A WELL-CRAFTED SITE: ESSENTIAL FOR ANY BUSINESS

A web site is really the most effective marketing tool around. Plain and simple.

70% of people go online before making decions to go somewhere. Not convinced?

Here’s what else it can do for you ….
- Build Awareness. Let your customers find you. Don’t spend countless dollars trying to reach them. Internet searching is among the top ways that customers find the products and services they need. If you’re not on the web, they won’t find you.

- Reach more people. On the web your customer base is virtually unlimited, much unlike traditional advertising.

- Build Interest. Web sites are far more cost-effective than traditional advertising and you can do a lot more with them. Provide more information, make it an experience for the visitor with interactive elements and attractive design and you’ll grab attention.

- Show off. On the web, it’s OK to show off. Rich imagery, video, even virtual tours are just the beginning of what you can do to show off what you offer.

- Encourage Action. Have a product to sell? With a web site, you can sell to customers around the world, not just those that visit your store. You can also make it easy for potential customers to contact you. A contact form is much less intimidating than a phone call these days.

- Room for Growth. Your web site can grow with you. With a click of a button you can update your information, share your latest news and promotions. And a web address is short enough to go in any advertising you may be doing, driving customers to more information.

- Level the playing field. Wanna play with the big boys but never thought it possible? A well-crafted, professional web site evens the playing field and can help you compete with some of your larger competitors that you always thought were out of reach.

That said, it’s not enough that you just have a web site. Your site needs to be attractive and professional, and that’s where Mellon & Co. can help. But don’t take our word for it. Check out this article, Why You Need a Web Site, from entrepreneur.com for more about the importance of well-designed web sites.

Ann McCauley, an emerging Women’s Literature author, has released her second novel, Runaway Grandma. This release is out on shelves and online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and is soon to be on her new Web site.

Mellon & Co. is working with McCauley to promote her new book, as she has increased sales ambitions from her debut title, Mother Love. Currently, a new Web site, printed media materials, and public relations efforts are underway.

Runaway Grandma is the story of 70-year-old Olivia Hampton, a widowed, retired school teacher who fakes her own death and moves to a distant state because she suspects her son is plotting to have her declared incompetent to gain control of her finances.

“With my experience in psychiatric nursing, I’ve seen that somehow, older people have become categorized as a stagnated group waiting to ‘check out,’” McCauley said. “The boomer generation seniors, however, will force us to change the way we view the elderly. This fascinates me, and gave me inspiration for writing this book.”

McCauley added that she knew from an early age that she would be a writer someday.

“I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t reading,” she said. “Words and stories were things I could always count on.”

Growing up on a farm as the oldest of seven children, family was “the tapestry of my childhood,” the author recalled.

“There were always cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends coming and going,” McCauley said. “I spent a lot of time, for instance, visiting my grandparents in Pennsylvania.”

She now lives with her husband, while her parents still live on the McCauley Family Farm where she was raised.

Prior to taking the plunge into her writing career, McCauley worked as a mental health nurse for 15 years, having earned degrees in nursing and psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and continued on to be a pharmaceutical sales representative.

After retiring from many years in the medical field, McCauley took her husband’s advice and finished the book she had begun writing.

She has since come to know Madison Avenue Publishers, an independent publishing company, who has published her work.

Getting the first book into print was the icing on the cake, and it left her wanting more.

“I’m obsessed with writing,” McCauley said. “It’s like a virus I can’t shake.”

Her third book, It Happened On Willow Lane, is ready for publication, and a fourth book – a nonfiction piece co-written with her husband, entitled Finding Your Balance in a World of Addiction – is in the works.

McCauley’s most recent title is available in bookstores throughout New York and Pennsylvania, as well as online retailers.

January 18, 2008 - The Tech Services division of Mellon & Co. has become a Lenovo Solution Partner. This is great news for technology customers, as it presents a wealth of new opportunities for access to high quality equipment, with avenues for saving time and money.

Lenovo is the third largest technology provider in the world. In adding Lenovo as a provider, Mellon & Co. is further equipped to assist customers in finding the perfect solution for technology needs.

Mellon & Co. Director of Tech Services, Toby Lindberg, said of the partnership, “As a Lenovo partner, we will now provide solutions from two world leaders in PC and Server products. The nice part of being authorized retailers with Lenovo is that we will never be required to sell customers more than what they need, and we’ll be able to provide a customized system at a fair price, whether it is a new PC for the home, small office, or corporate server.”

He went on to explain that Lenovo isn’t run on a commission-based system, so there are never inflated rates for products purchased through their partners.

Mellon & Co. is a full-service marketing, web development, and tech services company with offices in both Ellicottville and Olean, New York.

Lenovo, the third largest technology provider in the world, designs, manufactures and markets some of the most innovative and award-winning PC products available. Systems are backed by IBM service and support and are products you can be proud to sell.

For further information regarding Mellon & Co. and Lenovo products, contact Toby Lindberg, toby@mellonco.com, or at our Olean office, 716.372.5996.

January 11, 2008 - The opening lines in this week’s New York Times article, New York’s Overlooked Ski Resorts read: “Do you know which state has the most ski resorts? It’s not Colorado, Vermont, Utah, California or New Hampshire, though those are the usual suspects. The answer is New York.” It goes on to mention Holiday Valley:

“It’s not as if New York’s resorts are considered inferior. Among the most devoted skiers and snowboarders, New York’s winter resorts are far from a secret. In Ski Magazine’s most recent annual ranking of Eastern ski resorts, Whiteface Mountain outside Lake Placid came in No. 3 and Holiday Valley in Ellicottville was No. 5. Only two New England resorts, Smuggler’s Notch at No. 2 and Stowe at No. 4 (both in Vermont), were ranked higher.”

Check out the New York Times latest mention of Ellicottville in the January 11th article.

January 8, 2007 - The question has been posed about Ellicottville more than we can count… “Doesn’t this place feel great?!” It sure does, and now it looks great! Mellon & Co. and the Ellicottville, New York Chamber of Commerce have enthusiastically unveiled the newly designed look and feel for the village’s web presence today.

After months of intense marketing research, planning, and design, an image that communicates Ellicottville’s relaxed and funky, yet elegant atmosphere, is open for the public to see at www.EllicottvilleNY.com. With this new layout, visitors will find comprehensive information, as well as some really great scenes of the village in action during ski season, as well as the warmer months in Western New York.

The main focus has been, and will remain, to show the world Ellicottville’s versatile and unique nature. Ski Magazine said it best, as you’ll find on the welcome page, “Ellicottville’s funky community, two ski resorts, deep ski history, and quaint downtown combine to create and eastern gem in Western New York.”

The team at Mellon couldn’t agree more, and look forward to being by the chamber’s side as they enjoy success in their marketing endeavors. See for yourself at www.EllicottvilleNY.com.

With the onset of our new office in Ellicottville, we’ve seen a shift. With our marketing front in our Ellicottville office, much of our tech work is coming through Olean. This leaves us with one lingering problem… not enough space.

To make room for even more tech capacity, as well as some extra space to bring our marketers into Olean, we’ll be moving into a bigger space in Olean.

Starting in early 2008, you’ll find us at 2438 Constitution Avenue. Until then, if you want to visit us in Olean, it’s still 1606 West State Street. Ellicottvillians, don’t worry, we’ll still be in suite 5 at 1 Washington Street.

We’ll be issuing a press release to make it official news, so stay tuned… and be sure to stop by and see our new place later this month!

Just a quick note to brag a little bit about a fellow marketing team member. Heidi Ofinowicz just finished her Master’s after going through an intense two year program full of writing, designing, presenting (and more presenting), and most of all, the fantastic repetitive winter drives to Buffalo (and by fantastic, I mean terrible).

The great part about it is, Heidi gained awesome experience that she brings to the table to put into our projects. At the top of the list hails trips to San Diego, England, and China. With lots of travel and hard work, Heidi wins the “good egg” award!

Trust me, I know all to well, as I did the same thing just a few years ago… so this is my whole-hearted shout out to Heidi, not only congratulating her on her degree, but on her persistence (because I know, first hand, that it takes a lot of it)! You can read the factual details over on our news page.

Kate

January 7, 2007 - Mellon & Co. has been working with The ReHabilitation Center, a local non-profit, and has recently launched its new web site after several months of planning and execution.

The corporate site was created to be a resource that is simple and intuitive for users, as well as a tool for branding the organization. Mellon & Co. also created a site for The ReHabilitation Foundation, which is an entity to raise funds and support for the organization. Additionally, a pro-bono project to donate design and marketing for a parents’ self-advocacy group is slated to go live for early 2008.

The ReHabilitation Center is a successful, non-profit organization in Olean, New York that helps people with disabilities, based on the values of Positivity, Innovation, Integrity, Learning, Loyalty, Accountability, and Respect.

Take a peak at the full projects by visiting www.rehabcenter.org or www.rehabilitationfoundation.org.

We’d like to take a moment and congratulate one of our team members, Heidi Ofinowicz.

In December, Ofinowicz completed a Master of Arts degree, finalized with a thesis on Integrated Marketing Communications for Creatrix Development. She completed her degree through Saint Bonaventure University’s program, offered at its Buffalo, New York graduate campus.

Ofinowicz has been with us since she started working as an intern in 2006. She will proceed working full-time with further responsibilities in marketing and account management.

We’re proud of her accomplishments, and are excited about her increased involvement with our company!

Hello, Everyone this is Jeff Mellon, the founder and owner of Mellon & Co. I would like to invite you come in a look around our new website. You will find that our creative professionals have been quite busy creating our new look and feel for the site.

Our focus was to make our site easier to navigate, as well as to express who we have become in our journey to provide metropolitan style services in a our quaint community. Looking for a fresh approach? Give us a call. Thanks for stopping by our site!