Monthly marketing sync with Quarra Stone. Melissa Cusumano (Asymmetric Director of Operations) led a walkthrough of the Quarra Italia website design, which received approval from the client. Karly Oykhman covered SEO/ad performance metrics, blog content pipeline, and email marketing setup. The call closed with a discussion of Q4 priorities: process streamlining and quality lead generation.
Attendees:
- Melissa Cusumano — Asymmetric (Director of Operations)
- Karly Oykhman — Asymmetric
- Avokerie Onorimuo — Asymmetric
- Lincoln Durham — Quarra Stone (external)
- Lauren Pomaranski — Quarra Stone (external)
info@quarraitalia.com with BCC to sales@quarrastone.com for visibility.The homepage design was walked through live during the call. Key structural decisions:
| Section | Decision |
|---|---|
| Hero | Static image of artisans at work; no rotation needed |
| Services | Two pages: Artisanal Carving; Architectural/Historic Restoration |
| Projects (homepage) | 2 artisanal + 2 architectural sample projects |
| Projects (full page) | Two-column grid with category filter |
| About | Placeholder copy; will draw from Cervieti studio history + Quarra acquisition narrative |
| Quarra Italia account (Cervieti by Quarra) | |
| Language selector | EN, IT, FR, DE, ES |
| Contact form | → info@quarraitalia.com, BCC sales@quarrastone.com |
| Blog | Links out to Quarra Stone blog; no separate Italia blog |
Plaster mold collection — Lincoln flagged this as a key differentiator to feature on the artisanal service page: Cervieti holds what is understood to be the largest private collection of plaster molds in the world, plus the capability to create new clay models and molds for custom carving commissions.
Next build steps: Melissa will mock up one service page and the project page. Once those receive client approval, the project moves to the developer. No hard deadline set by client.
Asset pipeline: Lincoln will engage Fede (artisanal) and Gigi (architectural) to supply project photos, names, and bios. Lauren to coordinate outreach and shared Drive folder.
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Domain Rating | 34 (+3 points — significant given weighted scale) |
| Organic traffic | Up |
| Organic keywords | Temporarily down (Google indexing fluctuation; expected to recover with continued blogging) |
| AI Citations (Google SGE) | 2 citations added; FAQ sections in blogs are the primary driver |
| Impressions & Clicks (6-month trend) | Upward trend; average position improving |
Domain rating context: the scale is non-linear — gains become harder at higher numbers. DR 34 is solid; DR 50+ (e.g., Rock Solid) is excellent. A paid service guaranteeing DR 40+ exists at $250 total, but client elected to hold off given current momentum.
| Metric | Value | Benchmark | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Click-through rate | ~5% | ≥5% = good | Slightly down from prior period but still at benchmark |
| Cost per click | $3.39 | ~$1.00 target | Elevated, but acceptable given high project values |
| Lost impressions (budget) | Some | — | Budget ceiling limiting top-of-page share |
| Lost impressions (rank) | Some | — | New landing pages; rank score will improve over time |
Lead quality from the sales inbox has improved since marketing efforts began. Client confirmed frequency of new inquiries is up.
| Blog Title | Status |
|---|---|
| Traditional vs. Digital Fabrication (Custom Commercial Stonework) | Approved — Lincoln made edits in Surfer; ready to publish |
| Evolution of Stone Carving: From Hand Tools to Precision Machines | Approved — no changes needed; ready to publish |
| Stone Art Ideas: Inspiring Creations in Marble and Granite | In review — Lincoln switching to Google Sheets for edits |
| Remaining September blog(s) | Pending Lincoln review |
Process note: Lincoln prefers to review all blogs before publication to catch factually incorrect or strategically misaligned language. He acknowledged he is a bottleneck and committed to moving faster. Preferred workflow: edits directly in Google Sheets, then notify Karly when ready.
| Guide | Status |
|---|---|
| CNC / Digital Fabrication E-Guide | Finalized |
| Traditional Stonework E-Guide | Lincoln nearly complete; sending to Karly soon |
| Fine Arts E-Guide | Pending written content approval |
Account engagement infrastructure is set up and an email template exists. The next call will be dedicated to a full email strategy session covering:
- Segmentation approach
- Email content plan and cadence
Email signature standardization is a separate but related initiative. Lincoln wants a company-wide HTML signature (not an image file) that is:
- Embedded (not an attachment)
- Fully clickable (phone, email, URL as separate links)
- Responsive across desktop and mobile
- Deployed uniformly across all employees (not left to individuals)
Lauren is coordinating with Veeth (Quarra's IT company). Veeth's current position is that each employee must make the change individually; they will provide instructions. Asymmetric can assist if Veeth does not resolve. Melissa noted this is a known pain point across organizations regardless of email platform.
Lincoln's stated priorities in order:
Asymmetric will use this framing to rework strategies and ensure alignment heading into 2026. A revised strategy presentation is planned for a future call (not the next one, which will focus on email).