Behind the scenes

we're in a bit of a blog/Facebook post slump right now. Projects are wrapping up and beginning. Nothing super exciting to share. And it's been brutal cold here in the great state of Minnesota. Hard on the crew even if they are working inside. And just keeping the projects moving forward in this weather is taking extra effort and energy for the Carpenter. But our frigid temps give me a new appreciation for those pioneers. How can I complain? ...

As the marketing manager for Applewood I've had some "maintenance" work to do. I had to spend some time "taking down" Christmas on our website http://applewoodremodelers.com and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ApplewoodINC page this week. Also updated our newspaper ad which you can view here. http://www.presspubs.com/app/das.pdf (page 6b). 

It's always an effort to keep the website fresh. I do this by changing up photos on the home and internal informational pages, updating content, rearranging and adding new project photos. It is challenging to find photos that stay within the Applewood "brand" for the home and internal pages. A company's "brand" is what represents the company visually- logo, signage, and ultimately what represents the company in your thoughts. So it's an abstract/concrete kind of deal. And it is important to me to keep our marketing efforts up to date. We're always moving forward, making improvements and that needs to show in all areas of our business.

I've also got a list of efficiency projects to work on. A final walk through sign-off form at the end of a project and a customer data base to name a few.

And last... I keep a running marketing ideas list. Things to try. We're going to be running a flyer in the White Bear Press, Facebook ads etc in the next month. And I'm big on setting goals. We will sit down and evaluate where we've been, how we can improve, what has worked and what hasn't as well as where we want to be when we finish 2014. 

So this is a slice of what I'm doing these days. I guess it was enough to be considered a post! And it gives you a glimpse into some of what goes on behind, away, from the project site. Like any other business... what we do to have a business is more then pounding a nail.

~ the Artist