Recently, one of my clients came to me with an easy and practical idea to develop his network on Twitter and Facebook – such a great idea that I thought I would share it all with you (with his permission of course.)  Spencer Beck is the owner of Heaven’s Best Carpet Cleaning in St. George.  He is an excellent marketer, and he also does an outstanding job cleaning carpets.  Remember when we discussed using the back of your business card in one of my posts from a few months a go?  (The Bare Facts About the Backside)  Well, this is an example of how to put the back of your business card to excellent use.

Spencer came up with a great offer/incentive to join his Facebook and Twitter network, and put all the necessary information on the back of a business card making it simple, easy and rewarding for his customers to stay in touch, how can you apply the same or similar idea to yours?

In business, you cannot afford to allow your professional image to become outdated, it is important to keep up.  Here is an example of a logo from “The Drawing Room” that was ready for a makeover.  The client (who is a talented and professional home designer I highly recommend if you are in need of one) asked me to update her logo with the suggestion that I do something  3-D, which is a great idea, as, if you spend any time on the internet you will see that the “bubble”, “shadow”,  “3-D” look is very hot right now.  See the two examples, both which happen to be from Skype.

Ideally you don’t want to completely change your logo.  If you are trying to brand your business as part of your marketing plan (and who isn’t?) then it is important to maintain continuity and you certainly don’t want to lose the past progress you have made getting your identity/logo recognized.  An update such at this one for “Drawing Room Plans” maintains the original concept but gives a fresh and current look.

If you would like to reach Amy Trujillo at Drawing Room Plans please visit her website here.

I have the blessing of being able to actually do, as a profession, something I love.  I am extremely grateful for that.  The process of meeting with a client, discussing their needs and their vision, and then coming up with a tangible, creative, practical, well designed result that meets or, better yet, exceeds their expectation really “floats my boat” as the expression goes.

Graphic design is where my creative itch usually gets scratched (I am full of similes today I guess.)   But yesterday I did something different – a diaper cake for a friend’s baby shower.  I had a vision for how I wanted it to look, and I shopped at the dollar store and assembled all my components and put it all together.  TA DA!  I am really pleased with the way it turned out!

Though I really don’t do much in the craft department as a general rule. I found much enjoyment, again, in the process of bringing an idea that is just rattling around in my head, into reality.  The novelty of doing something different than what I am used to made it even more fun, and reminded me how broadly I can apply my creativity if I choose to.

What do you love to do?  Is there a way you can apply your talents in a broader sense than you are right now?  Could you make a profession of it?  If you can you will derive a tremendous amount of satisfaction in your work and I can guarantee you that you will deliver a better product or service to your clientele.

(If you want instructions on how to make a diaper cake contact me and I will send them to you.)

One of my earliest memories as a child was studying the monkey bars.  There was a way to go across from rung to rung without really letting go of one to reach for the next, and there was the true “monkey style” which was swinging from rung to rung – perhaps even skipping a rung to reach for a further one.  I was envious of those who were brave enough to swing – it seemed very daring to me.  Finally I screwed up the courage to try it, and wonder of wonders – I did it!

It is difficult to stray out of our comfort zones, (we might fail, and there might even be witnesses) yet we look at those around us who seem to effortlessly glide through territory that seems very daunting to us.  We have a choice to make – stick with safety or reach out for that next rung.  I am still not much of a risk taker by nature, but I have discovered that when I feal fearful, and out of my depth the best thing I can do is say to myself  “Hm, I feel scared – that’s okay (and nothing new) – I am going to move forward anyway – in small steps.”

Small steps are manageable and create momentum. I have been pleasantly surprised at what a difference they can make.  For example, the biggest client I currently have was acquired from one small step.  I was a vendor at a very slow trade show with not much traffic.  So, I decided instead of sitting there waiting for people to come to me, I would get up and network with other vendors at the show.  This was a scary step for me, I would have been much more comfortable staying right there in my seat than approaching perfect strangers, but I made myself do it anyway -  I limited it to only seven people, that was manageable, then back to my seat.  The one small step I took that day formed a relationship that has paid off in spades.

The common expression is “don’t sweat the small stuff.”  But my advice – going ahead and sweat the small stuff – push yourself and take those small steps. You never know – you could be swinging “monkey style” before you know it.

“Every person who works from their home should have a tax diary. This diary shows that you are working to make a profit. This is especially important if you are an independent contractor for any type of MLM, or network marketing company. It shows you are in business to make money; that you are not just a hobbyist who happens to make a few bucks.

A tax diary keeps track of WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY you conduct business. Work can include calls to clients, business lunches, time spent paying bills, and of course time spent writing on your blog. It also includes thinking time while you come up with great digital marketing ideas, or research time spent to see if you want to be an affiliate for a certain program.”

Getting audited would be a nightmare.  Not having your information together would multiply the misery exponentially.  The Tax Man is just about the scariest monster I’ve ever heard of, how about you?  Read the rest of Julie’s advice here.

I have just a few points to add.

1.  Think very carefully about your customer’s perspective and what is going to be most appealing to them.  Sell the sizzle, not the steak.  I am not saying to be deceptive, this is usually a matter of emphasis, for example  “John’s Expert Massage – I am trained in all types, I am very experienced!”  vs. “Shed Your Stress! Spend just one hour with John and you will depart feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.”  Can you see how different the two approaches are?  The former is you telling them about you, the latter is addressing what benefit is there for them. (Go with the latter!)

2.  Spice up your headline and copy if possible.  In my example here I changed the headline from “How to Create an Effective Poster” (yawn) to “How to Create a KILLER Poster” (I know I have this scary theme going on, but what can I say? Halloween is coming!)  You want to try to come up with some wording that will create a emotional reaction, that will get more attention.

3.  Be sure you have a “call to action”.  In my example, I want them to “visit our blog”.  Maybe you want them to “call now”, or “stop by and see our new widget”.  And, of course, be sure to include your contact information.

4.  Don’t go crazy with your colors either.  See the example – I used black and red – throwing a bunch of random colors in will create a chaotic look. (We already discussed this in regard to fonts and artwork in earlier posts, but the same is true of color – less really is more.)

5.  Get some feedback.  Show it to a few people and get their feedback – they may catch something or have some great suggestion  you haven’t thought of.

Well, that about covers it!  By the way, the info in this series of posts is going to apply to most graphic projects, it is not really limited to just posters and flyers.  If you study and apply these general principles they will take you far in improving and evaluating your next design project.  Let me know how it goes!

I charge exactly the same price to print both sides of a business card as I do to print one, other printers may charge slightly more – but you are getting twice the marketing space – use it!

Suggested content for the backside of your card:

1.  If the front of your card is getting crowded or busy then put some of your info there.

2.  List your services or products.

3.  Put your mission statement.

4.  Put a referral incentive there (i.e. give this card to a friend and receive a free widget or discount on your next service, etc.)

5.  Put your favorite quote on there (business appropriate of course).

A business owner won’t always hire the prettiest applicant for the job (tempting as it may be) he hires the one that is qualified to get the job done. It might be helpful to evaluate your marketing materials from time to time the same way you would your employees.  Ask yourself some of these questions:

1.  Is my employee past her prime? (Are my materials up to date and fresh looking, or do they look old fashioned and boring?)

2.  Is my employee trained to do their task most efficiently. (Do you have the right content presented in a way that is easy to absorb by your customer?)

3.  What is the history of this employee? (Have they been successful in the past, if not – why?, if so – why?)

4.  Does this employee present the image I want to project for my company? (See, looks do factor in here to some degree!)

5.  What kind of feedback have I received about this employee from my customers – how can he improve? (You may want to ask your clients directly for feedback  – what is memorable? what stands out? A fresh perspective can be very valuable, especially if it comes directly from your target market.)

Depending on how you have answered these questions you might have to “fire” your current printing/marketing/advertising materials if they are not performing to your expectations, or perhaps you only need to freshen them up and revise – just make sure they are pulling their weight and doing their job.

Have you ever heard the expression “If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, its a duck?”

It has taken me longer in my life to learn that lesson that it probably should have.  That applies to my business life as well.  It is very important to listen closely when your intuition tells you something.

Recently, I had a client for printing and graphic design, that I just had a bad feeling about.  However, I talked myself out of doing anything about it, after all, it was just a “feeling” and, I told myself, maybe he is just not my kind of person, doesn’t mean he isn’t a good person, just not my style.  Which is not all that bad of a rationalization really, because I don’t think you should base you actions ONLY on intuition – just listen carefully and act accordingly.  What I should have done was taken some reasonable steps to protect myself – which I could have done.  Instead I talked myself out of doing anything, because deep down, I really want to believe that everybody is nice, keeps their promises, pays their bills and if I treat them with integrity, they in turn will treat me the same way.

Alas, I have found to my very great disappointment that this is not true.  This particular lesson cost me $1600 and a lot of frustration – ouch!  I will be more careful in the future.

Why don’t they make more movies like this?  There was no car chase, no removal of heads or other body parts with accompanying copious blood flow, no evil plot to destroy the world (Well, I do have to admit a couple of lobsters did meet their maker).  I absolutely loved it.

Why?  Okay.  First of all, I love butter, I mean, I really really do.  Both heroines of this movie love butter.  That is almost enough reason alone for me to love this movie – but there’s more.  This movie is about two women who had a dream, set a goal, and followed through despite difficulties, set-backs and naysayers.  They each also had people – actually these people were MEN (can you believe that!), actually these people were their husbands (seriously!) who supported them, encouraged them, and rejoiced with them as they each reached their goal and found even more success than their wildest dreams.

I left this based on true events movie feeling not only entertained, but uplifted. I just wish there were more movies available to see like this. Okay, it was kinda a chick flick but I have seen enough car chases to last me 10 lifetimes.