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.
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.
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.
Design Your Product Packaging to Standout on the Shelf
How many times have you stood in the store aisle confused and wracking your brain to figure out what product to buy? You picked up one only to read it and then put it down. You picked up another, then put it down. Then finally, stood back to wonder which product was...
Why Should You Hire a Product Photographer?
Are you wondering if you should take the DIY method or hire a photographer? With smartphones producing high-quality images, everyone is a photographer nowadays. However, there are still circumstances when you should call in a pro. Below are eight reasons you should...
Photography 101: The Basics of Exposure
Today we’ll dive into the basics of exposure. Since knowing how to control the light is critical to great photography. And capturing the details of an image will save you time and energy when retouching. Not to mention, if you don’t have good exposure to begin with no matter what you do, you still may not be able to salvage an image.
Design a Consumer Products Landing Page that Converts
Landing pages designed for consumer product goods and manufacturing contain lead forms that trade their visitors their contact information for something of value. For example, when you click on an ad and then “land” on a page asking you to fill out a form in exchange for something of value. Some great examples are a white paper on your product vs. the competition, a coupon code, or a free sample.
How to Design a Landing Page for Nonprofits
A landing page for nonprofits cuts out all the distractions by eliminating the navigation and competing links. It focuses the visitors’ attention to the call to action in front of them and increases the chances of converting them into a lead and thus more donations for your nonprofit.
How to Create a Buyer Persona for Your Small Business
As I've been getting started with my own business this year, it's become crystal clear one of the most critical steps to getting started with your marketing efforts is knowing your audience. What are their challenges and obstacles, what is working for them, and what...
Inbound Marketing Lessons I Learned from my Dad
Inbound Marketing Lessons I Learned from my Dad Whenever I hear the term "inbound marketing", I think of my dad. He was using the basic Inbound principles selling AAA insurance long before it became the buzz around the marketing world. And the more I look back,...
The Creative Process, How Does It Work?
How does the creative process work? Do ideas just float down from somewhere in the sky and you pluck them out? Believe it or not, there really is a method to the madness. Well, at least there is to my creative madness…here’s how it works for me.
An Infographic Design Experiment: The Ups & Downs of 2020
The project below is my attempt at processing all the ups and downs of life during a pandemic. It built using the Chartwell Area font. First, I documented the good, the bad and the ugly of 2020 for our family in a timeline. Then, I assigned each item a rating or number from 0–100. 0 being the most challenging and suck-tactic of times and 100 the moments that brought us the most joy. Each month was assigned a color to distinguish it from the last. The color palette is based on my branding color palette. The spaces where you see a gap or blank space are the times that were the hardest or the “zero times.” Luckily we’re saying good-bye to 2020 on a high note. Here’s to 2021 and all of us turn a corner to a brighter and better future.
Why You Should Jump on the Brand Wagon
You’re serious about your business, so you should look like you are. And in a rough economy, it’s even more important to hold onto the market share you’ve worked so hard for over the years. So dig your heels in and brand your business like you mean it. By branding your business, product, or service you will not only keep market share you have, but you very well may gain some. So here’s how not to get left in the dust.
Logo Design: Alpha Hydrox Skin Care
I was part of a committee of women in those days dedicated to product development. We decided it was high time we updated the Alpha Hydrox logo to revitalize the brand and attract new users. The demographic was mainly women 35+, but most current users fell into the boomer category. The color red had to stay, as it was getting some great brand recognition from the red box at the shelf level.
The Golden Rules of Social Media
When you were little you learned the Golden Rule—treat others as you want to be treated. Live by that rule in the social media sphere and apply a little common sense and you should be just fine. But just in case you need some specifics here’s a few little golden nuggets to guide you along the social media path.
I Heart Comic Sans
Have you ever noticed a flash horror and disgust in your designer’s twinkling eye when you speak the phrase “Comic Sans”? Does your designer start sweating profusely, give you a sarcastic smirk, or start choking violently at the utterance of these syllables? These are normal side effects for a graphic designer experiencing the situation. But why such a violent, defensive, primal response to the font? What is about this friendly, sweet and innocent typeface you’ve grown to love and cherish over time that invokes such a volitile viscreal reaction? What is torturing this individual so about this font?
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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