Interior Designer or Interior Decorator? What’s the Difference?
The Yellow Pages has one category for both interior designer and interior decorator. The general perception is that designers and/or decorators focus on appearance and decor. That focus is correct, for decorators.
The work of an interior designer requires an in depth body of knowledge covering a wide range of topics. The subtle shift in the choice of word between decorator and designer translates into a much larger spectrum.
Interior designers are imaginative, creative and artistic. The same can be said for a decorator. There are many creative people that can decorate and they certainly don’t need the help of a designer. That’s because they are decorating. The step up from there is a big leap that encompasses a wide range of education, experience and examination. The work scope defines it best.
Decorators work with their clients to select the design elements of an interior such as paint, wallpaper, lights, furniture, and flooring. Interior decorators are concerned only with the surface appearance of a space and they are not required to consider building plans nor are they qualified to address codes issues.
Interior designers tasks include space planning, problem solving, green design, codes, project management, budgets, ergonomics/comfort, lighting, acoustics, surface design elements such as color and textiles. Computer Aided Design and drafting plans outline the work to be done by contractors and are vital to any project. Product knowledge on everything from appliances to window coverings must be constantly researched to keep current with changing trends and the array of manufacturers for any given item.
The aesthetic aspect of a design is the hallmark of how a designer’s work may be evaluated. The road to a finished design involves a foundation that incorporates research, development, analytical skills, a command of technology, and knowledge of building mapped out by a designer that is a disciplined, organized and skilled business person. Together with this vast body of knowledge and aesthetic vision, interior designers work to develop design solutions that meet the needs of the people using the space while creating a space that is safe, functional and attractive.
Designers are often involved with planning from the very beginning frequently working with architects and other design professionals. Other consultants may also be brought in at any stage of the design and construction process. These extensive areas of concern become the defining difference between designers and decorators.
A relatively new profession, the standards of interior designer and the required qualifications have increased greatly over the past thirty years. Some of the earliest most highly regarded professionals were simply known as decorators. Design schools were almost non-existent and it seemed that if you had a flair for design, you could go to work.
Experience alone once was enough to enable membership in trade organizations such as the American Society of Interior Design [ASID] or the International Society of Interior Design [ISID]. For many years, a combination of experience and education qualified for professional membership.
For designers just starting out in the profession, a degree is now a requirement for application to become a member of the most respected trade organizations. As the range of responsibilities increases, those setting the standards for the industry raise the bar.
Certification and examination are quickly becoming the benchmarks that identify one as a design professional. Licensing or registration is required in over 25 states and certification by passing the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications exam allows a designer to become a full professional member in trade organizations.
The body of knowledge a designer must draw from is broad, the work is highly detailed and the end result showcases work that goes far beyond decorating or furnishing a room. At first glance when evaluating a project it might appear that your project is quite simple and certainly couldn’t include the long list of services an interior designer can offer. If you start to explore where to begin and the advance planning required before starting any work in the space, you’ll soon appreciate having a designer to manage to project.
Most successful interior designers get their business though a network of referrals and if even if you find us listed in the Yellow Pages under Interior Designers and Interior Decorators, you’ll know to ask the right questions to see which one you are really hiring for your next project. Interior Designer or Interior Decorator, there is a difference.
Looking for a great Furniture Store on Maui? Come visit our showroom at Swan Interiors 2103 W. Vineyard Street, Wailuku, Hawaii the next time you’re on Maui or call us at (808) 243-3316. You can even visit our website at http://www.swaninteriorsmaui.com before you arrive.
Free Online Advertising For Your Business
Imagine being able to promote your business on hundreds of highly search websites for free. Sites like Google, Yahoo!, Bing, Merchant Circle, Insider Pages, Yelp, City Search, Trip Adviser, Yellow Pages, Yellow Book, Yellow Bot, Super Pages and hundreds of other sites.
Now imagine that your potential customers can access your ad from their computer, their smart phone and from the GPS device in their car.
Here’s the Good News
If you work out of your home or have a brink and mortar business that caters to local customers, you CAN advertise your business on all of these sites and many others for FREE!
There is an entire segment of Internet Marketing known as “Local Search Marketing” that allows you to do just that. Odds are pretty good that you’ve already used it to find a product or service you were looking for, but just didn’t know what you were looking at at the time.
Free Online Advertising
Go to any of the sites I listed above and do a search for the products and service you offer. As soon as you do, you will notice that all of these sites show businesses that provide these services. Some of the businesses paid handsomely to advertise on those sites while others paid nothing. Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it?
All you have to do is go to each of these websites, look for text that reads “Add New Business,” and provide your business information in the space provided. They will all try to sell you their paid service, but I strongly discourage you from investing in something you can get for free.
But Why?
If you’re like me you’re probably wondering, “Why would any of these sites, much less all of them, give me an opportunity to advertise for free?” Good question, and here’s the answer. “Relevance.”
You see, all of these websites including Google and the Yellow Pages are fighting to be the most relevant website on the Internet. They know that if they provide the best and most comprehensive information available, you will be more likely to use their service in the future. And one of the ways they become the most relevant website is to provide you with the most choices. Let me explain.
I’m Looking For A Barber
Let’s assume that you’re looking for a new barber. Let’s also assume that Google shows you all 50 barbers within a 10 mile radius of your home while the Yellow Pages only shows you the 7 barbers in the same 10 mile radius who paid to be listed on their website.
Which directory or website are you most likely to use in the future? Which website are you most likely to tell your friends about?
That is why everyone of the websites I mentioned above is clamoring to list your business, even if you don’t pay to advertise with them. They don’t want you to know that you can advertise for free of course. They want you to believe that you must pay to be listed.
Don’t Be Fooled
If you know what to look for and what to avoid, you can get free advertising on the most highly searched sites on the Internet. Better yet, you can expect to generate tons of new business from your effort.
Go to our Free Online Advertising page at http://www.visonthenet.com/free-online-advertising-websites and get backdoor access to over 40 of the most highly searched websites on the Internet from Local Search Marketing expert Bob Sommers.
Internet Marketing Association of Hawaii
821 Kumulani Drive
Kihei, HI 96753
808-891-0449
Biggest Google Map Mistakes Local Business Owners Make
On a recent TV interview I was asked what I thought the biggest mistakes business owners make with respect to marketing their business on the Internet. And even though my answer was accurate, it was far from comprehensive. So, after giving the question some thought, I decided to answer it more fully here.
To start, there are dozens of ways you as a local business owner can market your products and services over the Internet. And when I use the term “market” I’m writing about free ways to promote your products and services, not paid advertising.
Along those same lines, I want to address the question more specifically. “What are the biggest mistakes business owners make when marketing their business on-line via Local Search Marketing, for example, Google Maps.”
To start, if you call on local customers and you’re not implementing Local Search Marketing techniques including Google Maps, Bing Local and Yahoo Local you’re missing out on the most effective form of Internet Marketing available to your business. In my humble opinion, there are very few local businesses, if any, who will find a better return on their investment, especially since this form of Internet Marketing is free and it generates a ton of new customers. That being said, let me get back to answering the question.
Mistake 1
Not Searching For Your Business Like Your Customers Do
Unless you have fantastic brand recognition, customers will not search for your business using your business name. They will search for the products and services you offer and they will do it on their computers, on their smart phones and on their GPS devices in their cars and trucks.
So, if a searcher or potential buyer is looking for someone to replace the brakes on their car, they’re going to search using terms like, Auto Mechanic, Brake Repair, Brake Service or Car Repair.
Take a moment right now and do a search for the products and services you offer. Better yet, do that search on your computer using Google, Yahoo, Bing and the Yellow Pages (keeping in mind that these are only a handful of all of the potential places where your customers are looking for the products and services you offer.)
Then do the same search from your iPhone, iPod, iPad and any other mobile device you can get your hands on, and then do the same search from the GPS device in your car or truck.
Now you have an idea of what your customers are seeing, and just as importantly, what they’re not seeing.
Mistake 2
Not Claiming Your Google Place Page
Current estimates show that 12% of Local Business owners have claimed their business listing on Google. It’s the first, and one of the most important steps to “World Domination” or at least market domination in your community. You can find and claim your business by going to Google.com/local, searching for your business name and address, clicking on the “more info” next to your business name, see if your business has been claimed and then set up a Google Account and claiming your business.
You can quickly eliminate the second biggest mistake by finding and claiming your business on Google.
Mistake 3
Not Fully Optimizing Your Google Place Page
Claiming your business is one thing, and it’s a very important thing to do, but optimizing your business listing will bring your business to an entirely different level of success.
Most business owners never take a second look at the information they provide in their place page. And, because of that, there is a very good chance they will be either removed from the map section completely or they will now show up in the map where potential customers are looking. Let me give you a few examples of where things can go wrong if you don’t pay attention.
Business Name
If you don’t provide your legal business name exactly as it appears in the outside world, Google can and will remove your listing from their maps section. I’ve seen this happen multiple times and it’s very difficult to back on the map once you’re business is removed.
Business Address
We never, and I mean never provide an address without checking with the USPS first. Get this wrong, even slightly wrong and your listing will not show up in the right location. I can not tell you how many times business owners provide the wrong address in their business listing because they’ve never checked with the USPS. Its shocking.
Telephone Number
This alone will keep you from showing up in the map results if you don’t have the “right” telephone number. Follow the rules and make absolutely sure that you’re providing a Google authorized telephone number.
Website Address
This is way to comprehensive to cover in this article. But in short, if your website is not localized, you’re screwed. Google is now paying very close attention to your website. Among other things, they are looking to see if your site has
* Your business name, address and telephone number on every page.
* A map with written directions to your business on your site.
* A geo meta tag in your HTML header.
* Optimized, geo-tagged, photos on your site.
* A quick loading home page.
* A domain name owned by the business and not the business owner
* Your website hosted on a server in your country.
* A site that is optimized for mobile devices.
* Dozen other critical components that I don’t have time to cover in this article.
Problem is, most business owners just type in their web address without giving any thought to localizing their website.
Categories
This is the primary way Google knows what your business is about. Again, most business owners either select one “Google suggested” category or they choose the maximum of five “Google suggested” categories. This is a huge mistake. We spend more time on this one aspect of optimizing a local business listing than we do anything else, and we rarely select more than one “Google suggested” category, and you shouldn’t either. You can learn more about selecting the best categories for your business listing here.
Photos / Videos / Description Text / Additional Details
* Did you geo tag your photos?
* Did you optimize your photos by adding a caption, renaming it with your keywords and adding a full citation in the description before linking it to Google?
* Did you re-size your primary photo to the proper dimension and link to it from a static server?
I could ask you similar questions concerning your video, description text, hours of operation and additional details. As you can see, there is much more to filling out your Google Place page than meets the eye.
So, in order to avoid the third biggest mistake, take the time to fully optimize your Google Place Page listing and fill it out completely.
Mistake 4
Assuming That Once You Fully Optimized Your Google Place Page And Your Business Listing Shows Up On Page One Of Google Maps, Your Done.
If you’ve fully optimized your Google Place page listing following the guidelines I provided above, and your business listing is showing up on page one of Google Maps for your primary local keywords, you’ve completed about 7% of the work necessary to dominate your local market. It won’t be long before your competitors figure out how valuable this space is and start to do the same thing.
If you want to use your business listing to generate new customers, you must be willing to take the time to do your listing right and promote it all over the Internet, not just on Google.
There are hundreds of websites and Internet services where your customers look for your business. Your listing needs to be prominent and have a stellar reputation on every one of those site. Google is just your starting point.
Now that you’ve done the initial work, get to work on the remaining 93% that still needs to be done.
* Generate additional business citations.
* Clean up your inaccurate citations.
* Find the most valuable citation sites for your business in your community.
* Claim your business on multiple sites.
* Make sure the Yellow Pages isn’t hindering your efforts.
* Generate positive reviews.
* Get bad reviews removed.
* Claim and optimize your business listing on every site where your customers are looking for you and reviewing your service.
* Insure that your business website is fully optimized for local search.
* Build the value of your business website by creating valuable link bait.
* Monitor your results and continue to build your reputation.
Conclusion
Local search is free and it’s the most powerful form of Internet marketing for the vast majority of local businesses, but it takes effort. Do it right and you will be rewarded with new customers for a long time to come.
Go to http://www.VizOnTheNet.com and learn from Local Search Marketing Expert Bob Sommers how to make your Yahoo!, Bing and Google Business Listing the most compelling listing on the page.
Internet Marketing Association of Hawaii
821 Kumulani Drive
Kihei, HI 96753
808-891-0449
Naples Zoo – A Small, Friendly Zoo That’s Big In Character
At Naples Zoo, you have a lot of planned activities, and there are many programs for kids. Absent are the huge waiting lines and swarm of people. Naples Zoo is a much more intimate zoo, where it’s possible to get closer to the animals.
When people envision Florida, they first think about Miami Beach, or Disneyworld and Epcot Center. Or, perhaps the wild parties that go on during spring break in Ft. Lauderdale. However, for those traveler’s who want to get away from it all, and enjoy a place to relax, or even a little solitude, they head to Naples in Southwest Florida.
There are many things to do in Naples, Florida. From open air shopping in Venetian Bay, to art galleries, to seven miles of quiet, white sandy beaches and seashore, there’s something for everyone. However, Naples Zoo is a must see for Naples visitors.
Naples Zoo is a nonprofit, nationally recognized zoo. It spans over 40 acres, and is a favorite with all tourists who visit.
Founded in 1919 by Dr. Henry Nehrling, the area was first home to a botanical garden. Dr. Nehrling was a fervent conservationist, who helped raise and protect wildlife and a multitude of plants. Located just across from Coastland Center, Naples Zoo still sports a large botanical garden, and many rare animals.
Naples Zoo Program Highlights
Safari Canyon Presentations
A combination of videos and clips of animals in the wild, which features Planet Predator. You get a chance to see carnivorous animals. Watch them hunt on the big screen, and then see some of the same animals live.
Leopard Rock
Nothing but an inch of glass separates you, and your family from both spotted and black leopards. This is your chance to get up close and personal with these beautiful, but dangerous cats. This is a really great experience for kids to be so close to such animals.
Primate Expedition Cruise
This is probably the highpoint for many at Naples Zoo. You take a boat ride to see the primates. There are monkeys, apes and lemurs. The primates are all situated on small islands in a natural habitat setting. They are free to roam, jump, climb, play and relax. The boat slowly circles the islands and gets close enough that you get a great view, and can take really nice photos.
Alligator Bay
This is a nice place to watch alligators in a natural environment without having to take a trip to the Everglades. Watch as they swim, get fed, and lay in the sun.
Serpents: Fangs & Fiction
This show has snakes, tortoises and lizards. Learn all about how these animals live and hunt. The program also discusses people’s fears of some of these animals. You may be one of them
Fish Feeding
The Naples Zoo has many areas designated for feeding fish. Kids and adults can get close to the water and feed the fish as the fish wait for food.
Kids Areas
There are three areas for kids to swing, climb, slide and practice their balancing skills. These are great places for kids to be kids. If they get tired, or bored from looking at all of the animals, these are places to take them and let them unwind.
In addition to the above programs at the Naples Zoo and all of the other animals on display, there are plenty of other animals that walk around the zoo. Ducks, birds, butterflies and others might cross your path while you are there.
Make sure you visit Naples Zoo while you are in Naples, Florida. It’s a day well spent, and who knows, you might come back for a second day.
Before visiting the Naples Zoo you’re going to need a Rental Car in Fort Myers. Regal Car Rental provides pre-owned cars for half the price you would pay anywhere else.
Regal Car Rental of SWF
17030 Alico Commerce Court Ste 301
Fort Myers, FL 33967
(239) 566-3643
Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers Florida
How about trying something a little different on your next trip to Southwest Florida. Fort Myers is a fantastic place to spend your winters, and that’s exactly what Thomas Edison and long time neighbor Henry Ford used to do.
When you visit the Edison & Ford Winter Estates at 2350 McGregror Road in Fort Myers Florida you’ll find yourself transported back to a time of a bygone era. The property has been kept in pristine shape and provides a first hand look at the lives of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison.
When you tour the property, the first thing you’ll notice is the early twentieth century architecture. You’ll be surprised to discover innovations which most modern homes still don’t have, which is exactly what you would expect from homeowners like Edison and Ford.
For you swimming pool buffs, you’ll have an opportunity to see one of the first modern cement swimming pools ever build by Thomas Edison over 100 years ago. The pool is constructed of Edison Portland Cement, which Edison has over 40 patents having to do with its development and production.
The next thing you’ll notice is the beautiful gardens surrounding the property. Edison’s botanical garden is populated with over one thousand varieties of imported plants from all over the world. He originally created the garden so he could test the byproducts of the plants which he used in many of his experiments. Today, the garden is loaded with tropical plants from all over the world.
For those of you who are more scientifically minded, you’re going to go gaga over Edison’s Fort Myers Laboratory. This is where he and his staff conducted experiment after experiment researching the botanical plants found in his garden. The lab is filled with the original equipment Edison used for his experiments. Oh, and make sure to ask your tour guide about how Edison, Ford and their friend Harvey Firestone collaborated to create latex for tires using goldenrod when the price of rubber soared in the late 1920′s.
The property offers more than just a walk through of an old home and garden. The price of admission gives you access to their 15,000 square foot, air conditioned museum where you will have an opportunity to see for yourself why Thomas Edison is considered one of the most prolific inventors of all time. You’ll see permanent exhibits on display sampling Edison’s work including the voice recorder, x-ray machine, telephone, cement, rubber, telegraph and home appliances including the toaster, irons, light bulbs and more.
This is one of those, “Can’t Miss” trips you’re definitely going to want to make while in Southwest Florida. Having an opportunity to walk back in time and get into the heads of two of the most influential men in history is priceless.
The property is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day of the year except for Christmas and Thanksgiving Day. Admission fees change based on age and venues, and they even offer group rates for those of you traveling to Fort Myers in a group.
Before visiting the The Edison and Ford Winter Estates consider renting a Discount Rental Car in Fort Myers. Regal Car Rental provides pre-owned vehicles for half the price you would pay anywhere else.
http://www.regalcarrental.com/discount-car-rental
Regal Car Rental of SWF
2125 Victoria Avenue
Fort Myers, FL 33901
239-566-3643