You’ve probably already heard about email marketing. Email marketing is one of the most effective online marketing tools available for you as a business owner. If you’re wondering how email can help you achieve your business goals, read on and find out the benefits of using emails to build brand loyalty.
As always, we continue to offer regular deals on select identity and marketing pieces.
The Benefits of Using Email Marketing to Cultivate Brand Loyalty
Facebook. Twitter. Pinterest. Google+. The explosion of social media has changed marketing in ways we could never have imagined 10 years ago. But there is one tool that was effective then, and is still powerful today: Email marketing continues to be one of the best ways to reach clients and cultivate brand loyalty.The biggest companies all have a presence on social media. Not to do so would be a big mistake. At the same time, they haven’t abandoned email in their campaign to keep their brands at the forefront of their customers’ awareness.
Read the rest of the article on the Connection Group blog.
New Michigan Responsive Website Design for Book Discovering Michigan County by County
Connection Group is pleased to share a recently completed responsive website design for books. Take a look at the before and after images of the customized website design utilizing a WordPress back CMS. The original book website was initially designed by a company that utilizes templates for their customer websites and author Barbara Vandermolen wanted a more customized, contemporary, website that would function well and still reflect high quality. Connection Group had so much fun going through all the beautiful photography the author has gathered through her over six years of research. Read more…
Save on Letterheads
Save 15% on your next order of full-color letterhead stationery, including design and printing. Check out some of our previous projects, and contact us to start crafting your new business stationery today.
Facebook. Twitter. Pinterest. Google+. The explosion of social media has changed marketing in ways we could never have imagined 10 years ago. But there is one tool that was effective then, and is still powerful today: Email marketing continues to be one of the best ways to reach clients and cultivate brand loyalty.
The biggest companies all have a presence on social media. Not to do so would be a big mistake. At the same time, they haven’t abandoned email in their campaign to keep their brands at the forefront of their customers’ awareness.
Though you may hear some people say that “email is dead,” we really haven’t seen any evidence that we should move all our communication to Twitter, etc. Here is why this oldest form of electronic communication is still king:
- Email is everywhere
Everyone has email. It’s one of the most portable and reliable communication systems we have today. You can access it anywhere and anytime. You need email to keep in touch, to conduct business, and to be on any social media site. It’s the one tool that ties together everything you do online. Even if your customers are not on Twitter or Facebook, they most likely will have email.
- Email marketing is low-cost
As a business owner, your company’s email newsletter is one of your best assets. You can use it to send communications about company news, sales, discounts, surveys, and more, all at a fraction of what it would cost you to send printed material.
- Email is personal
When you email someone, you greet that person by name, and personalize your communication. The same is true for email marketing, even if the content is intended for a big audience. When clients sign up to receive your updates, they choose to let you inside their inboxes, and may provide both their first and last names. Addressing someone by their first name helps establish your brand’s familiarity and connection to your customers.
- Email marketing is targeted
When people opt-in to your mailing list, they are telling you that they are interested in what you have to offer. Whether it’s information about your industry or offers for coupons, you already know that the emails you send are welcome in their inboxes. Email marketing is not a scattershot approach, where you send something out to the ether and hope something sticks. Your email subscribers are already part of a client base that you can count on to be interested in what you have to offer.
Email marketing also allows you to target specific communication pieces to subsets of your larger subscriber list. Some subscribers may only want to receive coupons or notification of upcoming events. Others may be interested in receiving both. You can manage your email list in such a way that subscribers get exactly the type of communication they want and are most likely to engage with.
- Email marketing is measurable
One of the benefits of email marketing is that you are able to gauge your clients’ reactions to your emails. Whenever you send out a piece of communication, you’ll be able to measure certain metrics that tell you which promotions are most popular, and which ones get your customers to a purchasing decision. It’s also easier to tweak an email marketing campaign than one done through printed mailings.
Email marketing is a very effective and low-cost way of keeping your clients informed about what your company is doing. It’s a tool you can use to gather feedback and build brand loyalty. You essentially have a captive audience when you send out emails to your subscribers.
Email continues to be an indispensable component of inbound marketing for any company. Used properly, a healthy email list is one of the best ways to grow your business and turn casual clients into loyal customers. Contact us today to learn how our clients benefit from email marketing, and how your company can do the same.
Effective marketing tools include a combination of a strong online presence and a selection of high-quality printed materials.
In addition to your business card, these printed materials include what’s known as “leave-behind” pieces. In this edition of Connectivity, we talk about how to incorporate these elements into your branding and marketing efforts. Don’t forget to check out how you can save on brochures this June.
“Leave-behind” Pieces and Brand Awareness
Do you know how to create an effective “leave-behind” piece that increases your brand’s awareness?
Even though a big portion of your efforts to build brand awareness happens online, you should not neglect using “leave-behind” pieces for your small business.
A leave-behind piece is printed material that can be left with a new contact or potential customer. There are many types of leave-behind pieces that you can use to make a lasting impression, keep your company in your client’s minds, and eventually lead to a sale. These materials should complement your online presence, and offer the additional advantage of visibility even when your contact isn’t online.
Click here to learn about guidelines to keep in mind if you want to create pieces that effectively complement your online marketing efforts.
Save on Brochures
Save 15% on your next order of full color brochures, including design and printing. Check out some of our previous projects, and contact us to start crafting your new leave-behind pieces today.
Even though a big portion of your efforts to build brand awareness happens online, you should not neglect what’s known as “leave-behind” pieces for your small business.
A leave-behind piece is printed material that can be left with a new contact or potential customer. There are many types of leave-behind pieces that you can use to make a lasting impression, keep your company in your client’s minds, and eventually lead to a sale. These materials should complement your online presence, and offer the additional advantage of visibility even when your contact isn’t online.
What makes an effective leave-behind piece that will increase brand awareness for your business?
One of the leave-behind pieces we produce each year is our quarterly calendars. These calendars are mailed or dropped off to our customers at the beginning of each new quarter. They are designed to fit in standard-size envelopes and mail with regular postage rates. These small calendars are popular with our customers, in part because they fit on a desk or hang in a small space on the wall. This leave-behind piece increases brand awareness for Connection Group throughout the year and each time we mail it we are bound to get a call.
There are a few guidelines to keep in mind if you want to create pieces that effectively complement your online marketing efforts.
- Your leave-behind piece should be consistent with your brand.
Everything that has your company name on it must have a unified look and message. This includes your website, logo, business cards, brochures, and postcards.
To increase brand awareness, your company logo must appear in all your branding materials. You must also ensure that the font, colors, and content are consistent with your message, and the industry in which you work. If you want to present an image that your customers can trust, your leave-behind pieces must not look homemade, sloppy, or cheap. That doesn’t mean they must be expensive; there are affordable solutions that you can use. But they need to be well-made and look professional. - Make your pieces easy for clients to keep.
You don’t want to give away material that your prospective clients will toss in the trash without a second thought. The most effective leave-behind pieces are those that recipients keep around and remember. Consider the size and quality of the material. Pieces that are too big become cumbersome and obtrusive. Those that are too small are at risk of being easily lost. A high-quality piece that’s unusual (in a good way) has a better chance of being kept than one that’s common and plain. Next, think about the content of your piece. Is the material informative (like a brochure with relevant information)? Is it useful (like a bookmark)? Pieces that simply sell something are much more easily discarded than materials that provide useful information, or otherwise, add something worthwhile to your contact’s work or life in general. - Showcase your best work.
A leave-behind piece works best when you include a picture of your best work, whether it’s a product or service. You don’t want to clutter the piece, so choose carefully. How can you serve your prospective client? What need do you meet? How can you make their life better? The best leave-behind pieces answer these questions in a way that makes a good impression on a prospective client. - Make it easy to contact you.
Always include your contact information in your leave-behind pieces. Add your website, email, phone and/or fax number, and Facebook page.
Your leave-behind pieces should make it easier for clients to remember you and your company, and to know what you can do for them. Our goal at Connection Group is to help you increase brand awareness and strengthen your marketing efforts. We can help you create effective leave-behind pieces that complement your brand. Contact us!
Your business card is your first impression.
When you hand your card to a business contact or potential customer, it’s your first opportunity to stand out and be memorable. What kind of impression are you making? Does your business card say that you’re a professional? Are your company’s standards reflected in the type of paper and font you use, and the overall image conveyed by your card?
You have one chance to make a first impression. This month, we’re focusing on helping you make it a good one.
10 Tips for Creating a Great Business Card
Your business card should quickly and clearly communicate what your business is. Here are the first three tips for creating a business card that your contacts will remember long after your initial meeting.
- Be Clear – Choose a font that is clearly legible. You don’t have to stick to the same standard fonts that are on everyone’s computer. Choose a font with personality that suits your brand just be sure it can be read. Print a proof at 100% size and have a variety of people read it. Don’t close out the senior market because they can’t read your card!
- Keep It Clean – A business card should not replace your brochure or website. Add contact information, a tag line if you have one or a coupled of products and services you offer. If you choose to add all of your products and service or other information, consider using the second side of the business card.
- Stand Out – Nothing helps build a brand quicker than a custom logo design. Nothing beats a brand image that demonstrates your commitment to quality, and quickly communicates who you are like a professional logo design. Choose colors that are noticeable and suitable to your brand.
Read the rest of the 10 tips on the blog.
Save on Your Next Business Cards
Save 15% on your next order of full color business cards, including design and printing. Check out some of our previous projects, and contact us to start crafting your new business cards today.
Web font samples
While you can take your pick of the countless fonts available on the web, you should put some thought into your decision. You’ll want fonts that are web-safe and easy to read online. You want a font that says you’re trustworthy and a professional. At the same time, you want to be consistent with your personality and brand, whether it’s a straight-laced legal site or one with a bit of whimsy and fun.
Web-safe Fonts
Not all fonts available for download are web-safe. You want your site’s content to be readable to everyone who visits, wherever they may be, and whatever device or web browser they may be using. Web-safe fonts help eliminate barriers such as broken layouts and misaligned text. Examples of these widely-used website fonts are Times New Roman, Arial, Courier, Helvetica, Verdana, and Georgia.
Font Size
Reading material on the web is different from reading print. While the 12-point font size is commonly used for letters and other print documents, it is not always a good choice for websites.
Don’t make your readers squint when they visit your website. Make the experience as comfortable and as pleasant as you can. The web standard today is 14-16 points for most online text. This size makes your content easy to read for most users.
For headers (eg., post titles and subtitles within the text), use slightly bigger fonts to make scanning easier.
Simple vs. Fancy Fonts
The general rule in website design is to use simple fonts for the majority of the content. However, there’s also a place for fancy fonts.
If you work in a creative industry, or one that places a premium on artistic ability, a clever sprinkling of a fancy or unique font will help boost a reader’s perception of your skills. You’ll see examples of these in websites for graphic designers, fancy restaurants, illustrators, fabric artists, etc. Such fancy fonts will be out of place for most construction firms, doctors’ clinics, etc., which should go for simpler typography.
A Note About Color
While your website’s color scheme should reflect your brand and logo, you should still strive for readability and a clean overall look. When it comes to the content area, the best approach is a black or dark grey font against a white or nearly white background.
Exceptions can be made for media-heavy sites (those that have mostly videos and photos). But if text is your primary content, black-on-white in the post area is your best bet. You can spice up your website with color elsewhere (header image, sidebar buttons, links, title text, etc.).
Your website fonts are among the easiest design elements to change. However, their effects on your web presence are also easy to overlook. Use these design tips to make sure that every detail of your website conforms with your marketing values and goals.
Business cards are still the best and most cost effective form of advertising your business or freelance work. The surest way to stand out like a start up is to say “I don’t have a business card yet.” The next best way to scream novice is to have a business card design that looks like you designed and printed it yourself.
A business card design should quickly and clearly communicate what your business is. Creating a great business card design that will stay in the forefront of a prospect’s mind says it is customized for you and your company.
- Be Clear – Choose a font that is clearly legible. You don’t have to stick to the same standard fonts that are on everyone’s computer. Choose a font with personality that suits your brand just be sure it can be read. Print a proof at 100% size and have a variety of people read it. Don’t close out the senior market because they can’t read your card!
- Keep It Clean – A business card should not replace your brochure or website. Add contact information, a tag line if you have one or a coupled of products and services you offer. If you choose to add all of your products and service or other information, consider using the second side of the business card.
- Stand Out – Nothing helps build a brand quicker than a custom logo design. Nothing beats a brand image that demonstrates your commitment to quality, and quickly communicates who you are like a professional logo design. Choose colors that are noticeable and suitable to your brand.
- Cover It – It’s important to include all points of contact. Include your company name, your name, phone number(s), address, email and website. Include the best phone number for customers to reach you. If you don’t want to list your cell or fax number, it is not necessary. Web or home based businesses do not need to include addresses on their cards if they prefer. For independent company representatives, it is good practice to include the corporate headquarters address.
- Hold On – Compare the weight of the paper from business cards you have received. Which ones feel best? A flimsy stock will not hold up over time and can easily be lost. Choose card stock, preferably 12 pt and up.
- Finish Strong – A gloss- or UV-coated stock is more durable than an uncoated sheet, but it also shows finger prints and glare in high light. An uncoated or matte finish business card stock is more understated. A graphic designer or printer can help you determine which can suit your brand best.
- Add Value – Include a coupon, a calendar or dates to remember to encourage the recipient to hold on to your card. Add these to the back of the card so as not to compete with your contact information on the front.
- Look Closely – Whether you do it yourself or outsource design, make sure someone who hasn’t been a part of the design process proofs it before it goes to print. Call the phone numbers listed, check the emails and website URLs before printing your business cards.
- Show Off – Photos are a custom touch to business cards. Realtors, consultants and professional speakers business card designs benefit greatly by including their image. A picture offers recall for many years after a meeting; just be sure to use a current photo. You can also use a photo of your product, a shot of your corporate office building (if it is attractive), or a photo or graphic that is connected to your industry.
- Convey Class – A business card from your desktop printer screams low standards. Plus inkjet prints dissolve before your eyes with any contact with water! Full color business cards printed professionally are very economical and show you are committed to presenting your business in the highest class.
There are a few free business card design websites that offer hundreds of pre-made business card design templates. These sites often offer very inexpensive (sometimes free printing). For start up companies on limited budgets, this seems like a great solution. So thousands or companies utilize these business card templates – every day. I remember attending a networking event one evening where I brought back four business cards that were exactly the same design, same ink colors, same logo, etc. and they were all for a different company (and in some cases a different industry). Customize your business card to have top-of-the-mind awareness. If you are a commercial builder, you don’t’ want to be confused with the unlicensed home remodeler in your town because you are distributing the same business card designs.
Connection Group offers custom business card designs as an individual service and as part of our graphic design packages. Call us today for a business card design consultation. We can provide individual business card designs and cards for all of your staff and contractors. We’re happy to brainstorm unique added value ideas including calls to action and informational tips to help people hold to and continue to reference them. Receive
This month, we’ll return to our roots and focus on Graphic Design, namely logo design.
A logo is one of the first branding pieces we recommend for startups and growing businesses. Many startup companies on limited budgets attempt to develop their own small business logo. However, the importance of a professional image can not be stressed enough – especially when you are a new company on the scene.
For those who decide to tackle a DIY logo design or those who already have a logo but want to be sure it is going to serve them well in all purposes, this edition of Connectivity will help you get started.
Small Business Branding Begins with A Dynamic Logo Design
10 Tips for Creating Your DIY Business Logo Design
For some people, putting together a logo for their small business is easy. Anyone with a computer and software can do it. Someone actually told me he built a logo in Microsoft Excel, I wouldn’t recommend it but he knew the program and it’s what he decided to use.
Keep in mind, though, that there is a difference between a logo designed by a professional and one made by a first-timer.
Click here to learn how to avoid looking like a first-time logo designer.
Where Will You Use Your Business Logo?
Reproducing Your Small Business Logo
Whether you created your own logo or worked with a graphic design firm, it is best to have files in each color format. From start-up businesses to non-profit associations, all companies and organizations have a variety of marketing and communication pieces they need to produce.
Read more on the blog…
How Are You Staying Connected?
Introducing Connection Group Service Packages
Connection Group has grouped the most popular branding and marketing elements into affordable packages to clearly communicate the value of your products and services. Starting at just $550.00!
For some people, putting together a DIY small business logo design is easy. Anyone with a computer and software can do it. Can you believe a person built a logo in Microsoft Excel?
It’s often too easy to distinguish a professional logo design from a DIY small business logo design. These tips can save you grace, time, and money.
1. Color Can Cost You
Remember that your digital logo is in RGB. For professional printing purposes, you will need it converted to the CMYK color ink model. For specialty advertising, promotional products, labels, etc., you’ll get a better price if you use spot or pantone (PMS) colors instead of 4-color process printing. Save money and time by making sure you have all formats in place before ordering printing, creating displays, etc. Learn more about the color models in our recent blog post: DIY Graphic Design – Reproducing Your Small Business Logo Design and DIY Design: How to Choose Colors for Your Small Business Logo and Brand.
2. Can You See Me Know?
Your screen is right in front of you and possibly blown up 1000 percent larger than an actual business card. Make sure your logo is legible when it is reduced to fit clearly on a business card. Print at 100% to check legibility.
3. Consider Old Eyes
Depending on who your small business is marketing to, you’ll want to remember that as the population gets older, eyes can’ distinguish certain colors on top of similar colors. Make sure to balance and contrast colors especially when you are placing color on color.
4. Match Your Font Personalities
Now that you are a designer, it is no longer ‘type.’ Instead, we are sculpting with fonts. My first caution is to please not treat them like they are shoes. ‘The more, the merrier’ doesn’t apply to fonts. We must limit ourselves. Too many styles will appear erratic.
Choose a font that is legible from a distance. This doesn’t mean it has to be simple or boring. A stylish font that communicates clearly establishes a brand.
Which style feels right for your business? A flowing script, or a vintage schoolhouse font for a bridal shop logo? Solid bold sans serif, or edgy and grungy for a manufacturing firm logo? Choose what fits and keep it clean.
5. Logo Size Matters
Your computer screen is 72 dots per inch (DPI). To reproduce a logo that is clean and crisp when printed professionally, your logo needs to be at least 300 dpi. As a guide for business card, brochure or pocket folder printing, your logo file should be 300 dpi by a minimum of 4” tall. Don’t worry about the width as long as it is equal or larger than 4”. For small business exhibit design and other sign designs including vehicle graphics, I say go as big as you can with your logo file – vehicle wraps cover a lot of area, you want your logo to be crisp and clean even at 8” if it is called to.
6. Use Effects with Caution
Be careful with effects that overwhelm your font or graphics. Effects often use shadowing that may distort your business logo when printed or when it is enlarged on a screen that’s bigger than the original. Don’t let your small business logo look as though it’s from a horror film. Unless it is a horror film.
7. No Stealing!
OMGosh get your hands out of the Google images cookie jar! I know everything looks so good in there but you just can’t have it.
Fortunately, there are plenty of clip art resources and stock photos sites available. You probably have some installed with your software. Don’t get crazy and use the same stick person image from Microsoft Office that millions have used in their logos since the 90s’. Be unique, how can you change a stock graphic to make it your own?
There are free resources for stock images online and some with fees that have limits on use. Read use terms carefully. Be careful and respectful, and follow online copyright law.
8. Eye-Catching Original Graphics
Using graphics in a small business logo design is a great way to help your logo design stand out. If your artist (wife, kid, guy you met at church…) draws a logo graphic for you, the bigger the original, the better. When you scan the logo into your computer, scan it at 100%. If it is a digital illustration the original should be saved at a high resoluton from it’s native application.
An original illustration of a house for a custom home builders logo that is only 1” wide will not reproduce well once it is blown up to fit the side of a vehicle. A small original may also limit how much color can be added. Be sure the style suits the message you want to 
portray for your small business.
9. Admit When You Need Help
If you find you are spending every weekend for a month researching and designing and restarting to design a logo for your small business, stop. Think about the value you place on your time as a busy small business owner. Instead, put in a few hours doing what you are skilled at and take the money you made to pay a professional.
10. Honest Feedback
Most important of all, get feedback on your design. Share ideas with your family, friends, people who know nothing about your business and people who know you and that you respect.
Please don’t ask a professional graphic designer for an opinion on your DIY small business logo design unless you are ready to hear the truth. I love it when I can say, it works; good balance and choice of colors, etc. When there are issues… and you already told me your daughter designed it for you… I’m in a bad spot. The designer in me knows it’s my job to create strong brand identities. The human says, I can’t squash a kid or a parent’s dream. Prepare yourself to hear the professional truth, maybe don’t have your daughter in the meeting!
Start your DIY small business logo design
All the best on your business endeavor and enjoy creating your DIY small business logo design and honing brand message!
Whether you created your small business logo design or you worked with a graphic design firm, have logo files in each color format. From start-up businesses to non-profit associations, all companies and organizations have a variety of marketing and communication pieces to produce. Each format has specific color requirements.
If you’re printing business cards, you will need your logo in CMYK and/or a standard spot or PMS color. If you’re logo is for your a website, make sure it is in RGB. If you will be ordering shipping labels or printing in t-shirts, etc., you will probably want to provide a black only logo or a spot color logo to save cost. Refer to our recent blog entry on DIY Design-How to Choose Color for Your Small Business Logo Design.
Some software has limits to saving a logo in specified color formats. Graphic designers use software such as the graphic design industry standard, Adobe® Creative Suite. A large variety of color libraries are preinstalled in professional design and editing programs, including Pantone color books.
For desktop publishing software such as Microsoft Office Suite, the options may be limited to the format you save the file in. Save your small business logo as an eps file in Word . In the ‘Save as’ dialog box, you can choose CMYK or RGB, etc. At this writing, Microsoft Office Suite programs did not have the capability to create Pantone® spot colors.
Reproducing your small business logo design
Let your printer know your goals when you send your small business logo to print. When getting bids for printing, get prices for spot color and full color. Compare which best fits your budget.
If you choose the less expensive option of spot color, include your logo in spot color. If you have chosen a Pantone® color, there may be an up-charge for custom Pantone® inks. If your small business logo isn’t spot color, tell your printer that your logo is in RGB or CMYK. The printer can quote charges for converting your logo. It’s much better to have all the color formats in place ahead of time. Additional design and set-up fees, along with delayed delivery may result.
