February, 2014

  • Give your customers what they want

    On: February 27, 2014
    In: News
    Views: 955
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    You know that it is always easier to keep a customer than go after a new one.  If you are able to do these 3 things, I promise you that you’ll keep your customers and continue to get their business.

    1)    Be available – give your customers your cell phone number, email address anything that proves that you’ll be there when they need you.   If you are not available, make sure they know who else is on your team to help them.

    2)    Thank your customers – sounds easy but few people take the time to actually do it.  A handwritten note makes a huge impact and little time.

    3)    Handle complaints quickly – give customers time to tell their story and respond with answers and solutions. Ask them if you can help them with anything else.

    Katrina Noble

    Media Director

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  • Testing Your Email Campaigns

    On: February 20, 2014
    In: News
    Views: 1286
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    In order to increase your email open and click-thru rates, you need to test your campaigns to determine what is working and what’s not working.  Here are some suggestions:

    From Line– The sender line should always include your business name ([email protected]) in order for receiver to easily identify and not look like spam.

    Subject Line – Keep yours to 50 characters or less

    Tone – Here is where you can test different tones from serious, humorous to urgent

    Content – Here is where you can test offers by varying amounts.  $20 off orders of $100 or more, 10% off order, or just have “huge savings”

    Length – keep it short. Research shows word counts of 300 or less are more likely to get read.

    Type size – 12 point text is preferred

    Call to action – if your message is educational, be sure to include “read more” with click thru; if you’re selling a product or service, put “buy now” with click thru.

    Layout – test your headline placement, copy and calls to action.  Avoid reverse type because it is difficult to read (white on black background).

    Unsubscribe – your email must include the option to unsubscribe to be can-spam compliant.

    Happy testing!

    Katrina Noble, Media Director

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  • 8 Tips for Photographing Your Design Work

    On: February 6, 2014
    In: Design
    Views: 1068
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    As a designer, I get tired of hearing that anyone can do what I do… all they need is a computer and bam! they’re a designer. I’m sure photographers often feel the same way… just because you have a camera doesn’t mean you’re a great photographer!

    Unfortunately, this is the sad truth. I love taking photos wherever I go (and I take tons of them too) but that doesn’t mean I take great photos. This is evident when I try to take photos of my design work – and let’s face it crappy photos of your work make your work look crappy!

    Though they won’t help us to become world famous photographers, here are 8 tips to help you photograph your print work in a more professional way:

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    • Get the Lighting Right: Try photographing your work in a room that gets a lot of natural sunlight. If you need to ad extra light, use “daylight bulbs.” In addition, don’t be afraid to use more than one light or move your light around do create the perfect shadows.
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    • Choose the Background: You may decide to get daring and use color backgrounds for your photos. If you do, make sure to choose colors to compliment not distract from your work. If all else fails, use white… it’s easy on the eye and less distracting than other colors.
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    • Use a Tripod: Though this is a pretty simple tip, it’s also very important. You’re hand will never be as stead or reliable as a tripod to take sharp, crisp photos.
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    • Pick the Perfect Position: If you wanted your pieces to be displayed flat, you would have just mocked them up in Photoshop. Use this opportunity to show your work in a different way… prop it up, view it from above or maybe at an angle.
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    • Find Your Focus: To make your photos more dramatic, pick a certain part to focus on. Bring that item to the fromt and soften the background items (WARNING: Don’t soften too much… it defeats the purpose of showing off your work!).
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    • Decide to Bleed (or Not): More than likely your first instinct will be to contain your entire piece of work in the photograph. This isn’t always the best choice though. Making your items bleed outside the photo can make for a more dramatic image – try coming in close with your camera rather than cropping later in Photoshop.
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    • Repeat: Don’t be afraid to show more than one of the same item in your photograph. Repeating the same piece of work only intensifies the impact.
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    • Less is More: Even if you’re photographing an entire campaign, don’t include too many pieces in one photograph. This will cause you to back up with your camera just to fit everything in and will make for a more busy, less impressive photo.

       Kristen Oaxaca, Graphic Designer

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