Tag Archives: business

Client Feature: MOD Restaurant

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Trevellyan.biz was hired by the Columbia Economic Development Corporation to provide technical assistance services to MOD Restaurant as part of Columbia Hudson Partnership’s Microbusiness Program.

The owners of MOD Hudson, Dana Wegener and Mary DiStefano, had a successful restaurant in Catskill for five years. When they decided to venture across the river to Hudson, they knew they’d need a website.

Because MOD never had a website before, there was no existing copy or photos to work with. When I first met Mary and Dana, the restaurant was not yet open and the interior was in no shape to be photographed. The girls were renovating the space themselves, and were working night and day to meet their goal of opening mid-March. Finding time to also compile the required information we’d need for the site was going to be tough.

We started by determining the basics: what topics should be covered, how changes to the site would be made, when the site needed to be online. By reviewing other restaurant websites together, we determined the aesthetic they were looking for. Simple and easy to use would be key to an appropriate design for their business. Like their own style, the website needed good lines, lots of white space, and plain, simple language.

Just like the renovation of the restaurant, creation of the website took shape quickly. A short email to a few customers from their Catskill location came back with a pile of enthusiastic testimonials. I spent one morning at the restaurant, amid paint cans and drop cloths, taking placeholder photos. Piece by piece Mary sent copy – owner bios, catering and party details, and finally, the menu. I compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions and together we worked to get the right answers. The moment the restaurant was ready, photographer Nora Adelman went back and took lovely interior and exterior finished photos.

MOD Hudson opened their doors at 20 South Front Street Wednesday, March 23 and has seen steady business ever since. If you’re looking for a great meal, with generous portions, at a good price, I recommend you visit MOD. And if you’re looking for an effective website using current web standards, I recommend you give us a call at 518.392.0846 or email suzanne@trevellyan.biz.

Which Facebook Option is Right for You? A Page or A Group?

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Once you decide to create a Facebook presence for your business, it is important to understand your options. Making the most of your account requires a basic understanding of how Facebook works and the best place to start is at the beginning, with setup.

Facebook connects individuals, industry and obscure enthusiasts in a friendly, social atmosphere. At first glance it may appear that all three groups are on the same footing, but in fact they each have their own defined area. Individuals on Facebook have Profiles. Businesses, organizations and people with a common interest can have a Group or a Page.

This leads us to the next question, should your business be a Group or should you have Page? To help you make your decision, I’ll review some of the major differences.

GROUPS
Groups are similar to clubs and are especially useful for discussing a single topic.

  1. Groups can set join permissions so that they are either open to anyone, closed (where users must get administrator approval to join) or secret (invite only).
  2. Group administrators manage the group, approve applicants or invite others to join.
  3. When you post something as a group administrator, it appears to be coming from you and is attached to your personal profile. If you wish to be perceived as a formal corporation, this may not be appropriate. If you would prefer to convey a more personal, “mom and pop” image, this may work.
  4. Groups are limited to 5000 people.

PAGES

  1. Pages are best for businesses and organizations who wish to grow their customer base by building long-term relationships.
  2. Pages can create content that comes from the Page itself, so that content doesn’t have to be linked to you personally.
  3. Because pages are indexed by external search engines, they are visible to unregistered people.
  4. Facebook provides visitor statistics for Pages. You’ll have access to general statistics about the people that have visited your page, including number of visitors and the cities they visited from. (This is not true for a group.)
  5. A Facebook page has a unique URL that you can refer people to.

If you would like help setting up your Facebook group or page, give us a call at 518.392.0846 or email suzanne@trevellyan.biz.