down on the number of repeat inquiries you receive and ensure that the content of the FAQ page truly responds to the needs of your customers.

Search Function

ContentWorks™ contains a built-in search function that will make it easy for site visitors to navigate directly to the specific information they want.

Rapid Rebranding

If at some time in the future you change the look of your logo or print collateral, the style sheet feature of the Content Works™ system will make it easy to update the look of the entire site in a few quick steps, significantly reducing reprogramming fees.

Other Updatability Options

If you only need to update one or two pages of your website on a regular basis, you probably don’t need the full ContentWorks™ system. Vermont Design Works has a number of options to help you keep your website fresh and up to date. Contact us today for a free consultation to find out what updatability options might be right for you!

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Email Campaign Design and Management

Because staying in contact with your clients is crucial, Vermont Design Works has partnered with Constant Contact to provide an email advertising solution that makes staying connected easy, effective, and inexpensive.

Constant Contact is an email list management system that offers many attractive features at a very reasonable price:

  • Choice of format. Emails can be sent in both HTML and text format, giving your message a greater impact and allowing you to brand your emails with your own logo.
  • Subscriber categories. Constant Contact allows you to break down your mailing list into subscriber categories, so that you can create targeted emails aimed at particular constituencies.
  • Tracking and reporting capabilities. Constant Contact has extensive tracking features that enable you to judge the effectiveness of your advertising campaign by reporting to you the number of opened messages, the number of click-throughs, and so on. By paying attention to these statistics, you will be able to make each email campaign more effective than the one before.

Constant Contact makes it easy to manage extensive mailing lists online, but Vermont Design Works can also manage your email database and to coordinate your email campaigns.

Constant Contact comes with more than 150 pre-designed graphic templates to which your company logo can be added. However, Vermont Design Works also creates special customized templates for you to use in your email campaigns.

Constant Contact charges a low flat monthly rate, depending on the number of email addresses that are on your list. You can send as many different messages as you like each month – which means that your ability to keep in touch with your customers is limited only by your marketing department’s imagination.

"Thank you very much for meeting with us yesterday. Your presentation was extremely well organized and made a terrific impression on us. We are very confident that our decision to go with the Constant Contact software, as well as our relationship with Vermont Design Works, will help us achieve our goal of maintaining the best possible electronic communications with our membership."

John B. Dufault, CEC
General Manager
Vermont National Country Club

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Writing and Copy Editing

A beautiful website will get your customers’ attention – but it’s your message that will sell your product. Because good content is crucial to the success of your website, Vermont Design Works offers a complete range of professional writing and editing services. We can help you at any stage of the writing process – whether you’re trying to figure out what you want to say or would simply like help with final proofreading.

In addition to working with you on your website, Vermont Design Works can also help you write and edit content for other media as well, including PowerPoint presentations, email campaigns, press releases, and annual reports.

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German-English Translation

Before coming to Vermont Design Works, our Content Director worked as a German translator, and her translation services are also available to Vermont Design Works clients at a reasonable rate.

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Power Point Presentations

The effectiveness of your PowerPoint presentation can make or break a deal. At Vermont Design Works, we offer a full range of presentation development services, including design, content writing, and Flash animation. Whether you need to create a complete presentation from scratch or just add some interest to an existing presentation, we can help you make your presentation the highlight of the meeting.

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Marketing and Start-Up Business Consulting

The owner and CEO of Vermont Design Works, Andrew Allen, has managed several successful start-up businesses and coached several dozen more. His experience and expertise can help you avoid common pitfalls and guide you through the process of transforming a good idea into a thriving enterprise.

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