“I’m either crazy or brilliant, or both,” I thought.

The alarm went off and my eyes flew open. But today my first thought wasn’t about coffee. It was a vivid blueprint of a dream for the home page of new client, Kimberly Bailey, owner of The Butter End Cakery.

I thought I would quickly document this Pro-level project for you, partly to relive one of my favorite projects to date, as well as to show you the creative process and what is possible beyond the Basic and Advanced level. The reigns come off and I get to propel your business to the next level!

Re-branding from the Foundation Up

Your website should impact your clients like a great movie preview

This client wanted her site to reflect her product: amazing one-of-a-kind cakes that were justifiably expensive, and true masterpieces of edible art. We needed the site to be welcoming to both men and women. We wanted to say “We can do anything… with a budget.” And, we wanted it to be FUN.

I had this crystal clear image of Kimberly in a to-die-for red carpet gown, jewels dripping, magical lighting, with the Piece de Resistance: a common baker’s apron. The apron would be obviously soiled from a full day’s work in the kitchen. Kimberly’s hands would be dipped in flour, like evening gloves, and there would be delicate traces of flour upon her cheeks and hair, where she had casually brushed a hand across without thought.

She and her team would be standing in positions of great power and authority, like a Law and Order promo, yet the artistry, playfullness and humor would stop you in your tracks, like an Annie Leibovitz masterpiece.

“I had a vision….” and our relationship was cemented. Together with an extraordinary team of collaborative masters (see credits below), we launched into full production mode to re-create the brand, the logo, the energy of The Butter End Cakery website. This site needed to reflect the glorious artistry of Kimberly’s product: the best dang cakes you have ever seen or tasted!

SEO: #1 on Google Search

SEO is like driving a race car- it is a rush to win

Don’t try this at home, kids. SEO is not a game…. well, that’s not quite true. It is a game that can be mastered. But, it takes strategy and time. It also takes having many friends. Every single one of my clients want to appear on Page One…. but only my Pro clients get this service from Greta Rose.

In the end, The Butter End Cakery got a whole new look, with powerful Searching results to help new clients easily find them. Their online reputation can finally match their offline one.

Was this worth $10,000? Here’s what Kimberly has to say:

“From dreaming up the AWESOME concept for our homepage image to finding the perfect WordPress template, to final execution and performance tuning, Greta is one BaddAss Supreme Goddess WebMaster and Marketing Guru.

I’m a creative-type. And a control freak. I don’t hand over the wheel to many people, but Greta got my attention with her savvy and insight from our very first conversation. I LOVE that our first conversation was about my business ~ strengths, unique traits, competitors, future vision, goals, etc ~ it had nothing to do with web pages and fonts and links. She got me and my company from Go, and I got her. I handed her the wheel and didn’t have a moment of fear or regret. I knew I was in good hands.

The results speak for themselves. Every single person who sees my new site loses their mind. I finally feel like I have a site that matches the quality and creativity of the work that we do.

As for professionalism – Greta was on time, kept me on time, and was 110% thorough. She breaks it down and transfers knowledge. She dumbs it down for “folks like me” and isn’t interested in making it seem complicated and proprietary.

We now have the keys to manage our own kingdom. Truth is, I’m just better at making cakes than managing a website. I want my and my small staff’s time spent doing what is going to bring us joy and grown our business, so I’m going to sign on for Greta’s maintenance plan, G.P.S.. She can do what she does best, and so can I.”

The Creative Team

Client: Kimberly Bailey, The Butter End Cakery
www.thebutterend.com

Photography: Duke Khodaverdian
www.dukeimages.com

Hair and Make-up: Tara Dowburd-Luftman
www.makeuptherapy.com

Gowns: Ines DiSanto Gowns from Lovella Bridal
www.lovellabridal.com

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
www.classicpartyrentals.com