Did you know …

All persons — including U.S. citizens – traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport.

What’s more, as early as January 1, 2008, all persons – including U.S. citizens – traveling between the these same countries by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security.

According to the U.S. Department of State website (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html) , the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004’s goal “is to strengthen border security and facilitate entry into the United States for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors by providing standardized, secure and reliable documentation which will allow the Department of Homeland Security to quickly, reliably and accurately identify a traveler.”

So, if you’re planning to fly into any adjacent country such as Canada or Mexico, you must now have a passport. If you’re planning a cruise to the Caribbean or Bermuda, you’d better be prepared because by this time next year, you’re going to need a passport.  

So You Want to Blog, huh?

If you’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon and start blogging, consider why it is you’re doing it. Is it because it’s the latest trend? Everyone else is doing it? Or is it for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Perhaps you just want a venue to speak your mind. Whatever your reasons for blogging, you should start with a purpose. Decide from the beginning what it is your blog is intended to do.

There are probably as many reasons for blogging as there are bloggers. People blog to establish credibility in their industry, build brand awareness, discuss hot topics and much more. It’s not so much a matter of why you decided to blog but what you plan to get out of it. This will help the inspire ideas for subsequent posts after those initial ones that came rapid-fire fast and easy. I know this from experience; my first few posts almost wrote themselves but it got harder and harder to write and do everything else in my life that needed to get done too.

I decided to set aside a certain time each week solely for blogging. This will help me establish a routine and get into the swing of blogging regularly. If you’re having a hard time coming up with ideas on what to blog about, just do what I did: think about the things that are important to your world and your business. I’m sure that each day you come across a topic that you have an opinion about. Blog about that.

If yours is a business blog, tell your readers (who are probably potential clients for your products or services) about you, what you do, what you offer, what sets you apart from your competition, etc. If you really think about it, there’s an infinite number of topics on which to blog. This is your forum; get your message out. And don’t forget about the search engines.

Writing that includes keywords used by your potential clients to search for your services is important because search engines will use these words or phrases to rank your page. Obviously the higher the rank, the better your search engine placement. Getting in the first page of search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN is almost like winning the lottery. Well, I did say almost. After the first page, people tend to stop searching thinking they’ve found the most relevant material for their search terms. And, by the way, those rankings are fleeting; they change daily. An organic placement in the number one spot one day could end up on page 10 the next. Oh what a fickle friend.

The mere fact that you’re reading this blog now means that you realize the importance and popularity of blogging. It’s a revolution in online marketing. Why do I give it so much importance? Because blogging is easy, free and anyone can do it. Where else can you have complete control of a forum in which to market your services to a global audience?

And, yes, everyone’s doing it. Do you have teenagers? If so, more than likely they have a MySpace page. It’s their way of networking, and a very popular way of networking I might add. That generation will certainly continue to blog as they establish their careers and blogging will become second nature to them (if it hasn’t already). That, in and of itself, is reason enough to start blogging, keeping up with the next generation.

So you’ve started blogging and typing as fast as your mind can funnel your thoughts to your fingers. Be careful; remember, your potential clients could be reading your posts and you want to maintain an air of complete professionalism so be sure your blog posts are as error-free as possible. Reread your posts prior to publishing them. If you’re not the world’s best speller, copy and paste your content into a Word document and run spell check. That won’t catch everything but it sure helps. Also be sure to not offend your readers. Sure this is a forum for you to say whatever it is you want to say but remember that your potential clients could be reading it. I’m not saying you can’t bring up current issues and your stand on them, just be careful how it is worded so as not to highly offend potential clients. Write with as much of an open mind as you can muster. You can’t please everyone all the time, but you don’t have to offend them either.

One last point I’d like to make, add keywords wherever possible to maximize your SEO. I don’t mean throw them around here and there in order to have keyword-laden content; just try to fit in as many as possible without your blog sounding like you’re writing for the search engines.

I hope this information will help those of you that are starting to blog and running into problems regarding content. If you have any questions, just email me at Evy@BrochuresByDesign.com and I can try to help you come up with the right answers.

How to Design an Effective Brochure

A brochure can be one of the most effective pieces of printed marketing material. They, as stand-alone marketing collateral, can persuade a customer to buy your product or use your services. However, it takes only a few seconds for a potential client to decide if they want to read your brochure or throw it in the trash. You need to be sure yours stimulates your target market’s interest so they will read it, keep it and share it with others.

If your brochure includes information that your audience finds valuable, they are likely to save it and refer back to it often or, even better, pass it along to others. You can make yours most appealing by including helpful tips, answering questions, providing strategies and more. Most importantly, it should always answer the unasked question, “What’s in it for me?” This will make your audience sit up and take notice and further investigate your product or service.

The most important aspects of an effective brochure
The two most important brochure elements are

1. the look
2. the message

However, all effective brochures have this one thing in common: They answer these basic questions.

1. What do you offer? (product/service definition)
2. Why should I buy your product/service? (tells the reader what’s in it for them)
3. Why buy from you? (tells them what makes you different or better than your competition)
4. Why buy now? (encourages them to take action now before they put it down and forget it)

The most important thing potential customers want to know is how your product/service will help them. So the goal of your brochure is to answer their questions and overcome their objections. And remember to tell your reader what you want them to do on every page – call, visit your website, write, place an order, etc.
 
Knowing how people read brochures is key
Keep in mind that the eye naturally looks at pictures first, then headlines, then charts or graphs, then captions and finally the body.

In your headlines, address problems or ask questions. People are curious and will read further to find the answers. Be sure to address their fears because people will do more to avoid pain than to receive pleasure. Above all, avoid the biggest and most common mistake made when writing brochure copy: providing only information rather than persuading your audience.

Colors have symbolism and meaning
Sometimes color is used to evoke a physical response. Cool colors such as blue and green are calming while warm colors such as red, pink, yellow and orange are exciting. What emotion do you want your business to evoke? Look at a color wheel and see which colors are complementary and contrasting, monochromatic, analogous and triad. Because color follows trends, keep an eye out for the colors being used in magazines and fashion.

As you may know, color is culturally sensitive. Black, for instance, is a color of mourning in Western cultures while white symbolizes mourning in most Asian cultures. If your product or service is global, opt for a color universally acceptable such as blue. Remember, you can use different tints and hues to make it more appealing.

For more information on color psychology and color theory, I will be presenting an online seminar on September 6th at Noon at RemoteProfessionals.com. Visit my website at www.BrochuresByDesign.com for more information.

Since printers use inks in CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) and the web uses light to color in RGB (Red, Green and Blue), always use CMYK when designing printed materials.

Printing guidelines
I almost always use full bleed when designing brochures. Full bleed is where the image comes all the way to the edge of the paper; there is not white border. Since the printer will trim the size of the brochure to its actual size (typically 8.5” x 11”), you’ll need to design it 1/4” bigger so it can be trimmed so the design size would be 8.75” x 11.25”. Be sure to keep all important graphics and text within the “safe area” of approximately 1/8” (8.25” x 10.75”).

Use Offset Printing
If possible, choose offset printing, which causes the ink to become part of the paper creating a more vibrant look.

Use an image on the cover for visual appeal
Western cultures have learned to read left to right; therefore, they also look at images in this order. Make your most important element stand out with color or size whether it’s an image or text. Remember, your reader will look at pictures first, and then headlines, charts and graphs, captions, and finally body text. Keep this in mind when establishing the basic design of your brochures.

I recommend using a caption. It has been proven to be the most read and remembered copy. Note: only use images that are relevant to the material; avoid random or abstract artwork unless art is your business.

What is the most important section of a brochure?
The answer is the cover because it will either entice the customer to pick it up or cause them to dump it somewhere.

Positioning the content:

On the front: The cover must create interest; it must be visually appealing and provide enough content to invite the reader to read more.

On the back: Because this is the least read part of the brochure, keep it simple. Place contact information and your logo here.

On the inside front cover: This is the first thing they’ll see when they open the brochure so it is the most important panel. Summarize why the customer should use you. Make it bold and easy to read.

Inside the three-panel spread: Start out with a couple of sentences about what your company does. And provide a list of your products/services. Be sure to address your competitive advantages. Why should they choose you over your competitors? If applicable, refer them to your website for more information. End by telling them what you want them to do: call, visit your website, place and order, etc.

By reading this post, I hope that you have learned what it takes to create the most effective brochure for your business. My intent was to inform you as to what content should be included, why and how to effectively use graphics and images in your brochure and how to position the content to create interest.

To see a “Before and After” example of a brochure that I redesigned, just email me Evy@BrochuresByDesign.com. I will explain why I made the changes I did to the original design in order to make it most effective.

What to Do When the Internet’s Down

Have you ever really thought about how important the Internet is to you and your business? Well, I got a real lesson in that recently. All day yesterday and most of the day today, my Internet was out. I could barely do any work at all! I never really realized that for just about all the work I do, I use the Internet in some way. From emailing clients to research to updating and maintaining client work to IMing, I use the Internet. Without it and I’m stuck! I wonder if Comcast knows how indebted I am to their services?! I just wish they could be more reliable.
A while back, I had to schedule a service call and they couldn’t get to me for a week! A WEEK! For someone who uses the Internet for almost everything she does for her business, I cannot be without Internet service for an hour let alone a week. So what did I do? I packed up the laptop and drove down to the local Taco Bell. Their Internet was working AND it was free (not counting the food I felt obligated to buy while I was there taking up their table space). All I’ve got to say is “thank you, Taco Bell!”
There are several national franchises out there that also offer free WiFi; you just have to look for their signs offering this service. Boy, that’s excellent marketing! Think about it; you go in there to use their WiFi service and feel awkward just sitting there taking up space so you naturally buy something (although it is not required). And you know you can do it anywhere in the country at that franchise. I think it’s brilliant marketing on their part; they offer a necessary service and promote goodwill to their customers. They know that those grateful customers will return, not only when they need to use the Internet but also the next time they’re out and hungry.
Being without my Internet has really helped me see how important it is to my web-based, home-based business. What could I possibly do without it?