ASD Trade Show was established in 1961. They are one of the nation’s largest merchandise trade events in the industry, with over 3000 exhibitors and 45,000 retailers from all over the world, held in March & August. ASD Las Vegas showcases 4 major verticals—Gift & Toy, Jewelry, Style/Beauty, and Value & Variety. The Show runs February 27-March 2, 2010 at the Sands Expo Center. Sage Island’s CEO Mike Duncan will be giving two one hour seminars on Monday, Feb. 28th and Tuesday, March 1st. For more info on ASD Trade show visit their website at www.asdonline.com.

Mike is scheduled to speak on Feb. 28 and March 1st. His seminar “Strengthening Your Web Site’s Presence through an Integrated Marketing Plan” will teach business owners the tactics behind growing an online brand.

Check out the seminar schedule.

Strengthening Your Website through an Integrated Marketing Plan
Your website is a critical component of your business. At a time when online competition has never been so fierce, it’s crucial to ensure that qualified traffic is coming to your site. This seminar, presented my Mike Duncan, CEO of Sage Island addresses the necessity of a well designed, innovative website, and how to properly market it through a hands on approach of planning, analysis, and optimization. Mike speaks to the art of SEO and PPC tactics, successful eCommerce strategies, and how to properly utilize social media platforms to drive results and maximize your bottom line.

Quick Response or QR codes are bridging the gap between offline and online media. As more and more people integrate their smartphones into their daily life, it is only natural that businesses understand the importance of QR codes and how to use them effectively. Sage Island considers QR codes an important tool in our integrated marketing process, and have compiled some tips for how to use them successfully.

First, what is a QR code?

A  QR code is essentially a special barcode that you scan with your smartphone which allows you to access many types of information including web addresses, personal and professional contact information (vCard), product and service information and almost any other type of data.

QR codes provide an essential connection between print media and interactive media in a matter of seconds. With a QR code scanner app installed on your phone, you simply point your camera at the code to find out more information or even compare like products.

Here are some tips for creating QR codes that work.

There are many QR code generators found online. Be sure to use a code generator that links directly to your service, not through theirs. To find this out, simply scan the produced code.

Make them readable. Choose a QR code size that is appropriate for your medium. For print, you will need to use a larger size which will produce a higher resolution. For web, use a size that can allows you to scan without encountering errors.

You will get better performance if the QR code is placed on a white background and displayed straight up and down.

Keep the information you’re encoding as concise as possible. The greater the amount of data, the higher the level of error correction, or ECL, will be needed.

Make your content valuable! Point viewers to a landing page or set of information that relates directly to your call-to-action. This could include:

• Product details
• A coupon or special offer
• A YouTube video link
• A Facebook, Twitter, MySpace Page
• Event details
• White Papers and more!

How can your business use QR codes?

There are numerous ways in which your business can benefit by using QR Codes. They work best when added to business cards, conference badges, product packaging and any form of marketing material.

If you are new to QR Codes, or looking for innovative ideas, our expert designers, programmers and marketers are here to help you with your next project. Contact us to move your business to a new level of success.

We are excited to be heading out to Denver, CO tomorrow morning to attend this year’s SIA Snow Show.  We are excited to be a part of this great event, which for more than five decades, the SIA Snow Show has been bringing the entire snow sports market together in one place.  Making this show the most important trade event for the entire industry. Showcasing the latest trends, innovations, product lines and styles, the SIA Snow Show represents the only global event where 800+ brands are presented in an authentic environment both on and off the snow; all powered by the passion and culture of snow sports. Since its inception, the Snow Show has been listed in the top 200 U.S. trade shows by Tradeshow Week and is currently ranked 59th.

Sage Island is excited to be photographing the Snow Show as well as the On-Snow Demo & Ski-Ride Fest events and working with SIA to help make this another great show.  We have worked extensively with SIA over the years, developing their association and trade show websites, as well as various consumer initiative websites.  We are also excited to help market their online properties through various SEO and PPC tactics.

We are excited for another great SIA Snow Show.  See you there!

We are excited to be a part of this special event featuring the area’s most successful people in business and technology,  including our very own Mike Duncan. The expo, held at the new Wilmington Convention Center will include keynote speakers, seminars, and over 100 exhibitors.  The event will help connect employees with new customers and will include an all start line up of educational internet marketing seminars.

Mike  is scheduled to speak on the 14th from 9:45 – 10:45 a.m. His seminar “Strengthening Your Web Site’s Presence through an Integrated Marketing Plan” will teach business owners the tactics behind growing an online brand. Don’t miss the areas largest business event!

Sage Island is happy to announce the recent launches of both the ActionSportsNow website and blog.  ASN is a new, quickly growing business headquartered in Wilmington, NC.  ASN is an online database of shops, retailers, camps, resorts and independent contractors who serve the action sports industry.  Sage Island worked with ASN to develop their new website in DNN; the site features a search for action sport retails by industry segment and location.  The custom programmed search was developed based on the unique features offered by ASN.

The newly launched ActionSportsNow WordPress blog offers an online platform for ASN to stay connected with their customers and provide up-to-date industry and sports related news.  The site feeds news into the website, by sport, to offer the latest news to ASN users, no matter what source they are visiting.

INTEGRATED MARKETING COMPANY GROWING AGAIN

WILMINGTON, NC, August 30 2010 — Sage Island is happy to announce the addition of three full-time employees to our team. “After a strong summer and increased demand in our services, we have decided to bring on additional staff to strengthen our team and better serve our customers,” said Mike Duncan, CEO of Sage Island.

Spike Bachman has joined the Graphic Design team at Sage Island. Spike has over 14 years in the design and marketing industry creating for print, packaging, environmental graphics and the web. His professional background includes positions as Associate Creative Director at Morvil Advertising + Design Group and Senior Art Director at D3, Inc. He has managed both regional and multi-national accounts with great success and specializes in corporate identity, new product initiatives and online business development. His experience and leadership make Spike an invaluable and complimentary asset to our team at Sage Island.

Matt Miller also joined the design team at Sage Island. Matt graduated from Radford University with a BS in Media Studies, Web Design Concentration and a Minor in Graphic Design. He gained his experience not only in school where he was awarded the Silver ADDY for packaging design among other graphic design awards, but also as a freelance designer providing art direction, branding, and consulting services for commission projects. Matt has quickly become an important member of the Sage Island team.

Patti Ginsberg joins Sage Island as Financial Analyst and brings with her a strong background in accounting and finance. Patti graduated from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia with a Master of Taxation and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Her prior experience includes Corporate Controller of Kempsville Building Materials Inc. in Virginia Beach, VA among other leadership positions. Her impressive background make Pattie a great fit at Sage Island.

Bachman, Miller, and Ginsberg each bring unique talent and experience to Sage Island. “We are fortunate to have such positive growth and are excited to continue providing our customers with the best service possible,” said Mike Duncan.

I am happy to announce that Norco Management launched their new site this week! The website was developed in WordPress and was designed to match their company logo and colors in a fresh, updated way. The site provides an overview of their services and showcases each of their property complexes. They are able to easily upload photos and information for each of property in the content management system.