Archive for June 2010

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Promote friends on Facebook

Do you ever see how some people can promote a friend or fan page through their Facebook posts, but you don't know how? To help out a friend or organization, simply start a post, write your text, and then before their name, hit shift+@ and then start typing one of your fans and/friends. A drop down menu of your friends or pages will appear. Select from the drop down, continue your post and hit "share." (Be aware that your post will also show up on their feeds too).

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Recap from my marketing workshop

Thank you to everyone who attended last night's marketing meeting. I was so stoked to see so many people interested in growing their business as well as loved the great feedback and comments. Some of the additional things we discussed that are not on the worksheets include: Blogs to Follow: - Sara's blog: scroll down to the right and you will find a place to enter your email address for blog updates at http://www.sarazimmerman.net/more/blog/. - Seth Godin: go to http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ and enter your email address on the left - Marketing Sherpa: go to http://www.marketingsherpa.com/index.html and a pop up will ask you for your info. Business Resources: - Sara Zimmerman Art, Illustration and Design, Graphic and Web Design that will make you stand out, 530-587-7492, sara@sarazimmerman.net - Laura Guntren, Business and Marketing Coach, 530-386-141,7 LCGuntren@hotmail.com, free 1/2 hour consultations - Small Business Administration: http://www.sba.gov/ - Small Business Development Center: closest is Roseville at www.sbdcsierra.org - Books we discussed last night. Recommended Social Networks: (Some of these have tricks to how to create and build them. If you don't know what you're doing and need help, please ask before you spend a ton of time). - Facebook and a Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com - Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/ - Twitter: http://twitter.com/ eCards to send to clients: - Send Out Cards: http://www.sendoutcards.com (you can also have your marketing materials made onto these) - Smile box: http://www.smilebox.com I know I presented a lot of stuff and it can be a bit overwhelming. However, both Laura and I are happy to help you create what you need, from a game plan that fits your time and budget to the actual materials itself. We can help you plan, set up your social networks, your email campaigns, your print/web ads, and integrate you blog and website, and the list goes on.... Additionally, I am thinking of making this a longer workshop (thank you for your feedback to recommend it) and delve deeper into the actual marketing efforts I recommended. I will keep you posted on that. In the meantime, if you have any questions or would like to schedule some time, (or know someone who needs a hand), please send them my way. I am very happy to work with small business owners so I can help them move towards their dreams. And if you want to write me some other feedback or a testimonial, please feel free to do by email, through my Linked In, on my Facebook Fan Page, or on Google. A special thanks to the girls at Full Circle Movement for letting me host this workshop there and for Juju Z. Treat Company in providing some tasty, chocolate stuffed marshmallows. Stay stoked and true to your passion!

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Free marketing workshop for clients

As a way of giving back to my clients, I am offering a free marketing workshop on Tuesday, June 28th at 6:30pm (open only to past and current clients this time around). This will be a fun session where we get inspired to take our businesses a step further and educate ourselves on the things we can do to get our businesses seen. If you have been a client or are wanting to get a project started with me, give me a call and I will get you on the RSVP list.

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New graphic and web design testimonial

I just received a nice testimonial from Juju Z. Treat Company.  I helped them create a logo, identity, branding, business cards, labels for their products, and ultimately created a website for them. I had such a fun time working with them to create something custom and unique that truly speaks to their their vision AND their target market. Here's what nice things they had to say about me. Thanks guys! "We came to Sara looking for a unique design that would perfectly fit the vision of our new business. Together through some helpful marketing meetings and brainstorming sessions, Sara provided us some samples that truly spoke to our ideas. She ran with it to not only create a distinctive, hand-drawn peach for our logo, but a full identity that equally matched our business direction. From there, Sara created the perfect label for our marshmallows that will help our product get noticed during our critical start-up phase." ~ Jeff and Karen Brunings, Juju Z. Treat Company

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Woman in Raw series now on display

5 artworks from my "Woman in Raw" series are now on display at Full Circle Movement in Truckee, CA. This series was inspired by me becoming a mom and life after baby. The show will be on display for a few months so come visit if you can. Artist Statement for Woman in Raw: My "Woman in Raw" series reflects my story of becoming a mom, balancing motherhood, work, and sanity, my love for my daughter and family, life's struggles, moving away and then back to Truckee, and financial struggle. All works are done in multiple layers on un-stretched canvas, as a representation of the layers and rawness of life. What it means The title of the art show, “Woman in Raw” epitomizes my story of becoming a mom and changing my lifestyle. Pre-baby, I was an active artist in the community, having regular art shows, volunteering for North Tahoe Arts, and sitting on the steering committee of what eventually became ACCTT. Additionally, I met with an artist group weekly, played drums in a band, worked at Moonshine Ink, and played outdoors every day. Pregnancy changed my routine. I became so uncomfortable and tired during my pregnancy that I soon stopped all of my activities. After my daughter was born, I wanted to give her a lot of attention so I had to place my activities on hold. However, these activities defined me. Being stripped of them made me look inward and reexamine who I really am without being labeled by the things I do. The works included in the “Woman in Raw” series mirror the “rawness” I felt while examining my core self, without the labels. The Artworks and the Process My earlier works are defined by curvaceous images of florals and landscapes on small to mid-sized canvases. My postpartum reflective time redefined my art and pushed me to express myself through art in new ways. First, I started by laying large, un-stretched canvases on the ground, (some span more than 50 square feet!). Then, I took leftover paint from job sites and friends’ homes and began throwing it at the canvas. I scraped, jabbed, scratched, and spread the paint over the canvas until abstract shapes developed. From there, I painted layer upon layer upon layer until eventually, a shape emerged from the abstraction. As a result, each painting is not only a whimsical representation of an abstracted female figure, Spirit, and family life, but an artistic rendition of layered postpartum and early motherhood emotions and realizations. Why Many Layers on Big, Un-stretched Canvas? Since I wasn’t yet back in shape when I started this series, I needed an active outlet. I chose large canvases so I could actively move around while painting. I painted layer upon layer to show how no parent is just a blank canvas: we each bring ideas and learned behaviors into this new role and make decisions based on that information. Finally, I left the canvases “raw” and un-stretched to reiterate how naked and raw a new parent can feel, removed from anything remotely familiar to life pre-baby. Reoccurring Themes The female figure appears in most of these paintings. At first it was unintentional; the figures were unconsciously created from the outlines of the abstractions in the layers beneath. It represents me and my personal story. Another theme is the nakedness and sensuality of motherhood. Our society makes us feel bad for showing parts of our bodies, unless used sexually in advertising. Yet in motherhood and nursing, our bodies help nurture a new being: something that is worth showing and being proud of. Swirls and curves are another theme I use regularly, representing flow, wind, “Spirit,” and the organic movement of nature. Hanging this Show I went to a museum exhibit where I saw $20,000 art works stapled to the wall and got inspired. I toyed with the idea of stretching my works or framing them, but decided to leave my paintings in the rawest form. I ended up tacking them to the wall. I wanted these paintings to hang like tapestries in a utilitarian fashion, versus hanging behind a sheets of sterile glass. By being floppy and unrefined, the presentation of these paintings forces viewers to relate to these paintings and how art can be for everyone, not just in museums or in high-end collections. In doing so, I hope that these works inspire people to think about their own story and how they would choose to tell it. Many Thanks! This show took two years in the making because of the many issues that you can read about on each art piece bios. I want to thank my husband Rob for helping me survive through this rough time, for encouraging me to be my true self, and cheering me on through it all (as well as doing all of the hard work to help hang this show). I want to thank my daughter Cali for being so patient with me and letting me still have a few moments where she let’s me be me even though I know she really wants to play. Many thanks to my parents for bringing it full circle and getting back together in Autumn 2009, despite how hard it was to do so. You guys are a true inspiration and we are so blessed to be doing this all together. And thanks to all of my friends and supporters who haven’t seen me much lately, for cheering me on, and lending an ear through this all. Thank you!

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Caring works- the new business model

I truly love Seth Godin's posts about business and marketing. He has some amazing points that all business owners can relate to in a non jargon-rich, daily blog. In his post comparing business to business marketing approaches, he discusses the old model of looking at dollar signs and profit margins versus the passion-rich model, where caring and passion make everything worthwhile. Which approach do you have? Does it help only you or does it help the greater good?

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Marketing plans- where to start

Many small business owners haven't gone to business school or worked with the Small Business Development Center. Maybe about half actually have a business plan where even less have a marketing plan. And for small business owners, a marketing plan is the best way to keep track of your advertising and marketing dollars without having to reassess on a daily basis. Additionally, a marketing plan helps you determine whether your current marketing strategies are paying off or whether or not to try something new. Here is a good, brief article from business consultant, Michael H Kaleikini, that provides some basic elements for the development of a marketing plan.

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How to get my website seen?

Great- so you made the investment of having an online presence. And if you worked some search engine optimization (SEO) into your site, then you are at least on the way to being seen. But now what? I often hear people wonder about why their Google ratings were high for awhile and then are starting to slip or why they aren't immediately on page one of searches right when they launch a new website. I am not an SEO company and do not specialize in SEO nor am I Google or Yahoo and know the most current algorithms that search engines are using. However, I do know that having a website and promoting it is not a one-time event, it is a process. That is why there are SEO companies and advertising firms that specialize in making your website seen. If you are on a budget and cannot afford to hire one of these firms, there are some things you can do yourself to try to get your website noticed by not only the search engines, but your target market as well. Standard Marketing Materials: Be sure that your new website and email address are all over your printed marketing materials and products. Then, be sure that you draw a focus to it when you are handing it out. Example: "Here's my card with my website address on it. We just launched it so please take a moment to visit it." Make a list of where you think your printed materials will be seen and replenish those areas on a weekly basis. Think about driving people to the website to find a coupon code. If you have a product, be sure to make a label that includes your website. Social Networks: Social networking has become one of the most powerful tools of business these days. It helps you establish a core fan base who has decided that yes, they want to hear about your updates. The best way to utilize social networking is to 1.) determine how much time you want to dedicate to it each week once it is set up and running, 2.) decide which social network(s) your target market is using and 3.) start creating relative posts that regularly link back to your site with info that is either interesting or helpful to your audience. Blogging: Blogging is a great way to have a regular online presence to report updates, new products, changes, events, or useful information. It is also a great way for people to keep you in mind: "In sight, in mind." Writing and posting useful information weekly (or daily for some businesses) keeps people thinking of you. Once you have a blog, you can then promote the posts on your social networks. But if you are trying to drive traffic back to your website, then spending the extra money and integrate a blog into your site makes the most financial sense. It gets people coming to your site AND has you making weekly (or daily) changes therefore can eventually help your rankings. Your Power Team: Think of your power team (I am borrowing this term from Business Networking International (BNI). Your power team is a group of people that you can promote and in turn, they will promote you or use your services. For instance, if you are a general contractor, your power team could consist of a realtor, an interior decorator, and all of your subcontractors. If you are an alternative health practitioner, your power team could consist of a masseuse, a physical therapist, chiropractor, etc. You figure out who you can promote and soon, you have that whole team promoting you. Provide them with business cards and your website information that they can easily give to prospective clients. Reciprocal Links and Posts: Now that you have a power team, link to them from your website and have them link to your website. The more valid links you have back to your site can also help your ratings. The Press: Once you launch your website, tell the world. Write a press release and send it to the local papers or industry journals, especially if your site is going to have regular, useful information on it. Promotions: Have a contest or offer a promotional code only through your website. Promote this through your other marketing materials. These are just a handful of suggestions. There are literally thousands of ways to self-promote your site. But it takes just that: promotion. Just having a website up will not attract the crowd that you are hoping to attract, (that is, unless your business is so obscure that you don't have any competitors). So figure out your budget and time you want to put into it and make a plan. Either hire someone to help you so it gets done on a regular basis or work it into your weekly schedule.