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Busy Month For Studio 544
Published November 2, 2011 | 
October was a very busy month for Studio 544 with multiple web site design projects being completed and several more in the process of being worked on. And the best part about them is that they covered all types of businesses from across the U.S.
From New York to Seattle and Michigan to Minnesota, Studio 544 was able to deliver web design and social media marketing projects to a number of satisfied clients.
Here are just some of the new satisfied clients of Mark Lewandowski at Studio 544.
Contact Studio 544 today for all your web site design and social media marketing needs.
Big News from Studio 544
Published October 10, 2011 | Mark Lewandowski at Studio 544 has recently been named as the new web design company for one of the Twin Cities most popular ethnic festivals! Stay tuned for more details about this exciting news.
Time Management For Freelance Web Designers
Published September 28, 2011 | This is a tricky topic. If you are a freelance web designer like me at Studio 544, you may have found yourself in this situation before. A prospective client contacts you about designing a web site for them and feels the need to talk about it with you for hours at a time on the phone or by sending you an endless stream of emails.
They usually want things done yesterday and for a bargain basement price. You carefully go through their criteria and try to match it up with their budget (if they’ve given you the luxury of this information). If they have not provided a budget, I strongly recommend that you ask them about this upfront so as to not waste your time or the prospects. After all if they want a web site with all the bells and whistles but only have a budget for a bag of peanuts, you need to know.
My experience at Studio 544 has taught me that roughly 50% of the website design requests you may receive will require you to do some type of research and maybe even experiment with a few programs that may be new to you just to see if this is something you can even work on for the prospect.
The main point about this article is that your time is just as valuable as the prospects – maybe even more so. Over the years, I have learned how to generally sift out the “shoppers” and “time killers” who contact me. If you are new to the business, you will get a sense about this yourself the more you do it. Just remember that at some point you need to draw the line and decide if the prospect of working with this client is worth it or not.
Mark Lewandowski is the President of Studio 544. A freelance web design company located in Hutchinson, MN. You can find the Studio 544 website by visiting www.studio544.com.
Keeping up with technology
Published September 22, 2011 | Ok, let me begin by saying that web technology will always outpace you – always! So save yourself some time and headaches and stick to what you need to get the job done. Over the years, I have seen software programs and languages come and go but in the end, it seems like I always find myself going back to the old reliable, tried and true programs that have served me well.
Everyone in the web industry is brainwashed by big marketing budgets from Microsoft, Adobe, etc. that they need to have the latest versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash, etc. Don’t believe it. Unless the program has made MAJOR improvements to its functionality, ignore the need to upgrade every time a new release comes out. After all, if the finished product looks and functions just the same using your trusted old software as it would if you had used an inflated new program, do you really think your client is going to care?
Blogging 2 – Take the good with the bad…
Published August 10, 2011 | Well, hopefully all of you spammers out there are happy. After growing tired of sifting through the mounds of ridiculous comments to my postings, I have decided to remove commenting from the Studio 544 blog.
The nice thing about WordPress is that allows you to set your configurations to allow or disallow commenting. In an ideal world, people would only comment on things they were generally interested in but unfortunately that is not always the case in the cyber world.
I still encourage those thinking about starting a blog for their business, organization or personal use to do so but just keep in mind that you may have to deal with some crap on occasion. Putting yourself out there online still has great potential though and makes it that much easier for the “real” people out there to find you also. When you’re ready for a professional, custom blog remember to contact Studio 544 to make it happen. Happy blogging again!
Studio 544 – Client Spotlight
Published August 8, 2011 | Crown Management in Alexandria, MN recently contacted Studio 544 to design a web site for their property management business. The new website contains multiple photo galleries of their residential and commercial properties as well as customized contact forms.
Check out their new website at: www.crownforrent.com.
Blogging – Take the good with the bad…
Published July 27, 2011 | Much like a pesky bug that manages to find its way in through a crack in the door, owning and administering a blog can open you up to spammers. Since launching the new Studio 544 blog several months ago, I am always amazed at how many ludicrous comments I receive from people praising the posts without ever really knowing what they are reading.
Yes, having a blog can also bring you lots of legitimate web traffic and potential customers but be prepared to set aside some time every week to sift through your comments and determine which ones are bogus and which are genuine. Happy blogging!!
Studio 544 – June Client Spotlight
Published June 21, 2011 | June 2011: Hometown Realty was looking to update their old web site’s design with a clean, fresh look and Studio 544 was happy to assist them with this in spring 2011. The new site was designed to match the look and feel of Hometown Realty’s new blog design that was also created by Studio 544.
The new Hometown Realty website offers visitors a variety of options including links to featured real estate listings, community links and agent bios. Other features include a live feed to the Hometown blog as well as linking the new site to all of Hometown Realty’s social media networks including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Check out the website at www.hometownmn.com.
Studio 544 Client Spotlight
Published May 26, 2011 | Client Spotlight: My Refinishing Business – Seattle, WA
May 2011: Studio 544 recently completed work on a new web site for Rick Fritz at My Refinishing Business. Rick wanted a way to promote his new cabinet refinishing video online and contacted Studio 544 to help create his online presence.
Check out the website at MyRefinishingBusiness.com.
The 3 Initial Costs of Owning A Website
Published May 9, 2011 | I often tell my web prospects when they first contact me that there are 3 main, initial expenses involved in having your own web site for your business or organization. They are the following:
If the company is hesitant to provide you with a price or give it to you in writing, run (don’t walk!) and contact Studio 544 today for a free, no obligation web site design project quote.
Of course there can be other expenses involved as well depending on your particular needs but the 3 categories listed above are ALWAYS going to be there when it comes to getting your web site up and running.
Studio 544 Clients
