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How (and Why) You Need to Niche

January 30, 2014SheilaBranding, Business Tips, Marketing5 Commentsbranding, business, Logo Design, marketing, niche, niching, super bowl

Super bowl Sunday is this weekend. And like many other viewers, I mostly watch it for the ads. Not that I’ll buy anything from them, they’re just much more entertaining than usual. Plus a ton of money was spent on these commercials, so they’re bound to be good (or at least good-er). But that’s the thing; consumers are getting better and better at ignoring mass media. So while companies are spending more and more money…

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The Disastrous Results of Using Cheap Web Design

January 13, 2014SheilaBusiness Tips, Graphic Design, Marketing4 Commentsbranding, business, cheap design, client, competition, Groupon, marketing, mill, niche, template, website

So I’ve looking into getting back into martial arts. And I found a great Groupon for a Tae Kwon Do school that was right down the street from me. While I was at it, I started researching some other schools that offered Krav Maga, a type of street self-defense, as well. Then I ran into a website that looked just like the one where I bought the Groupon from. I was excited. “Ooo,” I thought,…

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The Single Most Common Mistake Almost All Businesses Make

December 31, 2013SheilaBusiness Tips, Marketing2 Comments2014, advertising, business, marketing, mistakes, networking, plan, SEO, social media

I get it. Times are tough. And this mistake is a very common one; a lot of people either are confused about where to start or don’t have the time or money for this activity. But if they don’t do this one thing for their small business, they may as well kiss that business goodbye.

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Redesigning Your Logo Won’t Save You

September 13, 2013SheilaBusiness Tips, Geeky Stuff, Logo Design, Marketing6 Commentsbusiness, logo redesign, rebranding, Yahoo

Like everyone else, I’m throwing my two cents in at Yahoo’s decision to update its logo. And like everyone else, I must admit, I’m becoming so used to these sterile logo redesigns that it almost doesn’t even elicit a response from me. A “meh” will suffice.

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7 Things Game of Thrones Taught Me About Branding and Marketing

August 23, 2013SheilaBranding, Geeky Stuff, Marketing, Random8 Commentsbranding, client, customer, Game of Thrones, graphic design, logo, loyalty, marketing, reputation, spoiler, tagline

As a graphic designer who dabbles in marketing and branding, I’m always on the lookout for new inspiration. I never thought I’d find it watching GoT, but the more I studied the plot and characters, the more I realized that it had more in common with solid marketing principles than I had previously thought.   *spoiler alert The following assumes you are a fan of Game of Thrones, and have at least watched through Season…

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Don’t Fall for These 6 SEO Mistakes

March 5, 2013SheilaBusiness Tips, Marketing21 Commentsbacklinks, content, Google, ranking, search engine optimization, SEO, spam, visitor, website

Small businesses, beware. A longtime client of mine recently told me that he had signed up with a SEO marketing company (you know, the ones who constantly fill your spam folder). He said he was paying $350 a month and that they guaranteed his site will rank number one on Google within a few months. I quickly told him he was probably being scammed and that there is no way to guarantee search rank, especially…

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How to Snag Quality Clients

December 18, 2012SheilaBusiness Tips, Freelancing, Marketing8 Commentsbudget, find clients, marketing, money, phone calls, proposal

Qualifying clients isn’t easy… But luckily I just recently revamped my process for selecting clients. Revamp as in, actually having one instead of winging it or hoping that the phone doesn’t ring. My problem was, that when it came to dealing with established clients, I was fine. But when someone emailed me or called me out of the blue, asking about my services, I had no idea what I was doing. I froze up. Finally…

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Branding, Logos, and Identity: Step 3, Identity

November 5, 2012SheilaBranding, Graphic Design, Logo Design, Marketingbranding, color, competition, identity, Logo Design, marketing, puzzle, stationary, Tiffany's, typography, unique, visual

So after a long hiatus, you are now ready for the final piece of this branding/logo/identity puzzle, right? Right. I do apologize for the long delay, things have gotten quite busy around here, which is good for me (but bad for you, my readers!). So, let’s jump right in, shall we? Picking up where we left off in this 3 part miniseries, today’s focus is on the third and final “step” in building a comprehensive…

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Branding, Logos, and Identity: Step 2, Logos

July 5, 2012SheilaBranding, Logo Design, Marketing2 Commentsancient, branding, competition, conceptual, fine art, history, Logo Design, unique, versatile

Since you now have a firm grasp on what branding is all about… …it’s time to move on to the all-important topic of logos. I bet you’re wondering: What is a logo exactly? How is it different from branding or identity? In this three part miniseries, I will continue to deconstruct each of these “steps,” explain their differences, their importance, and meaning of each. This week, we are continuing on to Step 2: Logos.  …

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14 Proven Ways to Find Clients

March 4, 2012SheilaBusiness Tips, Marketing51 Commentsads, blog, clients, competition, design, direct mail, economy, find, Google, local, network, niche, referrals, word of mouth, work

Not so long ago, I had a commenter ask me a tough question: how do I find clients? Especially in a weak economy. Fierce competition doesn’t help either. I know for myself, clients and projects wax and wane, but I’ve been very fortunate to establish some pretty loyal clients early on in my career. The question is, how can you do this too? You’ve probably heard the suggestions I’m about to offer before. They’re not…

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