Custom Web Design
- WordPress
- Squarespace
- Wix
- Weebly
Web Development
- Full Stack: client-side and server-side framework
- jQuery and JavaScript
- CSS
- HTML5
- PHP
- MySQL
Graphic Design
- Branding
- Logos
- Website and Social Media Assets
- Animation
- Apparel and Print
- Brochures and Catalogs
- Posters, Postcards, and Business Cards
Advertising & Marketing
- Google Ads
- Managed more than $1 million in annual budgets
- Organic SEO
- Google Partner since 2014
- Paid Social
- Email Marketing
- Video Production
New Websites
WordPress • Wix • Squarespace • Weebly
Design, development, content management, SEO, and managed hosting.
HTML, CSS, APIs, PHP, MySQL and JavaScript.
Graphic Design
Adobe CC 2024 pro, animation, motion graphics, and more.
Photography and Videos
FAA licensed drone pilots, aerial photography, drone photography, and more.
About Sierra Blue
Sierra Blue is a full-service creative agency based in East Sacramento, CA. With roots in Lake Tahoe and the San Francisco Bay Area, Sierra Blue is a small, agile, yet seasoned agency that competes with much larger agencies, but at a fraction of the cost.
Prior to the recent pandemic, Sierra Blue kept overhead low by operating from a home office, telecommuting, and using SAAS and cloud technologies. Also, with experience in the IT space, and “things Internet,” dating back to the ’90s, Sierra Blue’s knowledge of today’s technology is best characterized as incomparable.
Over the last 24 years, I have developed a robust array of digital skills ranging from web design, graphic design, coding, marketing, advertising, photography, videography, post-production, pre-production, networking, etc.
How did the name, Sierra Blue come about? In 2013, I completed a large marketing contract with Google and then decided to rebrand my web digital media agency.
I chose the name Sierra Blue out of reverenace for places like Bishop, Lone Pine, Independence, Bodie, Bridgeport, Homewood, Olympic Valley, Truckee – the places I learned to ski and fish alpine lakes and swift cold streams.
As I became a young man, I returned to the Sierra Nevada more and more. The Sierra Nevada holds a special place in my heart so it was an obvious choice for me.
About CT
My name is Ché, but in business, I’m known as “CT.” Below is my professional experience in a nutshell.
• 1997 – Freelance web designer.
• 2000 – Contract designer with the California Legislative Data Center.
• 2002 – Managed Sacvibe.com, the largest concerts and events website in Northern, California at this time.
• 2006 – Purchased Sacvibe, serving over 1 million pages monthly to a dedicated user-base of some 30,000 locals.
• 2006 – Luanched Webduty.com – a web and print design company.
• 2013 – Worked as a Google Specialist at the Google Winter Wonderlab.
• 2014 – Became a certified Google Partner.
A few notable projects.
Sacramento Zoo
Google for Nonprofits Ad Grant managment. Wrote and published online ads and provided monthly Analytics reports. Increased grant from $120,000 to $480,000 annually.
Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera
Complete branding and website overhual, designed new branded collateral marketing materials, and created the new logo.
Sacramento Superior YMCA
Produced radio commercial for summer swim program.
Branding, scripting, voice-over, social media campaign, and supporting creative print assets.
Crocker Art Museum
Google for Nonprofits Ad Grant managment. Worked closely with marketing staff to ensure upcoming events were properly marketed and advertised. Also increased their annual grant to $480,000.
California Legislative Counsel
Web design and graphics for leadership in the State Legislature. Worked without supervisorial oversight. This project launched my career as a professional webmaster.
Spread the word about your nonprofit’s mission, engage new supporters, fundraise in more ways online, more when you join Google for Nonprofits.
You walk into a casino. The pit boss hands you a box with $10,000 in chips and says, “This is our gift to you. You can only spend it here, and whatever you make, you keep. Whatever you don’t spend, comes back to the house, but I’ll give you another box with $10,000 in chips next month – for a year.”
This program consists of 2 primary parts: a $120k annual ad grant and Google’s powerful Workspace.
√ $120,000 annual in-kind donation for advertising.
√ Google Workspace (fomerly G Suite).
√ 100TBs secure storage.
√ 100 participants in video conferences.
√ Security admin controls.
√ Tech support by Google.
A few of notable nonprofits I’ve worked with include:
The Sacramento Public Library, the Crocker Art Museum, the B Street Theatre, The Sacramento Philharmonic, and the YMCA.
Google for Nonprofits official site.
Search Engine Optimization
Sierra Blue’s captain began working in the SEO space with Google in 2002. His website at the time, Sacvibe.com, ranked #1 for so many terms, large media companies courted him to purchase the domain including KCRA and The Sacramento Bee. Sierra Blue’s fees for SEO are based on the value of your desired ranking and the performance of upgraded SEO. For example, if your company
With the flooding of the Internet by Artificial Intelligence, (AI), it is imperative more today than ever for content managers and SEO professionals to stay informed about best practices, especially as published by the authority on the subject, Google.
Book a Zoom with me.
Real Reviews
Not copied and pasted. These live reviews populate via a dynamic application using an API tied directly to the Sierra Blue Facebook Page.
In My Words (the Blog)
Topics include Lake Tahoe, festivals, technology, SEO, Google, nonprofits, Sacramento, and anything remotely intresting and related to Sierra Blue.
Marketing with Video
This is a marketing video (demo) for consideration to be installed in a resort lobby in North Lake Tahoe. The client is interested in doing this for winter, but I suggested we get something up before August 2021 so have something to show advertisers.
How to Start an Online Shop for Free.
Social distancing became the new normal in 2020, the print-on-demand (POD) industry has experienced tremendous growth. Most analysts agree that the 44% year-over-year growth will continue well past 2021. In this video, I explain the essential tools I used to launch...
Vlog for January 2021, Video Conf., Google Grants, and Social Media Personalization
3 Quick Reads to Help Accelerate Your Business 2020 didn't change how business is done, it simply accelerated it. Here are the "3 Biggies," to watch for in 2021. Rapid expansion of the use of video conferencing. Running a nonprofit? Why aren't you getting your...
Zoom vs Google Meet
Zoom or Google Meet? I use both but there are some differences. Zoom does things Google Meet can't, and Google Meet does things Zoom can't. Zoom's popularity begins with it's ease-of-use. Google Meet is popular because it doesn't require a download on most popular...
Google Grants
Google Grants is easy and fast. I've helped dozens of nonprofits apply and manage the $120,000 annual in-kind donation as well as setup and learn how to use Google Workspace (formerly G-Suite). Both offerings come with every approved application. That process...
Social Media for Business: 2021
Personalized Media There are many social media platforms, and even more tools within each one for business. This article focuses on one powerful tool that can be used on any major social media channel. A study by University of Texas showed that personalization helps...