Posts Tagged ‘tips’

WordPress Resources

Tuesday, June 26th, 2012

GREAT HOW-TO TIPS ON USING WORDPRESS
Stuck writing a post or editing a page on your WordPress site? Help is on the way! WordPress.com has a ton of “how-to” content to help you accomplish what you need. Here are a few resources to get you started:

 

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Business Practices, Design Tricks and Tips, Uncategorized | No Comments »

How to Weather an Uncertain Economy

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Weather an uncertain economyIn the current economic climate, companies may be tempted to scale back on their marketing efforts. For gosh sakes, Don’t! Now, more than ever, you need to get your message out to current and potential clients that your doors are open for business and that you’re doing just fine. If you simply must cut back on funds for marketing, here are five inexpensive solutions to get your message out (in fact, do these even if you’re flush with cash, they’re just good sense!):

  

1. Network. Show up early and often to business networking events and start meeting potential clients or making connections with people who can benefit your business. Print a busload of business cards and pass them out like candy on Halloween night.
2. Send out an E-Newsletter. The start-up fees and monthly dues are very affordable. Once you have your template, it’s a breeze to update and send on a regular basis. Just make sure that your newsletter offers a real value to your subscribers, or you’ll quickly end up in their spam box. Consider, for example, a coupon for goods and/or services.
3. Blog. Keeping a blog helps your company to be found organically through the search engines, and lets people know your areas of expertise. Write about current projects, upload industry white papers, show examples of your work, stream video, and much more! Mix Creative’s blog (through WordPress.com) is completely  free!
4. Update your Website. Archive your e-newsletters on the site, add an e-newsletter sign-up form, update your client list/products/portfolio and get rid of out-of-date information.
5. Focus on Customer Service. Remind your customers through excellent service why your company is a good value. It’ll increase both your repeat customers and your referrals.

Tags:, ,
Posted in Business Practices, Marketing your Business | No Comments »

Proofing tips

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Proof reading is a critical, yet too often neglected, step in graphic design and production. Carrie Chase at CTI Paper Group offers some helpful tips in a recent e-zine article that came into my inbox. Here’s an excerpt:

Ideally, we’d all have someone else proof our advertising and marketing copy. Let someone else—anyone else—be responsible for signing off on that final proof before it’s forever set in print. Unfortunately, there isn’t always someone else, and even when there is, you should proofread your own copy carefully.

Don’t find out the hard way whether or not your career can withstand a $12,000 mistake.

Follow the ten tips below, and sign off on that final proof with confidence.

Click here to see her ten proof reading tips!

Excerpt reprinted with permission from CTI Paper group. Thanks!

Tags:,
Posted in Design Tricks and Tips, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Join us Oct 28! eNewsletters:Database & Design Tips

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Join us next Wednesday, October 28th; 11:15 AM- 1:30PM

Need help getting started with your eNewsletter design?
Need help with building and compiling your database?

This hands-on class will focus on design & database best practices. In this class you will learn the following:

  • Incorporate your brand into the design elements
  • Design your eNewsletter optimally
  • Compile and build your database

We will look at the different types of templates, the pros and cons of using them and take a look at some examples of design dos & don’ts.

This class is presented by email marketing expert, Katrina Hase of Mix Creative and technology training expert, Rebecca Metz of Modern Inconveniences.

Cost: $45, includes take-home materials

To register, click here

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in News from Mix, Speaking/Events | No Comments »

Get the most out of business conferences

Friday, September 5th, 2008

I recently attended a conference for design business owners in Chicago hosted by HOW magazine and Marketing Mentor. Returning to Minneapolis, I feel invigorated with new ideas for how to run my business, how to provide better service to my clients, and how to eek out some more free time for myself. Now that I’m back, how can I continue to get my money’s worth from the experience? Here’s some things I’ve done that you may want to try:

1) As soon as possible, summarize key points from the conference and create a checklist of goals to meet from things you’ve learned

2) In a related item, at the conference we filled out a postcard addressed to ourselves with a list of goals we’d like to meet in the next 6 months. The conference organizers will send it to us at that time so we can check in on our progress. You can do this yourself with Google Calendar and setting a reminder email for 6 months out.

3) Collect business cards from people you talk to at the conference. Write notes on the card to remind you of your discussion. When you get back, make sure to enter their cards in your database and follow up with emails or phone calls. Leave communication open-ended so you’ll have continued contact.

4) Go through the handouts and goodie bags right away. Make note of vendors that may be useful, take advantage of any time-sensitive special offers that may interest you, and then discard the rest. Chances are you’ll NEVER look at the stuff again! (Don’t forget to keep well-done promotional materials as samples to communicate with your designer).

5) Take advantage of follow-up materials for the conference. In our case, the conference website has an ongoing Blog with video from the conference, taped presentations, hand-outs and more.

One thing I noticed at this conference versus others I’ve attended: you take more advantage of opportunities when it’s on your own dime! If you’ve got employees that you send to conferences, take care to assess their motivations for attending, set goals together for what they hope to get out of it, and hold them accountable for reporting back on what they’ve learned. Consider holding a post-conference bag lunch meeting for them to present photos, ideas, and materials from the conference.

Tags:,
Posted in Marketing your Business | No Comments »

Marking Milestones

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

As Mix turns one this month, it’s got me thinking about celebrating company milestones. Beyond a simple sentimental acknowledgment, anniversaries can be the perfect occasion for marketing your company and focusing your goals. Here are some ways you can mark your company’s milestones:

  1. Use anniversaries as a time to review your accomplishments and set goals for the coming year.
  2. Trumpet your accomplishments! Update your website or send an e-newsletter to let clients know about important goals you’ve met, and how that benefits them. Customers and new prospects like to know they’re doing business with experience and know-how.
  3. Been in business 10, 15, 20 years or more? Congratulations, you must be doing something right! Don’t assume your customers know your company’s successful history. Create an anniversary version of your logo or add a tagline to use in your marketing materials. Use it on employee t-shirts, buttons, or other promotional items too.
  4. Have a party! Hold an open house for your customers at your space. Thank them in person for their business.
  5. Create Anniversary Promotions. Hold a sale, have a coupon, or even a prize drawing to celebrate. Make sure to advertise the promotion: Send a direct mail postcard to your, follow up with a print ad and create an announcement on your website’s home page.
  6. Take advantage of free publicity. Send a press release to publications your customers or prospects subscribe to. Be creative and make it interesting to get it picked up. Try a publicity stunt: hold a contest to make sculptures out of your product, or perhaps create a giant version of your product.
Mix created a 10-year anniversary logo for Peapods Natural Toys and Baby Goods.

Mix created a 10-year anniversary logo for Peapods Natural Toys and Baby Goods.

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in Marketing your Business | No Comments »