Why Small Businesses Matter in Fairfield: Michael DeMartin of Designsite Interviewed in Hamlet Hub
Hamlet Hub is a popular Connecticut-based community website, meeting the demand from community residents to know what is going on in their town. Their “Places” section features interviews with community business leaders. Michael DeMartin, founder of Designsite, a website design, branding and digital marketing firm based in Fairfield talks about starting the business and why Fairfield matters. Following is the interview.
Why Small Businesses Matter
Shop small, do big things for your community
Why Small Businesses Matter puts a spotlight on the local merchants who donate their time, talent, goods, and services for the betterment of our community. The shop local movement spreads virally as local businesses who are “tagged” have the opportunity to share their story!
You're IT Designsite!
Four questions with Michael DeMartin, founder of Designsite.
Why did you start your business?
Melissa and I come from a New York City agency background with clients like Pepsi, IBM, and Panasonic. We started Designsite when we moved to Fairfield, and our goal was to bring that same level of quality to startups, nonprofits, and small businesses – at a fraction of the big agency budget. This model has worked out well and it’s always our goal to help grow our clients’ businesses with expert website design, digital marketing, and branding.
What is your best-selling product/service?
Our best-selling product or service is website design. We use Squarespace to build beautiful and cost-effective websites that reflect our client’s brand and personality. And every website we design incorporates expert search engine optimization (SEO), so our clients reach a wider audience and rank at the top in Google search. Our clients love Squarespace because, after our job, they find it intuitive and easy to manage their website, which saves them money.
How many local businesses have you worked with and can you name them?
Oh my gosh, we’ve worked with so many Fairfield businesses and there’s nothing better than helping them to succeed. Sometimes we’ll drive around and see our logos on vans and storefronts, and that’s very satisfying. All different types of businesses too. We work with the Town of Fairfield Community and Economic Development Team. We were enlisted to create a brand identity and website for their "Choose Fairfield” initiative to promote the benefits of businesses moving to Fairfield. We continue to provide digital marketing services, and it’s been a great experience. Our Fairfield clients include Drift Interiors, PT Plus Physical Therapy, Sawdust and Strata, Varsos Consulting, Walk into Wellness, Carolyn Yates LMFT, Fairfield Buy Local, Fairfield Community Sailing, RFK Development, Be Nice Today, tri Embrace, Parish Conservatories, Luxury Picnic Company, QuirkyPerk, Oceanview Pool & Patio, Gary Krebs, The Pilot House, Diversified Electronics, Schnitzler Law, H.C. Reid Jewelers, Tracie & Vicki Homes.
Have you "reimagined" your small business?
Oh yes, we’re reimagining every day! This has been especially true during the pandemic. We’ve been designing next-generation websites including online stores that offer subscriptions; enabling customers to schedule and pay for services; and now member areas for creating classes, training, and group workshops. These have been great ways for our clients to help monetize their websites and create new revenue streams.
