The Second Avenue Pier is the longest pier in Myrtle Beach, SC and has been in operation since 1938. Hurricane Hugo completely destroyed the pier in 1989. It was rebuilt in 1990, and has been going strong ever since. The Collins family felt that the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk Project would be a strong catalyst for revitalization in the area, so they embarked on a million dollar renovation plan for the Second Avenue Pier. The new project will feature a complete overhaul of the pier, a 2-story restaurant and lounge, a parking deck, combined retail and office space, plus a new hotel.

Inkhaus Creative was brought in to help create a new look & better brand awareness. The Collins family wanted an updated, abstract look & feel for the new brand. It was also important to retain the character, history & spirit of the 65 year old pier. We created 3 new logos: Second Avenue Pier, Pier House Restaurant and Pier View Bar & Lounge. Each work together to present a cohesive brand identity for the entire project, yet retain an individual identity. In the near future we will be launching a newly reconstructed website for this project as well.

If your project requires a powerful identity to separate you from the pack, Inkhaus Creative will draw on many years of experience in the areas of business, design, marketing and promotions to create a stunning visual representation of your business concept. Contact Inkhaus Creative of Myrtle Beach, SC for your branding, marketing, web design, print design, social media and SEO solutions.

Inkhaus Creative teamed up with Feed A Family to do its part this season helping families in need. We’ve donated our time & design work to create logo & web concepts and a flyer advertising the 4th Annual Feed A Family program. This charitable organization has helped hundreds of families on the Grand Strand celebrate the holidays. Working with the Myrtle Beach Hilton & its Chef, Peter Gennaro, traditional turkey dinners are being provided to over 500 families.

The Inkhaus Team has been fortunate to see their business grow & thrive during a very challenging time. While this is encouraging to us, we are aware of those less fortunate ~ doing what we love to help those who are going without is one way we can contribute. We encourage you to do the same, and invite you to be a part of Feed A Family this year!

Visit www.feedfamilies.com for more information.

So, you know what? It’s nice to get recognized!

We’ve just received notice that WeLoveWP has accepted our submission to their site dedicated to showcasing WordPress powered sites. Only about 10% of submissions are considered, and we’re proud to inform you that our client Coastal REO Solutions has their site prominently featured as one of the “Corporate” sites on the ballot.

If you’re thinking of re-working your own web presence, or need to start from scratch, take a moment to pursue all of the fantastic sites featured on the site. WordPress is quickly becoming the online solution for many of our clients, and you’ll see why.

Now, more than ever, small-to-medium sized businesses need to grow their exposure. But most businesses of this size don’t have the budget that bigger corporations do. This makes making large media buys difficult, if not impossible for most business owners. Inkhaus offers solutions through dynamic online campaigns designed especially for your business ~ once we establish your presence on the web, new avenues of communication are open to new prospective clients. You’ll be able to track your growth more efficiently, benefiting your bottom line accordingly.

Inkhaus Creative is a boutique agency. What does this mean? Above all, it means that when we take on a client, we dedicate ourselves very exclusively to that client. We feel that effective marketing means understanding your company’s needs thoroughly. We are able to achieve this through this exclusive focus on your business. Working with the Inkhaus team means more than “having a website”. It means having a customized marketing department who works to help you reach and surpass your goals.

In addition to designing & maintaining a basic web site, Inkhaus is able to offer several other invaluable services that are guaranteed to boost your exposure & grow your business. Services that include:

• Inventory Management Software & eCommerce
• SEO & professional SEO copywriting that ranks your site higher on Google searches
• Monthly & weekly Blog posts that inform, educate & draw new prospective clients
• Corporate branding that sets your identity apart from the competition
• Cross-over promotion to social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter & Flikr
• Custom eNewsletters designed to speak to your customer base

If you feel that your business is chugging along instead of racing forward, contact us to find out just what a customized marketing department can do for you. We understand that keeping up with the day-to-day reality of any business is a full-time job for anyone. Making the “big push” on marketing & promotion is our day-to-day reality. Let our team become yours.

Using a fully customized WordPress theme (no templates here, folks), we’ve created an online home for this team that towers over the competition. Vemma/Verve Associates drive their business on being able to educate and inform their prospective customers & clients. Our solution was a custom Content Management System (CMS) ~ powerful software that allows this team to edit their blog, upload streaming media & transmit their company’s message anytime, anywhere. Once we’ve set it up, our clients have complete control over the look & feel of their site. What’s truly great about this CMS software is it’s hassle-free. If you’ve ever used any word processor programs, you’ve pretty much got the hang of it! No complicated coding, programming or design skills needed!

If you browse nearly any remotely popular website today, you’ll notice a few trends common to each. Multiple authors, third-party participation, a personalized style & constant, consistent publishing. This is because a successful website is one that functions more as a community, drawing people in to not only to receive information, but become a part of the conversation. Inkhaus integrated this kind of design & function into the Vervemonkeys site ~ the result is a personal, streamlined look that can evolve as its business grows. This type of organic design is what’s responsible for the success of social networking sites like Facebook, and we’re bringing that concept to our clients’ businesses.

Allowing Inkhaus to help you host your own WordPress-driven site also means greater Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Countless, available SEO plugins allow you to choose the right tags, tell search robots what to work on, optimize your post titles and more… helping search engines like Google to find your website. What does this mean for your business? More traffic = more customers = bigger profits. And those are results that you can take to the bank! Dig what you see? Contact us today to find out how we can supercharge & optimize a custom WordPress site for you & your business!

Visit the Vervemonkeys website »

We’re proud to announce the launch of the Woody Bilton Ford dealer website. Featuring a fully-functional interactive inventory management solution, this site’s design benefits both customer & dealer.

It’s no secret that making the trip to a car dealership can be an unnerving experience for most. Most of us have only a basic idea of what we want, and the abundance of choices can be overwhelming. This is one reason many folks have started researching, and often eventually purchasing, their next vehicle online. The car salesperson’s ever-important “first impression” is now more likely to be made through their website, and not “on the lot” itself.

Take a look to see just how quickly and efficiently one can navigate through an entire dealership’s stock to find the perfect vehicle. We’ve avoided the over-used templates so common in dealership websites. Instead we’ve favored a cleaner, more powerful design. This, coupled with our Inventory Management Solution serves not only to inform the customer but helps cross-promote other dealerships within the client’s automotive group.

Customers can compare prices, sort by vehicle type, get quick quotes and even begin a credit application from the site. Dealers are able to manage changes in inventory with a few clicks. In seconds they’ll be able to print window stickers and buyer’s guides, order parts and help set up service appointments. They can even export their inventory to popular listing sites like Cars.com, GoogleBase.com, Vast.com and more.

It is nearly impossible to calculate how much time, energy and money this software can save your company. It would belabor the obvious to state how important it is for business owners in the auto industry to make the effort to do so. With this user-friendly, incredibly efficient inventory management solution, Inkhaus is ready to help bring your business to the next level. Take control of your inventory and see what this powerful software can do for your bottom line.

Inkhaus wraps up a new flier design for the 405 Lounge. View larger flyer »

Event details:
IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR @ the 405 Lounge ( formerly “Tha Bar”)… 405 8th Ave N // Myrtle Beach, SC… SATURDAY AUGUST 8TH 2009… Aug 8th, we bring you a very special event at the 405 Lounge, formerly “Tha Bar”. Help us welcome back close friend & family, Korry Picco, one of Myrtle Beach’s original house Dj’s. He tore our party to shreds on his last visit and we can’t wait to see what this night has to offer!

The previous South of the Border website was in need of a dire face lift. Inkhaus tried its own hand at design kitsch, playing off of the famous South of the Border billboards that line I-95. The move to a unique url and a custom Wordpress theme not only proved to be the answer but also allowed for greater control and usability and the festive theme gives visitors to the site a sense of the vibe of the venue ~ colorful, fun & hospitable to all.

Be sure to check out the custom SOB blog that we created and share a comment on your enjoyable memories of Pedro &  South of the Border!

Our task was to develop a brand with a highly professional look. We started with a logo, establishing a corporate identity. We assured the brand would be visible in a competitive market by producing print ads for various major publications. Then Inkhaus designed a media kit brochure and a powerful website that will help define Coastal REO Solutions as the leading asset management company along the coast of the Carolinas.

Inkhaus develops brands by first understanding the client’s priorities. Coastal REO Solutions needed to have the power to provide updated bank-owned property information on their website. Our solution was to develop a searchable custom MLS real estate database that would meet their expectations and needs.  Not only does the website provide the user with a comprehensive & accessible list of bank owned properties, but also allows us to search the entire MLS with custom features, such as:

• Save and track their favorite properties
• Powerful advanced MLS search options
• MLS search results w/ Google mapping
• Property slideshows
• Handy tools such as a mortgage calculator

In addition to these powerful web features, the site has a blog allowing the client to keep customers updated with local and national REO news. The entire website is custom developed in Wordpress, allowing the client to easily update their web content. Inkhaus can truly customize your website to meet any of your needs and requests.

Coastal REO Solutions is developed & driven by innovators who refuse to allow the market to determine their fate alone. Inkhaus is proud to have a partnership with such a company, and we look forward to a long & lasting relationship with tomorrows market leaders.

At Inkhaus, we don’t ‘play favorites’ with our clients. Each have their own set of needs, concerns and ideas about what it takes to move their business forward. It is our job to listen, learn & develop marketing & design concepts that make sense to both the client and the target audience.

However, not all clients are created equally ~ Some make a point to be as involved as possible in each stage of what we do. Others are just as happy to allow the Inkhaus team to build & develop an effective marketing campaign for them. In either case, we are equipped to bring the best ideas to light, growing them into effective campaigns that translate into dollars & cents for our clients.

Jason Ellis is a prime example of a client who is ‘hands-on’ in all the right ways. He takes the initiative to bring us ideas, and has the professional sense to allow us to help develop them into successful strategies. Unafraid to try new ways of communicating (check out his Myrtle Beach Home Blog) and connecting with his client base, Ellis has managed to generate business in an extremely competitive & difficult market.

We designed the LS Real Estate website last year, focusing on a clean design that could inform potential customers quickly & efficiently. Ellis needed a way to inform his existing client database ~ customers & potential clients who elected to receive information from LS Real Estate via email. Inkhaus introduced him to our powerful web based email marketing software.

Custom subscription forms, real-time stats on your client base, personalized mailings & time-sensitive autoresponders are really just the beginning. Once we’ve set up this software ~ tailoring it to your business & your database ~ you’ll have a virtual in-house marketing department at your command. This allows you to move forward with marketing concepts that are better informed and equipped to succeed.

What does this mean for our bottom line?

It means getting the most for our time & money. Ellis’ email newsletter campaign is an attractive, informative vehicle designed to deliver his business’s message with a sense of urgency. The best prospects as well as the loyal repeat customers get the pertinent information quickly & stylishly ~ You just gained an in-house marketing dept that knows your business and its needs.

Contact us to find out how we can bring your business the marketing results you deserve.

View full poster »

Little City Musical Theatre Company was recently given Charleston City Paper’s Best of Charleston 2009 award for “Best New Musical Theatre Company”. It is no small feat to generate this kind of brand awareness in a market known for its abundance of performing arts groups. That’s why Robbi Kenney, LCMT’s Artistic Director & President, decided to keep going strong with the company’s branding campaign in having Inkhaus design this event flyer & poster.

Showcasing a unique series of performances in one of Charleston’s most hallowed dining institutions ~ McCrady’s Restaurant ~ Kenney needed a design that would deliver both the message of the event’s details, as well as bring modest attention to the recent accolades shared by both Little City & the venue, respectively. We decided to bring in a little of the ol’ “Broadway Magic” in designing this piece, tipping our hats to the cabaret style with this eye-catching look.