Project: NW Stone Guide

Welcome back! Coffee's always on around here. Pull up your favorite chair and a grab a cup. Enjoy your visit today! And don't forget to stop back by again soon.

Today I’m going to talk about a project currently underway for my husband. Now, this topic might not excite you but please don’t discount the value of what I’ll be sharing here for that reason. You may just find a couple of things that could be modified to fit your business.

Last week I mentioned a new website called Northwest Stone Guide that I’m creating on behalf of my husband. Well, this project has now morphed into the main project plus a secondary project on Landscaping so I thought I’d share the process I’m using to get everything in place.

I find it’s helpful to organize things right from the beginning so each piece can be kept on track from day one. After discussing exactly what my husband had in mind, we brainstormed business names and corresponding domain name ideas. Neither of us liked the same thing so we took my husband’s favorite and my favorite and mashed them together to come up with Northwest Stone Guide. I then purchased northweststoneguide.com, uploaded WordPress and the Launchpad theme so the site would be live (and not an advert site for my hosting company or a blank page), added a FeedBurner feed to the theme, then set to work on the next phase.

Over the course of the last week, I did some minor research for local things we could include as well as information, photos and other materials that will ultimately make the site we envision.

Next steps include:

• Contacting local businesses. I’ll asking them if they’d like to be included in our directory. There will be headings for Builders, Stone Wholesalers, Granite Fabricators, Tile Craftsmen, Architects, Interior Designers, Landscapers and probably other categories as well.
• Writing content. Since the site will be an informational site about all things relating to stone (granite, marble, travertine, slate, etc), we plan to include info on each of the common types including where it comes from, how it’s processed, what the major uses are (countertops, flooring, etc) and other info that people often ask when they’re considering using these materials in their homes.
• Newsletters and mailing lists. I’m not entirely sure, but I think we may offer a couple of newsletters and mailing lists. Some will be targeted to the service providers who will use the site and others to homeowners and other people who come looking for recommendations and such.
• Monetization. Right now, the idea is to monetize using Google Adsense and that type of thing. However, I am also toying with the idea of paid adverts as well. This way, businesses will get more exposure and allow their companies to be featured on the main page as well as in their category listings. And I’m thinking of having both a free and a paid directory. The free directory will simply list the company website and contact info. And the paid directory will allow the company to have a larger listing although I’m not sure what all info will be included. That part is still in development.
• Miscellaneous. We are tentatively planning to create a short ebook of some kind that will be free to download. This will be aimed at homeowners who are looking for more info about using stone either in new homes they may be building or remodels of their current homes. It’ll include info on how to pick the right contractors and fabricators as well.

Once all of that stuff is figured out and configured on the site, I’ll make it live. Actually, I’m planning to make it live as soon as I have contacted enough local businesses and written enough articles to make the content worthwhile to people who might find the site. At that time, I’ll also start advertising it and of course, any business that has agreed to a listing will get some promo stuff they can pass on to their clients. I’m hoping to have the website live by mid-April, sooner if at all possible.

If you’re in the Seattle area, check the site out. All that is there right now is a placeholder with an RSS feed subscription or email subscription. Go ahead and sign up so you’ll get updates as soon as things are announced.

For a more complete list of projects, see the post from March 10, 2008 “Exciting Things Ahead.”

Design is the topic for tomorrow! See you then!