General Business Blog
Mastering Differentiation in Business
Differentiation is the act of standing out from your competition. It’s a huge part of branding and marketing your business. Differentiation works because of the perceived value of your offer. The more valuable it seems to someone the more likely they are to want to...
The Power of Clear Communication in Building Your Business Brand
Last November after a frustrating day dealing with bureaucracy and getting shuffled from window to window only to find out I did not have the right paperwork. It came into stark relief how important customer service and clear communication are in business. Your...
Decoding Logo Trends: Crafting a Lasting Business Image
Let’s talk trends. I’ve designed a lot of logos over the years. One of the things I do to stay on top of my industry is to follow logo designs from major Fortune 500 companies. They show me what trends are waking up and which ones are tired. Here’s what I know. If...
The Power of Collaboration for Small Business Success
I love reading Forbes, and when they announced that around 80% of all small businesses in the USA are run by a single person with no employees. My first reaction was, Holy Smokes that’s a lot of people running businesses! I find this interesting though because it...
Being Different Matters: Stick Out Like a Bear Driving A Car
What makes your business stick out like a bear driving a car? I mean if you saw a bear driving a car you’d stop and look…right. If only to say “holy hamburger! there’s a bear driving a car!” Well, good brands have something, called a unique selling proposition or...
Unlocking the Secrets to Building a Remarkable Brand: Four Essential Components and Ongoing Maintenance
A couple of months ago I was reading articles on public relations & advertising while sitting in a cafe and came to a couple of startling realizations. Some of our favorite companies don’t have a competitive advantage outside their name. Meaning that the only...
Stay Ahead in Business: Embrace the Power of Competitive Analysis!
I was out for a drive the other day and came to a fascinating realization that driving is kind of like business. You see, when driving people typically watch the entire road. This is the same for business. Good brands monitor not only what they’re doing but what the...
Unlock Success: Master the Art of Crafting an Irresistible Customer Journey!
This is a business tip I shared a couple of years ago, but today I want to chat - briefly about a customer journey! Part of how you build your reputation is through the customer's experience. Now we all know or at least, I hope we do, that customer service matters,...
Does Content Really Matter?
I love trivia and interesting bits of information. One of these comes from the Content Marketing Institute. They claim that articles that are shorter than 3,000 words actually are rated third among business-to-business content materials that create the best results in...
Should You Reuse Old Content?
I saw a statistic from HubSpot the other day, it said that 51% of companies believe updating old content has proven the most efficient tactic they have implemented. Now when they say "content" what they are referring to most of the time is written text. This can be...
technology can help your brand – here’s how!
I see this a lot with businesses that are run by different generations. This technology fight between the ways of yesteryear and the ways of the future. Today I want to briefly talk about the role of technology in your business and how it can help your brand. I’ve met...
printing and design terms to help you sound like a pro
Every industry has jargon. Jargon is specific words used among members of a certain industry that are hard for others outside that industry to understand. Today I’ll share three terms that will help you communicate better with printers. Substrate: The material you are...
why branding, marketing and pr matter
A common misconception that I hear a lot is that public relations (PR), marketing, and branding are all the same thing and that there’s no point in investing in all of them. While there might be some overlap here and there, these are three totally different...
Project Spotlight: Future Music Stars
I love working with my clients to create an amazing logo or even full brand visuals for them. The process differs a little for each customer based on what I’m doing for them and their goals. Today I’ll be sharing how I created the logo for Future Music Stars. They...
Are you listening or are you hearing your clients?
I read a lot of blogs and articles that always tell you to talk to your clients. Really talk to them and find out what they want. I’ve encouraged you to do that too, but I forgot to mention a crucial piece of that – listening. Today I want to talk about what it means...
the popular marketing technique that boosts authenticity and grows businesses
The world has changed a lot in the last few years and people are craving connection now more than ever. The era of the traditional sales vehicles such as cold calls and sales pitch presentations is slowly fading into the background in favor of a different way to...
Why Research Helps your Business Sell More
A big part of my process is research. What research I do changes with each type of project, but regardless I’m always doing some. In all my years of helping businesses with their graphics, and oftentimes giving them communications or marketing tips, I’ve learned that...
Why taking action in your business matters
There are a lot of phrases meant to inspire action. I’m part of the generation that grew up in the USA in the 1990s. During this era, a specific sportswear brand's slogan was the inspirational catchphrase of the day. My personal favorite is one from my family that I...
The not fun, but very important thing your business needs!
I love designing and consulting my clients, but there’s an unfun side to my business – most businesses really. One of those things is contracts. Writing them, reading them. They’re important to understand. A contract doesn’t just protect the business, it also protects...
5 Things You Need to Craft a Good Sales Message
I’m not a professional copywriter, but I’ve written my fair share of sales messages over the years. Some were for clients who are struggling with their writing, but most were for me. I’ve also read a lot of sales messages and seen which ones have pulled in customers...