Hey Charleston!

Wingspan Marketing is a small WordPress Development company specializing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for businesses in the Charleston, SC area and beyond.

Since early 2007 I have been working with small businesses and non-profits to build a strong robust presence on the web. Here are a few of my past and present clients.

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Time To Sign For It, Finally

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Today I finalized my paperwork for the State of South Carolina and officially became the “managing member” of Wingspan Marketing LLC located in Summerville, SC. WOOHOO!!!

It has been a crazy road so far to get to this point but I believe I’m ready to take this new challenge in my life. I have to say that credit is not do to me or anyone else but my Savior. I would have never made these decisions without Him guiding every step of the way. Sometimes it felt like He was smacking my legs to stay on track while others He seemed to be carrying me on His broad shoulders. Ether way, I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that Wingspan Marketing LLC and every project it produces is only done because of a loving and caring God.

That being said, it was still an incredible feeling to walk into the bank today with my 4 year old, Matthew, and sign the paperwork to open up my business account. Proud, would be a good word to describe it.

In 2007, when I was asked by the Pastor to head up the website ministry I would have never dreamed that I would be doing web development full time.

I know many people have had their LLC since they were 3 and this really isn’t that big of a deal to them. That is just it though, it is a big deal to ME and my family. I can see how this will give me a platform to work from.

I feel as if I am wearing spikes for the first time on a wet golf course or cleats on a freshly watered soccer field. The traction that this paperwork seems to give me is just what I needed to take the next step.

Even bigger things are in the works than I had ever previously thought were possible.

November 2, 2011 in Analytics, Blog, Email Marketing, Hosting, Site Optimization, Social Media Marketing, Wordpress Development with 1 Comment

Structure Of A Good Article

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Good article writing starts with a sound structure. Anyone can write articles. Everyone has either an experience or an expertise that could help so many people.

Most leaders I know have expressed to me the desire to share this information through a blog or an email newsletter. They end up not doing anything because they just can’t seem to pin down what a good article looks like.

In the hopes of encouraging everyone to write, here are 3 key characteristics of good articles. I have noticed these 3 common traits on the most popular blog articles.

  1. A Solid Title – Every good article begins with a solid title. By solid I mean one that leads people to read the article not tricks people into it. Be creative but don’t be manipulative.

  2. 250-500 Words – I have yet to find anything worse than an article that takes 3,000 words to say 300 words worth of important information. There are some articles that require a long explanation, but overall, blog articles that succeed seem to always be below 500 words.

  3. Keep It Simple – The most effective blog articles are written on a very basic vocabulary. We all know you can use big words the right way. It’s impressive, (I mean that) but it usually distracts from your purpose. After finishing your article reread it and try to simplify your wording so that more people can understand what you are saying.
    If you have to use and uncommon word make sure you give a definition. The definition will help the reader understand what you are trying to say.


These are only three basic characteristics of good articles that I have witnessed. Of course, there are many exceptions to these but overall they really do describe the fundamental aspects of a good article.

Have you been waiting to write article for you business or personally? Give it a shot. Pick a good title, keep under 500 words, and keep it simple.

If you follow these three principles you’ll be well on your way to being an encouragement and influence to many people online.

What are some of the exceptions to these three characteristics?

February 10, 2011 in Blog, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Wordpress Development with 0 Comments

Using MailChimp ReubenEwert.com Got 90 Subscribers Fast

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ReubenEwert.com is based on a 40+ year preaching ministry. Mr. Ewert came to me asking if I could help him incorporate all his devotionals, bible studies, and sermons from an analog format into a digital platform. This would allow him to continue caring for his wife while still being able to share the message that has been ingrained on his heart.

We immediately loaded WordPress on his server and installed The Standard Theme. Using the WordPress platform and the Standard Theme framework we were able to go live in a short amount of time.

After a bit of brainstorming, a lot of strategy talking, and a ton of funny conversations we came up with an effective plan. It involved MailChimp and his monthly devotional series called Biblical Living.

We chose MailChimp because they offer a free plan that no one else in the email marketing industry can touch. We created the PDF from his paper devotionals and uploaded it to the media library of his WordPress blog.

Next we asked the nice monkey to send out a link to the PDF after someone signed up for the list. He was happy to do it. (It’s fun to talk about MailChimp as a real monkey, try it.) We then added a subscribe page to the site and BOOM!, done and done.

The next part of our strategy was all on Reuben Ewert.  He had to learn how to use Facebook and reconnect with the thousands of people he usually saw every year. Within 30 days his numbers went from 75 friends to 1200+. I still remember the conversation I had with him about not getting discouraged. I said “now listen, adding friends to a social network is not easy, it takes time. Don’t be discouraged if you only have 25 people added each month.” HA! He just smiled and nodded and went to work.

When we began sharing the news about the devotional it was slow going but as soon as January 1st hit the subscribers just continually rose. We saw an increas of 75 people in the first 30 days. Our original goal was 25 subscribers in 3 months. Again, he just took on the project like nobody’s business.

He and Mrs. Ewert recently moved to North Carolina so the activity on the blog has been down while he adjusts to the new home and church but I know he is chomping at the bit to get back on the site and start pumping out some great articles again.

This is just one example of using the right tools, good strategy, and hard work to grow a community online. I’m looking forward to seeing how this property grows and encourages thousands around the world.

Got a question about using MailChimp? Leave it in the comment section below.

Maybe you’d like to get something like this going?�� Let me know, I’d love to talk about it.

February 9, 2011 in Blog, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing with 0 Comments

The Best Church Marketing Tool: Communication

sochurch church communication tool

Communication in the church is the most important part to having an effective online marketing campaign. Here is an introduction to one of the best tools out there to manage your church communication. SoChurch
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January 17, 2011 in Blog, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing with 0 Comments