When I’m working with a client to either create a new brand or reimagine their existing one, a common question I hear is, “What’s the difference between graphic design and branding?” Conflating the two is an easy mistake to make. After all, when people think of brands, they think of logos. Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Nike… All of these brands have logos that instantly identify them. At a glance, a customer knows everything about those businesses, just by seeing their logo. However, logos and other graphic components are only one part of branding. As I’ve said in the past, think of a…
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When you’re a small business owner, your whole life is DIY! I remember as a kid, DIY usually meant fun “arts and crafts!” Boy, those days are long gone. As an entrepreneur and small business owner, I’ve learned that DIY means precisely that: do it yourself. Since you are often the only employee at your business, everything falls to you. For a lot of small business owners, that’s more than okay! People like us can be kind of “control freaks.” I know that I love having control over all aspects of my business! Not only does it save on the…
Read MoreLet me ask you a hypothetical question. Imagine you are looking for a virtual assistant to help with your small business (a fairly good bet, seeing as you’re here right now). You narrow your choices down to two VAs. To make your decision, you bring up their websites. Both of the sites look good. They are cleaned and polished, not looking dated at all. There are lots of services offered, some solid testimonials, and the graphics and copy are all high quality. Ah, but then you visit the “Blog” sections. In one of them, you see that they haven’t updated…
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Have you ever heard the old saying, “Show, don’t tell”? Visual and graphic design is an absolutely essential part of any company’s branding. Without an attractive visual element, a brand is simply words on a page. With great graphic design, a brand can pop and get into the minds of potential clients and customers alike. Unfortunately, many companies tend to put the importance of graphic design on the back burner, either believing it doesn’t makes a huge difference or feeling that they can do just as good a job themselves. This kind of thinking can make or break a business.…
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Does this situation sound familiar? You’re a small business entrepreneur, doing it all yourself. You have a big project due by the end of the day that only you can work on. Unfortunately, you also have to post your company’s social media, finish up writing a blog post, sort through your emails, and build a sales page. And that isn’t even counting the hundreds of distractions that can occur throughout the average business day. How on earth are you going to get your big project finished with all of those little, non-specialized tasks in your way? The answer is that you…
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If you do a search online, you will find that there are countless Virtual Assistant companies out there, each with their own specialties and strengths. There are Virtual Assistant firms that cater to huge, multi-national corporations and ones that specialize in specific industries like finance. When you are looking for a Virtual Assistant company as a small business entrepreneur, you need to make sure that you are getting one that can handle all of your business’ needs, has a solid amount of experience, and charges a reasonable price. You also want to make sure that they are flexible enough to…
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Have you ever wondered what makes the difference between a great email marketing campaign and an unsuccessful one? A successful email marketing campaign depends on many factors, from the size of your email list, to the products or services you are promoting, to the service you use to send them out (I use Mad Mimi, for the record). Designing a great email marketing campaign isn’t easy! But one of the most important parts is the content that you include in it. We aren’t just talking about advertisements here, we are talking about genuine and interesting content that will get your…
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For a small business owner, taking a vacation often depends on staying ahead of clients’ needs. You can’t afford to let things slip or have radio silence reign in your absence. I’ve always found that clients appreciate an entrepreneur who makes every effort to maintain continuous service no matter what time of year it is. However, that doesn’t have to mean skipping your vacation(s)! Some clients are wonderful, and understand that everyone needs a break now and then. Others may have (unrealistically) high expectations and not want to see any break in the service they receive from your business. You…
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“A picture is worth a thousand words.” Boy, how about that old cliché, huh? It’s just one of those phrases that gets thrown around, without any real through as to what it means. Well, I am going to reclaim that phrase because it is a truly fantastic piece of advice for small business owners. When you are talking with a client, even if you are engaging, interesting, and are offering them something really special, there is a chance that they might not be fully listening. That’s the problem with words, it can be easy to get lost in them. If…
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Have you paid much attention to Pinterest lately? It may not have the immediacy of Instagram, but it’s still a very important social media platform for small business owners! Pinterest combines visuals with powerful organizational and search capabilities. Content uploaded to it can still go “viral” like Instagram and Facebook posts, but also has more staying power and is easier to find months or years later. [Tweet “Pinterest is an incredible visual search engine that functions differently from other social media.”] I’ve personally used Pinterest to great effect for my businesses. I’ve gained followers on multiple social media platforms, and…
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