Small business owners sometimes struggle with ways to grow their online presence. There are many ways to grow online and expert Chris Brogan offers some great advice through an online video (link below). There are many things you can do for “free” to start growing your online presence. Then as your budget frees up you can expand to customizing your website with custom graphic design and brand your social media pages (facebook, twitter, you tube) with your logo, contact info.

View some businesses that took full advantage of custom graphic design to brand their social media pages:

Twitter Branding 1 Facebook Branding 1

Twiter Branding 2 Facebook Branding 2

Twitter Branding 3 Facebook Branding 3

The thrid FaceBook branding example goes to the next level with 3 landing pages (under left hand column info.) Each landing page represents a different line of business and contains a branded ad speak to that unique audience. Here is a link that speaks to the bride-to-be.

If you’d like to custom brand you Twitter and Facebook Pages (or even YouTube) contact Wedgewood Graphic Design today

Take a look at Chris’ video for some quick tips.

There certainly isn’t a lack of competition for small businesses these days. Given the current economy, businesses and consumers are on tight budgets and scrutinize all purchases. Small businesses need to stand out from the competition to win clients, but, this can prove to be a challenge for some business owners. Here are five great tips from Entreprenuer magazine to help get you started. Read full article now>>

If you need assistance assembling a professional sales brochure that talks about how your business is better than the competition, please contact Amy at Wedgewood Graphic Design for a free consultation and estimate.

Good first impressions are critical when making initial contact with a new prospect. Basic foundation elements such as a logo and business “look and feel” on a business card, brochure, sales kit/presentation or website will make your marketing easier, and your image appealing and professional. Your unique, recognizable look will attract clients with ease while increasing confidence and credibility in your business.

Imagine this scenario – you and your spouse are going through a major life event (i.e. buying a house or having a child). You need to meet and interview different service professionals recommended by friends and family. (i.e. real estate agent, mortgage rep, builder, financial institution, doctor or daycare, etc).

At the last minute, your spouse calls and he/she is stuck in traffic leaving Boston. Route 1 is a parking lot. So your spouse asks you to attend the meetings and get as much info as you can.

You:

• Arrive at a nice building
• Are greeted by smiling faces
• Get a tour of the facility
• Discuss services/credentials
• Review you list of questions
• Take copious notes

Now you meet with a second professional. You receive the same impression of the facility; you feel the same warmth and kindness as the last…. As you finish the tour of the facility, you think to yourself “what a tough decision we have to make….”

But this time when reviewing services/credentials the representative, at the second meeting, gives you a professional sales kit. Inside are a photo of the individual and the facility, and a list of products and services with an explanation of each.

Also in the packet is a list of frequently asked questions as well as individual and family photos of past clients with quotes and testimonials explaining  how they benefitted from the services and/or relationship.

When you return home that evening, you have a kit full of information to review with your spouse. What a handy tool that sales kit will be during the decision making process…. Not only do you have something to review that reminds you of your experience/visit, but, you have key facts and photos about the business.

Once you experience great service from that professional – you in turn have information to pass along to family and friends. Think about what an impact that kit has made and how many people it could influence…

If you or someone you know wants to create an impactful first impression, as well as increase confidence and credibility in your business, please contact Amy Spainhower at Wedgewood Graphic Design for a free consultation.

I often get calls from business owners that have successfully started and built a business. They have a good customer base, but, want to take their business to the next level. In most cases they have a website, some brochures and sales materials, but, they lack a cohesive look and feel. Now is a great time to analyze your customers, prospective customers, employees and materials to form a new brand for your company.

Below is a link to a great article on rebranding that you may find beneficial. Read the full article here.

Always be Prepared – Mentally

Your mind set should be on helping others, getting to know their business and building a relationship with them.

Practice Makes Perfect

Create and practice your “elevator pitch” – a 1 minute explanation of you and what you do. Networking can be more effective if you tell a story. For example instead of saying “I can assist you with XYZ” instead try “when I was assisting this customer with this problem we were able to do ________ which resulted in _________.” This can be much more effective.

Don’t Leave Networking to Chance

Know who you are and who your target market is. Create a list of the type of people you are targeting. This will allow you to let others know your ideal clients so they can make appropriate referrals.  Don’t overlook someone that does the same job as you. If you are both in design for instance… you may learn something new from that person or find you have complimentary strength to build a partnership.

Follow-up

Sharing information will go a long way toward building your credibility – so don’t be afraid to share a website, article, report or phone number.

Getting traffic to any website is the primary and the most vital requirement for any successful online business. It is so true when they say Traffic is the lifeblood of your business, and without traffic you know you have nothing. The greatest website on earth is nothing without traffic, great to look at, but worthless. Website traffic is the key to a successful online business. The most potent tool or technique to achieve the desired traffic that translates into desired results (high ranking, better business and more sales) is SEO- Search Engine Optimization. It is an assortment of ways to improve the quality of your website, the quantity of the people visiting the site and also an increase in page ranking. So, let us review some SEO techniques that should improve your website.

Comprehensive website analysis.

This includes a complete review of the content and the structure of the website. Web designing is used if the site needs a complete makeover! The content on the page has to be of great quality and relevant to the site, must contain keywords that are related to the product or site’s theme. If the quality is not so good then you should seek higher quality content.

Keyword research

There are certain words or phrases very often used by the web searchers. It is very important to target these keywords or keyword phrases. Research, analyze and determine what are the most relevant and useful keywords and use them appropriately in the content.

Content development

Along with being keyword-rich, the content posted on your website has to be of high quality, original and relevant, and must make sense. Professional article-writers can put your content a very entertaining and user-friendly and search engine-marketing manner!

Links and Meta tags

Use link building and inserting Meta tags to get better search engine rank. However, caution needs to be exercised in the way and the extent to which these are employed, for example look for quality and relevant links only and don’t over do it with meta tag keywords.

Directory submission

Along with submitting your website to the major search engines (although this is not necessary, it doesn’t hurt) you should also consider submitting your site to the other high page rank directories. This will give you great back links and should increase your rank in the search engine rankings.

Internet advertising

It is a must and a good way to reach out to more users to your business. After SEO, take a look at PPC, article marketing etc to drive more traffic to your site.

The list above is certainly not comprehensive and the elements included are not priority based. Different websites will require a different approach to accentuate them. It is sometimes important to go by your instincts and give a site-specific treatment, however, all websites will require some decent SEO performed on the site as a first step to gaining more traffic. After that, it’s marketing time, using as many traffic getting method as you can.

By: David O Connell; Author Resource:-> Find out 120 ways to get traffic to your website http://www.websitetraffic-hitlist.com. Article From Blue Sea Articles

Graphic design that gets results doesn’t just happen. It takes an understanding of design principles as well as an understanding of marketing principles. We measure our success by your success and are ready to help you rise above the competition! Contact us today!

Think of us as an extention of your team… a trusted creative partner! We can help your overwhelmed corporate art and marketing teams of any shape or size meet demanding business goals and deadlines.

Leverage our experience, our commitment to understanding your business and our ability to create a cost effective creative design and marketing materials. Let us prove what a valuable asset we can be!

With the state of the economy, small business owners may be tempted to cut back on marketing and design efforts due to restricted budgets. I came across this article by Entrepreneur that lists some low-cost marketing changes you can make that can lead to big results! These seven tips take advantage of both online and printed materials. You can start making small changes today to make a positive impact on your business in 2011. Rosalind Resnick recommends you look at the following areas:

• Get social using your email signature
• Turn your business card into a small advertisement
• Give your small business website a facelift
• Provide expert advice
• Start to share with other complimentary small businesses
• Jazz up your business contact info
• Stay diversified

I encourage you to read the full Entrepreneur article .

BARRINGTON – Wedgewood Graphic Design’s owner Amy Spainhower, will be attending and networking at the Seacoast Business Expo, October 21, 2010.

Foster’s Daily Democrat reports the Seacoast Business Expo is the first public event presented by the recently formed Seacoast Chamber Alliance, which includes representation from the Dover, Exeter, Hampton, Portsmouth, Rochester and Somersworth chambers of commerce and is designed to enhance membership value, promote regional economic development, and reduce expenses for the independent chambers by realizing economies of scale. It should be a great night for networking and business connections.

A variety of local restaurants will provide hors d’oeuvres, and there will be a cash bar. The Expo will be held  Thursday, Oct. 21, from 4-7 p.m. at the Celestica Building on Pease Tradeport. Cost is $10 for pre-registered Chamber members, $15 at the door. To attend, register online at seacoastexpo.com.

If you are interested in discussing any design or creative work for your New Hampshire Seacoast business or organization, please contact Amy at 603.817.3626.

About Wedgewood Graphic Design
Wedgewood is a full service graphic design and creative studio serving businesses locally in the communities of Dover, Exeter, Hampton, Portsmouth, Rochester, Somersworth and the Greater Manchester area. Wedgewood is also pleased to serve remote companies nationally and in Canada. For a look at Wedgewood Graphic Design’s growning portfolio please visit them online at www.wedgewooddesign.com