The choice of type is an important decision. Type conveys the flavor of your message when you are sharing your words in print, on a computer or smart device screen.

I am especially sensitive to the look and feel of type. I own more than 1000 fonts, so many that I recently had to disable many of them to avoid slowing down my computer.

My fascination with the structure and beauty of typography began over 30 years ago. You can see examples of type as a branding element when you go to the grocery store. Some of the most famous examples of typographical branding include Coca-Cola, Pepsi, CBS, Jack in the Box, Costco, Macy’s and Target. They may also use other graphic elements, yet you easily recognize their names when you see them.

Typography can be used to make your point, evoke strong feelings, act as a focal point to draw your attention to what is important. When used improperly, the choice of type cause confusion, be hard to read, or convey the opposite meaning from what is intended.

In my opinion, and one that is shared by most designers I know, one of the best books ever written about typography is a very small volume written and originally published as a handout for the graphic design special interest group of the North Coast Mac user group. I’m talking about “the non-designers design book” by Robin Williams. The companion book, “ your Mac is not a typewriter” is equally valuable and well known. They were written at the start of the desktop publishing revolution and the wisdom is just as valuable today. The principles of good design haven’t changed. They methods we use to deliver our message have changed. The principles of good design still apply.

I consider these two tiny books to be a “must read” for anyone who intends to use words in a visual format to communicate with others. You can find books through Peachpit Press (members of the North Coast Mac Users get a significant discount and can order then at a meeting — go to www.ncmug.org for details.) I first started using these books when I was a student in the graphic arts program at Santa Rosa Junior College, and again when I began teaching graphic design and communication.

I was extremely fortunate to meet and learn from Robin. We met when she was a part-time instructor at SRJC and as a frequent presenter at the NCMUG graphic arts group. Robin is a very witty and dedicated lover of typography. She went on to take her workshop handouts and transform them into these books. Since that time, she has written many more excellent books on design, also available through Peachpit. Generations of graphic artists everywhere are indebted to her for these clear, visually powerful and fun books that are good foundation for professional, digital, typesetting.

There is no excuse for poorly executed typography when we have so many powerful tools and an endless inventory of type available to us. Back in the days when type was set by hand withi lead type, writers never thought about laying out their words for print themselves. They concentrated on their stories and left the typesetting to the experts. Today most of us use a computer to compose and to prepare our written words for publication. Owning a computer does not a typographer or graphic designer make. If you intend to enhance your message and share it, educate yourself about type or collaborate with a trained, professional book designer to transform your words into beautifully set type.

Spend an afternoon becoming familiar with the content of these two books. I guarantee your investment will be rewarded. Even if you have no interest in doing it yourself, becoming an informed consumer will help you direct your book cover designer, your book interior designer and your e-book designer with the information you need to make your writing as beautiful and as memorable as your writing.

Judy Baker is Completely Creative. Trained and certified by Robert Middleton as an Action Plan Marketing Coach. She is a branding expert who helps authors, speakers and entrepreneurs and create visual and verbal brands that attract customers.

She specializes in developing brands that connect emotionally and move people to take action. An alumnus of Robert Mondavi Winery, Judy is an engaging speaker and workshop leader. A graduate of San Diego State with a B.A. in Drama and a Master in Human Resources and Organization Behavior from the University of San Francisco, she has been a student and instructor in graphic design at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Judy is the President of the Board of the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association, an organizer the Wine Country WordPress Meetup, Program Chair for f the Bay Area Consultant’s Network and a tenor with Vox Populi Sonoma, a rock choir. Her business expertise includes strategies for turning expertise into information products. She lives in Sonoma with her husband and cork-fetching cat, Simba, her spouse, Garry, and a house and office full of books. Visit her online at http://www.creative1.com

 

I nearly incinerated my kitchen the other evening. I was tired and hungry. I had one more task to complete before I stopped working for the night. I thought I would save a bit of time and heat up some soup while I worked.

DANGER!!! DANGER!!! DANGER!!!

I am famous around my house for blackening pots and pans due to my ability to get focused on my work, while the kitchen goes up in smoke. I have burned beets (a very nasty smell), blackened brand new pans, killed tea kettles by melting them, guess you would say I have a black thumb when it comes to cooking. Most of the time this is not an issue, as my husband is the cook in the family. So when I occasionally go into the cooking mode, I need to be sure I use a timer with a very loud alarm to wake me from my reverie and interrupt my concentration so I redirect my attention to the kitchen, the fire under the food and avert any potential disasters.

When I focus on a task, without distractions, my brain is fully engaged and works faster than when my attention is split.I can get more done, when I work in sequence, instead of trying to do too much simultaneously.

Give the uni-tasking method a try. I think you will enjoy what you are doing, be in the moment and have less likelihood of repeating my flammable mishaps.

Safety studies have shown that when we talk on the phone at the same time, our brains are 35% less efficient. That loss of attention could prove fatal to you or others.

Put down the phone, yes, even if you are using a headset or speaker, when you are driving. Focus on what you are doing there, and elsewhere in your life. You’ll have less stress, get more done, and enjoy the journey.You’ll be more productive.

Please sign up for my blog and share it with your friends.

 

You can’t see it if you are not looking for it.

Yesterday, I set down my computer glasses on my dining room table. I rarely have my computer glasses on outside of my office. After setting down my glasses, I rushed off to an appointment. When I got back to my office, I couldn’t remember where I had put my computer glasses. This is a big deal, since I spend a large part of my time in front of a computer screen. It was critical that I find my prescription computer glasses fast so I could get back to work on a project for one of my clients.

I spent several minutes searching from room to room, scouring the likely places where the elusive glasses would be. After multiple trips from my office to the office where my accounting software resides, which was the last place I remembered having them on, I became alarmed, thinking that I had misplaced or lost my expensive, prescription computer glasses. Without them, I would not be able to work for more than a few minutes at my computer. That could be a disaster for meeting the needs of my clients.

I knew I had my glasses on earlier in the day. I remembered that I had  set them down safely. But,here is the rub, because I am a visual thinker, when I remember something, I see a picture. If I can’t picture something (like the exact location of my glasses), I can walk right by it, even look directly at it and not “see” what I am looking for. Has this ever happened to you?

Why We Sometimes Can’t See What is Right in Front of Us

Our brains use a method of recognition called the “reticular activating system.” This part of your brain controls your level of attention. You can deliberately program it to filter information and pass it between you conscious brain (aware) and the subconscious brain (the part that works in the background).

You may be familiar with and an example of how the reticular activating system works. You may have experienced it yourself that last time you were thinking about purchasing a car. Suddenly, everywhere you were, you saw the make and model of the car you planned to buy. Did these cars suddenly materialize or multiply when you started to focus on them? Not at all, but your brain begin to filter them into your awareness. Your high speed processing computer, your brain, suddenly had instructions that made it easy for you to see what was already all around you. It recognized the importance of these cars and allowed you to see them.

Your Automatic Goal Seeking Mechanism

The reticular activating system has been called your automatic goal seeking mechanism. Setting goals using the power of the reticular activating system fires up your awareness of the elements you desire. Our brains can not differentiate between what we imagine and what is real. Using your brain to imagine a reality where you have exactly what you want will help you filter in the resources, people and actions needed to make the imagined real.

Getting back to my misplaced glasses, I knew that I was not seeing them, and rather than spend endless time in a frustrating search, I asked my husband to look for them for me. The result, he found them in plain sight, on my dining room table in less than 60 seconds.

If you don’t know what you are looking for, you can’t see it. If what you want doesn’t line up with what you believe to be true, you can’t see it, even if it is right in front of you. If you want to change your life and business outcome, you must first see the change, believe it possible, and then, your amazing brain will filter in success. It will know how to recognize opportunities. Try it and see what happens for you.

If you are a visual thinker like me, picturing what you want is like giving your brain a new, laser-focused, pair of glasses. Take this a step further. When you are building your marketing messages, you can create a picture of  what life will be like when your clients have what they want by using your products and services.

Just picture it.

 

I posted my new business portrait on this site and other locations on the web. I was so pleased with my portrait, the photo session and my relationship with the photographer, Erin Hayes, Erin Hayes Photography, that I posted a recommendation for her on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. I got lots of positive comments on the portrait, which translates into lots of eyeballs who viewed my recommendation of Erin.

I shared my testimonial with the members of my business group, Sonoma Success Partners. My friends, family, and business contacts, read or heard my testimonial for Erin. In a few minutes, I had shared my positive experience with hundreds of people I know and through them, with thousands more. The people who commented on my portrait and recommendations, multiplied my message exponentially.

The power of social media

• sharing what you know
• sharing what you like
• sharing what makes you mad
• sharing what inspires you

It was easy to do. It took me a few minutes to compose my message and a few more to post it. Then the magic of sharing took over.

Want an easy way to promote your business?

Leverage testimonials from your clients by asking for them on social networking sites.

Ask for written testimonials that specify a service or challenge you helped to resolve.

Ask your clients to record a video or audio testimonial for you. You can upload videos to YouTube, embed them on your web site or blog posts. You can embed or link to audio files.

Give and Receive Testimonials

I got busy giving and and requesting testimonials. LinkedIn lets you review recommendations before they are posted. It also prompts you to give a recommendation when you received one. Reciprocity at its best.

Get them in writing. Then you can pepper your web site with endorsements from happy clients. The credibility of paid advertising has dropped to an all time low of 14% believability versus our faith in word-0f-mouth comments. Real people, real words, real solutions, translate into rapport and trust.

In a previous post, I commented on what is known as “The Oprah Effect” or the “Tim Ferris Effect.” Getting connected to someone who is famous, has a committed and engaged following, can turn your visibility super-nova bright. I worked for a graphic designer who was also an avid golfer. He invented “Loud-Mouth Golf,” fun and funny golf attire and accessories for golfers with a sense of humor and style. His strategy for promotion, give the pants to famous golfers who then endorsed them. He leveraged his way into a larger circle of buyers and fans. I visited his web site today and there is now world-wide distribution of his products. Not bad for a grass roots company with marketing smarts. This strategy works because humans take on the style, habits, attire and behavior of our heros, and people we like. It shows we belong.

What’s your next step?

See where you have a strong presence already and look at how you can increase your visibility through recommendations and testimonials. Here are some sites you might want to add to your list of cyber addresses. Most are free to join. Building your google juice depends on who knows you. Testimonials and recommendations are a proven way to expand your circle of influence and your profits.

 Sites That Make It Easy to Capture Testimonials and Reviews

• LinkedIn
• Manta
• Yelp!
• YouTube
• MerchantCircle
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google
• Google Maps
• Bing
• Local.com
• JudysBook.com
• AngiesList.com
• TripAdvisor.com
• OpenTable.com
• BBB.org
• Google+
• Google Places
• Yext.com
• Yahoo! Local Listings
• Citysearch
• foursquare
• ziplocal
• likelist

Testimonials are better than ice cream. Especially when they are shared.

 

I love this portrait of me. It was taken by a very gifted photographer, Erin Hayes of Erin Hayes Photography. I meet Erin in the fall of 2011. I have had the great fortune to work with her several times with exceptional results each time. She is a treasure and treat to work with. She combines professionalism with a sense of whimsy and fun.

The entire session was enjoyable. Erin knows how to shoot and how to make her subjects comfortable in front of the lens.

I have worked with many photographers and she stands out as one of the best. She works quickly, confidently and understands the principals of her craft. Better yet, she knows people.

I have several clients who are emerging speakers,they are on a track to earn a significant portion of their income as paid speakers. It is important for them to have professional marketing materials showing them at their best. By far, the photos Erin created for Karen Clark of My Business Presence were the easiest and best examples I have had the privilege to work with. In fact, we had a harder time picking the photos we didn’t want to use than in selecting the ones we would use to tell Karen’s story.

As consultants, speakers and authors, it is vitally important that in addition to being experts at what we do, we need to look like experts. Capturing that confidence in a photograph can be challenging, but Erin makes it look easy. I know that we will work on more projects together because we both enjoyed the process and the results. You can see how we used the images on Karen’s Speaker Information Sheets below.

I count myself as a luck girl to know such a talented, creative professional like Erin. I took a few snaps of her in action as you can see below.

Having a talented team of creative people like Erin to make you look good is a good investment in your business.

 

If you want to stay well and be productive, take some tips from Deborah Myers, Health at Your Fingertips. Deborah is a healer who uses light, gentle touch, accupressure, Jin Shin Jystu and Theta healing to keep my energy in balance and in flow. Watch as she demonstrates some of the simple things you can do yourself to feel better fast.

The video is just under 11 minutes. I recorded Deborah’s presentation at a meeting of our referral group, Sonoma Success Partners.

I practice her “Daily Clean Your House Flow” energy flow each day. It is a great way to start and end the day, and if I need a boost during the day too.

For clear thinking and well being, Health at Your Fingertips is a great resource for entrepreneurs and larger businesses too. Deborah teaches workshops for individuals, health care professionals and can customize a program for your group or business.

I give HAYFT two thumbs up!

 

I am highly visual in my approach to life, art and my work in marketing. I am sharing this short video that explains how visual storytelling in the form of “infographics” is transforming journalism and storytelling in the 21st Century. As I mentioned earlier in the year, I am in the process of rethinking my brand. Stories are a powerful way to communicate. Include visuals to illuminate and illustrate your story, and that is a recipe for impact with emotional punch.

I think you will enjoy this visual feast created by Francesco Franchi.

Francesco Franchi: On Visual Storytelling and New Languages in Journalism from Gestalten on Vimeo.

 

Want your next workshop to sell out?

Act like a rock star.

If you have ever tried to get tickets to your favorite band, you may have been astonished to find that all the seats were sold in just a few minutes. When well-known performers, like the Rolling Stones announce a new show, they are able to sell out scheduled performances in just a few minutes.

What’s their secret?

They have a huge fan base. When the word goes out, their fans already know them, like them, and are tuned in to consume their music and their life events.

How To Get Similar Results

You can stimulate the same kind of response for your products and services when you take these steps:

Build Your Fan base

If you have a blog you may have subscribers. But it is a common mistake that people can’t find out how to subscribe to your blog. You need to make it easy for people to subscribe to your blog. Where you place your subscribe button or form can make a huge difference in how many people take action and sign up.

If you have a Facebook page for yourself or your business, do you have have satisfied customers and supporters who like you on Facebook? Are you inviting people to “like” your page? What content are you providing to keep them engaged?

Perhaps you belong to online forums or groups. You might be posting questions or answering questions on LinkedIn.

You could upload videos, share slides, create podcasts or video casts, create a customized channel on YouTube, well, these are just a few of the social media opportunities out there. All of these channels have one thing in common, they are great places to engage in a conversation. Conversations are an exchange of ideas and through them, people connect. Connecting is just 1st step.

Grow your fan base

How can you have an ongoing relationship with your fans? You need to interact regularly. A small group of active fans is far more valuable than a big list where there is little loyalty, commitment or engagement. You need to nurture your relationships in cyberspace as well as those off line. Consistency, such as publishing new content on a regular, predictable basis can help people invest in you and build their trust in you as an expert and resource.

Capture Contact Information

Interruptive marketing (like paid commercials on radio or broadcast television, telemarketing calls) are perceived as annoying because they take you out of the experience of enjoying the story or music you were experiencing. Permission-based marketing is the new model for growing your business. It means that people who like what you have to offer, knowledge, services, or products, have given you permission to be in contact with them. On Facebook, we like people or their pages, on Twitter, we follow them, on YouTube, it is possible to subscribe a channel or to become a friend. I think you’re getting the idea. In each of these cases, there is an easy way for people to indicate that they want more of what they just consumed. There is a convenient way for them to opt in (join) your list.

Give It Away and They Will Come

Your opt in box should be prominently featured on your website. To incentivize people to opt in, you may offer something for free that is of value in exchange for their contact information. We have all willingly given our business cards away for a chance to win something valuable. The same idea works on line when you offer a free report or sample of your services in exchange for your visitors’ contact information.

“The Tim Ferris Effect”

I read a great post today on the forbes.com blog. It was about how to have a successful book launch. The author is a friend of Tim Ferriss (The 4 Hour Work Week, The 4 Hour Body). His book launch as tracked on Amazon was hugely successful because he posted as a guest on Tim’s blog. He went from being listed as 1,295 to an Amazon Best Seller at #45 on the day he posted to Tim’s blog. If you know someone with a very focused and loyal set of followers, you might consider strategies for getting to be mentioned on their blog or offering to create a “guest” post. The big guys do this all the time. When someone in the “Guerilla Marketing” stable publishes, they cross promote themselves on each others web site and email lists.

Start now to build your list and get growing!

btw – If you would like to create an action plan for building your list, see my special offer.

 

I began an outline for a book on marketing organically. I revamped my business cards with this idea in mind. During the last weeks of 2011, I began purging files from my computer, paper from my office and other items that I wasn’t using any longer. I find shedding with no longer serves me to be a meditative process. For several years I studied the art of placement, Feng Shui, and while I may not be the tidiest person, I understand the principles of flow and keeping areas clear of obstacles. Physical obstacles like clutter are manifestations of emotional obstacles. This lead me to think about marketing like growing a garden.

What’s in your Marketing Garden?

This line of thinking made me look at my marketing strategies. While it is good to stretch beyond our comfort zone, practically speaking, taking on habits we think we should embrace without a strong commitment and belief in the results we want is an exercise in futility. Just because others tell you to do something, unless it is a match for who you are and what is important to you, you are wasting your time expecting yourself to be someone, or do things that do not fit you.

In gardening, there are plants that flourish in the right environment and perish in the wrong ones. Your marketing strategy is like a plant. It starts out as a seed. With care and nourishment it can grow into a healthy and productive organism. If you neglect your marketing, just like a plant it may wither and die. When you cultivate your plant, providing us the soil, sun, nutrition, and water to create an optimum environment, your plant thrives. Removing weeds and eliminating pests is part of a maintaining a healthy garden. The same is true of your business. Getting rid of the stuff and people that don’t support you is as important as attracting the right people to you. Toxic people are like weeds and can choke the life right out of you while preventing healthy growth and productivity.

Marketing is like a plant

Plants have their own schedule. They don’t care if you’re busy, they are genetically programmed to propagate on their own schedule. I finished reading a very thought-provoking book, Guns Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond, ISBN 0-393-31755-2. It is about how the rise of civilizations were in large part determined by which plants and animals were available and could be domesticated and how these factors influenced spread of people and knowledge.

As you plan strategies for growing your business make sure that the actions you intend to take on are ones you can sustain over time. Keep it simple, keep it alignment with your values, and be in integrity with your word and deeds.

Build Your Garden With Care

When building a garden, you do it in the right order if you are looking to produce a good result. The first step is dreaming about what it will be like when your job is completed. Your vision will help you stay on track during the hard work required to achieve the results you want. Your vision influences the actions you will take to make your dream come true. During the planning process, you need to evaluate where you are now, the reality of your environment, any obstacles that may be in your way and must be removed before you proceed, and the resources available to you as you move forward with your plans. Realistically assessing your time, the money, the skills, and the beliefs you hold can help you map out a strategy that makes sense and is achievable. It will help you see if there are gaps between what you desire and the skills and capabilities you have. Planning is an opportunity for you to invite and enlist the support and resources from others to help you reach your goals.

Then there is the actual work. The step-by-step actions needed to go from idea to implementation. Sometimes it is possible to do it all yourself. Other times this can be a poor strategy. In most cases I would recommend sharing your ideas with your trusted advisors and getting their honest feedback. We all have our blind spots, and sometimes the missing ingredient will be revealed through conversations with our friends and associates.

Invest in Success

If you are planning to put in a new garden, you probably would not just go out to the nursery and buy random plants and some soil and hope for the best. You would be far more likely to study what plants would do well where you live and ask for advice from the nursery to select the best ones for your space, light and budget and maintenance level. When you’re expending time, energy and cash, you are likely to be careful and considerate with your investment in your garden. Take the same approach with your marketing and like your garden it to can be beautiful and productive.

 

The first thing I learned about video is not to take myself too seriously. It is a great medium and I love it. I admit it. I am somewhat of a ham in front of the camera, on stage, well, anyplace I have an audience. Growing up, I was painfully shy. I learned to get over my shyness (fear of rejection) by acting. If I could be someone else, then it didn’t matter if people did or didn’t like me. It wasn’t me they were connecting with, it was my character.

Fear of Rejection isn’t Fatal and it doesn’t have to be a life sentence

But what about showing up as myself, not as someone else? I can still remember being in front of my speech class in junior high. I thought everyone could see me trembling, knees knocking together in fear. It was a revelation that no one but me knew I was nervous. I learned to take my fear and re-channel  it into excitement about my message. Shifting my focus from myself to the people in the audience who chose to come and see me and doing my best to deliver an entertaining and educational experience.

I am not suggesting that this reframing was instantaneous. It was a gradual process for me. I come from a family of shy people. I didn’t have outgoing role models in my immediate family. I craved connection, so I had to get over my fear.

When I saw this video, it made me laugh.

It is a hoot and it also makes some good points about why people enjoy video.

Video is a great tool for marketing

Video content is growing at an exponential rate. YouTube, Vimeo, iTunes are probably the best know channels for online video. There is video email too. Face it, video is an important communication tool. Just yesterday I was introduced to a new product via a demonstration video. As access to tools like smart phones and tablets with video capture has expanded, so too has the number of new content creators. I use a variety of video capture tools, from the easy ones like iMovie to the big guns in the Adobe Production Premium Suite (Adobe Premiere, After Effects and Encore).

But what if you are self-conscious, shy or don’t like how you look, or are afraid to speak in public? What then? There are many ways to “skin a cat.” I had the help of a mentor. I sought out ways to challenge myself and as I got out into the work world, I met amazing people like Susan RoAne, author of several great books on networking, and my good friend, Joan Gale Frank. Joan created “Instant Guts” an audio program that gives step-by-step inspiration and practical exercises to help overcome fear and turn it into action. It is fun, funny and it works.

Become a Top Cat

Action Steps

1. Prepare some talking points to open a conversation
2. Rehearse what you intend to say in a relaxed setting
3. Join a networking group where you have an opportunity to speak on a regular basis
4. Join a group like Toastmasters where you learn to think on your feet
5. Don’t expect perfection
6. Be authentic, it is more valuable than being perfect
7. Focus on your audience

 Storyboards

As you saw in the cat video, storyboards help you prepare and organize the information you intend to share. Here is link to a great free resource for storyboard forms. Did you know, Walt Disney is the father of storyboarding? Cinematographers have used storyboards to map out their films. You can use it for creating a visual map for your live presentations and for your next great video production.

 What I learned from Cats

I still have days when I am more introvert than extrovert. Lucky for me, I have an in-house relaxation coach, my cat Simba. He has his priorities straight: eat, sleep, get hugs and love every day. And he is never camera-shy.