One thing that our world has lost is the art of negotiation. You hear about it all the time in “big business” when there is a deal on the table. Two groups will get together and haggle through the details. It may be for a service, product or player contract but there is a back and forth. Both parties know that they want to work with each other and want to strive to get the best deal for both parties. Enter fixed pricing. With the pop up of boxed stores and set pricing most of us are...

Remember the days of opening your search engine only to be faced with an ad popping up on your screen for something you have no interest in buying?  We call it “Interruptive Advertising” and it’s a marketing tactic that is slowly disappearing. Today’s marketing is all about personalization.  Consumers want brands to understand their specific needs.  They want personalization and the feeling that the business is talking directly to them.  And all of this can be accomplished with social media...

SEO and Google Ads…If the terms leave you dazed and confused, read on, as we try to solve the mystery of which one to use for your business.  Let’s start by defining the terms… A web-site is not very useful if your current, or potential customers cannot find it.  Enter SEO.  SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the process of ensuring your web-site ranks high in search results when users are searching for specific words.  Google Ads are paid advertisements that appear on...

What gets you up in the morning? What makes you excited? What project brings a smile across your face when you’re finished? What is the heartbeat that moves you forward? As a business owner it is so easy to get overly busy with business. There are so many things to do every day. Emails to answer, articles to read, invoices to send, clients to serve, meetings to plan and tons of other to-dos. How do you get inspired when there is just so much to do?

We thought this valentines day we would inspire you with some Instagram posts that we love and inspire us. We don't know most of these artists, but hopefully you can find a little inspiration for your next project.   These posts are in no particular order :)

“If you are failing to plan, then you are planning to fail.”  Benjamin Franklin As a business owner, you know the importance of having an overall business plan and a marketing plan.  But did you also know that you should have a social media plan?  If having engaging social media channels is part of your marketing mix, or if you are new to the social media game, below are tips and advice to help you get started and moving in the right direction.

We live in a world where it is very easy to snap a photo and yet it is very hard to take a useful photo. As designers we will often find ourselves working with a large assortment of both stock and client photos. These photos can be the most amazing perfect photo you have ever seen and still be unusable when it comes to design. If you want to improve your photos so they can be used by designers read on.  If you’re a professional photographer, please at least read the fifth problem. I can...

Social media can be a struggle.  It’s a marathon of engagement, insights and interactions, on top of juggling the day to day tasks of being a business owner.  Social media marketing can seem like a daunting task, but if done correctly, can reap benefits and rewards for your business.  It’s a proven and effective way to find new customers and connect with existing customers.  All you need is focus and strategy, mixed in with a little originality and creativity.  To help you get started, we’ve...

It was January 20th 2010 when we switched from our hobby business of rbdesignit to the real deal sole proprietor business of Richard Bankert Web Design.  When I (Richard) first began in web design we were working off dial up internet. Working on sites was slow, there was no call for video, animations or content management systems. Needless to say things were a little simpler then and expectations were simpler as well.  In other ways things were a lot more complicated as well. Now we can do...

With a new year approaching, it is essential for any business owner to start setting goals for marketing your business. Don’t know where to start? Here are some elements that should be included in your marketing plan: