Advertising Blog
The Importance of Communications and Sales in Design
If you’ve been around me for any length of time, you’ll have heard me tell you graphic design is not pretty pictures and it’s about communications and sales. Today, I’d like to dive deeper into that a little bit and chat about why it’s a communications and sales tool....
What is a CTA? and Why every marketing design need one?
CTA can stand for a lot of things! It can mean Call to Arms, Computer Tomography Angiography, and even Cumulative Translation Adjustment. However, in the marketing and design worlds CTA stands for Call to Action. A Call to Action is exactly like it sounds a statement...
Asking for Success: 3 ways to ask for client reviews or testimonials
Reviews! Testimonials! Feedback! No matter what you call them they really matter for your business as it is estimated that sales rise by over 50% when a business has around 10 current reviews. One of the hardest things to do for a lot of business owners is to find a...
3 design must haves on mailer postcards
For my clients in the USA, mailer postcards either using EDDM or through their own bulk mailing permits have been a super popular way for them to get their name and message out to potential or current customers. They are probably the number one thing I create and I...
Marketing Through the Mail: Basics about Postcards and EDDM
One of the main things I design all of the time is postcards. I always ask clients if they’re planning to mail them or not. The reasons why are many, but one of them is because I have to create a postcard for EDDM and mailing differently than a non-mailed one and I...
What to Discuss When Hiring a Graphic Designer
“How do I hire a graphic designer? What do I say?” I get asked this a lot especially as I network in my hometown and on the Internet. I figured since this question is so popular, I’d answer here for all of you too! Before you hire a graphic designer determine what...
Tips to Create Eye Catching Social Media Graphics
If you’ve been on the internet lately, you've likely signed up for a social media account. That means you’re busy creating graphics for posts along with videos, reels, stories, and more. While all of these things are important tools for marketing your businesses on...
Why A Good 30 Second Pitch Will Grow Your Business
I’ve been networking since practically day 1 of my business journey. Every meeting in every group I’ve been in wants you to do a 30-second introduction or pitch. Over the years, I’ve ended up getting a lot of attention for my introductions. Today I thought we’d...
Why Your Existing Clients Are Important for Success
I do a lot in my business to help small established businesses use graphic design to get more leads. That means I help them get new customers and that’s been a big focus in the entrepreneur and small business communities for a long time. I see ads all the time about...
How Graphic Design Can Help Your Business During Every Part of the Sales Cycle
Ultimately what I help businesses do is sell things or find the right people for them to sell their products or services. I have a pretty good understanding of the sales cycle because of this. The sales cycle is the term used to discuss the process a business goes...
Ask the Designer: Pitch Decks vs. Media Kits
I was watching a T.V. show the other day about a scrappy bunch of software developers in California. In the show the team of four nerdy guys is preparing for a meeting to present their company to potential investors. They kept talking about their clothes and the demo...
Why It’s Important to Think Like Your Audience
When I started my business I was given a lot of advice on how to get customers. One of the pieces of advice I got was to think like my audience. It didn’t make sense to me then, but it makes a lot more sense to me now. Here are few things I’ve learned that will help...
Why Market Research is Important for Creating Good Designs
When I ask a client “Tell me about your audience?” they sometimes don’t know anything about them. One of the ways to learn more about your audience – your ideal clients – is to do market research. Today I’m going to answer a few of the most common questions I get when...
How to Write a Good Tagline to Help Your Business get Remembered!
A tagline is a great tool to help people remember your business. These are short phrases that help share your business's reputation and personality. Most of us can recite the catchiest ones and they stick with us long after the business is gone. If you’ve been reading...
Why Designs Need Good Copy
Every design’s best friend is copy. Copy or text refers to the written message in the design. The design layout and text work together. Graphic design has a job to do. Its job is to catch attention and communicate with your audience. Here’s the thing though – design...
The History of Christmas Advertising
History of Holiday Advertising The holiday season is here, so I thought I’d do something a little fun and a little nerdy. I love learning the origins of things and this holiday season, I felt like it would be fun to share some interesting info about the history of...
Why Market Positioning Matters in Graphic Design
One of graphic design’s best friends is marketing. The two disciplines work together towards the same goals – getting businesses noticed so they can get more sales and thrive. Market Positioning, sometimes shortened down simply to “positioning or position” is a tenet...
Why Not All Graphic Design is the Same
“What do you mean you don’t create websites, you’re a designer right? Don't you all do the same thing?” I hear this all the time when I have to explain to someone that I don't create websites but exclusively focus on creating marketing materials. What a lot of people...
What Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos can teach us about advertising and marketing
Did you know that Halloween is but one of the holidays celebrated at the end of October? There are actually many festivals held at the end of October, but the two most famous ones are Halloween and Día De Los Muertos While the holidays share some minor similarities,...
Why Good Design Grows Businesses
Graphic Design is art with a purpose. It’s meant to be a tool to communicate information between a business and its customers or potential customers. There is a lot of chatter around about whether graphic design helps a business – Does it matter for a business’s...