25
Jan

Blogging for Business: What Can YOU Tell Customers the Competition Can’t?

The advice is everywhere: You should be blogging about your business! But how does a small-business owner get started? What do I write about? And who has the time? As I’ve written before (see “Three Reasons Your Website Needs a Blog”), blogs are no longer online journals. They are easy-to-use formats for giving your customers/clients, both current and potential, chunks …

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14
Jan

Do You Know Your Target Audience as Well as the Tourism Folks in Jerome, Arizona Do?

Some places advertise their sunsets or beaches. Others promote their hiking trails. Or local wineries. Or ski slopes. Or great shopping and nightlife. The historic (and, some say, haunted) mining town of Jerome, Arizona welcomes visitors with the announcement, “ROAD OPEN 365 DAYS A YEAR.” What a great example of knowing your target audience!

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28
Oct

Viral Marketing and the Samsung Safety Truck

“Doing well by doing good” is a cliché. But like many such overused phrases in marketing and advertising, just because “doing well by doing good” is a cliché doesn’t mean it’s untrue. Samsung’s recent initiative to lower road fatalities in Argentina, and the corresponding “Samsung Safety Truck” video, is a good example.

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10
Aug

3 Ways to Manage Your Social Media Efforts

So you’ve figured out which social media outlet or outlets are the best fit for your business and your target audience. As a small-business owner or sole proprietor, you probably haven’t figured out how to squeeze 25 hours into a 24-hour day! Here are a few ideas for finding the time to maintain your social media presence.

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13
May

Design Pick of the Week: Fields of Ambrosia

Using animal and insect symbols in graphic design is a highly effective way to connect a product or service with nature. We see how effectively this can be done with my current Design Pick of the Week: Fields of Ambrosia. Founder Deborah Jasien has been crafting her all-natural bath and body products in North Conway, New Hampshire since 2001.

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29
Apr

Design Pick of the Week: Rindge Recreation Department

Government entities aren’t usually known for their interesting logos. Which is why the dynamic logo for the Town of Rindge recreation department really stands out! The designer who created this logo replaced the letter “I” in the town name with a character whose wide open arms reach to the sky. The figure’s simplicity gives a sense of motion, openness, and …

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22
Apr

Design Pick of the Week: Spa Ambiance

The website for Spa Ambiance in Rye, N.H. announces, “Nature, science, luxury… enhance your life.” What it does not mention is that inspired design can do the same thing – if only for a moment! Watch the logo for Spa Ambiance “fill in” on your screen and you too will be mesmerized. The visual is as soothing as watching waves …

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