September 25, 2009

More ways to green up your direct mail

Filed under: Green,Marketing & Promotion — Tags: , , , — lidia @ 1:16 pm

If your company sends direct mail, you have a great opportunity to educate your customers about being green — and promote your own environmental efforts. Here are a few tips, inspired by Deliver Magazine:

  • Print a link to Earth911.com, which lists the Post Office locations that recycle direct mail (magazines, catalogs and mixed paper)
  • If you’re a Direct Marketing Association (DMA) member, add the organization’s “Recycle Please” logo to your printed pieces
  • Indicate if you are printing on recycled paper, or with safer inks or FSC certification. Use the appropriate green logos to get the most impact.

See our tipsheet How Can I Green Up My Company’s Direct Mail? for tips on environmentally-friendly printing options.

September 24, 2009

What I learned on my summer vacation: Part 16

Filed under: Client Communication,Marketing & Promotion — Tags: — lidia @ 1:22 pm

Part of a series of post-Creative Freelancer Conference postings:

16. Work with great people who are well-connected.

It’s nice to work with nice people. Even better, it’s nice to work with nice people who know other nice people — who need your services. Working with a client who is well-connected or established in their industry can help you grow your business as well. If you do a good job, they can pass along your name or recommend you to colleagues —which can turn into new business or job leads.

(inspired by the Speaker Q&A session)

September 23, 2009

Green up your direct mail

Filed under: Green,Marketing & Promotion — Tags: , , , — lidia @ 5:54 pm

recycled_symbol_grDo you work on direct mail programs, but are struggling with the environmental impact”? Ask your designer or printer to look into these two new eco-friendly options for mailers (courtesy of  the latest “green” issue of Deliver Magazine)

  • Earth Flex Poly: 100% biodegradable and compostable poly film. Use it to wrap single books or cards.
  • EarthFirst film window envelopes: look like traditional window envelopes, but are compostable and recyclable.

For more green mailing tips, read our Tipsheet, How Can I Green Up My Company’s Direct Mail?

What I learned on my summer vacation: Part 15

Filed under: Client Communication — Tags: , , — lidia @ 12:26 pm

Part of a series of post-Creative Freelancer Conference postings:

15. Be nice. Show you care.

Do what you say you will do. Return phone calls. Respond to emails promptly. Send a thank you note. Forward a useful article or website. Be friendly and helpful.

It’s all so easy (and obvious), but sometimes we get busy and forget. Clients know we are busy, so they notice when we take the time to focus on them (and when we don’t). As someone said: it’s the little things that count.

(inspired by Peleg Top’s comments in the Speaker Q&A session)

September 22, 2009

Finally… CRAVE Chicago Guide sneak peek!

Filed under: Featured Projects — Tags: — lidia @ 11:21 pm

CRAVE-chicago-coverI’m delighted to announce that Lidia Varesco Design will be featured in the very-first edition of CRAVE Chicago! The book, which will be published in November, features 150 female entrepreneurs in the Chicagoland area. I’m proud to be included in this group of talented and enterprising ladies .

See a sneak peek of my page in CRAVE Chicago here!

Follow Crave Chicago on Facebook or Twitter.

September 21, 2009

What I learned on my summer vacation: Part 14

Filed under: Marketing & Promotion — Tags: , , — lidia @ 2:14 pm

Part of a series of post-Creative Freelancer Conference postings:

14. Track the results of your client projects.

Reach out to clients six months to a year later to track the results of the project you worked on together. Ask for hard facts: money, sales, memberships, customers, etc. This data will be invaluable when you create your project case studies (you are working on those, right?) — or talk about why are a great fit for a particular project or client. (Inspired by the discussions during the Freelance Success Panel)

Sunny happy thoughts indeed!

Filed under: Design & Art,Goods & Wares — Tags: — lidia @ 8:00 am

284t-01My new favorite notepad is this one by Night Owl Paper Goods, producers of “modern yet folksy” ec0-friendly wooden cards, notepads and other goodies. Small enough to fit in my purse, yet stylish enough that I want to show it off.

Purchased at one of my favorite Chicago stores, Hazel.

September 18, 2009

What I learned on my summer vacation: Part 13

Filed under: Marketing & Promotion — Tags: , — lidia @ 2:05 pm
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Agenda by Cavallini

Part of a series of post-Creative Freelancer Conference postings:

13. Schedule time each week for marketing.

It’s easy to get busy with client work and forget all about your own marketing efforts. Or maybe you have the time, but you don’t have a plan.

Make a plan! It doesn’t have to be fancy, simply a list of marketing goals and steps to achieve them is enough to start. Then put the steps on the calendar. If you need motivation, a beautifully-designed agenda or day planner can help (left). Or use a ready-made marketing calendar like the Marketing Mentor Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar.

My goals are to: 1) update my marketing plan to include social media; 2) prioritize my marketing vehicles (so I know what to focus on during busy times) and; 3) schedule a day each week for marketing. Wow, that makes it seem easy, right?

September 16, 2009

What I learned on my summer vacation: Part 12

Filed under: Marketing & Promotion — Tags: , , , — lidia @ 1:26 pm

lvdtwitterPart of a series of post-Creative Freelancer Conference postings:

12. Make a plan for using social media for your business.

  • Know your target market
  • Be useful and informative (freebies are always appreciated!)
  • Be supportive of others’ efforts and projects
  • Be entertaining (it doesn’t have to be all business)
  • Let your personal voice come through
  • Link back to your main online marketing vehicle (website or blog)
  • Determine your goals—focus on those outlets that are working

Social media is like any other marketing tool—it requires some thought and planning. In Colleen Wainwright’s session, The Astoundingly Simple Secrets to Making Social Media Work for You, I was inspired to create a plan for my social media marketing—in other words, avoid Twittering willy-nilly all day.

Networking with your neighbors tonight!

Filed under: Networking — Tags: , — lidia @ 8:00 am

Join myself and my co-host Elizabeth (Lulu) Miranda of Mercury Organizing Professionals for Neighborhood Networking TONIGHT! Meet and mingle with fellow businesses and sample appetizers from Chief O’Neill’s. This month, we have again partnered with Business by Referral (BBR) to bring you twice the networking fun. (Yes, you can have fun networking!)

The event takes place at Chief O’Neill’s Pub & Restaurant (3471 N Elston Ave., Chicago, IL 60618) from 5:30-8:00 pm.

Register in advance until 2 pm today or pay $12 at the door.

Hosted by Lidia Varesco Design and Elizabeth (Lulu) Miranda of Mercury Organizing Professionals

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