What's Your Issuu?

So what is issuu? This amazing online resource offers individuals a library of over a million free publications, as well as serves as a free publishing platform . While magazines are the most eye catching to me, Issuu has no limits to the types of documents it contains. While surfing the site I noticed maps, annual reports, brochures, flyers, and even the IKEA catalogue (ok, so I got a little distracted looking through the catalog, I'm not gonna lie). Honestly, I truly think I could spend all day on this website.

Kalico uses issuu to upload several of our client's publications. Both Find it Frederick and Frederick County Guide are uploaded to the site and available for viewing upon release date. Our favorite part about issuu? Its amazingly simple to use! You can either set up a free account (warning: free accounts will show advertising) or use their affordable Issuu Pro plan (details here) with benefits such as unlimited publications, unlimited storage & backup and detailed reader statistics. Once your account is set up, all you need is to upload a pdf of your publication and voilà, instant online magazine (or brochure, or map, or annual report…you get the idea!)

Plus, you can get coding from issuu to put your publication directly on your website, blog or facebook fan page. Um, let me demonstrate…

Open publication - Free publishing - More arts

Coo, huh? Interested in working with Kalico Design on your next publication AND getting it online? Give us a shout (or email, we like emails too).

Not Too Shabby, If We Do Say So Ourselves...

Our quarterly newsletter design for the Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society (longest name EVER!) was recently granted a 1st Place Award of Excellence in recognition of the Most Impressive Printed Newsletter. Competing against Philoptochos associations across the nation, this is a great honor! What the heck is the Philoptochos Association, you ask? In short, it is the women's philanthropic society of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. For a more detailed explanation please visit their website. Special thanks to Donna Moore, Marie Carras and Father Anastasios Kousoulas for their help on this project. 

Need help with your next printed or eNewsletters? Don't be shy, contact us today to schedule a meeting!

Gettin Down with the Monkey!

I've mentioned it once or twice before in various blog posts and eNewsletters— MailChimp rocks! If you currently are using a different email marketing provider, I highly recommend making the switch. If you haven't started your email campaign yet, do it soon and be sure to MailChimp it up!

OK, why do I love MailChimp? Let me count the ways:

1. Organized, non-confusing interface
2. Easy to customize templates
3. Great customer service and resources right on their site! (Here's just a few)
4. They're funny and fun to use
5. Data tracking is a breeze (see for yourself)
6. They provide so many ways to network with your social media accounts (seriously!)
7. List management is to the point, and (again!) easy to use! (ahem)
8. Oh, and did I mention you can get a FREE account!?

Need help with your eNewsletter campaigns? Kalico Design can create a customized newsletter template to match your existing brand. Mix up some great design and a little MailChimp magic, and viola, an eNewsletter campaign that YOU can update (or we can do for you, it's your call!). You can't beat that!! Contact us for more info!

Email Marketing 101

I recently attended the High Rock Marketing Summit, which focused on new media marketing, such as social networking and email marketing, as well as ways to incorporate all with your website. It was a great 1-day conference! The next Kalico eNews will breakdown how to use the most popular social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, with your business marketing plan.

But, for this post I will give a quick list of Email Marketing basics. Whether you've already started an email marketing campaign, or you're just getting started, here are some of the basic points to think about to ensure you get the most out of your email newsletters.

1. Design: Keep the look and feel of your emails consistent with the design of your website. This helps to keep your business identity in tact.

2. Delivery: Be consistent with the delivery and timing of your email newsletter, such as on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis. The key is to send your emails often enough so they are expected, but not so often that they become a nuisance to your recipients.

3. Information: Make sure to include valuable and useful information in your eNews. Think about what your target audience wants to hear. Also, be sure to keep your information concise, short and to the point.

4. Measurement: Find a good Email Management Provider (we recommend MailChimp) that will offer you measurement or analytics for each message you send. Some important measurement tools, including percentage of emails delivered, bounced, or unopened as well as click rates for links, will give you insights to how your email was received.

5. List Management: The first important step to starting your email campaign is to import a list of existing clients and prospects (a service like MailChimp can help you build and manage your list). You will also want to include a subscription form on your website to allow users to subscribe automatically.

6. Know the Rules: There are laws concerning commercial emailing. The United States federal CAN-SPAM Act became law on January 1, 2004, protecting consumers from unwanted emails, or spam. Many details are included in the law, but some of the basic points are:
• Emails must be requested and not unsolicited
• The user must be given a visible and operating "Unsubscribe" option
• Content of subject and form field must be relevant

And so concludes our quick and easy breakdown of Email Marketing 101 tips. For more information, or help starting or redesigning your email newsletters, please contact us!

If you'd like more information Social Media Marketing, feel free to sign up for our upcoming eNewsletter!

Rethink Your Marketing During this Darn Recession

I was recently interviewed by a local business magazine, Smart Company (if you're in the Western Maryland region, please be sure to get a FREE subscription, it is a great local business resource). The interview was about "rethinking your business strategy in a recession". I gave input from a design, advertising and marketing perspective and I wanted to relay some of the topics that came up.

First and foremost, even though we are facing an economic crisis, now is not the time to cut back on your marketing! But, it can be a time to rethink your marketing. Consumers are still spending, they are just being more selective and careful about their spending. Reassess your advertising efforts. Make sure all your advertising materials have reason and meaning, get across your message effectively and successfully, look professional, and are geared towards your target audience.

Approach this "downtime" as a chance to really think about how you want to be perceived by your customers. If you haven't already done so, focus on your identity and branding. Is your logo professional, clean and creative? Does it visually represent what your company does and who your company is? Do you have current business cards that are professionally printed? Is your website easy to navigate, clean and concise, up-to-date and visually eye-catching? During this economic recession, make sure your company's identity will be remembered and recognized by your clients. Make sure it is cohesive and representative of your business ethics and practice. Be positive and use this downtime to work on all the things you didn't have time to focus on before. Your company will only better from it!

My April eNewsletter will be coming out soon, and the focus is "Marketing and Design on a Budget". It will include tips and tools for cost-effective marketing, including some free resources. Don't miss out! Be sure to subscribe to Kalico's eNewsletter. (it's free and we will never share or sell your contact information, cross my heart!)

Don't Monkey Around with Your Email Marketing

I wanted to introduce everyone to the email service provider I've used for many years — Meet Mail Chimp! I have been using mail chimp for Kalico Design's eNewsletter for the past year and have been thoroughly happy with their services, customer support and pricing — plus, their user interface is very easy-to-use. And they offer tons of free resources on email marketing tips and tricks. (and I LOVE the fact that mailchimp does not require you to include their logo or advertising anywhere on your eNewsletter, so everything looks like it comes directly from you)

Here's a little more info from the horse's (or, er, monkey's mouth):

MailChimp is a do-it-yourself email marketing service for "the Google generation." We make it easy to send email newsletters to customers, manage subscriber lists, and track campaign performance. Unlike some of our competitors, we don't "dumb things down." We take extremely powerful tools that sophisticated marketers use and we make them accessible to anyone.

Please keep in mind that Kalico Design offers eMail Marketing and design services. Should you want a sophisticated, professionally-designed eNewsletter, give us a call or shoot us an email at info@kalicodesign.com! We also would be happy to set you up with your own MailChimp account, which you can have personal access to, in order to adjust settings, add contacts and more! And be sure to sign up for Kalico News, our free, quarterly newsletter that shares tips and information for marketing your small business.