Visit the site online, and let me know what you think. www.hgtv.ca/holidays

As the wards ceremony for the the Vanguards of Culinary Fusion and Wine Pairing contest, we were on hand to sample dishes from the two winning chefs, Shane Straiko from Pantages Hotel and Misha Nesterenko from Marben. Cannot believe I ate head cheese! I thought I had left  that back in childhood.

Read the post here.

Show Synopsis: “Sarah Richardson and Tommy Smythe are back! Sarah buys a home from plans in a new subdivision, and shows you how to transform a builder’s beige box into the home of your dreams. Sarah’s Housedemystifies the entire process of dealing with your builder, balancing wants and needs, headaches and sweat equity to create the home you really want!”

Visit the site online, and let me know what you think. www.hgtv.ca/sarahshouse

The web has changed considerably in the last couple of years. Five years ago businesses tried their best to pepper their content with business speak and buzzy keywords. Sites had basic information, maybe flashy graphics, and little to no real depth. Now, design and content has integrated, and more streamlined overall experiences are key. Visitors are expecting to get the knowledge that they are looking for about your company within the first 2 to 3 seconds they are there. It has to be clear. After clarity you want attractiveness, or “stickiness”  - once you give them the info they came for, they may choose to stick around and browse your site in order to form a more well rounded opinion about your brand. This is where meaningful content becomes key.

Think of Content in two ways. The first goal is to provide the key snippets of information your visitor is looking to gather (Contact information, store hours, location). The second is to provide an overview of your business and add some personality to your brand. This does not at all mean that you have to lose formality within the context of the words you choose it just means that the overall experience needs some individuality, some uniqueness.  Try to evaluate who would be visiting your site and for what purpose. Try to provide content that is both exclusive and relevant. Do your best to provide Value.

The best place to input some personality is in the “About Us” or “Company Profile” section.

• Is there a unique story behind your business? How did it get started?
• Who runs the day to day? What do you wear to work?
• Who makes up the team? Who are the people behind the scenes?

Think about the nature of your business as a way to develop content.

• If you sell certain product lines, provide links to the manufacturers websites, press releases on the newest products, relevant articles from around the web in a blog format.
• If you are a lawyer, try to connect with your potential or existing clients by explaining the story of why you chose law as a career.
• If you own a food service business, link to the farmer’s who you purchase from. Show photos of your immaculately clean kitchen. Post a recipe, or some articles about the food industry in your area.

Look for outside sources.

• Repurpose what you already Have. Publications, articles, menus, even bits taken from your business plan. These are all great places to start.
• Search online for articles and press releases.
• Magazines, Newspapers
• Interview members of your staff, current and past clients, business associates.

Once you have all of this information gathered, then you can contact a copywriter to sort through and edit it for you. Content is key, make sure it is specific and memorable.