This is Where I Share All the Things
Insights, news, tips, and more on branding, marketing, graphic design, and photography.
This is the way.
My focus is on the marketing and design problems consumer product goods, manufacturers, and the building materials industry face every day.
But shhhh….here’s a secret — you adapt most of the insights here to your industry too, whether you’re a nonprofit or small business.
Do you have an idea for a blog topic or a problem you’re trying to solve?
I’m always on the prowl for helpful content ideas. Give me a holler here.
For the Love of Branding
Your Ultimate Guide to Designing Your Brand Branding, like love, can seem elusive, mysterious, and full of ups and downs. But at its heart branding is about connecting with your audience, building a relationship, and nurturing your relationship. It turns out that love...
Buckland Salad
If you’re looking for an easy side dish for your holiday table try my Buckland Salad. My relatives fight over the leftovers. I’ve also thrown in a couple of holiday playlists for you while you whip it up.
Take Better Photos Using the Elements of Design
There are six elements of design in photography—line, shape, form, texture, pattern, color. They all work together, and without one, you can’t have the other. Using these elements you can create powerful compositions and images from everyday subjects. First up line.1....
The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing
Ever wonder if you’re getting the most out of your email marketing? Or if you could do it better? Or maybe you’re not sure where to even start when it comes to email marketing. We’ve put together some of the golden rules and best practices when it comes to engaging with and reaching your customers with email marketing.
5 Things to Share: February 2022
Happy Super Bowl Weekend! Who are you rooting for? I’m a Bronco’s and Vikings fan. Since, by default, you were one or the other if you grew up in South Dakota with no home team like I did. And since neither of those teams is in the Super Bowl, I’m there for the friends, halftime show, commercials, and food. Here’s to your team winning this week, and enjoy this installment of 5 Things to Share. Cheers!
What Makes a Good Product Website?
When it comes to website design, it’s easy to get carried away with how it looks. Does that button look good? Maybe I should round the corners? Should I make the hamburger menu white, perhaps it should be blue? What if I put a carousel gallery there? Or, I really like...
January 2022: 5 Things to Share
Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were filled with love, laughter, and joy and you're looking forward to 2022. This month I'm finding focus, feeling heartbroken by the Marshall fires, reducing the plastic packaging I bring into my house, watching marketing trends...
GenZ’s Top 10 Holiday Classics
It's almost that time of year! Curling up by a fireplace, making hot cocoa, and listening to holiday music are all things on my to-do list. Tunes like Sleigh Ride and Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree are age-old classics that never get old as the season comes and...
Introducing 5 Things to Share
Welcome to the inaugural edition of 5 Things to Share. It was inspired by the desire to shorten the monthly newsletter while still sharing news, trends, interesting bits and pieces, and tips in marketing, design, and photography with you. So here are 5 things worth...
Do’s & Don’ts: Mind Your Manners in Your Marketing
Just like when you sit down at supper — you don’t start eating until everyone has sat down, received their order, or chew with your mouth open (a personal pet peeve of mine). In marketing and design, if you have good manners, not only will you show your audience respect, but you connect and attract more business. So when it comes to your marketing manners, here are a few dos and don’ts.
Email Marketing: Writing Your Subject Lines to Increase Open Rates
At the end of October, I attended HubSpot’s virtual InBound Marketing Conference. One of my favorite sessions was by Jay Schwedelson from World Data, Email Myths Busted. Not only did I bust a gut laughing out loud in my home office, but I learned a thing or two about what’s going on in email marketing right now, what to avoid, and what’s working. According to Jay, it’s like the Wild West in email marketing right now — anything goes. But this doesn’t mean you should hitch your wagon to every trend. Read on to find out what I learned.
5 Things I’m Grateful for in 2021
I was in the car the other day driving kids to and fro when my phone randomly picked Kacey Musgraves, Let It Snow, from the 16,747 songs in my iTunes library to play over the car stereo. As random as it was, it was the perfect fit for the moment. Not because the weather was cold and cozy, it was sunny and 72°F here in Colorado, but because I think we’re all looking forward to 2022.
Do Spooky Unsubscribes & Low Email Engagement Haunt You?
In this October post we ask, do spooky unsubscribes and low email engagement haunt you? And give you some solid tactics to exorcise those email ghosts.
Why Your Business Needs a Website and Not Just a Facebook Page
In this blog post, we discuss the many reasons why your business needs a website and not just a Facebook page. From owned vs. non-owned media to being able to control your branding to establishing credibility learn why a website is essential to your small business’ success.
Grade A Cuts of Film Poster: The Story Behind the Design
The Story Behind the Image Once I got all my credits transferred from Northwest College, I was about halfway to a degree, but I needed a few more credits. One of them being a photoshop class. I'd been using Photoshop since its 2.0 inception for the yearbook in high...
What I Learned About Marketing Nonprofits from the PTA
During the better part of a decade at the PTA I learned a lot about marketing nonprofits.
Follow & Get Inspiration From These Brands & Influencers On Instagram
Born on October 6, 2010, Instagram began as a photo-sharing app but has morphed and grown into a formable social media platform. Currently, it boasts up to one billion monthly active users and 25+ million business accounts. And according to HubSpot’s 2021 Instagram Report, it’s poised to earn a “projected USD 18 billion in ad revenue this year.”
Large and small companies are making it an integral part of their social media strategy to create brand engagement and grow their customer base.
But building a community of engaged followers and brand advocates is one of the hardest things you can do as a marketing team or brand manager. So it got me thinking — who am I following that’s killing it? And who inspires me?
Take Better Product Photography for Your Social Media Marketing
Has finding stock photos that resonate with your brand’s audience become a challenge? Or maybe the same old images you’ve been using for the last 10 years aren’t cutting it anymore. Either way, you’ve decided it’s time to freshen things up by either hiring a product photographer or setting up in your in-house studio. We’ve put together some of our best social media photography tips to help you level up your marketing and help you tell your brand’s story.
Got a design, inbound marketing, or product photography question?
I’m always on the lookout for content ideas and ways I can help you. Shoot me an email at sarah@themoonshinedesign.com, and we’ll be put on our list.
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