I am struggling to find the words to write the intro to this post due to the fact that I can barely wrap my mind around the events of this week!  If you are reading this in March 2020, you will know that we are right in the middle of a world pandemic.  I don’t need to go into the details, and I am sure by now everyone has had their fill of lockdown related information, but what I do want to do is go over a few tips for those in isolation, and those working from home - or wanting to work from home in the future.

Set a Daily Routine
Being in isolation can feel a bit like you are trapped, and you can very quickly get sick of looking at the same four walls day in, and day out.  You can very easily go into weekend mode, and spend your days curled up on the couch bingeing Netflix, which you are completely entitled to do, but if you are aspiring to use this time to grow professionally, the best way you can start is by having a daily routine.  A routine can seperate the weekdays from the weekend and teach your brain very quickly when it is needs to be in work mode.

Some examples of this are:

• Getting up early on weekdays, vs sleeping in on the weekends.
• Scheduling your weekdays into blocks for working, learning, exercising, planning and having scheduled break times, and then having a more relaxed approach on the weekend days.
• Reducing time spent on leisure activities such as watching tv during the week, saving these to enjoy on the weekends
• Being strict about the time you finish work each day so that you can enjoy a normal evening routine
• Going to bed early on weeknights to give your body ample time for rest which will help with focus and motivation, vs letting yourself stay up a little later on Friday and Saturday nights.

Personally, after being in self isolation for 4 days so far, I am finding my routine a saving grace.  My kids have also come up with their own routine and have thrived on it - including getting some school work finished that they both had been putting off!

Use Technology
We are incredibly lucky to be battling a pandemic during the age of technology.  Not only can it keep us well entertained in our downtime, but it is also extremely effective in keeping our businesses running and our teams collaborating efficiently.
Here is how we have been using technology to keep ourselves running for the past week:

Focus on what you can control
It’s very easy to become wrapped up in the goings on of the world around us.  Search the virus-that-shall-not-be-named and you will end up with pages and pages of news stories from all around the world.  But that is not getting you anywhere.  You can’t control what’s happening, or stop the repercussions, but what you can control is what’s right in front of you.  Your daily routine, your home life, whether or not you spend the entire day in bed.  You’re in control of that and it’s up to you to make the most of it.  Now is the time to grow, spend those quiet days at home focusing on improvement, whether it be personal, professional, or even spiritual.

2020 will go down in history as we survive the first worldwide pandemic in modern history.  The first time we have had several countries in lockdown at the same time. You can either remember it as the time you threw your hands in the air and gave up, or you can remember it as the time you made the most of a bad situation and focused on growing, developing and improving.

Don’t forget, if you ever need any advice about the things covered in our blog posts, or on our Instagram or Facebook accounts, feel free to reach out for some free advice.

The first issue of our WD Family News monthly newsletter is coming out this week!  If you would like to receive a copy to your inbox when it’s fresh off the press, click here!

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I can't believe we are already nearing the end of the first quarter of 2020!  The end of the 2019 was filled with lots of exciting projects, some well needed R&R, followed by a new year (and a new decade!) hitting the ground running.  This has meant the blog has fallen off the wayside a bit, but I intend to get this going again in the coming months as there is plenty of knowledge we have to share with the businesses in our Wright Way Fam, as well as our supporters and new followers too!

Whats New With Us?
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Unicorn Factory Partnership
Late last year we partnered up with Connor over at Unicorn Factory - an exciting new space for designers to share their expertise and a place for businesses to find designers that have a proven track record with design work.  We are honoured to be part of this community and love seeing ourselves on the front page of recognised designers from time to time!

Ocean Swim Series
Thanks to our presence on Unicorn Factory, we were able to do some work with the Banana Boat Ocean Swim Series in assisting with the design of some of their print advertising.  This included posters, event maps, bus back designs and even a couple of medals!
Our involvement was short, but it was fun to work with some other designers from around the country!

New Home Page and Updated Logo for 2020
We’ve given the logo a bit of a refresh for the new year.  You will start to see this logo popping up everywhere over the coming months, from our *Facebook* and *Instagram* pages, to our new business cards and our fresh new *homepage* which went live in February.  We felt like we needed a bit of a freshen up, just as much as we like to keep our clients sites updated, we should also spend some time on our own from time to time!

Upcoming Plans for Wright Way Design

Wright Way Fam Newsletter
We’re all about our little family around here.  We couldn’t do what we do with out the love and support from our amazing clients.  To accompany our monthly blog posts, we want to create a regular newsletter that keeps our clients updated with where we are at, what we are up to and also showcases the amazing things about them that makes us love working with them!  This will help us all work together as we each navigate this crazy technical online business world!

Websites
Web design remains a core part of our business and we have taken on some new clients this month, as well as an exciting new venture for one of our OG’s.  I can’t wait to share more about this in an upcoming newsletter!

It’s been an exciting and fulfilling quarter and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next 3 months!

Today we carry on with part two of our special three part series on making the most of your online space.  If you missed the last post, you can find it right here, where we covered domain names, and how to be found in a Google search.  

This week we are going to dive into the world of social media, and our tips for how best to use it in your business.

I see a lot of screwed up faces when I discuss social media with my clients in a business sense.  The word "social" in social media, tends to downplay the usefulness of having a business presence on any of the social platforms.  However, in doing some research for this section of the series, I have come across some pretty interesting figures that I'd like to share.

Keeping all of these statistics in mind, here are the recommended social media platforms you should have a business presence on, including some of the best ways you can use these platforms to your advantage.

Facebook
You can't think of social media, without thinking of Facebook.  The number one social media platform that everyone loves to hate.  And hates to love.  The bottom line is, you need a business presence on Facebook.

One really important piece of advice, is that even though I highly recommend having a business page on Facebook, this should not be the only place your business can be found online.  Facebook does not replace a fully functional website. Potential clients will search for you on Facebook.  But this is not likely where they will stop when trying to find information about you, your brand, and your products and services.

A simple business page set up with all of your contact details is really crucial in allowing your business to be found.  Frequent updates are a necessity to keep your page current and relevant, but it is important to remember that like most social platforms, Facebook works as a constant scroll, so older posts are unlikely to be seen by new visitors.

Facebook is great for reminding people that you exist, as your posts will show up in your follower's news feeds, and since Facebook has the largest audience, you will continue to reach your followers.  Facebook does have the ability to control what your followers are seeing however, those businesses who pay for promoted posts will always be shown over yours if they are in the same category.   I will potentially write a post about paid Facebook advertising at some point in the future, as that is a whole other ball game.

Selling physical product on Facebook is not recommended.  While it is possible, the user experience is less than satisfactory, and the overall look is unprofessional from a branding point of view.  You will be guaranteed to have better results using a proper online selling service to sell your product, and use Facebook for the marketing of those products.  There are many online services available for selling product, or you can talk to us about building a store into your website!

#Hashtags
I'm giving this it's own section, since hashtags are used on all three of the social platforms I have covered in this post.

There is only one rule when using a hashtag, don't use spaces.  Other than that, you can be as creative, or as basic as you like.  Just like a Google search, try to use words you think your poteintial audience will be using in a search.

#ahashtagthathastoomanywordsisprobablynotgoingtobesearchedfor

We've covered a lot in this post, but hopefully you are now confident in the steps you need to take to have a business presence on social media.  As always, feel free to reach out if you want any advice, or want the Wright Way Design team to assist with your social media set up.

Our next blog post is going to be the last in this special three-part series.  I'll be covering tips and tricks for the hub of your business information - your website.  Make sure to check back soon!

The internet is the number one place people go to for information.  In most cases, it is the only place the go for information.  When it comes to your business, or your brand, it is important to take steps to allow it to be quickly and easily found online, and that all information that you want your potential audience to know is readily available for them to find!  This not only helps you advertise yourself, and potentially gain new clients, but also gives you a higher chance of being seen before your competitors.
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As mentioned in our last blog post , it is important for us at Wright Way Design, to know how to achieve this and what steps to take to make this happen for you. It is also important for you to know a few ways your business or brand can make an impact in its own little space on the internet - that's what this post is all about!  Keep reading to find out more about how to make the most of your online space, and due to the length of this post in its draft form, I have decided to split it into a three-part special.

We also have our domain pointed to our mail server.  This allows us to have professional email addresses such as our main contact - hello@wrightwaydesign.co.nz.  When you send us an email to this address, our domain tells it exactly where to go in order to reach us.

Having a domain name is a pretty simple way to gain a professional online appearance.  Just like having sign writing on your car attaches your business to your vehicle, having a domain name attaches your business to your online space.
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Once that is all done, you will find that when your business name is searched, you will now have a neat little side bar showing all of your business information!  There is also an area for your potential clients to ask you questions and leave reviews - these will be emailed to you when they come in, so make sure when you set up your Google account, that you use an email address that you check often.

Your designer should also have direct access to Google, which will enable them to provide additional information to help Google learn more about your website, such alternative web addresses that point to your site, and providing a "site map" which shows exactly how your website and all of its pages are organised.

​Giving Google as much information as possible gives your business a higher chance of being seen in the early days.  Once you are established, and your business is being found and clicked on frequently, you will start showing up higher and higher in the search results.

Next Week...
Check back next week when we dig deep into the world of social media and provide tips on how to streamline your social accounts!  

If you have any questions on any of the topics covered in this blog post, or think you might need some help setting any of this up for your brand, make sure to reach out and contact us here for some free advice!

Here at Wright Way Design, we often come across conflicting opinions on web design.

There are many do-it-yourself resources available when it comes to graphic and web design, and plenty of places that you can easily get your online space up and running quickly and easily.  Wright Way Design itself is even partnered some of the most known resources on the internet.  So why should you spend money on having someone else sort it for you?

Here are our top reasons that you should.

Technology advanced at lightning speed from here, and I was watching it grow and change before my eyes.  Since I was also working in the industry while these changes were happening, I understand how we've got to where we are now, and I will continue to learn as things continue to change, so that I can lead my business and my clients towards the future.

Paid web designers want your websites to look stunning on every available device, every computer, every browser, every mobile phone.  We want your websites to work on your own domain, with attached email and other services, giving you an overall professional and official looking brand.  We want you to be found online, bumped up in search results, and to continually grow with each passing month.  Which is why it is important that we know how to achieve all of this.

Your job might be to manufacture and sell product.  It might be to provide a service to the public.  It might even be to share your information and knowledge to the world.  We all work hard, our time is precious, and it is far easier to be spending our time on the things that we know.

We have several clients who have come to use after trying to set up their own web space.  It wasn't because there wasn't enough DIY resources available, or that they were too complicated to use, it was because after spending their time doing it themselves, they realised that their time was better spend on their actual job, rather than one they had no experience in.

These clients often become our favourites, because they already have a pretty clear idea of what they want.  All we have to do is use our skill to turn their plans into a reality.  It is extremely satisfying to see the joy on their faces when their ideas come to life.

Services are always something that it's hard to put a value on.  A service is not the same as a product, it is not a tangible object.  The best way to understand the value of a service, is to remember the age old saying "Time is money".

Design services are not free, but they are not as expensive as you think.  Most designers, including ourselves, price based on the approximate time it would take to get a project completed.  This is based on experience and time it has taken to complete similar projects in the past.  Our websites have a base price, which is made up of the amount of hours it would take to not only create the aesthetics of the site, but all of the background configuration, the online search optimisation, the device compatibility and so on.

A website is not a product, it is the result of hours of a service.  When you think about it from this angle, it doesn't work out to be as expensive as you may have originally thought.

We are partnered with some well known hosting companies, that allow us to securely host our websites.  We pay for a well functioning online portal, to allow us to easily maintain our fast increasing number of websites.  We invest in the latest and greatest design software, and pay subscriptions for access to licensed imagery and elements for those times we can't create them ourselves.

All of the tools we have in our arsenal allow us to provide the very best result, one that couldn't be produced with just one online service.

Having someone else take care of your webspace gives you peace of mind.  Peace of mind that your branding is being looked after by an expert, that your website remains current and up to date, and that without having to take care of all of this yourself, you are able to get along with growing your business and doing whatever it is that you do best.

Our clients become part of our Wright Way family.  We not only love to be doing the work that we do for our clients, but also love to learn more about what our clients do, and get involved with their businesses as much as we can.