BERLIN– Clean, simple cross-platform websites are the mission statement of Sprout Creatives, one of the latest businesses to take advantage of the resurgent downtown community.
Founded in 2007, the company moved to its new location on 29 Broad Street in July.
CEO Paul Starkey brought his design background as Art Director at Ocean City Today to the business, offering web development, internet marketing, graphic design and branding, and commercial printing.
“This is just something I always did,” he said. “I saw a niche – a possibility – and just moved on it.”
Sprout spends roughly 85 percent of its time on web development, specializing in Adobe Business Catalyst. Business Catalyst uses active data centers by Amazon Web Services and includes third-party integration with services including Google Contacts, QuickBooks and eBay.
“It’s an all-in-one platform,” said Starkey. “We provide ongoing maintenance for our clients included in our monthly charge. Most people don’t have the time to mess with their websites, so we take care of everything.”
The Adobe software essentially works as a virtual storefront for businesses, including online shopping carts, email marketing and up-to-the-minute tracking and analysis.
“We also embed social media in the sites,” Starkey said. “We can have your tweets pop up in there, we can have your Facebook page, and if you have a blog you can have people comment through that or through their Facebook page right on the site.”
Sprout clients include Joseph T. Dashiell Builders, Inc., Hotel Rehoboth, Habitat for Humanity of Worcester County and the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center.
“I’m all about clean and simple designs,” Starkey said. “I don’t like to junk up stuff. When we get a project we try to pigeonhole their customers into one of three different groups and address their needs in a specific and direct fashion.”
Sprout-designed websites are also responsive, meaning they adapt to the user whether they are viewing the site on a desktop computer, a laptop, tablet, phone or other device.
“That’s very important,” Starkey said. “It’s important to have a website, but it’s important to have a responsive site because everybody is on their phones or on their tablet. If your site is not formatted right you could lose somebody.”
Starkey also cautioned against cheaply made websites, or those designed through one-size-fits-all web builders.
“There’s a lot to web design now that’s not really known,” he said. “It’s not just about putting pictures and words together – it’s about an overall structure. What’s in your copy is very important, and if you don’t really talk about your subject you’re not going to get indexed as well as you could.
“It also makes your business look more professional,” Starkey continued. “I think people do get a first impression from a website, and it’s very fast. Most sites people are only on (a website) for eight, 10, 12 seconds.”
The company shrewdly moved to Berlin, a block away from Main Street, hoping to capitalize on the “Coolest Small Town” buzz.
“I’ve lived here since ’84,” Starkey said. “We like Berlin. It seems to be up-and-coming, it has hip people, and I think they would dig what we do more than somebody that lives in another town.”
For more information call 301-537-8500 or visit www.sproutcreatives. com.
Founded in 2007, the company moved to its new location on 29 Broad Street in July.
CEO Paul Starkey brought his design background as Art Director at Ocean City Today to the business, offering web development, internet marketing, graphic design and branding, and commercial printing.
“This is just something I always did,” he said. “I saw a niche – a possibility – and just moved on it.”
Sprout spends roughly 85 percent of its time on web development, specializing in Adobe Business Catalyst. Business Catalyst uses active data centers by Amazon Web Services and includes third-party integration with services including Google Contacts, QuickBooks and eBay.
“It’s an all-in-one platform,” said Starkey. “We provide ongoing maintenance for our clients included in our monthly charge. Most people don’t have the time to mess with their websites, so we take care of everything.”
The Adobe software essentially works as a virtual storefront for businesses, including online shopping carts, email marketing and up-to-the-minute tracking and analysis.
“We also embed social media in the sites,” Starkey said. “We can have your tweets pop up in there, we can have your Facebook page, and if you have a blog you can have people comment through that or through their Facebook page right on the site.”
Sprout clients include Joseph T. Dashiell Builders, Inc., Hotel Rehoboth, Habitat for Humanity of Worcester County and the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center.
“I’m all about clean and simple designs,” Starkey said. “I don’t like to junk up stuff. When we get a project we try to pigeonhole their customers into one of three different groups and address their needs in a specific and direct fashion.”
Sprout-designed websites are also responsive, meaning they adapt to the user whether they are viewing the site on a desktop computer, a laptop, tablet, phone or other device.
“That’s very important,” Starkey said. “It’s important to have a website, but it’s important to have a responsive site because everybody is on their phones or on their tablet. If your site is not formatted right you could lose somebody.”
Starkey also cautioned against cheaply made websites, or those designed through one-size-fits-all web builders.
“There’s a lot to web design now that’s not really known,” he said. “It’s not just about putting pictures and words together – it’s about an overall structure. What’s in your copy is very important, and if you don’t really talk about your subject you’re not going to get indexed as well as you could.
“It also makes your business look more professional,” Starkey continued. “I think people do get a first impression from a website, and it’s very fast. Most sites people are only on (a website) for eight, 10, 12 seconds.”
The company shrewdly moved to Berlin, a block away from Main Street, hoping to capitalize on the “Coolest Small Town” buzz.
“I’ve lived here since ’84,” Starkey said. “We like Berlin. It seems to be up-and-coming, it has hip people, and I think they would dig what we do more than somebody that lives in another town.”
For more information call 301-537-8500 or visit www.sproutcreatives. com.