http://www.parscale.com/blog en Katie@Parscale.com Copyright 2010 2010-06-01T19:19:23+00:00 http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_goes_gourmet/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_goes_gourmet/#When:19:19:23Z Gourmet Body Treats is a local family-owned business in San Antonio dedicated to creating green beauty and skin care products. Waleska, the creator of Gourmet Body Treats, was having a hard time finding products for her own skin issues, and when nothing else worked she decided to create her own! All of the products are handmade, 100% natural and 100% vegan. We collaborated with Gourmet Body Treats to create a marketing driven plan to showcase their natural products. The end result is a custom ecommerce website with a clean and inviting design, clear marketing messages, fluid navigation, and search engine optimized content. Dynamic titles, descriptions and keywords to the website help Gourmet Body Treats gain additional exposure. To support their growing online client base, Parscale implemented a Foxycart ecommerce solution for a smoother checkout experience for both the customer and the client. Other special custom features include hand-drawn navigational and product icons, illustrated by our own Michelle Sanchez. The goal was to create a website that would boast the beautiful organic products that Gourmet Body Treats is known for. To begin an all-natural regimen of your own, check out Gourmet Body Treatʼs website at www.gourmetbodytreats.com. To view more of Parscale Media’s work, including other ecommerce websites, go to www.parscale.com. General 2010-06-01T19:19:23+00:00 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:19:23 GMT http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_is_hiring/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_is_hiring/#When:20:49:19Z Parscale Media is hiring a Production Artist. Here are the attributes we are looking for: Must be highly organized, detail oriented and able to work efficiently on multiple projects to meet tight deadlines Able to implement quick revisions to meet Client's, Art Director's or Senior Designer's requests Must have advanced knowledge of Photoshop.  Knowledge of Illustrator and InDesign a bonus Should be familiar with image compression, file correction and optimization techniques Knowledge in  XHTML and CSS is a plus Must be experienced with Mac & PC Must be able to type properly and at least 40+ WPM Graphic design skills are a plus Will consider full or part-time Compensation based on experience If your qualifications meet these requirements, please submit a cover letter, resume and portfolio to Jobs@Parscale.com. Parscale Media is committed to providing outstanding web design and web marketing strategies by establishing lasting client relationships through communication, creativity, knowledge and cutting edge technology.  General 2010-05-24T20:49:19+00:00 Mon, 24 May 2010 14:49:19 GMT http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/hits_is_the_name_and_numbers_are_the_game/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/hits_is_the_name_and_numbers_are_the_game/#When:15:28:17Z   Hits is the latest add-on from up and coming DevDemon. If detailed tracking is relevant to your website (and let’s face it, it better be) your life has just been simplified. It addresses the challenges of tracking within entries and the forums. On an individual product page, a graph shows unique visitors in real time.   Hits allows the flexibility of viewing the numbers from the control panel, and detail on the product page. It provides numbers for days, weeks, months, and year. And, for all you “Top 10” people out there, it can also be customized to show lists of counts. This is a must have. An add-on so wicked, I bet The Count himself would buy Hits. See for yourself at www.devdemon.com.   DevDemon is a San Antonio based subsidiary of Parscale Media www.parscale.com.   General 2010-03-08T15:28:17+00:00 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:28:17 GMT http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/wicked_smart_devdemon_makes_its_presence_known/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/wicked_smart_devdemon_makes_its_presence_known/#When:15:24:44Z   San Antonio based DevDemon, made its entry into the market of modules, plug-ins, and extensions for web development by launching 6 new products in February. All of the products are designed specifically to integrate with ExpressionEngine content management system.   Four of the current products are free to download: Tagger Lite, Pagenumber, EE Code Disabler, and Just Save. While the other two, Channel Images and Channel Files, are very affordably priced.   The products were created to enable developers to move through certain functions more quickly and in a more organized manner in ExpressionEngine. The release of several more products is planned within the next few months.   This subsidiary of Parscale Media (www.parscale.com) anticipates being highly competitive in this space, to ultimately assist developers in providing the best possible websites.     DevDemon products can be found at www.devdemon.com.  General 2010-03-02T15:24:44+00:00 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:24:44 GMT http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/in_the_spirit_of_olympia/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/in_the_spirit_of_olympia/#When:16:48:12Z I love the Olympics. Winter or Summer games, I am one of those people that watch the entire opening and closing ceremonies, and catch as many of the events as possible. It’s the event that highlights not only great athletes, but stories of heart, determination, and skill. Where the newcomers and the not so new are all on a level playing field. It’s a place where teammates are normally competitors or vice versa. It brings out a special competitive spirit no matter what. There is just something about sitting down and watching some random sport (not the “C” word) and seeing these people so completely focused on the task at hand. Inevitably there is someone that stands out to me and I’m an instant fan. So far it’s been a Japanese girl who gave up her citizenship to skate for Russia, and a Norwegian skier that came back in 18 months after snapping his neck in a crash to win Gold. What can I say, I’m a sucker for the underdog. As a growing competitor in the world of design, we decided to enter the ADDYs for the first time and thought we would get our feet wet with 3 entries. Although Parscale Media is primarily focused on web design, we excel in other “disciplines” including branding. I was very pleased to find out we were chosen as a winner in the logo division. Saturday night the 2010 San Antonio ADDY Awards event was held, so we decided to attend and find out what our rightful place on the podium would be. Our category was in the last group of awards presented. And then, out of nowhere, Parscale Media, delegation of 5, in a field of 53, took home the Gold. An Olympian: one who surpasses all others in scope and effect; majestic in manner, superior to mundane affairs. How about that. General 2010-02-22T16:48:12+00:00 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:48:12 GMT http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/pulling_out_the_big_guns/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/pulling_out_the_big_guns/#When:11:38:33Z An interview with Brad Parscale, owner of Parscale Media, and Michael Hahn, owner of HCC Development, is currently featured in the Showcase section of the ExpressionEngine website. EE is the CMS (content management system) of choice at Parscale Media, due to its scalability and flexibility in development and empowering clients to manage their own websites.  Leslie Camacho, the President of EllisLab, creators of EE, was gracious enough to grant me a mini interview on the expanse of their product and how they chose Parscale’s work.  To give you an idea of how big a deal this is, Leslie shared that there are over 110,000 registered members at ExpressionEngine. What does this mean? It means there’s a lot of freakin’ people developing websites using their product and Parscale Media is pret-ty darn good at it.  So how exactly did they choose a Parscale site to be showcased? According to Leslie, “We've wanted to showcase a well-done commerce focused site for a while. We had a lot of options to consider but when we saw the extent of Dury's Gun Shop we knew that was the one to go with. When you start thinking through the complexities of putting a Gun Shop online you begin to get an inkling of the task involved and its great seeing how EE was up to the challenge.”  This speaks to the capability of the product but as for its effectiveness he says, “I think that really shows through in what can be accomplished with EE in the hands of a pro and Dury's Gun Shop is an excellent example of that.”  For the third time in five months Parscale Media has been nationally recognized for various aspects of web development within the industry, twice for www.durysguns.com. The Dury’s website also won the first annual FoxEE “Best Site” competition, held by HCC Development in December.  Not too shabby for a very humbled web marketing firm from San Antonio. Please see more of our work and visit our friends at: www.parscale.com/portfolio www.expressionengine.com www.durysguns.com www.hccdevelopment.com General 2010-01-28T11:38:33+00:00 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:38:33 GMT http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/dominate_your_target_market_online/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/dominate_your_target_market_online/#When:12:24:12Z As people increasingly utilize Google to assist them in finding their next purchase, there is no better time than now to reach these individuals. This type of marketing was dubbed "Inbound Marketing", which means the consumer already knows what they need, and are in search of it specifically. The goal is to make sure you are in front of their eyes when they search for your product or service. A great example of this is our client Steak House Steak Knives. Parscale Media created a website for them that sells a niche product, engraved steak knives, which is a perfect gift. The owner and I came up with a game plan to attack SEO and SEM collectively. After both campaigns were completed, the outcome was extremely beneficial to say the least. Not only was the website in the #1 position but it was in the #1, #2 and #3. This allows Steak House Steak Knives to have the best chance of reaching the individuals searching for "engraved steak knives". This type of web marketing gives Steak House Steak Knives an extreme advantage over their competion and allows them to convert more online sales.   I have attached an image with the results below. If you too would like to "Dominate Your Market"  contact me to discuss a strategy that fits your needs.   • • • Lee McNiel is an online web marketing specialist and is a certified Google Adwords Professional. With several years of web marketing and development experience he is a regional leader in helping businesses grow on the Internet. With a degree in marketing and a complete understanding of Search Engine technology he is a vital resource for Parscale Media customers. Contact: Lee McNiel, Web Marketing Specialist Parscale Media Email Lee 210-348-9522 Web Marketing 2009-12-11T12:24:12+00:00 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:24:12 GMT http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_wins_national_website_development_award/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_wins_national_website_development_award/#When:14:02:57Z San Antonio-based Parscale Media won the first annual FoxEE “Best Site” contest, held by HCC Development in Chicago, IL. The winning website, www.durysguns.com, was selected by the HCC management team out of dozens of other entries. The website was chosen for its use of technology, user interface, ExpressionEngine integration, design, and ratings.   Parscale Media specializes in website development using ExpressionEngine, one of the most advanced and user friendly content management systems available. HCC Development are the creators of the most robust and popular ecommerce module for ExpressionEngine, FoxEE. Combining the capability and technologies of both, Parscale Media has produced some of the most successful shopping websites currently on the internet.   The winning website for San Antonio-based Dury’s Guns has experienced not only significant revenue increases, but is also consistently found in the number 1 spot, out of millions, on most gun related searches. This is due to optimized coding, providing constant relevant content, and overall functionality of the site.     Parscale Media is a San Antonio-based web marketing firm specializing in custom web design, web marketing, branding and printing. www.parscale.com   See more of Parscale's featured ecommerce sites at Foxycart http://www.foxycart.com/seo-ecommerce-inspiration.html#featured_191 and HCC Development  http://www.hccdevelopment.com/Web-Based-Software/Showcase/ General 2009-12-03T14:02:57+00:00 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:02:57 GMT http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/the_evidence_is_overwhelming_your_honor/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/the_evidence_is_overwhelming_your_honor/#When:09:48:30Z Judge Karen Crouch is seeking a 5th term as judge for Bexar County Court at Law # 8. She has set a precedent for what she does and wasn’t going to settle for just anyone to create her first website. Parscale Media was pleased to have been bestowed the opportunity. She seems to be on the forefront of most everything she does, and her campaigning efforts are no exception. She and campaign manager, husband Gerald Flores, have done an outstanding job in her previous races, but they decided to take this one to a different level, the online one. They told us they wanted something different, something to really grab people’s attention, something to motivate them to get involved. This was music to Parscale Media ears. There are three main components to the project: the website, social media marketing, and email marketing. The website is beautifully designed with very straightforward calls-to-action. The navigation leads the visitor directly to Get Acquainted, Get Informed, Get Involved. These messages are repeated throughout the site. There is an event gallery that displays photos of the many functions and events that surround Judge Crouch. There are options galore on the Get Involved page, which is presented in a one-of-a-kind AJAX form. You will also find multiple places to donate, and a place to sign up for all the latest updates.  Another aspect of this campaign is social media marketing. Parscale Media created and is managing accounts for the Crouch campaign on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Within one day of setting up the Facebook profile, over 300 people became friends. (Skeptics of social media please take note.) The last piece to complete the process was incorporating email marketing. The first email campaign was sent in conjunction to the launch of the website. The same design elements of the website were used to create a custom template for the email. It reiterated the messages found on the website as well as links to the social media outlets. The email was sent at 10 am and by 11am 200 people had opened it and clicked a link. (Who says email is done?) This is the epitome of a well thought out, well designed, and well executed web marketing project. Judge Crouch and her team knew they wanted something “different and kinda edgy”. Parscale Media was able to take their ideas, visualize them, and share the message with thousands of people within seconds. I rest my case. Parscale Media is a San Antonio-based web marketing firm specializing in custom website design, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and branding. Please visit the Judge Karen Crouch site at www.judgekarencrouch.com and Parscale Media at www.parscale.com . General 2009-11-18T09:48:30+00:00 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:48:30 GMT http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/tour_de_success_parscale_media_partners_with_tour_de_gruene/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/tour_de_success_parscale_media_partners_with_tour_de_gruene/#When:12:48:49Z Parscale Media is proud to launch a new website for Tour de Gruene, an annual cycling event in Gruene, TX, since 1984. Will Rotzler is the founder and director of the event, which surrounds Wurstfest, and consists of three events – recreational tours, single time trials, and two person time trials. Mission Pharmacal is a sponsor and integral part of this partnership. Rotzler commented, “Mission's research in web design has paid off with our event’s largest pre-registration to date. I believe this surge in growth is largely in part to the professional looking and functioning Tour de Gruene website created by Parscale Media.” The new site is a complete redesign. It is a fresh custom design that is functional and easily navigated.  The home page features a transitioning banner ad, displaying photos and information on each of the events. You will also find video clips, an expansive photo gallery, time trial results, and how to get involved. It is a privilege for Parscale Media to participate in a community event that supports organizations such as the New Braunfels Chapter of the American Red Cross and Sally Kingsbury Knock Out Sarcoma Research Foundation, this year’s beneficiaries of proceeds. Check out some of the very avid followers Tour de Gruene has gained in 25 years, including a certain guy who’s quite fond of the color yellow. www.tourdegruene.com . To see other examples of how Parscale Media has made a difference, visit our portfolio at www.parscale.com. General 2009-10-30T12:48:49+00:00 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:48:49 GMT