Three New Sites

Posted on January 16, 2013 by
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Here we go! Three new site designs to ooh and ahh over!

This is one of PlainTalk’s sites that we designed using Word Press sites.

We were asked us to create a site that the client could manage themselves for The St. Charles County Coalition of Service Providers a network of agencies that serve people with disabilities. Besides the self maintainable features we added a calendar, a payment gateway and a email distribution system.

 

PlainTalk created a robust site using Word Press for a non-profit that supports Historic Sites and their site support groups across the United States. An in depth historic period resource dateline plus a “today in American History” quote are some of this sites features.

 

In partnership with PlainTalk’s owners, ProAct Marketing Group, this robust shopping site was developed for Navistar’s used truck division – International Trucks. The site allows potential buyers to search for the right used truck using multiple search criteria. The site is available in 3 languages.

 

If you’re looking for something new and exciting for your home on the web, or just looking to spruce up your presence via SEO, Social Media, or more features to make you pop and shine, we can help! Give Phil Neal a call at 816-206-7336 and find out what PlainTalk can do for you!

Categories: General Web Topics

Two New Site Launches!

Posted on March 12, 2012 by
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Hold on to your hats! PlainTalk has launched two new designs for local businesses!

 

First, PlainTalk gave a fresh new look to the popular Kansas City restaurant, Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant. Drawing on the fun family atmosphere PlainTalk designed a new site to showcase Fritz’s environment and tasty menu. In addition we added a shopping cart and a kids corner. Sign up for discounts and coupon offers on the site!

 

Next up, PlainTalk took Mallen and Friends design for Sabates Eye Centers and created a complete content management system and SEO friendly site. We incorporated a j-query gallery on the home page that enhances the overall professional feel of this site.

 

If you’re looking for something new and exciting for your home on the web, or just looking to spruce up your presence via SEO, Social Media, or more features to make you pop and shine, we can help! Give Phil Neal a call at 816-206-7336 and find out what PlainTalk can do for you!

Categories: General Web Topics

New Year’s Resolution: The Web Presence Makeover

Posted on January 10, 2012 by
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2012.  If the Mayans were correct, we’re in the final stretch.  We here at PlainTalk don’t think so, but you never know.  And if this is the end, don’t you think you deserve to go out with a bang?  It’s the perfect opportunity to brush off the dust and give your Web presence the tender loving care it deserves.

 So, why not add a few things to your list of online resolutions.

  •  Get a new look.  Know how you feel after getting a great new haircut?  Imagine how good getting a new look online will feel!  Change can also spark a more active interest from regular site visitors, as well as catching the attention of new ones.
  •  Keep content simple and straight forward.  How many times have you found yourself bouncing off of a wall of text? People tend to skim the web.  Keep the information on your site simple, informative, and easily located so potential visitors will get more out of it. 
  •  Start a blog.  Have a lot to say, and really need a place to say it?  Blogs are a great place to share your knowledge, and people who visit blogs expect to be doing a lot of reading.  They can also be used to direct traffic to your main website, and establish connections with other like-minded people on the web.
  •  Encourage visitor interaction.  Find a way to get your target audience to talk back.  Blogs are an example of how this can work, by encouraging readers to comment and give their opinions on the subjects you’re covering.  You can also implement guest books and shout boards.
  •  Don’t be afraid of social media.  Sites like Facebook and Twitter allow you to quickly and easily let people know what you’re up to.  It’s also another fantastic way to spark conversations and find out what people have to say about your site.
  •  Hit the forums.  There are thousands of forums out there, on just about any topic you can imagine.  Consider joining a few that are in your area of expertise.  You can create a link to your site in your signature, and it’s another fantastic way to interact with other people.
  •  Create an e-newsletter.  If you have email addresses, keeping your customers up-to-date on what you’re doing, or new products you’re offering is a great idea.  Just be careful about how many times you send it out.  Monthly is a good pace, as it gives you time to create a newsletter with quality content, and you aren’t as likely to wind up in someone’s spam folder.

Sounds like quite a resolution list, doesn’t it?  That’s why we’re here…to give you plain, straightforward answers and solutions to make your Web presence work for you.  Call today and talk to Phil about how PlainTalk Media can help you make 2012 the year you want it to be.  816-206-7336.

Categories: General Web Topics, Social Media | Tags: , , , , ,

Nica’s Cafe – Site is Launched

Posted on October 21, 2011 by
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We have recently launched the website for Nica’s Cafe, a fusion restaurant located in the Crossroads area, immediately south of Downtown Kansas City.

Nica’s offers a thorough dining experience, with dishes ranging from Cajun to Caribbean to Asian.  Check out their “Red Room”, located in the back.  Nica’s has been featured in The Kansas City Star, the Food Network, KCTV 5, and The Pitch.

The Nica’s website features information about catering and special events and, of course, full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, as well as their wine list…among much more.

If you would like to read about our other completed work, you may view our portfolio.  Our expertise ranges from restaurants to retail to not-for-profits to Fortune 500 companies.  If you have any additional questions or would like to gather more information about how we can help your business, contact Jack at (816) 729-0150.

http://www.nicas320.com/

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Gate’s BBQ Mobile Web Site

Posted on September 2, 2011 by
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PlainTalk is excited to launch a mobile version of Gates BBQ website.

We believe this retooling of web sites from their traditional format into mobile versions

is going to be a major portion of PlainTalk’s business model.

Categories: General Web Topics | Tags: ,

You wanna get what…social?

Posted on August 22, 2011 by
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If you’re not familiar with social media, you should be. Because, somewhere out there in never, never e-land, someone may be posting remarks about you or your company or your products. Could be good, could be bad.

The most notables of social media—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+—and other SM media have proven themselves to be forces in public opinion and can provide lovers and detractors alike an instant way to praise or belittle you. They can also provide you with a powerful platform to spread your word.

The takeaway?…be opportunistic, make social media a tool, not a threat.

Now, don’t take the “Chicken Little” approach based on what I’ve said here. The sky is not falling. But, a proactive approach to social media can help you maintain a positive, credible relationship with online followers and help enhance your Web presence.

By integrating your social media efforts with your website and other online marketing, you can hit your online audiences with a cohesive message and multiply your customer contact points for more frequent communications and selling opportunities.

Like most online marketing elements, content is key with social media and “brevity” is the word of the day. You need to choose your social media opportunities wisely, coordinate content and cross-links, and make a commitment to continually read, post and facilitate social media communication.

That’s where it’s handy to have seasoned professionals to help. Someone who can help you identify the opportunities, educate you in the wiley ways of the Web, and give you the arms and legs you need to take advantage of the social media world without a lot of baloney or stress.

We’re here with plain talk, technical know-how and creative approaches to help social media work for you, not against you.

PlainTalk Media…call 816.472.0693 and ask for Phil or Jack. We’d love to be your social media gurus.

Categories: Social Media | Tags: , , , ,

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) & Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Posted on August 16, 2011 by
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With all the hype about SEM and SEO, it’s easy to get confused about what these terms mean and what benefit or issues they can cause with your Web presence. But, fear not, Internet Warriors! The PlainTalk crew is here to make sense of it all for you.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is an umbrella approach to marketing yourself in e-land. Typically, it integrates paid placement of links and information about your organization, products and/or services along with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques to increase your Web visibility—kinda like advertising and P.R. in the conventional world.

Sounds simple enough, right? Well, yeah, but there is some mad science to it all. The basic keys to good SEM and SEO are 1) good website content (creative & fulfilling for search engines and visitors, alike); 2) in-depth knowledge of search engine processes and tactics; 3) appropriate and judicious spending for any paid elements that may be used; 4) tracking and analyzing results; and 5) an understanding and commitment to SEM/SEO…in their most beneficial form, they are ongoing efforts.

On the flip side, badly conceived or improper SEM or SEO techniques can cause as much damage to your Web presence as good efforts can create benefits. In many cases, well-intended changes in content or improperly managed search engine submission attempts may actually cause your rankings and visibility to drop dramatically.

So, let’s recap…

  • SEM and SEO can be very beneficial to the success of your Web marketing efforts by increasing your visibility to Internet audiences and providing easier ways for customers to find you
  • They are not “overnight” accomplishments (anyone who tells you different, doesn’t understand them or is interested in you for something else)
  • Anybody can do the basics, but the real benefits and interpretation of SEM and SEO initiatives take expert assistance

That’s the PlainTalk about SEM and SEO…at least, for now. If you want to read or hear more, visit www.plaintalkmedia.com or call 816.472.0693 and ask for the Chief Web Ranger. Peace, out.

Categories: SEM / SEO | Tags: , , , ,

To blog or not to blog…

Posted on August 11, 2011 by
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To blog or not to blog, that is the question.

Whether it is more noble to rant about those around you or the benefits of expounding on clever topics in the blogosphere can lead to a never-ending stream of opinion. However, in the stream of consciousness (or unconsciousness) purveyed by the team at PlainTalk Media, blogging is, in our opinion, a hot topic.

“Presence” on the Web is much more than a website or banner ads or a social media contribution. Actually, in its most productive form, “Web presence” is a combination of these and more. To put it in PLAIN TALK, an integrated effort through an appropriate mixture of mediums on the Internet can bring your message, your persona, your company’s persona as an effective tool for opinion, public relations, sales and marketing. The right package of electronic communications can add arms and legs to your conventional marketing efforts at reasonable cost, if you’re up to the task.

You don’t have to be a “geek” to make it work. You do need someone who is knowledgeable at identifying and integrating the best technologies and mediums for your benefit. Someone who can lead you in the right direction and tell you how to do it with a straightforward approach, technical know-how and lots of simple, plain talk. Geeee, guess how we came up with our name?!

It’s easy to fall under the spell of dynamic websites, flash animation, SEO, data capture, mass e-mail campaigns, javascript, cookies, user sessions, e-commerce…Holy DOT.NET, Batman! It’s not very much harder to find somebody you can trust to help you find your way through “geekdom” and arrive at a solution that will provide you and your company with a credible presence, value to your business, peace-of-mind and confidence that you can adapt to anything the future brings. Don’t get us wrong—we’re not the perfect fit for everybody, but until you give us a chance to talk to you and help you look at the opportunities, you’ll never know if we’ll hit it off.

Hope you’ll return to our blog often…we plan on addressing subjects that will range the gamut from comedic to downright sensible. And, we’ll do it all to benefit you…our current PlainTalk customers and those of you who want to be PlainTalk customers and just don’t know it yet.

Until next time, Bon Web Voyage!

Categories: General Web Topics | Tags: , ,

New Site Ready – But who will blog?

Posted on August 4, 2011 by
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The New PlainTalk Media website has been completed, with the newest social media elements in place and ready to deploy, but still we are nagged by the same persistent question; Who will blog? Will it be the seasoned veteran rock and roll sales-guru Phil Neal? Or the young and impetuous “Saucy” Jack  Dempsy? Who, both being in the public eye and making personal contacts, might be best suited for this type of public discourse? Or will it be Rudy Valenzuela, our much beloved and beleaguered designing/network administrating/photographing/copywriting/co-leader?

Or could it be someone else? But if so, who? who has the time? who has the grammar skills? who has something interesting enough to say that folks will actually want to read it? Stay tuned for the answer to these and more pressing questions here, at the PlainTalk Media Blog.

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