Zero-G Creative Zero-G Creative The Zero-G Creative blog is a resource for entrepreneurs and small business owners. We provide tips on how to get the most from your marketing budget, how to manage outside design firms and the creative process, how to build winning web sites and how 
Articles
Asking for help
2008-08-05 13:11:00 As an entrepreneur myself, I know what a lonely world it can be out there for small business owners. Especially for those of us who used to work in corporate. In the corporate world, if you have a problem or get stuck on something you can just go down the hall and ask someone to ...
Don?t let small functionality stand between you and your web launch
2008-08-01 16:34:00 I had a conversation with a client yesterday that reminded me of a post I wrote back in January about setting priorities on the web. This particular client needed an e-commerce solution… He had a long list of requirements, a limited budget and a short timeframe to execute the project. I offered him an out of ... More About: Interactive , Small , Launch , Stand
An amazing example of a service gone GREEN
2008-07-31 15:48:00 You’ve got to see it to believe it… The car in this video is going to get sparkling clean using only a quarter-gallon of water mixed with some eco-friendly cleaning agents: Smart Wash, the company featured in the video above has been a client of mine for a couple of weeks now and they have one ... More About: Branding , Strategy , Service , Green , Amazing
More about business cards? How about irregular sizes?
2008-07-31 12:22:00 After my post about business cards earlier this week, someone asked me what I thought about irregular-sized business cards. Some people love doing dunky-sized business cards as a show of creativity and originality, but I usually suggest treading carefully. The nice thing about irregular-sized business cards is that they make a great impression when you hand ... More About: Business , Design , Cards
What do you want on your home page?
2008-07-30 12:15:00 A few years ago, it was easy to pick out the really cutting-edge web sites… They were the ones with massive animation, music, sound effects and a video that started running as soon as the page popped up. In fact, a “loading bar” was usually a sign to stick around because something cool was about ... More About: Design , Home , Page , Interactive , Home Page
Business cards are cheap
2008-07-29 13:26:00 In todays newfangledy world of digital printers, online printers and bulk printers, you can get a thousand full-color, 2-sided business cards for less than $100. Sometimes considerably less depending on your source. So why is this important? It creates a potentially valuable opportunity to make an additional impact at a low cost. Let me explain… Many small ... More About: Business , Design , Strategy , Cheap , Cards
Never underestimate the power of hired goons
2008-07-27 19:47:00 Small businesses often come up against a major roadblock in trying to sell their services… We just look too darn SMALL. Anyone who has ever pitched or been pitched by a big company knows the difference. As a small business owner, I’m often flying solo and presenting on my 15″ laptop monitor… But when I was ... More About: Power , Strategy , Sales
Great advice from the master (Not me, Seth Godin)
2008-06-30 17:48:00 Seth Godin had an absolutely fantastic post on his blog yesterday about pursuing low hanging fruit. It’s a quick one, but eye-opening to anyone that’s ever struggled with trying to decide exactly how and where they should focus their business development (or overall business strategy) efforts. When you stop and think, it really is a lot ... More About: Advice , Strategy , Great , Seth Godin , Master
But I just need a web site?
2008-06-03 20:50:00 Or a logo or a business card or brochure. So why is it so hard? Because you probably don’t “just” need a web site… What you need is a web site that plays a specific role in your overall marketing plan. Many business owners count on their web sites as lead generation tools, as an ... More About: Design , Interactive , Site , Web site
If you build it, will they come?
2008-06-02 14:19:00 I wish online marketing were easy… I wish that I could launch a web site and then just sit back and smile as the traffic, cash and accolades come rolling in. But it isn’t easy and that almost never happens. The truth is that just like anything else, you need to promote the heck out ... More About: Strategy , Interactive , Build
The small business marketing plan
2008-04-09 12:51:00 I had an exchange yesterday with a small business owner who had been marketing his business ? a retail business in a busy downtown area ? through newspaper advertising and was frustrated by the lack of results. Here’s the bottom line: the folks that sell you your ads will never admit this, but the truth is ... More About: Marketing , Business , Advertising , Small Business , Strategy
Zero-G Creative featured in Small Business Journal
2008-04-07 20:10:00 Zero-G Creative was featured in this month’s Around Town Small Business Journal , a business magazine serving the north Atlanta area. The subject of the article was building lasting business partnerships, a topic that I’m very passionate about. Click here to download the article as a PDF. More About: Small Business
What?s in it for me?
2008-04-05 14:19:00 Every one of your prospects is asking themselves that key question whenever they make a purchase decision. Our job as marketers and business owners is to create tools and materials that help answer that question simply and emphatically. So whenever you go on a sales meeting or prepare your marketing collateral or web site, make ... More About: Strategy , Interactive
A ?Better? design alternative
2008-03-29 14:00:00 I’ve been in and around marketing and design for a very long time and I’ve found that there are many business owners and marketing managers out there that don’t like doing business with people in our industry. The biggest complaint that I hear time and time again is that they’ve learned not to trust ... More About: Design , Alternative
Competitive spirit
2008-03-22 17:39:00 I’ve been talking to people a lot lately about the importance of forming solid strategic partnerships with other small business owners. Connecting with other entrepreneurs ? even those that may not ever become clients ? is an extremely valuable use of time and will pay off in the long run. Personally though, I think one of ... More About: Strategy , Networking , Spirit , Competitive
The shelf-life of a business card
2008-03-20 14:30:00 I have to shake my head every time someone says, “It’s just a business card.” That business card is probably the single most important piece of marketing material in your arsenal. Why? I can tell you in one word: longevity. If you distribute brochures, most of them will likely end up in the trash within a ... More About: Business , Life , Card , Business Card , Shelf
Home sweet home page
2008-03-02 19:19:00 What makes a successful home page design? More than anything else, it’s FOCUS. The goal of your home page is to quickly qualify you as a product or service provider in your industry and give your visitors a clear call to action that shows them where they need to go next… Get more information, sign ... More About: Strategy , Home , Page , Interactive , Sweet
Stop the presses
2008-02-26 13:59:00 This is a follow up to my post a few days ago about printing in small quantities. When my company hires printing on behalf of our clients, we’re usually doing one of the two things I described in that post… Hiring a “bulk” printer that prints many jobs at once on an offset press or ... More About: Stop
Quick Tip: The little things matter
2008-02-18 20:58:00 As with any experience with a company or brand, people tend to notice and appreciate the details. Late last week I took my son to a doctor’s office. The office building was part of a big medical campus that was attached to a large and complicated parking deck. As we were waiting for the elevator ... More About: Branding , Quick , Matter , Things
Printing in small quantities, online vs. digital
2008-02-16 16:58:00 My friend and colleague Jennifer Koon wrote a terrific post on her blog last week about the minefield of inexpensive, small-run printers. Click through here to read what she has to say. Unfortunately, small businesses printing in small quantities have very few affordable options and are forced to make a trade-off somewhere? Either giving up ... More About: Small , Online , Digital , Printing
Iconic
2008-02-16 16:18:00 There’s no doubt about it… Logo design is tough. And one of the toughest aspects of logo design is definitely icon development when a logo (or client) calls for it. One of the most common problems that tends to arise during icon development is the tendency to go overboard. Good icons are simple and easy to ... More About: Design , Logos
My new favorite web site and the easiest way to build a premium brand
2008-02-07 23:41:00 Special thanks to my good friend Ryan for turning me on to Springwise.com. For those of you that haven’t experienced this online beacon of entrepreneurial hope, please click through and check it out. This Netherlands-based web site sends its agents out to scour the globe for the most unique and innovative new business ideas. If ... More About: Design , Strategy , Site , Brand , Build
Success Story: Lorenz Leather
2008-01-30 00:21:00 The products in Lorenz Leather ’s stores in Florence, Italy are known for their unique style and fine leather hand-craftsmanship. For more than 25 years since Lorenzo Rezi founded the company in 1982, Lorenz has followed in the tradition of old Florentine artisan school methods and used only the best Italian leather to create their line ... More About: Story , Success , Success Story
5 FREE tools for small business owners (yes, free!)
2008-01-28 19:48:00 Okay, I’ll admit it: I REALLY LIKE getting stuff for free. And especially as a small business owner, I hate laying out for anything I don’t really need to. But these are all completely free, no strings attached tools that have helped my business without costing me a dime. 1. Google Analytics: Let’s face it… Without statistics ... More About: Business , Tools , Small Business , Networking , Free
The coolest personality test you?ll ever take?
2008-01-26 00:11:00 I usually try not to shamelessly steal cool links from other bloggers but I just saw this on The Brand Builder Blog this afternoon and had to pass it along. This site will, through a visual quiz, tell you about your personality type… It was fun and interactive and I found it to be ... More About: Branding , Test , Personality
What comes first on the web?
2008-01-22 00:51:00 This is a question that I answer quite a bit and so I thought it might be helpful to answer it here. It’s sort of the “chicken and egg” question when it comes to the web: what do I invest in first, technology or design? The question itself implies that your budget is such that you ... More About: Interactive
Quick Tip: Google yourself
2008-01-08 03:40:00 Search for your name and the name of your business. And while you’re at it, try the same thing on Yahoo!, MSN and Ask.com. You may be surprised at what turns up… If you have a common name like mine, it may be difficult to find yourself. Prominent “Erik Wolf”s include a professional golfer and the ... More About: Google , Interactive , Quick
Let?s get presidential
2008-01-07 14:39:00 It’s clear that with the presidential campaign in full swing that the next 12 months in America are going to be all about change. If you watch the news, it’s been pointed out a number of times that there will be a significant change in this country no matter which candidate from either party is ... More About: Branding , Presidential
My New Year?s Small Business Marketing Count-Up
2008-01-03 18:46:00 Everyone’s been counting down for the last couple of weeks… Top 10 of this, top 100 of that. I thought it might be nice to do something different and count up my top five tips for small business marketing success in 2008. 1. Start an email newsletter. Every small business owner has a rolodex, portfolio ... More About: Marketing , Business , New Year , Small Business , Strategy
Frequency redux
More articles from this author:2007-12-24 20:06:00 A few weeks ago, I wrote about the importance of frequency in your marketing communications efforts. Seth Godin just did a great post on the subject… Read it here. This is extremely important info for marketers and business owners and, may arguably be the single most important lesson there is to learn in advertising and marketing. ... More About: Advertising , Strategy , Frequency 1, 2, 3 |
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