Category: Marketing

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Be Seen, Heard and Found

All marketing for your business depends on you being SEEN, HEARD and FOUND, so let’s talk about that.

Being SEEN – this is the easy one! Your company name is seen on…

  • Print – brochures, business cards, postcards
  • Wearables – put your logo on your shirts, hats, jackets
  • Signs – on your building, decals, banners
  • Mail – direct mail pieces you send out
  • Vehicle Lettering – or magnetic signs on your vehicle
  • In Person – when you attend a networking event (especially if your name is on your shirt!)

Being HEARD – a little more difficult. You have to make this one happen.

  • Webinar – host or teach a webinar
  • Sponsor an Event – you are usually given a few minutes to talk about your company
  • Video – create a video and post it on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube
  • Word of Mouth – when someone refers your business – this is the best way to be heard!

Being FOUND – a little more work, but the most important one!

  • Website – EVERY business needs a web presence – there is no exception. Even if it is only a one page website. Please make sure it looks professional. This is the first place someone will go to check on your business.
  • Social Media – you should have at least one social media account. Which one is best for you depends on the type of business you have and who your customer is. Click here for a chart showing the differences and page 2 has the links for each.
  • Local Search – It doesn’t do any good to have a website if no one can find it! Make sure you are listed on all of the major search engines (at least the top ten – see the list below). Even more importantly, make sure your listings are up to date, correct and that your message is consistent.
  • While we can help you with everything else we have listed, for Local Search there are companies that provide this service and do a great job at it – you should choose a company that is in your area (local). Our company uses Mimi Vanderhaven and we have been very happy with the service they provide.

List of top 10 search engines:

Make sure your business is seen, heard and found

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Etiquette For Online Meetings

You may think this is not marketing, but it absolutely is part of your marketing, your branding and your reputation. Everything you do or say in a business situation reflects on your company. A video meeting is a business meeting!


We all know how to behave and be professional in meetings, but with people working from home and attending video meetings everything is different. Do you know how to behave or what is expected of you in this situation?


Here are 5 things you need to know:


1. Look Good. Yes, you are working from home so you don’t need to wear a suit, but you should at least wear business casual (at least your shirt). No one will see what you have on from the waist down (unless you stand up!), but they will see you from the waist up. Dress appropriately. Comb your hair and put on your makeup (if you usually wear makeup). Try to look like you would normally look in a business situation.

2. Your background. Before you start the video, look behind you to see what the person on the other side of the camera will see. You may be working from home or at your dining room table, but try to make what they can see presentable. Make sure there are no stacks of mess behind you (just move them for the meeting – you can put them back after it is over!) Make sure there is nothing offensive showing, check the lighting. We are all in the same position with working from home, but try to keep the kids out of the room and the dog quiet when you are on a video call. If your child runs across the room or the dog starts barking, there is nothing you can do about it. If it happens…it happens, people understand, they are in the same position, but try to control it if you can.

3. Camera or no camera. That is the question! The general rule is, if the other person or people have their camera on, yours should be on too. If it isn’t, instead of listening to you people may be thinking there is something you are hiding- they don’t pay as close of attention when they can’t see who they are talking or listening to. Make sure you look directly into the camera lens, it is like looking them in the eye. It shows you are paying attention to what they are saying and that you care.

4. Schedule. If you are hosting the meeting, have a schedule and keep to the timeframe. Remember always be respectful of other people’s time, but especially in times like this when people are trying to juggle so many things at once. If you are not the host, try not to go off the topic – it can make the meeting run long which may interfere with other meetings scheduled. You can’t “sneak out” of a video meeting that is running long when you have another meeting scheduled!

5. Mic and Camera. This is the most important rule to follow! Remember that the mic and camera are on. Be very careful of what you say and do! If you need to say or do something that you don’t want everyone else to hear or see, turn off your mic and camera – then remember to turn it back on for the remainder of the meeting. When the meeting is over – remember to TURN OFF THE CAMERA.

To recap, If you wouldn’t do it or wear it in a face to face meeting, you shouldn’t do it or wear it in an online meeting!

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What Color Do You Need?

If you are designing a file or getting ready to send your artwork to be printed, you should understand the basic definitions of the colors being used and what the differences are. There are 4 basic color types: CMYK, RGB, PMS and HEX.

CMYK is also know as Full Color, Four Color, Four Color Process and Process Color. CMYK refers to the four inks used in printing full color… Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.  

Each process color is comprised of percentages of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks that are printed in transparent dots of ink that blend together to make a color. CMYK printing will produce high quality results, but there is a chance of color variation across different printers and in different print runs. CMYK are the colors used when you send a file to your desktop printer or when you send a file to a printing company to be printed. CMYK cannot be used on a screen or online.

The best file formats for CMYK colors are: PDF, AI, EPS, orTIF; but a JPEG file can also be CMYK.

The RGB color model is an “additive color model” in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors.

RGB colors work great on websites and on-screen, but it is not a good choice for printing. RGB colors should be used for website logos or graphic images, social media, video, photographs online, apps, etc. You will notice that RGB colors appear more vibrant than CMYK colors because they are illuminated on a screen and the screen provides a larger range of color.

The best file formats for RGB colors are: JPEG, PNG and GIF.

A spot color is a special premixed ink that is used instead of, or in addition to, process inks (CMYK).

Spot colors are solid colors of ink. A spot color requires its own printing plate on a printing press which adds to the cost of the printing job. You would use spot color when color accuracy is critical. There are several spot color systems to choose from, but the most widely used is the Pantone Matching System (PMS).

Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a printing industry color matching system used to print spot colors – also called Pantone colors.

Pantone uses 18 base colors to create a range of Pantone colors. The swatches are indicated by a three- or four-digit number followed by the letter C or U. (example PMS 320C) The C stands for Coated and the U for Uncoated and refers to the finish of the paper it is being printed on. Coated are used for printing on glossy surfaces and Uncoated for printing on matte surfaces like letterhead. When you print on a coated surface it adds a sheen to the ink and the uncoated inks are not as vibrant. If you look at the same PMS number in coated and uncoated, there is a noticeable difference.

Hex Colors are Hexadecimal numbers are used on web pages to set colors.

Hex colors are a mix of red, green and blue (RGB) with some conversions. The color is shown by the number sign (#) followed by six letters, numbers or a combination (ex. #66ccc). Hex colors are only used on web pages and should not be used in designing for print.

Most likely, you will never need to use hex color codes, but, you can find free conversion tools online if you need to convert RGB files to HEX by searching, “RGB to HEX” .