April 27th, 2009
I’d just like to let everyone know that my wife and I have had our second baby girl.
Charli Jean, Born 31 March 2009, 8.8 pounds.
Everyone is well and it’s been a very joyful but BUSY time for my whole family which has kept me from writing as much as I would like.
I’m back on board now and will be delivering more recent posts.
Speak to you all soon.
March 16th, 2009
We’ve just launched the all new Michael Butera website at michaelbutera.com.au
Michael is an up and coming singer/songwriter from Melbourne Australia who contracted Crimson Fox to help create a more central online presence for his music releases and event schedules.
The custom web design we’ve created, matches the funk, pop styles of Michael’s music, while delivering a dynamic launching pad for listening to his music through the flash controlled music player.
We are currently working with a number of musicians who are serious about taking their careers to the next level. So if you have any ideas about how we can be of service to you, please let us know.
For news and music releases from Michael Butera sign up for his updates at www.michaelbutera.com.au
March 4th, 2009
One of our great clients JHL Civil have just launched a redesign of their existing website.
The new web design aims to make it easier for visitors to find information.
By sectioning the business website into it’s 5 main categories we’ve achieved more clarity in the way information flows through the site.
The site now incorporates a customised content management system allowing the staff at JHL Civil to add new projects and news updates at any time of the day.
JHL Civil are water and wastewater experts currently located in Port Melbourne.
February 23rd, 2009
The use of texture can be a great way to enhance a rather simple layout and take it to a whole new level.
The team over at 6 revisions has created a great list of 30 Beautifully Textured Web Designs.
Make sure you check it out and pay particular attention to the small details.
February 11th, 2009
Above is a 5 minute video that illustrates how our world of information is expanding at an incredible rate.
This video was made in 2007, just think about how far we’ve moved since then.
February 2nd, 2009
Well, we’re over a month into 2009 and it’s time to take stock of our Branding Messages and Presentations to make sure they fit this new economic climate.
Customers are now putting greater consideration on spending money, often looking for a cheaper option if they can’t see the value in your brand.
Other considerations touch on the technology front. Social Networks, Mobile phones and online marketing are taking even greater strides in 2009 and need to be considered in your marketing approach.
Below are the our Top 5 considerations when branding your business in 2009.
Social Networks such as Facebook, My Space and Twitter have finally made real impact with the public in general over 2008 and it’s time to start leveraging them.
As of September last year Facebook had over 90 Million active users which is a growing number that can’t be ignored.
Creating a company profile on any of these networks can be a great way to begin conversations with your clients and keep up to date with changing trends and customer opinion.
Making sure that your brand message is consistent across all forms of media and customer interaction is important for customer loyalty and trust.
It’s much easier to trust someone if you have consistent positive communication. The same thing applies to your business communication with its customers.
Change scares many people. Knowing what to expect will enable customers and clients to feel comfortable when dealing with you.
Now more than ever, value for money is a must. With the media screaming economic turmoil, customers need to see that they are receiving a valuable product or service for their hard earned money.
So make sure that you express the benefits of investing in your product when ever possible. Cheap does not equal value, but if the customer does not see value in your presentation then cheap is an easy alternative.
Knowing your customers and their current situation is key in speaking to their hearts and minds.
Economic and personal situations are changing faster than ever so in order to keep up we need to be opening conversations with our customers today.
Whether through social networking, online and offline community interaction, email marketing or simply phoning to following up on a customer purchase, we need to listen to what our clients have to say, then act on any major trends we find from the feedback.
Email marketing is a great way to keep existing and potential customers up to date.
But the key is not to ‘Spam’ people. Making sure that your emails are welcome is incredibly important part of this strategy.
First, make sure you only send email to existing customers or people who have expressed interest in receiving more informtion about your product.
Secondly, the customer needs to be in control. Making it easy to unsubscribe to your email newsletter is key to establishing trust.
Third and finally, make your email content interesting, useful and valuable to the customer receiving it.
Again, if your message is not one of value, people will stop listening.
There are many things to consider when branding your business and I only have time to cover my top 5 here.
If you have more suggestion feel free to let us know through the comments or send us an email at: admin@crimsonfox.com.au
If you would like more information on branding your business we are ready to help you on: 03 8562 2239 or admin@crimsonfox.com.au
January 15th, 2009
Have you ever wanted to get your message out to a large portion of your customers all at once?
Email, has to one of the fastest and most cost effective ways to do this.
But finding the right system for Branding your emails can be a tricky business.
Sending an email full of useful and interesting content can be one of the greatest ways to keep in touch with the people you’re aiming to serve.
Spamming a potential client with pushy sales jargon can be one of the best ways to scare them off.
So keep your emails friendly, interesting and full of products that will help customers rather than waste their money.
A quality email will help you grow your customer list, through word of mouth and ‘refer a friend’ options, which are common in many email systems today.
When looking for a system to send bulk emails to customers it pays to make sure you are using an email system that makes unsubscribing easy.
A reader must always feel that they are in control of the email process or they begin to feel trapped or tricked into receiving your publication.
If that ever happens, your emails will quickly find their way into the nearest junk folder.
So, an unsubscribe button on your email will allow your reader the choice of continuing to receive your newsletter of whether it’s just not right for them.
Allowing people the freedom to choose in this situation will enable you to create the best list of potential customer possible. Customers who want to hear from you.
Other considerations are ease of use and an ability to manage your subscriber lists.
If you find an email system hard to use, you simply won’t use it. Which, of course, will stall any email marketing momentum that you’ve begun.
Many email campaign managers come with ready to use template systems now, which make creating a quality, professional looking presentation far easier than it has ever been before.
The ability to quickly and easily manage subscriber lists will speed up any management of an email marketing campaign, while enabling you to divide customer lists into relevant subdivisions.
Dividing customers into more targeted groups will enable you to send more relevant information, rather than a generic message.
Finding the right email system for your business is not always easy but considering that the majority of people on this earth are using email on a daily basis, you’d have to admit that marketing via email is a solid choice for cost effective customer communication.
If you’d like to see what email campaign manager we provide our clients click email marketing campaign manager for more information.
January 7th, 2009
Lately, I’ve had many small business owners asking me what they should consider when branding their business and products.
As we know, branding is more than just a logo or business cards.
It’s all the little details of business life that contribute to how the public, your customers and even your staff, see, interact with, and talk about your business.
So I’ve put together a list of the various areas of your business that require branding attention.
The checklist recommends that you tick off each area once you decide a direction and then when you put your decisions into action.
Click this link to download the Branding Checklist.
January 5th, 2009
I’d just like to wish all the readers a Very Happy, Safe and Successful New Year.
It looks like many businesses will be hitting some more tough times over the next year, but if you can hang in there and continue to drive sales you have an opportunity to reach even greater heights in 2009.
I’m certainly looking forward to the challenge and will be aiming to make 2009 our best year yet.
December 18th, 2008
Branding your business is more than just a logo or a corporate image.
Everything your business does equates to it’s overall personality.
We can externally project an image to the buying public. But keep in mind that everything we say, promote or advertise about our business becomes a promise with our customers.
If we don’t keep those promises when interacting with these customers, before, during and after sales, that image becomes tainted and our brand takes on a life of it’s own.
You can read my article on branding your business externally vs internally here.
Feel free to lave a comment regarding your thoughts on the topic.
