Archive for the ‘marketing’ Category
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
Spring is right around the corner, although it seems like it’s been here for a while already in the Northeast! In anticipation of warm breezes through open windows, here is one tip to clean the cobwebs out of your web site:
Take the Blink Test. Look at a page of your web site for 5 seconds, then close your eyes. (No fair peeking!) Do you remember clearly seeing and understanding what your value proposition to your customers is? No?
People’s attention span when scaning a web page is about 5 seconds to find if there is anything of interest to them. If your business’ value is not immediately apparent to your visitors, they will move right along to another site. it’s time to clear out the “junk,” and focus on making your message focused and memorable.
Tags: branding, marketing, web sites
Posted in marketing, Web Design | Comments Off
Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
If you were getting ready for a first date, you would probably take a shower, splash on some cologne or spritz on perfume, brush your teeth, fix your hair and dress attractively. (If you wouldn’t do these things, you can stop reading right here, because what follows won’t help you!)
That’s great – you want to make a good first impression. But if you follow that with conversation that is all about YOU, the warm and fuzzy feeling will vanish pretty quickly. Your companion will leave feeling that you’re nothing but a conceited, egotistical person, and there will be no second date.
(more…)
Tags: marketing, networking
Posted in Branding, marketing, networking | Comments Off
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
Less than a year ago, JCPenny (excuse me, that’s lowercase jcpenny now!) rebranded, using the winner of a contest for the logo design. Apparently that didn’t work out so well for the retailer, because tomorrow, jcpenny will be rolling out yet another re-branding effort. Who would have thought that holding a contest for a re-branding wouldn’t be as effective as hiring an experienced branding professional??! I’m shocked, I tell you.
So now, jcpenny has rolled out another branding effort, with a new logo design, along with a “simplified” pricing strategy (that, frankly, still sounds rather complicated to me). (more…)
Tags: commercials
Posted in Branding, Corporate Identity, Logos, marketing | Comments Off
Friday, January 13th, 2012
Last summer my mother moved from her home into an assisted living community. Since her house would be empty while it was being renovated and on the market, I needed to get vacant property insurance, plus renter’s insurance for the assisted living apartment into which my mother had moved.
I called the local insurance agency she had done business with for 18 YEARS for her home and auto, and left a message for her agent to call me back. And then I waited. And waited. And waited some more. (more…)
Tags: branding, marketing
Posted in Branding, marketing | Comments Off
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
It’s that time of year, when we look back at the year drawing to a close to see what piqued people’s interest. These are the top 5 posts viewed in 2011; interestingly, all but one of them had been written before 2011.
- Logo Design for Dummies – And Thieves
- Boston Ballet Re-Branding
- Leave It To A Professional
- Every Little “Bit” Counts
- Kissing For Good Logo Design
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!
Posted in Advertising, copyright, Corporate Identity, design, Logos, marketing | Comments Off
Monday, September 26th, 2011
In early July, my mother moved from her 55+ community condo into assisted living. And since July, I’ve been preparing her condo for sale. (Do I know how to have a fun summer or what?) It was entirely re-painted, with new carpeting, all new Energy Star appliances, and shiny new plumbing fixtures installed, among other things. Finally, the condo was staged so that it looked great and was ready for it’s debut in the real estate market.
Now, what would happen if that’s where I stopped? If I didn’t let anyone know that it was for sale, didn’t market and show it? If I assumed that buyers looking for a condo for sale would just somehow find out about it? After all of the preparation and money spent making it ready, that wouldn’t make much sense, would it?
(more…)
Tags: Advertising, marketing
Posted in Advertising, marketing, SEO, Social Media, Web Design | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
A few months ago I was reading the paper when I saw an ad for my bank offering a free iPad to any new customer who opened a checking account with them. “Wait a minute!” I thought, “I’ve been a loyal customer of this bank for years!” I’ve dutifully upped my minimum balance or signed up for direct deposit whenever their parameters for “free” checking changed. I pay bills and transfer money on-line- I’m practically an unpaid employee of theirs, doing all of the work that in-real-life tellers used to routinely handle. For all of this, I’ve been rewarded by my bank with…nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Certainly never an iPad. (more…)
Tags: marketing
Posted in marketing, Small Business | Comments Off
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
My husband and I recently returned from a wonderful trip to France! Neither of us is fluent in French, but as you can see from these photos, you hardly need to understand the language to comprehend the beautifully designed storefronts and displays. They show you all you need to know about what’s going on inside! However, there were times when reading and understanding French stumped us, which brings me to chicken dancing in Paris… (more…)
Tags: communications, France, marketing, Travel
Posted in design, marketing, Small Business | Comments Off
Monday, March 21st, 2011
In this world of increasing on-line business relationships, e-marketing, and v-cards, you could be forgiven if you think that business cards are passé. But a well-thought out and executed business card can have a big impact on your clients and prospects. I’ve had prospects call me years after they first received my card because they found my card interesting enough to save. That’s an impression that a v-card just can’t match!
Even though business cards are small in size, a surprising amount of information can fit in that space. The Small Business Blog lists nine “must-haves” for every business card. And, if you need inspiration to take your card to the next level, designmess.com offers these creative business cards to inspire you!
Tags: branding, business cards, Corporate Identity, design
Posted in Corporate Identity, marketing, Small Business | Comments Off
