Our team recently provided branding and publishing for speaker Brian Dennis. We guided Brian through the process of self-publishing his second book while at the same time created his brand, built his website and designed his marketing toolkit within a 4 month period. The expedited schedule was precipitated on an important upcoming speaking opportunity for Brian. My publishing team members edited his book, designed the book interior, finished the cover, converted it into an ebook and uploaded the files to Kindle, Barnes & Noble and Apple within 3 months. Meanwhile, other members of my team created his brand and marketing toolkit with a new…
Before you produce a marketing piece you may want to consider the following steps to save time and money. For over 25 years I have been helping solopreneurs and small businesses with brochures, postcards and campaigns. We guide our clients through these steps to produce stunning designs with compelling content in a timely fashion within their budgets. Here’s how we do it: Produce a Marketing Piece by Starting at the End! Ask yourself, “What is the final format that I need?” Is it printed piece, a slide show, postcard, e-mail blast, etc.? Consider the time frame for each phase of the job. How much…
New speakers often ask me how to write a speaker one-sheet. This is a good question since the speaker one-sheet is an important component of a marketing toolkit. One of the most valuable members of my team is editor Barbara McNichol, who is a whiz at writing and editing speaker one-sheets. Long ago she shared with me the crucial questions you must answer before composing the content and headlines for your speaker one-sheet. Answers to the following questions will help you write a speaker one-sheet introductory paragraph and hook: What are the key problems you can solve? Exactly what do you do? (One sentence only – this is…
Have you ever wondered how to make your flyer, poster, ad, or postcard convert more prospects into customers? Do you want to know the secrets to grabbing more attention with compelling marketing materials? It all comes down grabbing attention, creating the right perceptions and using the proper messaging. Recently my design team created direct mail postcards and posters for a biannual Potters’ Guild Pottery Sale that drew in more attendees than ever before. The attractive design and powerful, precise message may have made the difference in the higher number of attendees. Here’s how we did it. Attractively Showcase the Products We…
Spotlight on a Client Project: Building a New Brand Last year our team designed Julia Spencer’s award-winning book, Looking Through a Key Hole. The memoir is about her challenges with severe and progressive vision loss. She relies on her Seeing Eye guide dog, Irene, for independence. Since self-publishing her book, Julia’s speaking business has grown so she needed to clarify her brand and update her marketing materials. Julia asked for our help with creating a tag line and updating her website and speaker one sheet. Team lead, Patrice Rhoades-Baum – who is our branding expert – helped Julia nail her brand and created…
Our team just completed a branding and publishing project for John Hall. This included designing marketing materials, a corporate ID package, book design, CD packaging and website development. It was a massive undertaking, bringing together the skills and talents of 10 team members into a 5-month project. John came to us to help launch a new direction in his successful speaking business based on his new book, Do What You Can! John provides advice, motivation, insight, and a step-by-step system to help people not simply meet their goals (business, career, personal) but to achieve extraordinary results. John’s core message is: “Get…
New technological advances in computer software and printing equipment have lowered the cost of printing on certain jobs but you’re faced with high-cost decisions on whether to use 4-color printing or not. Here are 4 suggestions on ways you can save money on color printing. 1. If you need a short full-color run (usually less than 500 sheets), find a printer who offers digital color printing. By using this process, you don’t pay for negatives, make-readies, or plates, and you can print variable data (for example, addresses on post cards). The forerunners were the Xerox DocuColor, a toner-based digital color…
You may want to consider printing special effects to add pizzazz to a special job. They are implemented during the “finishing” stage, and will add to the cost of your piece. Ideal jobs for these special effects are pocket folders, brochures, and invitations. Embossing Embossing uses a metal die, heat, and pressure to reshape the surface of paper. Embossing raises the image above the paper surface while debossing lowers the image. Unless combined with foils (described below), it is referred to as “blind embossing.” A small magnesium die (for example, a logo on your business card) may cost $100. You will…
You meet someone who could hire you for your expertise and services. In the spirit of getting to know you, that decision-maker asks, “What do you speak about?” or “How do you help organizations?” or “Which groups have you worked with?” These questions become your opening to convey how you assist people and why you’re the one experienced to do so. That’s exactly what a speaker one-sheet does, too. To convey that you’re a “must-have” expert, your speaker one-sheet needs to be written and designed effectively. Your Speaker One-Sheet Answers Key Questions Your speaker one-sheet, in effect, succinctly answers these…
This month I have something very special for you: a free branding webinar. You are invited to hear my presentation at the Virtual Women’s Economic Summit. It is entitled: “Branding, Logo, and Website, Oh My!” The Yellow Brick Roadmap to Develop Your Brand, Website and Marketing Materials. This is a FREE 60-minute audio recording in Q&A format. First I will describe how a branding assessment clarifies the fundamentals of your business. Then I’ll show you the most important key elements and why you definitely need a brand. Finally, I’ll explain how to leverage your time, effort and dollars by creating a solid…