a custom(s) promotion

> I was on track to mail my holiday promotion until I took a finished piece to the post office to get postage for the rest of them. I was surprised that the postal worker informed me that I needed to fill out a customs slip for each package. (what??) I asked several questions, but she just apologetically handed me a stack of slips that needed to be filled out and attached to each package.

> I filled them out whenever I had down-time. In front of the TV, while I was on hold, while I waited for a large file to upload for a client, etc. Finally, I had them all filled out, attached and ready to go. Monday morning, I went to the post office with a box of 20 (wanted to make sure I filled them out right so they didn't come back!). After waiting 30 minutes in line, I was apologetically told that I didn't need to fill out a customs slip for these. And, to make sure to remove them completely so they wouldn't get delayed due to confusion.

> Wow! If ever I wanted to go postal...

> Luckily, I kept my cool, put on some good music, and started peeling labels off. So, if you received one and the back of the box was torn up, well, now you know the story.

> They're all out now, and I'm getting emails, calls, and FB posts thanking me. That's what makes the time I spend on promotions worth it (even when I "get" to spend more time than is necessary).

self-imposed busy-ness

> I am buried! Yes, I'm talking snow with this latest storm, but it's more than that. The last several weeks have just been busy! My workload is about the same, but when you add the responsibilities of year-end business stuff, as well as the busy-ness of the holiday season with the time it takes to decide on, buy and wrap gifts, decorate the house, plus family and work events, and church responsibilities, well, it's a bit overwhelming!
> For as long as I can remember, I've designed and produced Christmas cards to send out to friends and family. When I started my own business, I added a promotional gift to my holiday to-do list. At first I only gave them to current clients as a "thank you". But I've gradually expanded the recipient list to include vendors, all my clients past and present, anyone who I've done a proposal for, and this year, I'm also including several subscribers of my email newsletter.
> As I read through my long list of new emails this morning, one of them caught my eye and gave me the reassurance that I'm NOT crazy to do this holiday promotion every year. I felt a feeling of satisfaction that someone else is telling me to "keep it up!" http://bit.ly/8xKzpA The article says to keep up the marketing momentum. That "the fact is that, no matter how busy you are, you always have to market your business".
> With the economy in the state it's in, I realize the need to market myself is more important than ever. Even though I'm overwhelmed and feel like I'm treading water (snow today), I just take one day at a time, accomplishing what I can. I know that getting my promotion out the door (this week!) will ease the load I've put on myself, and that marketing myself, not only when I'm slow, but on a regular basis is the way to keep myself working on a regular basis!

your opinion counts!

> In a June entry, (http://betterdesignbym.blogspot.com/2009/06/clocking-creativity.html), I mentioned my annual holiday promotion, and that I was thinking about ideas back then. Well, now it's time to start production! I had so much positive feedback about the CD calendars that I gave out last year that I asked several people about doing them another year—and I got a lot of definite "yes's".

> I also considered custom gift tags following the theme "The 12 Days of Christmas". I threw that idea around and just got more positive response...which wasn't getting me any closer to making a decision. So, I put it to a vote. I asked the recipients of my monthly email newsletter (muse) to vote by email or on my FaceBook page, and said that I'd do a drawing, giving promos to 3 voters. I got a pretty good response, and it was a landslide...the calendar won!

> So, I'll be setting aside a little time each day to work on getting the promotional 2010 calendar finished and ready to send out as holiday gifts to clients, vendors, friends of mGraphicDesign, and those 3 lucky FaceBook fans! Sometime next month, you'll get to see what it looks like here on my blog.

a good mood (board)

> Not long ago, I was doing research for a project, and ran across something that helped me with a different one. I was simply looking for baby-related things to get in that mindset for a web site I'm designing, when I ran across this blog on "Mood Boards", Flickr calls them "Inspiration Boards". The article (http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2008/12/why-mood-boards-matter/) explains how creating one will help translate your client's expectations into a visual tool that establishes an aesthetic feel for projects, showing everything from photographic style, typography, color palettes, patterns, to an overall look and feel. The client's approval at this stage ensures that you're heading in the right direction with subsequent projects, as you use this tool to focus your design process.

> This was a great help to me, as I'm also working on a project for a client who underwent a recent merger. The new company has agreed on a name and logo, but has not resolved brand issues nor decided on a single focus and direction. How do you create a project that satisfies a company's direction when they don't have one? They don't want to rebrand, so I faced a difficult task.

> After reading this blog, I was inspired. I created what I am calling a "Visual Message* Board", compiling important information about the client and what they know about their brand and company's focus (*you'll read a lot more about "visual messaging" in my new web site--coming soon!).

> I presented the document with my recommendations on a single-focus for the new company. I look forward to receiving their feedback, making any course corrections, and feel confident that at that point, I'll know exactly what my next step will be in achieving a successful design.

smile when you say that

> Years ago, before I got my degree, I had a summer job doing telemarketing. Not one of my favorite jobs, but one that taught me some valuable lessons (the first being that I didn't want to be a professional telemarketer...). In the small amount of training I was given, they pointed out that when you're on the phone, the person on the other end can "hear" if you're smiling. And it's true. To this day, I still subconsciously smile while I talk on the phone, and I can hear the difference in my voice, so I know others can too.

> I recently ran across an article about non-verbal communication, and the first tip was to smile while on the phone. I'm always pleased when I find out I'm doing something right. The article includes several other great tips: http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/17-ways-to-use-active-listening-techniques-in-online-communication/

> I still don't like getting calls from telemarketers, but since then, I have a little more empathy for them. I don't instantly hang up on them, I give them a few seconds to give their pitch, then smile when I tell them I'm going to hang up. Who knew a telemarketer might actually tell you something that was worth your time.

more than just numbers

> Last month, I had a restless night. One where I woke up and couldn't fall asleep again because a stream of thoughts and ideas kept rushing around. The next morning, I actually liked one of the ideas that had been plaguing me the night before, and I started working it out to see how it would look on paper, literally.

> From earlier blog entries, you might know that I have an obsession with, and a collection of wood block type. I bought a stamp pad, and stamped out all the number blocks that I own, then scanned and arranged them into a calendar page. I am really happy with how it looks. I think a whole calendar repeating the same graphic numbers over again might be too much, but I'm still toying with ideas on how to shake it up and make each page unique. In the meantime, here's January...

small details

> Designers have a lot of pressure on them to have a unique business card, so I was pleased the other day after a meeting to get the response, "oh, that's cool!" when I gave out my card. The size isn't typical, and one side of it is almost solid green. It's simple, but intentionally-so. Everything about it reflects my company's brand.

> A business card is small, but can be powerful. When you give it out, you tell people, "I will be gone soon, but this will remind you of me later. This will make you want to contact me when you need my skills." It not only communicates information about your business and how to contact you, but should reflect your personality and image as well. If your card isn't making a statement that stands out and gives someone a positive recall about meeting you, it may not be communicating beyond the literal information on the card.

> There are a lot of ways to make your card unique. This web site has some great examples: http://creativebits.org/cool_business_card_designs

But it's important that the elements used reflect you or your business. A plastic see-through card is interesting and might get you some positive feedback about the unique quality of your card. But if you're a window cleaner, using a plastic see-through card makes a much stronger and applicable statement!

> The internet has made a lot of technologies and vendors available and accessible to anyone. They make it easy to "design" your own cards, and save a few bucks by not hiring a professional designer. However, the power of a creative mind, someone who can come up with a great solution, and the right printing technique that reflect your business accurately and creatively will make the difference between having a creative, but generic card, or a card with a creative, powerful message that accurately represents you and your company.