Local Northeast Ohio Firm Expands with Help from New Web Development Tool
Walking Stick Communications to Develop Web Sites with Content Management System, siteMpower
June 5, 2003 (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio): At a time when many businesses are struggling to survive, Walking Stick Communications, a full service Ad agency and Web Development house, continues a pattern of growth that started late last year. Comparing fourth quarter and first quarter to the previous years, Walking Stick's revenues have increased over 130 percent. This year alone, the company has moved into a new Northeast Ohio office space, re-branded itself and hired another graphic Web designer.
The company attributes some of that success to the introduction of its new Web site content management system, siteMpower. A powerful Web-based tool, siteMpower enables a company to manage its Web site content with simple edit functions within the site and requires absolutely no knowledge of HTML or other Web programming software. Since its introduction last September, siteMpower has been fully implemented into two sites (www.applied.com and www.ovc.edu). Walking Stick is now in progress or has contracts with three new Northeast Ohio companies for the tool – Marc's, Scorchers Casual Eatery & Draft House, and Strickland's Frozen Custard. “ The companies that are utilizing siteMpower are perfect examples of the main benefits of the product,” said Matt White, Vice President/Marketing and Client Services. “They each have either multiple locations or multiple divisions within the company.” siteMpower allows a company to distribute the responsibility of managing the Web site content among various employees, or “administrators,” and can set different parameters for each administrator – “some may have rights to edit only, some may have rights to approve, some may only be able to view certain parts of the site,” explained White.
Because the system does not require Web site programming knowledge, anyone can be an administrator. “The interface is easy to navigate and very intuitive,” said Marty Davis, Director of College Relations at Ohio Valley College. Administrators are assigned a login and password, and once logged on, changes are made right on the site – from editing existing text and inserting pictures to uploading attachments and adding new pages. “Our Web development team has been amazed at how easy the siteMpower system is to manage the content on our site,” said Davis. Click here for a complete case study of the OVC project.
Each customer will require different levels of functionality and design, and siteMpower offers various package levels for almost any budget. “When clients purchase siteMpower, they’re getting more than just a great content management system,” noted White, “they’re getting the highest quality Web site design and marketing expertise, as well as ongoing service and support.”
As the Northeast Ohio company grows, it expects to not only improve upon the Web content managment system, siteMpower, but also to possibly add new products to its offerings. “We’re excited about the growth we’re seeing now, but we’re not going to stop there,” cautioned White. “In order to remain successful, we need to be constantly improving and offering better and more services to our clients.”
Walking Stick Communications is a Northeast Ohio full service advertising, design and marketing and Web development firm based in Cuyahoga Falls. Established in 1997, Walking Stick has developed online and off-line solutions for such clients as Diebold, Tribute Software, Applied Industrial Technologies, Tri-Source Title Agency, MEDGroup, and Hinkley Lighting. Walking Stick is located at 414 Portage Trail, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221. For more information, visit www.walking-stick.com, www.siteMpower.com, or call 330.923.7708 or 866.340.8179.
