What is the purpose of your website?

To have a successful website, you have to figure out the purpose of it.

Do you want it to be an ecommerce site?  an informative/educational site? a leads generating site?

What does your competition's website look like?  How can you stand out from them?  

What message to you want to convey?  Make sure you keep your message clear & simple and convey it throughout the site.

Come back and get more tips on making your website successful.

Why do I need a website?

Have you been debating on whether you should take the plunge to have a website for your business?   Is it worth the time/money to start one?  Will it really help my business?

These are all great questions when determining whether or not you want to start a website for your business.   Here are some reasons to take the plunge...

-  It is important to make it extremely easy for your customers/prospective customers to find you.  More and more people prefer using online searches to find contact info rather than the traditional telephone books.

-  You can find web designers that will provide you with good quality design while still being affordable.

-  Many people like to do their homework on your business before they call you to place an order.  Having a high-quality, content-rich and informative website will help convince your prospective customers that they want to work with you.

-  Having a website can be beneficial to your business if you have a quality design, strong content and a web designer that can help you market your website online, giving you an ability to reach customers that you never could have previously.

There are many other reasons that websites can benefit your business.  In the following articles, we will talk about some strategies to make your website successful.

Three Steps to Organization at the Office

We all know that losing a work order and forgetting about an appointment are all bad business! It makes your company come across as incompetent. No business owner wants that!

We have all made those mistakes here and there. The problem comes when it happens repeatedly because of lack of organization! There needs to be a place for everything and a process for everything in order for our business to run smoothly. Your organization skills directly correlate to customer satisfaction.

A book that I would highly recommend is Three Steps to Organization at the Office by Bev Coggins in the 1-2-3...Get Organized series. It is an easy read (and small enough that you can take in your purse/briefcase) and read when you have those "hurry up and wait" times in your schedule.

I would highly recommend this website to any business owner who wants their business/personal life to be more manageable and efficient. Check out the free articles! Also, subscribe to Bev's blog and get organizational tips sent directly to your email.

1-2-3...Get Organized

For the next couple of entries, we are going to feature one of our clients, 1-2-3...Get Organized. We just finished re-designing their website. Being organized in both your business and personal life make for a much higher quality of life. It makes you feel like you have some control over your life. When we live in a state of chaos, we are being controlled by the chaos, and not really accomplishing what we want to.

An organized business/office/workflow help our companies run smoothly and keep our customers happy. But I think organization helps give us time/space to be able to dream about/plan for the next step in our business growth! If we are so overwhelmed by the "tasks of the day" there is little time to plan ahead. And burnout is right around the corner!

So, for the next couple of days we will feature a couple of Bev Coggins' books on how to "organize your life, one area at a time"!

Right now 1-2-3...Get Organized is having a 25% off sale until August 20th celebrating the new website! Remember to type the code '123' to get your discount! Organize your life starting today!!

Marketing - the importance of customer service!

In the last entry we talked about what not to do with your marketing.  In this article we will talk about some things that you should do!  Especially now that the future of the economy is looking rocky, keeping your customers and getting new ones is of ultimate importance!

-  Look at customer service as a vital part of your marketing strategy.  Many people don't think of customer service as "marketing" but it is one of the best marketing tools.  A happy customer will keep coming back, bringing you more sales.  They will also tell other people about you, leading to new customers.  "Word of mouth" marketing is the most effective form of marketing!

-  answer your phone! (We got a new client simply by answering our phone.  She said she called 4 other design studios before contacting us...none of them answered their phone!!)

-  if you miss a call, return the call immediately!

-  greet customers immediately when they enter

-  thank customers for their business!  

-  Offer discounts/specials to your current customers, letting them know that you appreciate their business!

-  Offer coupons to prospective customers, getting them in the door and ordering products/services from you.  Customers will appreciate these especially during touch economic times.  They may not think that they can afford your services until you give them a coupon!

-  Always be thinking of creative ways to meet the needs of your customers.  Always be listening for customer's specific/unique needs, and see if you can meet them.  They will be floored that you care about their needs that you are willing to work to fulfill them.

These are just a few ways to keep your customers happy!  Remember, good customer service will keep your customers coming back and help you get new customers by "word of mouth" marketing!

Marketing Mistakes

Every small business owner is familiar with marketing in some way or another.  Every day you are marketing your business, whether it is giving out your business cards, putting an ad in the paper or putting graphics on your vehicle.

While you are figuring out how to go about marketing your business, make sure you stay away from these things:

-  Promising more than you can deliver...an unhappy customer will do more damage to your company than not having them as a customer. 

-  Don't try to "trick" prospective customers into becoming a customer.  We have had a few customers that have wanted to be "sneaky" with their promotions.  Thankfully we were able to help them think through the consequences of those kind of promotions.  Even though you may get an initial sale out of it, you will lose their trust and probably their continued business.  

-  Don't use negative advertising (some people disagree with me on this).  It is very easy to trash your competition but focusing on the quality of your services/products will be more effective.  Customers want to know that you are the best...not that you are great at trashing your opponents.

-  If you are going to offer a promotion/coupon/sale, don't be "stingy".  Many people like to make the fine print so complicated that very few customers will qualify.  If you can't afford to give an discount/coupon to everyone you send it to, DON'T GIVE IT!  Figure out something that will bring you a profit AND will truly benefit your customer!

Summary:  Don't be sneaky or stingy...it is NOT the reputation you want.  Offer truly great deals that will help your customers while also bringing you a profit!  Your customers will appreciate it and become loyal customers for life.

If you let us know that you read this article, we will give you 10% off of your next order!  Contact us to "get the ball rolling"!

Branding > Print Materials > Postcards

Postcards are one of the cheapest forms of advertising.  Not only are they cheaper to mail, but they are also quite inexpensive to print & design.

If you are going to focus a lot of your advertising on mailings there are a few things that we would recommend:

*  Make new designs every month or two, sharing a new product/service/idea with your mailing list.  This will show your mailing list the depth of your company and the new and exciting things you are doing!  

- If you support a local charity, share that on one of your postcards ("Help us support...").   

 - Is your company "going green"?  

- Do you have a new line of products/services?

- Is there something about your company that stands out from the competition?

*  Use postcards to show your appreciation to your current clients.  We send a "thank you for your order" coupon postcards out each month to the companies who have ordered with us the previous month.  This is a great marketing tool because it encourages businesses to re-order. It also will turn your clients into loyal clients because they see that you are willing to go the extra mile to keep their business!  (Make sure to leave a place for an expiration date that you can fill in by hand for each mailing.)

*  Each new mailing should show people why they need your services.  Sometimes people have ideas in the back of their mind on what they need but don't know who to contact or how to go about getting it.

*  Even things that don't relate to your services can bring people to your door. If you let them know that your company is "going green", then someone who is environmentally conscious will prefer you to another company because you have similar values.

These are just a few recommendations on how to use postcards to market you business effectively.  We hope they were helpful!

We can help you with any of your postcard needs.  If you would like us to send you a sample pack of our postcards and other printed materials, please contact us!

Branding > Print Materials > Business Cards

Business cards are a great way to get your name out there!  

Some business card design tips:

-  should be professionally designed and printed

-  don't print business cards on your own home printer...and especially not on those perforated business card sheets, the small amount* you will spend on professional printing will definitely be worth it!

-  stay away from "embossed" business cards, they look outdated

-  use color!  (Our business card printing includes limitless colors on both sides). 

-  print on both sides (Ex. contact info on one side, explanation of services/products/business on the back side)...business cards are basically "free advertising" so get as much information as you can while still keeping the design clean and simple

-  add an interesting "extra" like rounded corners** or spot UV coating***

* Our business card pricing (2-sided, full color, full bleed, 2x3.5")

250 - $70

500 - $85

1000 - $100

**Rounded corners > add $10 for 1000 business cards

***Spot UV coating is when you accentuate a certain design element with a glossy overprint. Contact us if you would like for us to send you some samples of UV coating!  >  add around $50

Branding > Print Materials > Tri-Fold Brochures

Tri-fold brochures are such a good way to give prospective clients a glimpse of your business and its services/products.  It is a great, cost-effective way to show people what you do and how you do it.  

The keys to a great tri-fold are professional design and good information flow.  The front is obviously important because it draws people into the rest of the brochure where the bulk of the information lies.  The inside of the brochure should be clean and easy to read and understand.  You want to balance text with design elements so that people don't get overwhelmed by all the copy.  Although copy is important to share your company with the reader, it can also turn away the reader if it is too copy-heavy!  And finally the back panel should have your contact information.

Money saving tip:  If you want to save a little time and money, have your designer design the back panel as a mailer.  Then you do not have to take the time to stuff the brochures into envelopes to send them!  Just seal the edge of the brochure and they are ready to go!

Remember, brochures are a representation of your business, so make sure they look professionally designed and printed! 

Please contact us if you have any questions or if you would like us to design and print your brochures or if you would like a sample pack of our printed materials.  This month we are having a special on printing tri-fold brochures.  Visit our Monthly Special page to see pricing.

Role logo plays in branding

When we think of branding, most of us think about logos.   One of the most important parts of branding is the logo.  One mistakes many people make is designing a logo before they really have a good idea of what their mission/purpose/strategies are for the company.

In order to have a successful logo, you need to think about what you want your logo to convey.   Logos are a symbolic way to show people your business in a split second.  Your logo needs to be memorable & understandable, almost instantaneously.  A good example of this is Nike.  Nike has such a simple, clean design that is easily recognizable as well as very memorable.  Nike doesn't even have to write "Nike" anywhere on the advertisement/commercial because it is so highly recognizable!  

Before you get your logo designed think about what you want it to convey - what you want people to understand/connect with.   The next step is to share these thoughts with your graphic designer.  They should be able to take that and create multiple logo possibilities that fit the bill.  Obviously some tweaking will have to take place to make sure you are happy with the final outcome.  Having the preliminary "vision" work done for the graphic designer will save you time and frustration.  You will both be on the same page, saving you from unwanted design tangents.  

Let us know if we can help you with your logo designs!  Let us know if you would like to receive a sample packet of our work.  

More about "branding"

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers".

Branding goes a step further than we often think.  It isn't necessarily about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, it is more about getting them to see you as the only company that provides the right solution to their problem.

What a good brand will achieve includes:  delivers the message clearly, confirms your credibility, connects your prospective clients emotionally, motivates your prospective clients to become your clients, solidifies client loyalty.

Taken from http://marketing.about.com/cs/brandmktg/a/whatisbranding

What is branding?

Wikipedia defines branding as "a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to a company, organization, product or service".  A brand includes logos, fonts, color schemes, symbols which often represent the values and ideas of the company.

Why is branding important for your company?  You want your company to be easily recognized by the people in your community.  The more people recognize/become familiar with your company, the more likely they will come to you when they need your services.  

Branding is also important because it reflects your business.  If you have poor quality branding, it reflects the professionalism of your business even if the quality of your products are top notch. Part of reaching your business potential is creating a quality brand.  

We can help you with all of your branding needs...logo design, print products (business cards, advertisements, etc.) and signs (vehicle graphics, signs, etc.).  Give us a call so we can help you reach your business potential.

Why we are passionate about what we do! Part 3

Concept Design Studios is different because we are always thinking of new ways to streamline our client's design needs into one quick, manageable & efficient service. Which is why in the last year we have decreased our print prices to make them more affordable. We have also added web design to our list of services. And when you order print through us, we give you a large discount on the design.

We also believe that bulk pricing is a way to thank our customers for using us for all their design, printing & sign needs. When our clients order multiple items through us, we give them a bulk discount.

Why we are passionate about what we do! Part 2

Centralizing Print & Design

Continuing my last entry, I want to talk about streamlining the 'design to print' process.

In my experience as the manager of the sign department before I started Concept Design Studios, I observed that many business owners would have their designers lay out their business card and then the designer would give the file back to the business owner to find a printer.

This brings up many problems. Each printer has slightly different specifications for printing. If the designer didn't make the file specific to that printer, the business owner is now going to have to pay the printing company extra to get the file 'print-ready' (on top of the price they just paid their designer). And what happens if the business owner gets a new phone number, a new employee, etc. This whole process starts again!

What a time waster, not to mention money waster!

Because we do both the design and printing our clients save money. Imagine that you send your stuff to a designer to get designed, they have a certain profit margin that they need to meet or exceed. Same goes for the printer. Because our 'design to print' process is streamlined we pass the savings on to you!

Just think of all the time and money you can save by centralizing all of your design/print/sign needs!

Why we are passionate about what we do! Part 1

I recently had a couple of my clients comment on how expensive design & printing usually are and how impressed they were with my prices and design quality! So, I thought you may want to know how you can save money and how this savings is part of our business philosophy.

First, a little background on how Concept Design Studios came to be...

The whole reason I started this business is because I saw the need for affordable design services for small businesses and small business start-ups.

I managed the sign department at my previous employer. From that experience I saw the many needs of small business owners. Our clients would have one person do their design, another make their signs, and yet another do their printing. Half the time, these clients didn't know how to get a hold of their original logos for us to use for their signs. Other times, they didn't want to ask their designer for the files because the designer would charge them an arm and a leg for the 10 minutes that it would take them to email the file over to us.

From this and many other of my experiences, I decided to and start Concept Design Studios. Our passion at Concept Design Studios is to make this whole process much simpler, easier and efficient! Why waste your time going to 3-5 different places when you can have all your design, signs & printing centralized in one place.

View our next posts to see more about how we can save you time and money and more about our business philosophy.

Green Tip - #8

I was just reading a blog by 1-2-3 Get Organized about using newspapers in your garden.

"You can use newspapers as mulch. Just place two or three sheets of newspaper where you would normally use mulch. You may need to weight it down. Recycling in your own garden!"

Great idea! Do you have any green tips that you want to share? Please leave us a comment with your own tips!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

June Special!

June's Special!

2x3.5" Stickers

Great for: sticking on CD cases, envelopes, packaging, etc. (For indoor use only. Ask about our outdoor stickers/decals.)

Prices:
1000 - $100.00 (usually $115)
2000 - $225 (usually $250)

Contact us to place an order!

Green Tip - #7

I already mentioned on one of the past Green Tips, that buying the disposable pens creates tons of waste in our landfills. We should start using pens that are refillable.

I was thinking about this the other day and realized that I have gotten a ton of pens from my bank. I have taken pens when I make my deposits without thinking about it. After I realized that, I stopped taking pens from them. And I realized that I have more pens than I will ever be able to use up in my lifetime :-). So, I have decided that I will not buy another pen/pencil until I have used up the storehouse that I have. It may take many years to use them up, but when I get to that point, I will only buy refillable pens from that point on.

Take a look at your own storehouse of pens/pencils/permanent markers, etc. Commit to not buy another writing utensil until you have used up all of the ones you have!

Little steps like these can make a difference! Nice job! We can make a difference, one small step at a time.

Green Tip - #6

Since we, at Concept Design Studios, have been thinking of ways to be more green, it has made me see things differently. There have been a few things that I have realized that I can change that have never even crossed my mind before.

I was thinking about buying a bunch of those individual CD cases for giving files to our clients. I realized that I already had a bunch of those CD cases that other people had brought to me lying around the studio. So, I just looked around the studio to find all of the CD holders that were not being used. I now have a good sized pile of CD cases that we will use from now on.

It is a positive cycle. We are reusing those CD cases and hopefully our clients will reuse them too. We can all make a difference with our small changes!

Reduce, Reuse, Recylce!!

Green Tip - #5

Who doesn't like plants??

Indoor plants can play an important role in your work environment. Plants are not only make a space more comfortable & attractive, but also act as a natural air filter. They absorb airborne pollutants and computer radiation while also replenishing oxygen levels. Plants also act as an air-cooler (through the evaporative process called transpiration). They help protect you from the germs from your colleagues and reduce fatigue, sore throats, coughs, and other cold-related illnesses. They also have a measurable effect in reducing stress levels...who doesn't need that?!

We have always loved plants at Concept Design Studios. We have had everything from bamboo to venus fly traps! Mostly we like the comfortable atmosphere they create, but we have come to appreciate their environmental & personal benefits! If you don't have a green thumb, get plants like Ivy & Bamboo that are very low-maintenance.

Tips taken from True Green @ Work by McKay & Bonnin

Green Tip - #4

Reduce & Reuse!

Reduce your business' waste by reusing items such as rubberbands, paperclips, bubble wrap & padded envelopes! Have a common place where employees can find these items. The easier you make recycling, reducing & reusing, the more your employees are going to make these practices a habit.

Concept Design Studios saves all of our received packaging items and re-use them. Not only does this keep these items from going to the landfill but it also saves us time/money by not having to go and purchase items such as bubble-wrap & boxes.

Tips taken from True Green @ Work by McKay & Bonnin

Green Tip - #3

Save Paper!

Paper is up to 70% of a typical office's waste. Here are some ways to cut down on paper waste...

- Use both sides. Keep a tray on your desk to collect any single-side paper. Use it as notepaper, or run the blank through the printer/copier when you need to print something out.
- Format documents to avoid printing unnecessary pages.
- Proofread carefully on screen to avoid printing multiple copies.
- Keep a box for recycling paper next to your desk.
- Encourage others in your office to separate paper from organic waste and recyclable containers.

Concept Design has been using these methods since its conception in January 2006. Have always use both sides of every single paper. When the paper has been used on both sides, we either recycle the paper, or we have some people who like to use the scrap paper to make hand-made paper for stationary, etc.

We have also set up a "recycling area" that we can collect our "organic matter" (used tea bags, food, etc.) plus all of the normal recycling items like plastic, cardboard, etc.

We also re-purpose any container that we can, rather than sending it to the landfill.

Green Tip - #2

Sleep More! Make sure you set your computer to the sleep mode so that when you aren't using it, you can reduce your computer's consumption to less than 5% of its full power. Go into your computer's system preferences and set the screen and hard drive to go to sleep after 10 minutes. This way, if you get caught doing something else unexpectedly, your computer will save energy without you having to remember to do anything.

Give us a call if you need help finding that setting!

(Taken from True Green @ Work by McKay & Bonnin)

Being Green @ Work: Tip #1

Ink Cartridges: Every year more than 167 million environmentally unfriendly ink cartridges are dumped in U.S. landfills each year, generating 40 million pounds of unnecessary waste. Instead of this unnecessary waste, use a refiller or remanufacturer prepared to offer a written guarantee against equipment damage and downtime caused by their products.
~ Taken from True Green @ Work by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin

We use Cartridge World to refill all of our ink cartridges, and we have been for the last 7-8 months. Changing this one thing, we can tell how much of a difference it is making, by looking back at the waste we produced prior to refilling. It is also better for our bottom line because refills are more cost effective than buying new cartridges every time. And any cartridges that we will not refill, we recycle...no more throwing cartridges in the trash!!

Being Green @ Work: Intro

I think we are all realizing how important it is to be mindful of how we are affecting the environment with the choices we make.

We, at Concept Design Studios, have decided to make more of an effort to have a "green workplace". One of our inspirations come from the book, True Green @ Work by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin.

Here are a couple easy things to do be green at work:

- Use long-life refillable pens instead of using disposable pens

- Bring a mug to work and keep it there rather than using paper/plastic cups each time you need a coffee fix

- Fill up your space with plants. They are natural air filters while replenishing oxygen levels

Those are a few ideas from True Green @ Work. There will be more to come in future posts. Do your part!

Time Management

Personal time management is of the utmost importance, whether you are a business owner, parent, student, etc. If we have not mastered the art of time management, we just go from one thing to another in a state of panic & stress. Probably everyone would say that they don't want to live that stressed out life.

If you want to be more effective in your time management and your general organizational skills. Check out this great website to help you organize your life...one area at a time! Visit 1-2-3 Get Organized, a website where you can buy simple, straightforward and fun books on different areas that you need to improve. Check it out and get on your way to a more productive, stress-free life!

The Benefits of Adobe Contribute

Adobe Contribute is a great tool for anyone that has a website for their business but does not do the website design themselves. It is a program that can allow the individual to update the content of the site without messing with the design of the site.

I recommend that my clients purchase Adobe Contribute ($150-$200) if they are wanting to update their content often. It saves you, the consumer, money because you do not have to pay your website designer to make those updates. And it also saves you time because you do not have to rely on the designer's time-frame for your updates. You can update your website content 24 hours a day, when you have the time.

So ask your website designer if they have the ability to set up your site with Adobe Contribute to save you both time!

Let me also say, that Adobe Contribute is not for everyone. If your time is more valuable than your money, by all means, delegate your website updates to your web designer. Also, if the idea of learning a new program (although pretty straight forward), then maybe it would create more stress than is worth the financial savings.

April 2008 Special!

$10 OFF of a $100 order
$35 OFF of a $300 order

(from our Graphic Design, Sign or Printing Departments)

It's Been A Long Time!

Sorry I have not done a good job in keeping up with my blog! I will try harder to keep it updated and put useful information & sales on it!