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We’re very excited to announce that one of our clients, Patrick Finn, has won all 7 Key Awards from the Home Builder’s Association of the Greater Chicagoland Area.  Check out the announcement below:

IN AN UNPRECEDENTED SWEEP, seven entries earned Patrick A. Finn seven Key Awards from the Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago (HBAGC). Finn’s company, which bears his name and is based in Palatine, has completed more than 350 custom homes and remodeling projects throughout the Northwest suburbs with the majority of them in Arlington Heights.

Finn says that he was confident his company’s craftsmanship and design talent merited recognition, but he did not expect to win all seven awards. “I think we did well because we believe a custom home should not only accommodate a lifestyle, but reflect the owner’s personality. We collaborate with people on every detail — good communication makes a big difference in creating a beautiful environment,” said Finn.

The HBAGC, a Rolling Meadows-based trade association, is managed by executive officer Rita Unzner of McHenry. Commenting on Patrick Finn’s unprecedented string of wins, Unzner says, “He is highly regarded amongst his peers.”

Unzner spots a consumer trend she says will stick for a long time: Consumers today are more savvy and educated. “I talk to a lot of consumers and they tell me they want people who care about their business and their product,” said Unzner. “Builders have to keep up with the consumer who is seeking well educated, knowledgeable companies. Patrick stays ahead of the game so he can understand consumers’ needs. He seems to be upfront, honest and deliver what he says he will deliver.”

Two of the awards netted Finn honors in the Key Award’s custom construction categories. “Both houses are in the $200-per-square-foot price range and are located in Arlington Heights,” Finn said.

The first was a demolition of an 800-square-foot home. In its place, Finn’s company designed and custom-built 2,650-square-foot home with two stories, three bedrooms, two baths and three-car garage. The second custom construction award recognized a 2,300-square-foot, two-story home with a stucco exterior, partial basement, a porch with a pergola planned, three bedrooms, two full baths and a powder room.

see original full article: here

EXPANDED STAFF
2011 was a tremendous year for Myriad Creative Services.  We’ve added two new employees to the Myriad team.  Matt Sommerfield and Matt Madigan.  Matt Sommerfield is a graphic designer and video editor who joined us as a client rep.  Matt Madigan, also a client rep will has been heading up our Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce membership.  We’re thrilled to have them on board and are excited to see what they bring to the company.

EXPANDED SERVICES
In addition to adding more staff, we’ve added new services.  Our most noteworthy service is Myriad Connect – a simple, straightforward eblast/eNewsletter service.  Myriad Connect is a powerful emailing service that lets you send unlimited emails to unlimited people.  We’re very excited to see this new service grow in the next year.

EXPANDED NETWORKS
We’ve made some great relationships this past year and have partnered (or allied as we jokingly refer) with a few local businesses.  We’ve been working extensively side-by-side with Huntley’s TPI-Tyler Press.  They’ve expanded their services to web design and development and we’ve been working with them on their web projects.

We’ve also partnered with the Social (net)Worker – Jack Bechaud.  TSW does some of the finest social media management we’ve ever seen and rather than compete with them, we’ve partnered with them.

We’re looking forward to see what 2012 brings are thankful for another year of being able to work with such great clients!  You guys are the best!

Have a great 2012!

The Myriad Creative Services Team

We’d like to welcome O’Connor electric as our newest client.  We met with OE a few weeks ago to discus their website needs.  They wanted to update their current web presence, but they wanted to keep their new site clean, green and on a budget.  Shortly after signing on with us, we came up with this:

 We normally come up with 1-3 site layouts to present to the client, based on what they’re looking for, colors/layouts they like and the site’s content.

We’re excited to see what OE has to say about our first layout!  We’ll have a link once we move past the design stage so you can see how the process works!

While Facebook may seem like the obvious choice to many, having a solid Google+ foundation can boost your search engine ranking with Google and add credibility that your Facebook page can’t.

Think about it, Google wants you to have a seamless browsing experience.  That means taking into account –  when searching – things like meta tags, incoming links, quality of content and now, with the addition of Google+, user feedback.

If you’ve got a Google account (come on people, who doesn’t?), you can help Google improve their search ranking by pages and search results that you find relevant!  Just as ‘liking’ pages in Facebook tells people the page is relevant, tells people AND Google that that page/site/blog is relevant.

Posts made on your Google+ business page also tend to out perform other social media sites in Google searches.  That should be reason enough for you to have a solid business presence on Google+.

I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t have time for another social media site.”  And that’s true, who does?!  If you’re like most people, standing on the precipice of the ‘social media swamp’, there are things you can do to keep from being overwhelmed.  Many companies (us included) offer services to link your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN – you name it- accounts together so you only need to post on one place.  While other companies will take it a step farther and actually manage your social media accounts for you (SocialNetworkerJack is our favorite).

The bottom line is, if you want to be serious about search engine optimization, you need to be serious about Google+.

Tip:  helps you, it helps the creator of the content and it helps Google, its a win-win-win!

Stats:
62 Million Google+ Users
More than 60% of all searches are done on Google
500 active Facebook users

We are very excited to announce the launch of Myriad Connect. Myriad Connect our new eBlast/ eNewsletter service available only to our current clients.

Email newsletters and eBlats are a great way to stay connected with your customer base. They are also a great way to get the word out about specials, sales, new products and coupons.

The beautiful thing about Myriad Connect is it’s 100% branded to you. All Copyright info and footer notes are directed to your business, not our service, so all your clients see is you.

Features:
- Create Unlimited Emails!
– Send Unlimited Emails!
– Store Unlimited Email Addresses!

Getting started is a snap, just pick your design, pick your color, type and send! PLUS, we can build custom designs unique to your business, giving you ultimate consistency across all fronts of your business.

Give us a call or shoot us an email if you’d like more information about Myriad Connect.

Blogging is a great way to generate quality content, backlinks and encourage return visits to your site. It’s also one of the easiest ways to cultivate relationships with potential customers. Here are some tips that can help strengthen your relationship with your target market:

1 – Write in a natural speaking voice, not as a salesmen

2 -Don’t pitch your product, share your passion

3  - Write “How to” articles pertaining to your field

4 – Write at least 2 posts a week

5 – Keep it simple
Follow these simple blog guidelines and you’ll be well on your way to establishing a rock-solid blog.

Our December special has been free business card design when you order 1000+ cards.  We’ve had such a good response from our Woodstock Chamber of Commerce friends that we’ve decided to make it a permanent deal for chamber members.

So if your business is a part of the Woodstock or Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce you can take advantage of our design services for free!  Contact your client relations rep or us directly to get started!

Yesterday we met with Social Networker Jack Bechaud from The Social (net)Worker and redesigned their logo, got them a new business card design and set them up with email hosting on their own domain.  A few hours later we received an email from Jack asking if he could write a testimonial for us.  Here’s what he said:

We’re happy to announce the launch of the new HoneyCuts site!  After weeks of redesigning and programming, the new site is now live.  And make sure to check them out on your Android or iPhone as we’ve included a mobile sister site for them.

We’re excited to announce that our very first client has decided to redesign their site.  Because of the constant change in web standards and design styles, its recommended that every 3-5 years you update your site.

Because they were our very first customer, HoneyCuts holds a special place in our hearts.

HoneyCuts is a hair salon that caters to men and boys.  It has a guy-friendly garage feel with TVs at every station and even lawnmower tractors for kids to ride as they get their haircut.

Probably the biggest thing that sets HoneyCuts apart is their free scalp massage.  You buy a haircut, you get a free scalp massage.  When I was at their Mokena store shooting some pictures for the site, they gave me one of those scalp massages, and let me tell you, it was incredible.  We highly recommend HoneyCuts if you want a great haircut in a comfortable atmosphere.

The site was origianlly built as a resource to send customers to for news, schedules and store history.  Since our first build in 2007, the great guys at HoneyCuts have beefed up their marketing, and with their franchising gaining momentum, wanted a site that had all the bells and whistles.  Their new site will include a mobile version for handheld devices, full search engine optmization as well as other dynamic features that you’ll have to wait and see for yourself.

We’re in the final testing and debugging phase of the new build but I thought I’d post a few before/after pictures before we launch the new site.  Enjoy!

Before. Built in 2007

After

Stay tuned for the grand relaunching of HoneyCuts.com.  And if you’re ever in the New Lenox, Mokena, Willowbrook, Tinley Park area, be sure to check out HoneyCuts.