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Two Quick Steps to a Happy New Year for Your Business

2009-12-30T20:27:00.000-08:00

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1. Create a Marketing Strategy
It is relatively easy to buy advertising -- you can put signs on busses, buy a half-hour radio infomercial, or put an ad in your favorite newspaper or magazine -- but it is a challenge to create effective advertising. To effectively market your product or service, follow these steps:

First, discover your target audience. Who buys your product? Who needs your product?

Then, figure out how to communicate with those people. Where do they go for entertainment? Where do they work? What do they read?

Finally, market specifically to the people who want or need your product or service. That may mean creating a Facebook fan page or a Twitter account, exhibiting at a conference or seminar, or sending out a direct mail appeal to those customers. It almost certainly will mean creating a website.

For more specific information on smart marketing, I recommend the website DuctTape Marketing and, of course, Miller Design Studio's marketing and design tweets.

2. Save Money with Open Source Software
For almost every software application that costs your business money, there's another program that will do the job free or for less! With very little searching, you can save big money on invoicing programs, office programs, and e-marketing programs.

Start out by checking out the software downloads at Cnet.com, where literally thousands of programs are available for free download, although some only offer trial versions. Examples include photo editing software, budgeting software, automated mailing software, and PDF printers.

For more free marketing tools, visit "You Can't Beat the Price: Five Free Tools for Marketers"at Image, the Miller Design Studio blog.

How to Market an Offline Event Online

2009-10-23T11:29:00.001-07:00

How to Market an Offline Event Online

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And The Winner Is...

2009-10-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

The winner of the fall giveaway of 1,000 free business cards, designed and printed, is entrant #4 which is... Georgia Printco., a large-format signage company in Atlanta, Georgia. The contest was decided on Random.org.

Congratulations, Georgia Printco. We'll be contacting you shortly with information about claiming your prize.

But we haven't left the other entrants out in the cold. For the rest of you who entered the contest, each of you will receive a 20% discount on any printed order you place by January 1, 2010.

Thank you for participating!

UPDATED: Announcing the 1,000 Business Card Giveaway

2009-10-12T14:39:00.001-07:00

Networking is king in today's business world, and the key networking tool is ... the business card. When you meet a potential client, there is often little time for you make a lasting impression -- but your publications can.

That's why Miller Design Studio puts so much work into the business cards we create, and that's why we want to share these business cards with you.

We are giving away 1,000 (count them) full-color, creatively designed business cards on this blog. We will cover the design, the printing, and the shipping; you simply have to approve the design.

Here's the catch: There will only be one winner, chosen at our discretion. To win these business cards, simply leave a comment below this post with your business name, some contact information (website, e-mail, blogger ID), and (if you wish) a plug for your business.

This contest will end Friday, October 16, at 6 p.m.

UPDATED: The winner will be announced tomorrow on Twitter.

UPDATED:

Congratulations, Georgia Printco. We'll be contacting you shortly with information about claiming your prize.

But we haven't left the other entrants out in the cold. For the rest of you who entered the contest, each of you will receive a 20% discount on any printed order you place by January 1, 2010.

Thank you for participating!

You Can't Beat the Price: 5 Free Tools for Marketers

2009-09-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

The Internet offers a wealth of free tools for your marketing design needs, and as a public service, I present five items that are totally free for you to download and use without (very much) restriction:

1. Photos: FreeRangeStock offers royalty-free, searchable stock photographs free of charge (funded by unobtrusive site advertising) for you to download. All you have to do is register with an e-mail address and password. Although the quality of these photographs is less than some other stock photography sites, you can't beat the price.

2. Fonts: Most quality typefaces are copyright-restricted for non-commercial use unless they have been purchased; however FontSquirrel has searched the Internet for quality free-for-commercial-use fonts created by top designers.

3. Photo Editing Software: Can't afford Photoshop but have to edit photos? Try Paint.net, a powerful freeware photo editor that you can download in just minutes at no cost!

4. Business Chat Software: Volusion.com, an Internet sales company, offers a totally-free Internet business chat function that can be set up in minutes, embedded in your site using basic HTML, and that requires no software to be uploaded to your server. This is the chat software I use on MillerDesignStudio.net.

5. Advice: The usual advice is "You get what you pay for," but on the Internet, good advice is given out free of charge. Check out DuctTape Marketing for an unmatched collection of short articles about marketing techniques, new marketing software, and the principles of successful small business marketing.

Q&A on Self-Publishing (Part 2): Judging a Book by Its Cover

2009-09-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

This post continues the previous questions and answers about self-publishing. For more information on self-publishing, listen to Sylvia Hubbard's interview with me on the Michigan Literary Network show. Visit our online author resource center at millerdesignstudio.net/mwn as well.

We've discussed a few aspects of modern print-on-demand self-publishing, but one aspect I've spent little time about is designing your book cover. After you read what I have to say, be sure to read this Writer's Digest article that points out several cover considerations.

Q. What is essential to a book cover?
A. Although every book is different, most book covers require very basic information: on the front, the title and the author; on the spine, the title, author, and publisher; and on the back, a short summary of the book designed to attract readers, a short author bio, the publisher, and the UPC/ISBN information. In addition, of course you want to provide strong images that convey the message of your book.

Q. How should I choose a cover style?
A. Browse the bookstore -- new, not used -- and look at the new releases, particularly in your genre. Book covers change with the times, and it won't take long to detect the patterns that the New York publishers and others are using for their book covers. By no means am I suggesting that you blindly imitate their cover design, but you should be aware of it.
Choose a style that will resonate with your reading audience. For example, if you're writing for men, you won't use soft images of flowers on your cover. Or you shouldn't, anyway!

Q. What are the top 3 things you look for in a book cover?
A. First, I want to know the answers to the big questions about a book -- the title, the author, the subject. So that all should be very clear to anyone reading it. Some big authors with a loyal fan base can get away with hiding that information, but most can't.
Second, I want the book to visually "grab" me. The image doesn't have to be overpowering, but it should be gripping.
Finally, I am looking for unity. Many people work very hard on their front cover and spend little time designing the spine and the back cover -- both very important parts of the book for marketing purposes.

Q&A on Self-Publishing (Part 1)

2009-09-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

For more information on self-publishing, listen to Sylvia Hubbard's interview with me on the Michigan Literary Network show.

The Internet has ironically precipitated a radical transformation in hard-copy publishing. Advances in printing technology make it possible to print a book at a time, so it is no longer necessary for the self-published author to order 1,000 books before he or she has made a single sale.

But, the new self-publishing industry is still in its infancy, so it is important for authors to know how this industry works and what it means for them. With that in mind, I present some common questions and answers about self-publishing:

Q. What does self-publishing cost?
Although you can self-publish your book free at Lulu and CreateSpace, quality self-publishing will actually cost you more. The great temptation of self-publishing is to leave essentials like editing and design behind and just get something -- anything -- printed. An unedited, poorly designed book will either drive readers away or (if you're a good salesperson) make the reader feel as if he's been cheated.
That doesn't mean you have to break the bank to self-publish. You don't have to hire a New York editor or a Montreal graphic designer; often you can find a local person who does quality work for an affordable price. [Personal plug: check out MillerDesignStudio.net for information on our $99 publishing pack.]

Q. How much will I make?
With many self-publishing services, you choose your own price for the book; however, a common complaint about self-published books is that they cost $5 to $10 more than books published by major publishers. As a very general rule, you can probably expect to make at least $2 to $5 per book, and even more if you're willing to buy in bulk and sell personally.

Q. Who will sell my book?
Almost all of the major self-publishing services make your book available on Amazon.com and their own sites. Of course, you can also sell the book on your personal website and through personal interaction.
Many local bookstores have a local authors shelf as well.

Q. How do I format my book?
Most self-publishing services accept Microsoft Word (.doc) and Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files. Be sure you check the individual specifications regarding size and page numbering.

Q. Where can I find out more?
Writer's Digest has a wealth of information on self-publishing, including "An Insider's Look at Self-Publishing" and other articles.
The Motown Writers Network offers resources and education to Michigan authors.
Request your free Miller Design Studio author resources packet.

Smart Marketing: Giving away Valuable Information Free

2009-09-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

A routine trip to Bank of America today turned into a smart marketing object lesson. A brochure distribution rack at the entrance had booklets as usual, but the content was different. Instead of the usual sell sheets about their savings accounts, mutual funds, car loans, or credit cards for college students, these brochures were magazine-type booklets that contained tips for managing one's money and maintaining a home as an investment.

Prepared by the editors of Money Magazine, both of the booklets I perused exhibited the usual financial savvy found in a Money article. Both booklets were easy to read, visually-attractive, and offered real value to Bank of America customers -- free!

Of course, both booklets also contained advertising for Bank of America, a double-whammy!

Customers are seeking value when they come to your business, and free information offers serious value to them, particularly in this economy where consumer spending has dropped drastically.

When you offer your customers free information -- e.g., a mechanic offers a Do-It-Yourself Car Maintenance booklet -- you solidify your reputation as an expert in your field and gain integrity for having the customer's best interest at heart. A local plumber went a step further and instructed the homeowner on how to complete the cosmetic work in the bathroom -- thus saving the homeowner several thousand dollars as well as gaining a repeat customer.

Bank of America purchased article reprints from Money Magazine, something you can do as well. Or, you could just write your own information and have it printed. After all, who knows your business like you do?

Here are three things to consider when giving away valuable information:

1. Make it valuable. Don't waste your customer's time -- or yours -- by giving away information that doesn't matter. In the above example of the mechanic, he should really offer simple job steps for changing oil and changing the fuel filter -- not "Tip #1: Get your oil changed at Mike's Garage every 1,500 miles."

2. Make it accurate. Nobody will be so touched by your generosity that they won't care about the content. Be sure that the information you are giving away is correct.

3. Don't give too much away! In most businesses, this isn't much of an issue. Even step by step instructions on rebuilding a transmission won't persuade people to do it themselves! But it is important to remember that you are still communicating for a business, and unless you're a non-profit organization, there's no need to give away the farm.

Those small touches make a huge difference in this economy!

Recommended Reading: Entrepreneur Magazine on Free PR

Toward a Philosophy of Graphic Design

2009-08-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the most important part of choosing a graphic designer is understanding your designer's philosophy. Many people think that design is simply a learned skill, much like computer aided drafting or accounting; to the contrary, design is an art that requires skill. Art is rooted in a basic philosophy. Without boring you with terms like minimalism and abstraction, I will communicate my basic philosophy:

First, judge a book by its cover. The cliche, "Never judge a book by its cover," is an unfortunate statement that has resulted in many ugly books. That's exactly the purpose of a book's cover: to communicate the essence of the book visually so that a person picks it up and reads it. The take-home philosophical principle here is the package matters. People make instant judgments visually, and the purpose of graphic design is to unite the design with the message.

Second, the goal is communication. Some designers attempt to create fine art for any client for any purpose, but at times such a high level of design will actually fall short in the attempt to communicate the message. My goal at all times is to achieve optimum communication for my client. If that means a clean look with a lot of white space, so be it. If that means a flashy newspaper ad that screams, "Great Deals Here," then we'll go that direction.

Finally, the visual should never overpower the textual. A picture is worth a thousand words, they say, and they may be right. However, it is my philosophy that the visual element of any design should draw attention to and compliment the text in order to appeal to the intellect. That doesn't mean powerful visuals cannot or should not be used; yet the message should be much louder than the design.

Good design doesn't have to draw attention to itself; as part of a unified whole, good design will draw attention to its message, and that is the ultimate goal.

Social Networking the Right Way

2009-07-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

Michigan Wendy's has netted hundreds of passionate followers in the last month by offering free $5 gift cards to their first 200 Michigan followers. You should see the @MichWendysDeals piling up on their Twitter page. Here's what makes Wendy's promotion such a success:

1. They are offering real value. Although they haven't released the number of people who have signed up for Wendy's e-mail deals through their Twitter page, I'm willing to guess that it is the majority of Wendy's followers. Their website -- linked to often on their Twitter page -- offers several coupons that are actually good deals.

2. Wendy's is generating excitement with their offer of free $5 gift cards. Now, 200 $5 gift cards costs them $1,000 plus about $100 in postage, but nothing gets recession-depressed people more excited than free money, and a free gift card is the next best thing. I'm not kidding -- visit their Twitter page and read the responses after people got their gift card in the mail.

3. They are continuing the dialogue with people. Twitter is an active force in the new social networking paradigm, and Wendy's is constantly interacting with people -- making corny puns about boneless chicken wings as well as responding to specific questions and statements.

As far as I know, the gift card promotion is over, but many great deals remain! Great marketing work, Wendy's!

Full Disclosure: I can't wait to get my $5 gift card in the mail!

Recession-proof Marketing Ideas

2009-02-05T16:26:00.001-08:00

We may be in a national recession, but that's no time to quit marketing your product or service! Here are three helpful tips for marketing in economic slow times:

1. Use slow times to increase your marketing footprint. There are many things you can do to increase your marketing footprint without breaking your budget. For example, you can add your business to Google Maps (and even add online coupons) free of charge. You can add your business to the many online directories available. Many of them are also free of charge, including YellowPages.com. Increasing your marketing footprint may bring you more business now, but it will definitely help you when things speed up again after the holidays.

2. Make seasonal clients year-round clients. Some people may only take advantage of your services around the holidays. For example, a local gift basket company does massive business around Christmas, but their pastry gift baskets are available year-round. It would make sense for them to create a mailing list and continue to remind happy customers of their product all year.

3. Offer seasonal discounts. Christmas is a good time to offer value to your customers, because in most businesses it is a slow time as well as a time when customers may be under financial pressure.

Miller Design Studio can help you in your marketing efforts this year. Call us today at (313) 318-1358 or click here to enlist our help in reaching your current and prospective clients with your message.

Have a blessed Christmas!