Why having good photography is important for your brand

There is something so off putting about a sophisticated brand pulling stiff stock photos from the early 2000’s with cheesy business meetings or people overly posed. Somewhat worse, I find odd stock graphics that don’t match the brands color scheme or style really can make a brand feel less professional than it really is. Perhaps businesses are in a rush when they need to post a blog, or don’t know what to do about securing photography for a company that isn’t in the creative world. However, there are many solutions to creating a strong and consistent brand presence with good photography.

The 6 tools that keep my design and marketing business running

In this day in age, technology is something we really can’t live with out. I’ve reaped the rewards by using some of the following tools that keep my business running smoothly. Check them out in this blog post.

Making art with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop

While most of my blog posts are about design and targeting small businesses, I had to take a moment to share some creative inspiration from the Adobe CC Blog. I do use Illustrator regularly, however it is mostly for graphic corporate illustrations or logo design. I have not created artwork with Illustrator in years, and this post makes me excited to explore Adobe Illustrator as a tool for art-making. The same goes for Abobe Photoshop.

Why I use Squarespace for web design

There are a plethora of web design platforms out there today. If you have been doing a little research on creating your own site you may be familiar with some of these platforms – Squarespace, Wix, Wordpress, Shopify, etc.

Yes, some are easier to use than others. Some seem simple but ultimately are a pain. And some do require design skills that a template just can’t provide. I’ve dipped my foot in all the above platforms throughout the years, however, I maintain Squarespace is the better platform for my business, my client's businesses and I encourage others to use it as well...Even if I am not building the site for them. :)

MAILCHIMP: Does the Perfect Email Template Exist? We Used Data to Find Out.

"What makes good email good?" This question gets asked all of the time, but it never really gets a concrete answer. Best practices float around, but there’s isn’t a hard set of rules that have proven to always be able to create "good" email. Here at MailChimp, we have millions of customers sending billions of emails, and this led me to believe that if anyone could help suss out this secret set of rules, it could be us.

Hubspot: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet of Social Media Photo & Image Sizes [Infographic]

When you're selecting cover photos, shared images, and other social media assets, knowing the basic image dimensions might not cut it. What if you want to make sure a certain part of your cover photo isn't obstructed by your profile photo? And what's the difference between shared link thumbnails, or in-stream photos -- are the dimensions different for those?

Tools, Digital MarketingLiz MartinJune 8, 2017social Media, hubspot, marketing, digital media

Infographic: 10 Email Marketing Dos and Don'ts

Email marketing is a proven tactic that marketers count on to drive results again and again. We’ve put together this handy infographic that details email marketing do’s and don’ts every marketer should know before they push send to ensure their email campaigns deliver. Check out this fantastic Infographic from Campaign Monitor (an awesome email campaign software tailored to designers) to learn the top 10 do's and don'ts!

Mailchimp introduces Facebook Ad Campaigns

A few weeks back Mailchimp announced it's rollout of Facebook Ad Campaigns. Personally, I am very excited for this new announcement because I believe it will streamline a lot of my client's and my own marketing efforts. I'll be digging into this multi-channel marketing feature right away! To learn more about setting up your own email and multichannel marketing plan for your business, contact LMC today.

Digital Marketing, Tools, MarketingLiz MartinFebruary 23, 2017multichannel marketing, mailchimp, facebook ads, email marketing

Grits & Grids: 3 rules for using typography to create visual tone

Over the past weekend I found myself working on a new brand identity for a client. The brand's new logo is mainly text, so I was looking for the perfect font. I ultimately had to invest in a new font from a well know type foundry. It was an investment, however having a proper font for a new brand identity is crucial. While playing around with the branding mood board for my client I came across this great article from Grits and Grids.

Graphic DesignLiz MartinFebruary 16, 2017tools, fonts, typogrpahy, font pairings, branding, type, logo design

What is your email marketing plan?

Email marketing is a key component to business today. There are so many factors involved with creating a comprehensive, well designed and received email marketing plan. I personally setup my clients with Mailchimp because after a little training and customized design email templates, they can manage their own campaigns or work with me on new ones. Read this well rounded post by Brandon @ Mailchimp to learn more about email marketing. Brandon is a writer on MailChimp's marketing team.

Client Love: Indulge Studios Salon + Skin website reveal

I had the pleasure of working with Tracy Pohlkamp and her awesome team at Indulge Studios this past summer/fall! Tracy is the owner and founder of Indulge, a Whitefish Bay salon and skin center. I instantly fell in love with Tracy's passion and excitement for her business and knew we would create something beautiful together!

Why Instagram?

While having social media pages is important for businesses today, some are better than others. Instagram is quickly becoming one of my favorites because of it's passive nature. In a world where facebook is shouting ads at you, Instagram quietly lures you in with beautiful photos. As a very visual person, I prefer this method of marketing.

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