Tag Archive: social-media
I never really used Foursquare and had heard about it only briefly. But a few weeks ago, I decided to start using it and see what it is all about and how it can help out your company.
In a nutshell, it is a “Check In” application that you would install on your phone. Each time you are literally anywhere, you “Check in.” I am still very new with the lingo and am trying to just use it from a “user” standpoint right now. I haven’t been on their website to learn about all the business pro’s you can get from having customers “check in” when they are at your establishment. What I am liking and quite frankly getting addicted to is “Checking In” everywhere to see what specials if any that business might have. It’s like a little added bonus to walk into Hy-Vee and get a deal on something that you wouldn’t normally.
I have built up my following of friends who are also using Foursquare and I can pretty much tell you where they are at most days. That being said, I don’t think I would allow too many people to follow me if I don’t want them to know where I have been! I have earned badges based on my check ins and I am already the Mayor of my own home. I have checked into there the most so not surprising I am the mayor…
You also have the option of connecting your Foursquare account with your Facebook and Twitter account. If you wanted, every time you check in somewhere, it will post it on your Facebook or Twitter accounts. Great free marketing for those businesses!
If you haven’t used the app, I think you should. It is a fun little free addiction and sometimes you can find good deals that you otherwise wouldn’t get!
Every week I go to a networking meeting and have been doing so for almost a year now. I speak about my business very brief each week. I had the opportunity to speak about my business one other time, for about 10-15 minutes, before today. Many of these people have even met me for coffee. Today however, I REALLY got a clear message in regards to my business.
No.one.knows.what.I.do.
There, I said it. I realized that I work my tail off and am struggling to find new business leads because I am not educating my potential clients or my potential clients referrals. That is big problem given that I run by almost 95% referrals. So this post today and the many going forward are going to be geared to help you understand what it is I do.
Although my company is called Graphic Design 26 (also realized I maybe should change that today… another blog post though…) I do so much more than just graphic design. I graduated with a Marketing degree from ISU (Go Clones!) and my main love and passion is and will always be marketing. I get marketing; it is natural for me. I am also a salespersons dream customer as I can be suckered into almost anything! That being said, I can also sell almost anything to anyone. You just have to figure out how that product can help them. Many times that will be in ways they didn’t even realize they needed.
I create logos and illustrations, brochures, mailers, newsletters, sales collateral and pretty much any other form of marketing materials for companies any size. The difference with me is that I am going to take that piece you want created and am going to make sure your idea is the best idea to get you your end result! That is Marketing 101. I want to make sure that what you are creating (and paying for) is going to work for you. Perfect example… How many people are heading to Homecoming parades in the next couple weeks and will get the “flyers” from businesses and really, truly, read them? Not too many of us unless they are colorful and real flashy! We are going to spend more time on the pieces that we are given that we have something to do them. A bracelet, a tattoo, a magnet… The flyer is going to go in the bag with the candy and will probably just get thrown away with the candy we don’t like.
Along with the physical marketing pieces that companies need to promote themselves, they also need to be marketing themselves with some form or forms of social media. I too was in the same boat as many people and had no idea what all these different mediums of social media were or how they would benefit me. The more I have dug into them and thought about ways they can help my clients, the more educated I have become. And the more I have realized I need to use them for my own business. It is hard to not promote a business to use them, after all, many of them are free marketing! You just need to determine which ones are going to be the best fit for your objective and for your clientele.
I have created websites and maintained them for smaller companies from templates. It is how my own site was created. I have designed the look of wesbsites for bigger companies too. I don’t write code but I know a great local company that does and I work with them to make the site look and function just like I envision it.
Here is a piece that I have created recently to hand out about what I do. It is very basic but it at least lists everything I do. I hope this helps the many of you who have always wondered what I do or what a graphic designer does. I am now going to call myself a Graphic Designer AND Marketing Consultant. I think it just sums up what I do best. The good part is that once I give you those ideas, I can then do them for you. We don’t need to look further!
I feel like the summer just passed me by and I have no idea where it went! With two kids home and tons of activities to get to, time just kind of passed with0ut me being present. So, now that they are back in school, I am going to try and “get back” into my rhythm again.
First thing on my agenda is to get back into cardio shape! While I have been doing Pilates and loving it, I need to still get in that cardio. After much deliberation (over a few cocktails non the less…) my husband and I have decided to give our current fitness facility a rest and we are going to give the new place in town a run for it’s money!
Because I am a marketing freak and love to analyze people’s businesses just on how they react to a potential client, I decided to put this new place to the test! I called and left a message one morning that I was interested in signing up and so was my husband and friend. I thought if I mentioned more than just me it would be a little more bait on the hook for them. And guess what… he never called me back. I waited 24 hours and nothing. Now, if I was starting a business like this, my #1 priority would be to get people in there to pay the bills! I realize they are just opening and the place was still a vacant unfinished space at this point, but without customers, it is kind of hard to pay the bills.
So, in my own fashion, I stop by. No one there but construction workers. Then I try and see if I can find any info on the place to take a look at. Nothing. Ouch! At this point, I am growing a little weary of the whole place and frankly their management style!
But because I am so intrigued and want to know more, I stopped by later that afternoon and lucky for THEM the owner is there. After my brief, kind of nice, kind of meaningful “Why didn’t you call me back?” conversation, the manager has managed to suck me into this place and showered me with apologies. I am looking at this situation as maybe a place I can be of assistance.
Yesterday we had to meet and do all of our initial assessments. Today is day 1 – plyometrics. I am so scared. Never done those before and they just sound painful. But, I will be there with my bucket of water… and a business card. These people need some marketing help, quick!!!
I am in dire need to update my website right now with my latest works! Is it a good problem when I don’t have (or make) the time to keep my site updated but can spend hours working on all my clients materials!!!??? So, before I update some projects, logos, and websites on here. I will give you a sneak peak through my blog.
IAFP – International Association for Food Protection
I have had the pleasureof assisting these awesome people with their latest project, creating a theme around their 2011 Annual Event in Milwaukee. They are also marking their 100th year of service and were in need of a logo to state this. While these two events are completely separate, we needed to make sure the “looks” worked well together.
Here is the 100th Anniversary logo we came up with.
I will post the annual event material soon! The colors aren’t coming through correctly this morning…
studio 3
We have been busy getting business cards, letterhead, flyers and everything else in order for Amanda at studio 3. Below is a taste of what their business cards are going to look like. Very happy with the way things are turning out for her! We are doing a front and back full color business card.
I could upload more, but instead I need to get working on studio 3′s newsletter! Yes, another thing to add to my list of capabilities. I am designing newsletters and sending them out every month for clients. Calling myself their “Virtual Assistant!”
After my last post regarding my challenges in facing social media head on, I felt the need to educate everyone a little bit. Many of us have a hard enough time developing and managing our own websites, right? How can you dedicate even more time and effort towards other tools around the Internet, especially when it can be so overwhelming to even know which outlets to utilize?! Well don’t worry, because there is hope. I am going to help you better understand this.
Although a professional, easy-to-use, and friendly website to represent your company is the critical foundation that you must have in order, the rise of Social Media has opened new doors for you to connect directly with your customers online. Using these unique tools to broaden your online presence and further connect with your market is a matter of doing a few simple things.
- Develop A Plan – This may seem trivial, but establishing an objective-based plan for what you and your company plans to do within the Social Media world is critical to avoid wasting time and developing the most efficient use of your time. Social Media is not difficult to get involved with, but it does take time, so having a plan in place will help you and your team use time wisely and allow for objectives to be met.
- Establish A Few Social Media Websites To Engage – With so many options online, determine a few good websites that you feel there would be value in getting involved with. This not only means that the user base is advantageous to your business, but that you enjoy the website and can work with the tools available on this website.
- Update Your Website – Once you start establishing a base of websites you’re involved with, be sure to reconnect your own website to these accounts, so that current clients have the opportunity to further connect with your business in the environment that they’re also a part of.
- Stay Current – Once you have the plan in place and start setting up your visibility within the Social Media world, don’t let things go stale. Try and allot a small amount of time each day to update your accounts.
- Reach Out – As you become more efficient within the social network or online community you’re engaging, do your best to reach out and make new connections within the online environment. Along with broadening your reach within the networks you’re a part of, step out a bit further by trying to understand and use additional social media outlets.
Another option is to contact me and we can review your business needs. I have seen firsthand how many of these tools have helped my business.
Since I have starting blogging, I have also starting to kept a closer eye on my facebook and twitter pages. I have found that with my analytics page on google, I can see where the bulk of my business has been coming from! It is kind of a trip some days for me. I always thought that most of the people reading my blog and viewing my site was coming from either referrals or facbook and twitter. What I have found though is that my number one place of referrals is coming from Linkedin. Who would have thought? I have an account on there but don’t update my status (ever actually until yesterday) and have not really focused on maintaining those contacts like I guess I need to be.
So, yesterday I sent out a ton of requests to people to be a connection with me, recommend my work, or let me join their groups on Linkedin. Just when I thought that I was in the big world all alone as a freelancer, I now feel like I have a whole group of supporters to rely on and get answers to problems when I get stuck.
What other forms of social media are out there that I haven’t even dipped my toe in yet? I have heard of yelp and flicr, but haven’t really done much with them. I guess I have learned my lesson and need to get on that quickly!
If we aren’t friends yet on these different forms of social media that I am connected to, invite me! I would love to connect with you!
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