This blog is devoted to helping you learn about design and marketing so you can grow your business. When your marketing materials look professional and convey a targeted message to your audience, they’re more effective and you feel better about using them.
Read on to find out how to polish up your visual presentation, tighten up your copywriting and manage your marketing efforts.
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Design for Small Business
Typefaces – where to find them, how to use them:
7 Typographic Resources and One Type Joke
How do you know if a logo is good? If you plan to use one of the online logo design services, you need this post:
Become a Logo Design Connoisseur
Choose and use beautiful color for your business with these five free web tools:
Five Free Tools for Getting Your Business Color Right
Keep this rule in mind when you choose your business color palette:
You Already Know the Most Important Color Rule
Designing E-books – What You Need to Know, an audio interview with Carole Brown of New Rules of Book Publishing:
Part 1 of Interview | Part 2 of Interview
Communicate more effectively when you make your choices visually obvious:
Avoid Wishy-Washy Design with Decisive Contrast
Your words don’t have to do all the heavy lifting. A carefully chosen image can help:
Don’t Write a Thousand Words, Use a Picture
Lots of controversy about this post, but I’m standing my ground!
Drop shadows are useful sometimes, but they can make things look muddy if you’re not careful. In this video post I show you when to use drop shadows, and when to avoid them.
Design Bloopers: Only the Shadow Knows
Copywriting
Your business tagline might be the most important copy you write. Here’s how to do it right:
How to Write a Terrific Tagline
Stories sell, because people love to hear them. Weave a business story to engage your target market:
Storyselling for Fun and Profit
Tighten your copywriting so that it keeps your readers engaged:
Small Business Marketing
Small business marketing lessons you can learn from my favorite television show, AMC’s Mad Men:
7 Small Business Marketing Tips Inspired by Mad Men
One simple question will help you get to the heart of your marketing efforts. Learn which one you should be asking here:
Digging Deep to Unearth Marketing Gold
Twitter tools from Grandma Mary, the hilarious social media expert:
Six Ways Small Businesses Make the Most of Twitter
Should you pay someone to design your materials? That depends:
Good Design: How Much is it Worth?
Keep your marketing on track with these four questions:
Is the Year Half Empty or Half Full?
Make your good ideas even better when you ask for feedback:
Can I Get Your Feedback? (Ouch!)
Want More?
Get my free Marketing Toolkit and start
growing your business with great design and marketing.