Goodbye Blogger, Hello Wordpress

I've been wanting to switch to Wordpress for quite a while now and finally, over the past few days, I've programmed my way to a new blog. All posts can now be found at http://13thirtyone.com/blog/.

Creating A Marketing Web

I've been working with a friend lately on developing her website and other marketing materials. In discussing her blog, e-mail newsletters and ways to gain more traffic, we started chatting about the power that all three systems have when combined. Sure a blog can be very powerful on its own, but when used in conjunction properly with other online methods of marketing, great increases in search engine rankings and more exposure in the public eye can happen.

For example, writing e-newsletters or e-zines is a great way to stay in touch with your client base and to keep people informed. It helps people to remember that you're there and to also share expertise, thus positioning you as an expert. However, one of the best ways to get people to sign up for them is by placing a sign-up box or link on both your blog and on your website. Don't forget to also include a "forward to a friend" with a "sign-up now" link within your newsletter. Now the three pieces of online marketing are working together to increase the size of your mailing list.

Another idea... Perhaps you sell products online. What if you had a few of your products appear on the side-bar panel of your blog? Additionally, how about featuring one product as a portion of your e-newsletter? When the user clicks on the link from your e-mail or blog, it can direct them to your products page or to the shopping cart directly.

A final suggestion on promoting your blog... Not only should your blog be linked in your e-newsletters, but there should definitely be a link coming from your website as well. Some sites are even embedding their blogs within their websites or creating blogs that are actually websites themselves. Don't be afraid to use the two to reference one another regularly and to send a user from one place to the other so long as your provide a ready-made link and pop up the link in a new window. Make it as convenient for your user as possible.

If all three pieces (or more if you have other digital marketing efforts) are acting together, they create a web, or a net of sorts. This net refers visitors from one piece of marketing to another, thus, increasing the length of time that individual is interacting with your business. This allows for a more informed customer, a longer lasting impression and credible positioning for your company.

Green Graphic Design

I wrote another article for All Graphic Design's blog on the subject of being a green designer. Check it out if you have time. Otherwise, the article itself is below:

Why Green Design?

“According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the world population is expanding at a mind-boggling rate. The world reached 1 billion people in 1800; 2 billion by 1922; and over 6 billion by 2000. It is estimated that the population will swell to over 9 billion by 2050. That means that if the world’s natural resources were evenly distributed, people in 2050 will only have 25% of the resources per capita that people in 1950 had.”1

Both our individual lifestyles and the way we run our businesses contribute to this rapid decrease in resources. If we as small business owners or freelancers can control our services easily and lessen their harmful effects on the environment, why wouldn’t we? Many people are under the impression that running an environmentally friendly operation at work or at home costs loads of money and time. This isn’t necessarily true at all. In my experience, going green has helped me to reduce costs on utilities such as electricity and water and keep less paper in my printers (which means more money in my bank account). It’s also helping my clients save money as well. They’re no longer paying for the printing of single-sided, countless brochure inserts; they’re using double-sided pages instead or moving their information online entirely. But this isn’t the portion of the article where we discuss the “how-tos” of going green; that’s later.

On a global scale, going green is good for the earth. It joins the worldwide effort to save our planet and to preserve the resources we have for generations to come. In a business sense, it can work to your marketing advantage. It can also keep your expenses down all while giving you a warm and fuzzy feeling. And finally, in terms of design, it uses the skills we have for the greater good. We can use our knowledge of self-promotion to help our clients to market themselves in a more eco-friendly manner. Imagine how much paper could be saved if all designers thought this way!




Going Green: Starting With Your Work Environment

Before we start talking about ways to “green your design,” we must first visit the office space in which you’re working. I feel it’s important to practice what you preach. For example, if you’re telling your clients to use less paper, don’t keep your trash can filled with old print-outs while your recycle bin is empty.

Paper
Start by evaluating how much paper you use versus how much paper you really should be using. Printing out endless mock-ups for client approval is not the most tree-friendly option. Send your proofs via pdf in an email. Keep paper out of it all together if you can. But what about client signatures? What about having them sign off on a project? According to the American Bar Association (http://www.abanet.org/scitech/ec/isc/dsg-tutorial.html), digital and electronic signatures are fully adequate. Furthermore, computer software providers such as Adobe now have programs that are entirely created for Digital Signature recording and security (if you’re interested, check out Adobe Digital Signatures here.

Secondly, for those times when we do need to print off directions from Google Maps for our next client meeting, try printing on paper that is already using a percentage of post-consumer content. Then, use it again. In other words, save sheets of paper that have been only used on one side. Reprint on the back-side and you’ve just gotten twice the amount of printing paper for your buck.

Finally, invoicing takes up lots of paper. I send my statements once a month using pdf files via email. While this may not work in certain instances, it certainly saves on paper, envelopes and postage. PayPal (http://www.paypal.com) also has an electronic invoicing tool for credit cards. Check out the Merchant Services portion of their website.

Lighting
Designers need adequate lighting when it comes to looking over those Pantone swatch books. But do costly fluorescent light-bulbs really do the trick? Lucky for me, I’m able to position my desk under a skylight. On sunny days, I use absolutely no electricity to light my workspace! Don’t have a window? Try investing in Compact Fluorescent day-light light bulbs. They require far less energy and won’t make your own skin appear green.

Recycling
Being that graphic designers do use so much paper, it’s important to look at our recycling methods. Did you know that “for every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months”?2

Try to be better about recycling old mock-ups, client print-outs, and even mail. Nothing is a greater distraction than flipping through those beautiful full-color stock-photo catalogues, but at 20 pages a piece, a lot of trash can be created. If you’re not interested in receiving those offers or notifications all together, be sure to get your name removed from their list as opposed to just throwing them out and calling it good.

Website Hosting
Most designers and design firms have websites. Some provide web design services and offer hosting as a service to their clients. Move both to an eco-friendly hosting company next time your contract is up for review, if you can. I’m about to make the switch myself and have found a lot of great companies out there. Some run entirely on solar and wind energy while others buy carbon credits and “pay back” the carbon emissions they create. The preference is up to you, but either way, there are many green providers out there. The list below is just a few that I’ve come across in my search for a greener hosting alternative:

• ThinkHost: They plant a tree for every new customer!
• Sustainable Websites
• Elfon.com

The list can go on and on about how to have a more eco-friendly office. A great podcast that I’ve listened to is hosted by GreenLivingIdeas.com. Their Green Talk Radio host Sean Daily has uploaded several podcasts where he discusses green office ideas with actual consultants. Check out the podcasts directly on itunes to download previous episodes. Otherwise, the direct link is here.



Going Green: Greener Graphic Design Solutions

Obviously all design projects and clients are different, so telling you that your brochures should be of a certain size and be only a one-color job won’t really work. However, there are some definite points to keep in mind when assigned to a particular project. Thinking in terms of creating a more eco-friendly design solution tends to keep the end-result more in mind. Asking yourself, “What will happen when the user no longer needs this piece? Can it be turned into something else? Is it something that people would want to hang on to? Can be recycled?” become routine questions.

Below is a list of several possible design projects and some eco-friendly alternatives I’ve come up with. I would definitely recommend throwing some of these ideas in your “save for later” box as they can make great self-promotional ideas as well.

Email Campaigns, Not Postcard Campaigns
As said previously, one of the best ways to help the environment overall, is to create less trash. As graphic designers, we can contribute largely in this area. Direct mail campaigns may be effective, but they're also costly. Between design services, printing and postage, the dollars really begin to add up. Furthermore, having a 7% response rate, on average, is considered "doing well." That means 93% of the postcards or direct mail pieces create little or no response at all. Where do you think they've ended up? Yep, most likely in the trash.

Not only are email campaigns paperless, but they've been proven to create better results. It's delivered directly to one's email inbox, it creates easy viewing, and there's a level of convenience. If the viewer wants more info, all they need to do is click and they're at your website. That's instant gratification, and consumers love that. Try convincing your client that this may be a more cost-effective and sustainable way to go.

If You Have To Print, Print This Way
So you're client’s all about making postcards and they seem to get great results. Great, but if you have to print, do it wisely. Print the quantity the client will really need; not enough to store on their bookshelves in boxes behind their desk, nor enough to leave you with 400 “samples.”

Talk to your printer about paper options that are created from post-consumer content; options that also won't hinder your design or the project objective. Find out if your printer can use soy or vegetable-based inks. Sometimes, some printers only have these inks in specific colors. Make sure you find out these color restrictions, if applicable. If your printer isn’t into the “green thing,” you can try out a few of my resources:

*On A National Level: Greener Printer
Very eco-friendly and easy to work with online.

*On A Local Level: Graphic Design, Inc.
Located in Hastings, Minnesota. A full print shop with many green capabilities.

*On An International Level (label printing): Metro Label Group, Inc.
I've never worked with them personally, but understand they actually run their business in an environmentally-friendly building. Located in Canada, this company offers label printing solutions.


Better Banners
If you or your client has decided to do a tradeshow, the most typical signage pieces are banners. There are actually printers out there that specialize in printing not only with environmentally-friendly inks, but on eco-friendly, durable banner materials as well. A good example of such a printer is Green Banners.


Put Catalogs Online
If your client prints and distributes product catalogs, there's never been a better time to inspire them to sell products online. E-commerce websites can be pricey and time-consuming to initialize, but once they’re up and the products are listed, it will take less time to manage and advertise them, than it would to redesign and print them however often. Sounds like you just got an opportunity to put a client on retainer and gain a little security.

E-Coupons, Not Paper Coupons
Coupons are great and they tend to be very effective. You can help your clients cater to their lazy customers (and to the earth) by not printing and mailing paper coupons. This creates work for the customer (they have to cut!) and trash. Instead, feature coupons on the client’s website or in an email campaign with a promotional code. Your client now has an effective coupon with no paper and no cutting.

Again the possibilities are endless. But it’s not about having a check-list of what you should and shouldn’t do when it comes to being a green designer. It’s about determining the so-called “after-life” of a project and thinking about its affect on the environment up-front.

Make the Commitment
If you’re really finding that green design is a new passion for you, there are several organizations you can join to mingle with your Green Designer counterparts. Some of these design groups can make great resume builders and others are just great networking opportunities

Design Can Change: Graphic Designers Unite to Address Climate Change
Make the pledge here to be a more sustainable designer and to do your part when it comes to the welfare of the environment.

Co-Op America: Economic Action for a Just Planet
Join Co-Op America and if your green membership is approved, you’ll be placed in their National Green Pages, a directory of environmentally friendly business nationwide. You also get a nifty approval badge to display on your website.


AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts)
Not necessarily a green organization in itself, but they host conferences on green design. Check out the sustainability section of their website: http://sustainability.aiga.org/


Minnesota Green Pages Directory
For the locals – become a member of Do It Green Minnesota and you have the option to be listed in their directory.


Renourish
An online resource for green graphic designers. Contains links to blogs, the ability to share case studies and tools for the environmentally concerned designer.


1 Go Green Initiative’s website, http://www.gogreeninitiative.org/content/WhyGoGreen/
2. Go Green Initiative’s website, http://www.gogreeninitiative.org/content/WhyGoGreen/

Stumbling

My aunt Chris, also an artist - oh yeah, check out her link on my links section - is really into blogging. She's very good at it and has lots of tips and tricks. Just a few days ago, she published the following post about using Stumble Upon to promote your blog. I thought about writing my own on the subject, but why fix something that's not broken? Her amazing advice is as follows:

How To Drive More Traffic To Your Blog By Using StumbleUpon

Hello Million Friends,

This is the first article in a series of blog traffic building tips.

Why do you want more traffic to your blog? If you're an artist or anyone who wants more blog traffic, you want to increase the people who come to your blog to see your art, which is hopefully at your blog or a link on your blog that take people to your art. The more people who come to your blog, the more exposure you have and potential of selling your art.

If you're not an artist and would like to become part of an online social community you can do this as well.

In this article I'll be talking about the Social Bookmarking site StumbleUpon. You can use StumbleUpon to drive more traffic to your blog.

StumbleUpon is a Social Bookmarking site that allows a person to surf the web randomly.

You create an account at StumbleUpon and use the StumbleUpon toolbar buttons to randomly surf the web. While you are surfing the web using the Stumble! button, you can bookmark websites or blog articles you like by clicking on a thumbs up button or what you dislike by clicking on a thumbs down button. See image below.


If you notice at the end of each article at my blog, I have some action items for readers to take that include "Stumble It!". If you like an article here at my blog, and you have a StumbleUpon account, you would then click on the "Stumble It!" link.

After you click on the "Stumble It!" link, you will be taken to the StumbleUpon webpage that allows you to bookmark the article and provide a bit of information about the article.

So how does this help build blog traffic? As everyone bookmarks their favorite blog articles at StumbleUpon, the more StumbleUpon community members will see the articles, and that will bring more traffic to your blog. Sometimes a lot of traffic can pass by in a short period of time depending on who's stumbling your blog articles.

Stumbling is an activity I'll remind people to do through out 2008. Email me at chris@chrisbolmeier.com and I'll put you on my mailing list so you can receive those reminders by email.

Also, there are more ways to use StumbleUpon that I'll talk about in future articles.

Here's what I'd like everyone to do now:

1. Open a StumbleUpon account.

2. Install the StumbleUpon buttons (optional).

3. Stumble one of my articles here at my blog.

4. Tell me an article from your blog you'd like me to Stumble and I will. Leave a link to the article here in the comments so everyone else can Stumble it as well.

5. Finally, leave your StumbleUpon profile like this - http://christerical.stumbleupon.com so I can add you as a friend at StumbleUpon. If or when you have a StumbleUpon account, you can click on my profile http://christerical.stumpleupon.com and add me as a friend. Then everyone reading this blog post should follow suit. When you arrive here at this article, stumble everyone's articles that are mentioned in this blog post's comments and add them as a friend at StumbleUpon. We're Building a Community Folks!! :)

There are other social bookmarking sites I'll share with you in future posts where we can do the same kind of activity to drive more traffic to our blogs.

So come on!! Let's start stumbling. :)

Thanks,
Chris

This blog post was inspired by Danial Scocco's blog DailyBlogTips and Yaro Starak's blog Entrepreneurs-Journey. Check 'em out.

A Blogging No-No

I use my blog to promote my business, my passion as a designer and to give the occasional "go green" plug. I think blogs are an awesome opportunity to give clients and colleagues a more personal vibe and to throw a few educational tips out there.

There are a lot of business owners out there that have two or more blogs - one for business, one for personal use, etc. While I'm in favor of blogging to your heart's content, for whomever your audience may be, a business owner still has to be very careful of what they blog about and where.

I came across a designer's blog today that I totally love and respect. Their ideas are great, their posts very educational and their style of writing is really fun to read. I saw a link to their personal blog and couldn't believe what I was reading. Let's just say bust-size measurements are a major no-no! Being that people who view you professionally are reading your blog, why would you link to your personal one given the totally different change in tone? Why not think about editing your personal one further in order to avoid faux-pas such as this?

Obviously we all have freedom of speech and can say whatever we think wherever we want to. But as a business owner, I can't help but feel professional standards have to be met in almost everything that we do. Tsk, tsk...

Market That Blog

In a recent post I noted that I've been a little addicted to blogging lately - more so than ever. I read blogs, link to blogs, write my own blog, and most importantly, market my blog. With all of these things combined, however, blogging can be a very time consuming thing. But what's the point of dedicating all this time if no one can find your blog to read it?

While the sole concept of blogging could be therapeutic for some, I find it to be an online networking and self-promotional tool more than anything else. Therefore, it's important that I stay on top of the different ways to make my blog noticed online. So with that said, how do I not only get new traffic to my blog, but keep the old traffic returning?

New Posts
No one wants to pull up a blog that hasn't been updated since January of 2006. What's the point? Unless the topic is immune to being outdated, the info is old and probably not worth anything anymore.

By posting regularly, you're doing multiple things. One, is that you're giving your current readers something to come back for. Keep your current subscribers interested and if they're into what you're saying, chances are they'll pass your blog info on to someone else.

Another plus is that by writing often, you're consistently keeping your blog refreshed. And by keeping it refreshed, you're keeping your name at the top of the blog search engines. With the thousands... no, let me revise... millions of blogs that there are out there, you can't afford to be at the bottom of the list. Keep your blog updated and you'll be sure to be updated on search engines.

Blog Stats
Keeping an eye on your blog's stats is a great way to know how well you're really doing. You may think just because you have a published blog, you'll have readers, but that's not true at all. There are several programs that I use to keep an eye on my blog traffic. A few of them being Feedburner, StatCounter Pro and MyBlogLog. I can get a wide range of info from each of the different programs. Best of all, these programs are free.

Subscriber Links
So, they're not the prettiest things in the whole world. But by adding a few link buttons to your blog, you can gain a lot of traffic. By adding an RSS feed link, or placing a couple of buttons to link to major blog portals such as Technorati and such, you can give your visitor a one-stop sign-up spot to receive your news and recent blog posts. This a great way for people to tag your page, should they like it, so they won't lose it. They'll be sure to return. Furthermore, add a few links for them to forward your blog posting to a friend. Referrals are great!

Participation
There's a lot to be said for actively participating in the online community. What does that mean? Go to a favorite website and see if they have a discussion board. Find a topic you're interested or well-versed in and speak up! By showing that you know your stuff, and by being sure to sign your posts with your blog address in your signature, you're getting free advertising. And not only are you putting your online info in front of people, you're showing that you're a smarty pants as well.

Linking
Ever been to a blog and seen a huge list of links to other sites and blogs? They weren't put there by the author just to be nice. They're there for publicity. Seems a little backwards, yes, but here's how it works. You're bored at work and find a cool blog. It's got great info and you're really impressed by the author. You quickly type a message to the blogger and say, "Great blog. I'd like to link to you from mine. Would that be okay?" Of course, they'll say yes. But chances are, they'll be curious about who's checking out their site. They'll realize that you're a nifty blogger yourself and probably add your link. Now, you're getting their readers. And they're getting yours. Traffic for everybody.

While the list is pretty much endless, these are a few points that I've learned work well. It can be daunting to seek out a forum and type your thoughts, to keep track of your stats, and to post regularly. But, what I've found, is that it becomes routine. And eventually a likable activity.

Blogger Etiquette 101

I've been into reading blogs as of late. So into it, that I think I've read more blog entries in the past week than I have in my whole life. It's not boredom really, just pure curiosity. There are so many bloggers out there writing both personal and topical entries (those are actually blog terms... I learned that on a blog today). Among those, each blog is very specific to the individual writing it. They have their own style, their own lingo and their own way of expressing themselves.

I personally love the more laid-back, personal format. It's a little more friendly and serves the idea of a blog a little better, I think. But then there are some that happen to take the friendly banter way overboard. For example, I was reading a blog today (which for the purpose of this conversation, we'll call blog x) and it was cute. The design was pink and trendy, very girly and written in a fun and friendly fashion. Being the curious cat that I am, I think, "Hmmm. This is a good writer. Who is she?" I click on Blog X's bio, or whatever she happened to name it. I get to the pop-up page and I suddenly realize this is a long one. No biggie though; this blogger is so good I'm sure her bio is interesting, right?

Ten minutes later, I give up. I literally now know the name of the town the girl was born in and that she prefers to sit with her feet propped to having them on the floor. She hates roller coasters but loves airplanes. Hmmm. So, in fear of sounding like my blogger friend here, what's my point? Simply put, whatever your style, don't ramble! Sure a blog is meant to be a personal diary and such; a place where you can simply enter whatever comes to mind and not really care if all your friends read it or not. But if your profile alone takes ten minutes to read, that's just plain silly. People have zilch for time at this day in age. Better make those stories short and sweet.