Are you ready to welcome the most wonderful time of the year?

 

Autodesk Inventor LT 2016 - https://abcoemstore.com/product/autodesk-inventor-lt-2016/ is a complete real-world reference and tutorial for those learning this mechanical design.

 

Christmas is one of the most loved holidays around the world. Carols, Cakes, Gifts, Decorations it's the day of pure joy and happiness. When houses and streets renovate decorations to welcome this special day of the year, why not your Digital Marketing? Yes, you heard that right! It's time to redecorate your Digital Marketing business for Christmas. 

Christmas brings a lot to the marketing world: gift cards, discounts, campaigns, special packages, and many more. It doesn't matter if you are running a tech company or a bake shop, the impact of this Holiday does reflect on your business. Let's dive into some interesting facts to help your business prepare for this jolly good season!

Christmas Themed Website

A website is more like the soul of a company, all information including a company's brand story, services, portfolios, and contact information are explained on the website. It is the first and foremost source of information that customers reach out to know more about the company. This indicates the importance of a professional and creative website's importance in marketing. So what can you do to make your website more merrier? 

Make design Adjustments

Customers when looking online for great deals and ideas don't want to see a home page that is regular and boring. If you want to bring some holiday spirit to the table, make sure you show some!

Graphics and Animation effects

From subtle motion graphics to eye-catching visual effects, animations have become a powerful tool for engaging users and presenting information more fascinatingly. 

 

Fonts and Colour

For many years red and green have been the traditional colours of Christmas, and colors play a significant role in setting the mood. Likewise, fonts also stand out, using the wrong font styles can completely derail the message a brand is trying to send, so make sure you use the best fonts that give out the holiday vibes. 

 

Create Holiday- Related Contents

Holiday-themed content is a great way for businesses to connect with their target audience and boost sales. Crafting content that brings in the Holiday spirit helps you to build an emotional connection with your audience. Being relatable and creative is something that people always look up to. 

 

 

Social media marketing

During the holiday season, social media marketing becomes a critical conduit for businesses to engage with consumers amid the festive fervor. With an increase in online activity and a desire to find the ideal gift, social media platforms have transformed into buzzing hotspots for users looking for inspiration, offers, and suggestions. Through interactive and visually engaging content, digital marketing agencies can drive more traffic through web marketing. The capacity to engage directly with the audience, answer questions, and provide fast customer service improves the overall buying experience. Furthermore, the holiday season sees an increase in online purchasing habits, and social networking networks with shopping capabilities promote smooth transactions. 

Christmas Themed Contest

 

Creating contests, games, and gift cards with a Christmas theme is one of the most popular ways to drive traffic. These contests and games can be about anything, such as delivering free digital marketing services or offering discounts. People adore freebies and perks, especially during the holiday season. Audiences are always open to reliable purchases that are dependable, so holding onto such contests and marketing them on social media can boost your business to the next level. 

 

Christmas is a wonderful time for both customers and businesses, people want to spend more quality time with their friends and family by exchanging gifts and spreading love. This is the best time to increase profit sales by giving what your audience wants. So let's not waste any more time, let's get ready for the best holiday of the year!

 

10 Signs Your Business Needs a Custom Programming Solution

Your business should be unlike any other.

Services and products might be similar. But the core vision, processes and operations can be entirely unique.

This is what differentiates your business and gives you that competitive advantage.

We have an incredible team of web designers, developers and programmers at OSM. Together, they bring about solutions that simplify, enhance and boost your business!

We do it all! From productivity-increasing upgrades to custom-built customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

Our programmers don’t believe in cookie-cutter fixes. They commit themselves to creating a solution that works best for you - from scratch!

When you can’t find the fix you need off the shelf, our team gets busy customizing one. We create a seamless solution that’s reliable, secure and designed to fill your unique needs.

Not sure if a custom solution is the right investment for your right now? Keep reading!

Below are 10 signs that your business needs a custom programming solution:

1. Your company relies solely on manual processes.

Most businesses rely heavily on manual processes - and for a good reason! This personal touch of creativity and professionalism makes a huge difference.

But, as you know, to err is human.

It’s normal to make mistakes, run out of time or burn out.

This is when manual processes become an issue.

When your team spends too much time, energy and effort doing things by hand, it’s time to upgrade.

In most cases, this indicates over-dependency on manual processes. 

Something’s gotta give!

Investing in a custom programming solution means automating these time-consuming tasks. And with automated operations, your team’s efficiency and productivity both benefit!

2. You’re experiencing chronic process disorganization.

Process disorganization in small businesses is not uncommon. 

With a small team and a large clientele, it’s no wonder things are getting lost in the mix. These small teams manage everything - from clients and projects to inventory and payments!

With a custom automation solution, you can automate these repetitive tasks. This frees up your time and ensures professional organization 24/7!

3. You’re experiencing too many recurring issues.

We’ve all experienced tech issues. But once they start repeating themselves, you know there’s a bigger problem.

Recurring issues that cause program failures or bad user experiences can deeply hurt your business.

Your ROI could drop. Your customer retention could plummet. And your once thriving CRM could cause your entire workflow to crash and burn!

In these cases, a one-size-fits-all solution won't always work.

You need a system that’s designed solely for you - your team, your workflow and your business objectives. And with our programmers, you can get exactly that!

4. You cannot upscale your business.

Whether you’re a large or small business, growth is always a good thing!

That is…unless your business can’t handle the growth.

Upscaling your business without upgrading your processes is a recipe for disaster.

You’ll quickly run out of manpower, resources and space - resulting in company-wide burnout!

Designing a custom solution as the foundation for your expansion is critical.

5. Your customer satisfaction is declining.

Does your business rely heavily on your website? E-commerce, travel agencies and the health industry are a few that typically do.

In these cases, your clients use your site daily.

So, what happens if the current systems you have in place aren’t living up to your client's standards?

If customer satisfaction declines, it's a clear sign your website must improve.

After all, these systems are primarily for the benefit of your clients. If they fail, your clients will leave and your business will suffer.

It’s up to you to ensure it's doing its job - enabling you to build a successful relationship with your clientele.

If it fails to uphold customer satisfaction, an upgrade is not only recommended, it’s critical.

6. Your business is inefficient and stagnant.

Efficiency is key for steady revenue and growth.

If you’re noticing a decline in your team’s productivity, you must get to the bottom of the issue immediately!

We mentioned above how disorganization and manual processes can slow your business down.

But many other factors also contribute to this inefficiency.

One of these factors is stagnancy. This is a business's refusal or inability to move forward with changing technologies.

Think for a moment about old-fashioned methods of payment - i.e. relying solely on cash and a cashier to make a payment.

While this worked at the time, it eventually became less efficient. New, more practical payment methods quickly arose.

Today, retailers use a variety of payment methods - from automated self-checkouts to PayPal integrations!

These systems save time, money and effort.

Is your business feeling stagnant lately? Are you ready to take the next step forward?

If so, now is the time to invest in a custom programming solution!

7. You track and analyze everything by hand.

Another old-fashioned way of business is manual tracking and analysis.

Manual data entry and spreadsheets were once a necessity. They were the only real way to track success and plan for the future.

Today, we have a better solution.

Our programmers can create a custom system built uniquely to your tracking needs. We can program your system to do almost anything - from reporting to prediction analysis!

8. You’re having difficulty reaching and managing your customers.

Is your CRM (customer relationship management) system helping or hurting your business?

One of the biggest challenges businesses face is the use of a CRM that does not meet their tailored needs.

Because every business is unique, each requires its own custom solution. This is especially the case when working with a company’s customer relationships.

These relationships are the backbone of your business. And, as we’ve stated before, it would not survive without them.

The solution?

Custom CRM solutions.

These unique solutions have your unique clientele in mind.

We recommend custom CRM if you need a web-based platform to meet clients' relational needs.

9. There is no communication happening between teams.

In the wise words of George Bernard Shaw:

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

Poor team communication is typically easy to spot.

You may see it in delayed communication from leadership roles. Or you may experience it in a hybrid/remote work environment.

Your business suffers when team members and leaders fail to communicate information effectively.

Some of the effects of poor workplace communication include:

• Employee mistrust, absenteeism and low morale
• Low productivity due to lack of information
• Loss of sales
• Ineffective collaboration
• Workplace conflict

How can custom programming help?

Our programmers can help create effective communication pathways for all your business connections. This includes yourself, your team, clients, partners, etc.!

10. The solution you’re looking for does not exist.

Are you struggling to find a solution that fits your specific business needs? Or trying to use a program for a purpose it’s not intended for?

News flash: There is more to discover and create in this world!

What a relief!

You may not be able to find something off-the-shelf, but the solution does exist.

It just hasn’t been created yet!

That’s where our team of programmers come in.

When your needs don’t mesh with standardized solutions, our team get down to business!

 

Why Invest in Custom Development?

You cannot rely solely on standardized solutions to reach your business goals effectively.

Sharpen your competitive edge with a custom solution designed to fit your business. The right upgrade can drastically improve your workflow, efficiency and more!

This gives you the momentum you need to launch into the next phase!

Benefits of Custom Development:

• Automated workflow
• Increased ROI
• Improved data security
• Increased sales
• Enhanced brand loyalty
• Improved site performance
• Reduced manual labour
• Optimized operating cost

PLUS! When you work with our OSM, you can be 100% sure that your upgrades are affordable, reliable and secure.

That’s our job! And we do it well.

 

Check out some of our recent work!

Alarm Systems

Our programmers built custom customer and staff portals that

a) Allow staff to manage complex projects from start to finish, and

b) Allow customers to track that progress.

Customer Tracker

Staff Dashboard

Quinte Health

Our programmers built a nine-page sub-site that can:

• Manage thousands of files,
• Manage tens of thousands of database records,
• Manage calendar events,
• Track inventory, and
• Provide support via a ticket system and knowledge base.

Reagents Inventory

Home Depot Canada

Our programmers built an EDI-based logistics system. This system issued daily requests to carriers for several hundred orders between Canada and the U.S.

Carrier Select

Planner With Map

Cambridge Memorial Hospital

Our programmers implemented a system to automate administrative tasks, including:

• Credentialing,
• Staff payments, and
• Professional development.

Staff Dashboard

 

 

 

 

E-Lease

Our programmers designed a custom CRM with a financial lease/loan broker focus.

The main features revolve around,

a) Managing financial transactions and

b) Managing the clients/customers assigned to those transactions.

These critical features are intuitive, quick, mobile responsive and easy to access!

 

Start Your Project With OSM

Don’t settle for cookie-cutter fixes. Invest in the custom solution that works perfectly for you, your team and your customers!

Ready to start your project?

Contact us online or give us a call at 613-969-0626!

Why Invest In a Custom Website Design Company?

Investing in a website for your business is a must in 2023. But investing in a CUSTOM website design company? That value is unmatched!

Picture your physical office location:

How much effort do you put into designing your office, entrance, landscaping, lobby, etc.?

If you’re like most business owners, you’ve invested a good chunk of the budget in your office design.

And you weren’t wrong to do so!

After all, your office location is many things:

1. It’s the first impression of your business to visitors.
2. It’s an advertisement for your company for passersby.
3. It’s where you conduct the majority of your business.

Unsurprisingly, investing in the design of your company’s central location has a high ROI (return on investment) potential.

And, you guessed it, the same goes for your website!

That’s why business owners invest in their office design - to ensure their central business location is professional, comfortable and approachable.

Keep reading to discover how valuable a custom website design is for your business.

 

Strong First Impression

Visitors form a first impression of your website design in 50 milliseconds.

That’s just 0.05 seconds!

This means in under 1 second, your website visitor has already created a mental image of your brand. 

Whether that’s a good image or bad, it’s there to stay!

That’s how powerful a first impression is. It can cause visitors to stay on your page or leave it for a competitor’s site.

Good web design is crucial in catching visitors’ attention and keeping it.

That’s why a custom website design company skillfully implements: 

• Quick page loads,
• Stunning visual design,
• Easy navigation and accessibility,
• Intuitive layout, etc.

 

Brand Consistency

Consistent branding can increase your revenue by up to 23%!

Consistency is the key to making your brand both professional and recognizable.

Think of a well-known, easily-recognizable brand like No Frills.

You can spot a No Frills from miles away by just a few key factors:

• Font
• Brand Colouring
• Imagery

You expect to see large block font, a bright yellow building, and a bunch of bananas!

These brand elements are what makes No Frills so familiar to us. They make it easy to find and recognize. 

But more than that, these elements help nurture customer trust and loyalty.

Customers know what to expect when they walk into a No Frills. They’ve come to depend on the familiarity of the environment.

Creating a consistent and easily recognizable brand is crucial in establishing trust.

That’s where a custom website design company comes in!

A professional web designer creates a consistent design throughout your entire website. This ensures a cohesive experience for your visitors - no matter what page they’re on!

 

Increased Credibility

75% Of users judge a company’s credibility based solely on its visual design.

Good visual design helps increase brand credibility.

For example, imagine if a website had a poor design, difficult navigation and unreadable fonts. You would, most likely, deem that site unprofessional. It may even bring you to question its legitimacy.

A good website design company knows how vital credibility is to your brand. They work to create a platform that not only reflects your brand well but encourages its viewers to trust it.

 

Improved Searchability and Ranking

Before purchasing, 70-80% of consumers research a company online.

It goes without saying that your website should be optimized for web searching. How else are people going to land on your page?

A searchable site needs to meet specific SEO (search engine optimization) standards.

For example, code, content and design all affect the searchability and ranking of your site. Ensuring these elements meet the necessary standards helps search engines crawl and index your pages.

This means that when looking for a good custom website design company, you need to ensure that it

1. Follows current SEO guidelines, and
2. Includes an SEO intro package.

 

Reduced Bounce Rate

If your website content and layout are unattractive, about 38% of people stop engaging.

High web traffic is a great start. But traffic that converts is even better!

To bring people to your website and keep them there, you’ll need to invest in some bounce-rate-reducing factors:

• Reduced page load time.
• Increased accessibility and legibility.
• Responsiveness.
• Attractive colours and headings.
• Improved content readability and format.
• Simplified site navigation.

Your custom website design company checks off each of these criteria!

 

Increased Potential For Traffic, Leads and Conversions

All the above elements combined create a quality website with a high potential to

1. Attract traffic,
2. Hold attention,
3. Encourage engagement, and
4. Convert leads!

 

Your Local Custom Website Design Company in Belleville, Ontario

Website Design Packages

At OSM, we’re pleased to offer a full suite of web design services! We offer everything you need to ensure your site is search-engine friendly and built for high conversion rates.

Our web designers have ample experience working with a variety of industries. We’ve worked with landscapers, family care centres, community events, HVAC companies and more!

We understand how essential it is to create a website that’s unique, customer-driven and visually stunning. And we’ll do everything it takes to get your website there!

Our designers meet with you to discuss your vision and identify your goals. Then they’ll work their magic!

Ready to start your project?

Give us a call at 613-969-0626 or browse our web design packages online!

Did you know there are nearly 2 billion websites online right now? That is a lot of websites.

Each website represents the hopes and dreams of its creator. Each website is hoping to attract more sets of eyes to like, follow, email, call, share, and interact.

How will your new website fare in this ever-expanding online ocean? Will it sink like the Titanic… or race to the finish like an Olympic champion?

As you are planning your website launch or re-launch, it won't take you long to notice how many "how much does it cost to create a website" blog posts and articles exist online today.

But how many of those resources tell you how much it will cost to create a successful website?

This one will. The information you are about to read comes straight from our CEO. It represents how we guide our clients from invisible to successful status in an online setting.

What Is Your Website, Really?

Imagine you want to start a new local business. You find a building. You throw up a sign. You step back to admire your handiwork. Then you smile with satisfaction and walk away, ready to start raking in the bucks.

What is wrong with this picture?

For starters, you didn't unlock the front door, hire employees, stock the shelves or do any marketing. You are basically cruising toward failure.

Now imagine instead of a local brick-and-mortar company, you decide to start a new online business.

You find a domain name and register it. You hire a hosting provider. You throw up your company name and logo on the home page. Then you smile with satisfaction and walk away, ready to start raking in the bucks.

Hmmm.

The question to ask yourself is: What IS your website, really? Why even make a website? Just because your competitor has one? Because some marketing 101 course told you that you should have one?

Your website is you online, plain and simple. It is your company, your customer service, your products and/or services, your entire explanation of why potential customers should choose you instead of your competition. It could not be more important to the success of your company now and over the long term.

And here is the ultimate irony: it doesn't actually cost much, if anything more, to create a successful website than it does to create a useless website.

In other words, it is not necessarily the amount of money you have to spend on a website that matters. It is how you spend it that makes all the difference.

4 Key Costs to Build a Successful Website

These are the four basic costs involved in building any website, regardless of its future potential to help you succeed.

1. Choose and register your website's domain

This is the least expensive but often most challenging part of starting your website. You have to pick the name of your company online. It needs to be reasonably short, easy to spell, easy to remember and keyword-friendly.

That is why this step isn't for amateurs! The good news is, it isn't expensive (on average $15 to $35 per year).

2. Pick your hosting provider

Your website host is responsible for making sure your website is always live, visible, fast, working properly, and safe from hackers.

This is a tall order! Not all hosting providers can pull it off, and price isn't always an indication of who can or can't do what is needed.

Hosting packages are usually billed monthly or annually. Costs can range from $10 to $50 or more per month.

Basic hosting packages simply give your website an online home. More feature-rich packages will include options like company email, extra cloud storage, content management controls and editing ability.

3. Hire your web design team

In the vast majority of cases, most new company owners stop after step two. Why? Obviously, they think they are finished.

Many will spend the rest of their business life wondering why the heck everyone was so insistent they put up a website since their own never seems to do anything!

This is exactly why, just as you wouldn't do your own tooth extraction, you don't necessarily want to craft your own website content.

You want someone who knows how to speak "web" to do it for you. Your content needs to be rich in appropriate keywords to boost your search engine rankings (called SEO). It needs to be responsive (display perfectly on any size screen and in any browser).

Most of all, all of your website content needs to flow in such a way that new visitors are automatically guided toward contacting you to order products or services. A simple website may cost $200 to $300. A more complex site may cost $1,000 or more to design.

4. Craft your online marketing campaign

Not surprisingly, a successful online marketing campaign always flows out of a successful website.

And in truth, steps three and four must be treated as one single step, because the content your web design team creates is what will drive your online marketing for the foreseeable future.

A catchy and memorable domain name, consistent branding throughout, creative and keyword-rich content—all of these will contribute to your marketing success.

Most importantly, this type of website will deliver real-time reports so you know exactly how new prospects find you online, how they interact once on your site, what the major interest drivers are among your products/services, and so much more.

Happily, online advertising and marketing inventions like PPC (pay-per-click) are easily tailored to any size budget. This is especially the case with a well-designed website that does most of the work for you!

We’re Here To Help!

Why choose us? Let our happy customers explain!

Contact us online or give us a call at 613-969-0626.