Blog Sharon Marta Blog Sharon Marta

The Ultimate Branding Toolkit

If you have a logo for your business, or if you're looking to get a logo designed for your business and you don't have a branded suite that goes with it, let me encourage you to get one. You're gonna need to hire a branding designer. They will know all about this. But what it essentially is, is a suite of graphics, not just one logo, but several variations of your logo that work in several different ways.

Plus a color palette plus font options. And if you get the extra mile, you can get patterns, textures, um, and icons to go with it. Now you might think, what do I do with all that stuff and I don't know how to use it, or I don't know how to design or any of that. If you get a brand suite design for you, you can literally hand it to any other designer.

And they will be able to run with it. If you feel confident that you can make your own marketing materials. You literally have unlimited options when you have this much in your pocket as your branding suite. Here's the main logo I designed here are stock photos that all go with her branding color. A five color palette, including from Dark Delight.

Here are two secondary versions of the logo that can be used. The font pairings, their logo was actually turned into a pattern that can be used over dark and light. Um, plus another texture, an icon for the favicon up in the top tab navigation and a social media or Instagram icon. We actually turned one of the patterns into a pillow using print full.

This is the logo as signage within her store. And again, here are the main logo, secondary logo, some logo marks, the fav icon and the social icon.

Read More
Blog Sharon Marta Blog Sharon Marta

How Small Businesses Can Protect Themselves

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, this information is for general knowledge. Please seek legal advice from a legal representative from your state. This post contains affiliate links.

Don't Leave Any Part Of Your Business Unprotected!

When you run a small business, no one tells you what to do, and so most of the time, you just wing it. At least, that's what I did.

Well, I wish someone would have told me the importance of setting up my business with the correct legal documents sooner.

Because I want your business to be setup for success, I want to pass this on to you.


The year I finally implemented contracts and legal documents like a privacy policy, terms of service, LLC setup and my independant contractor contracts, I was faced with a legal dispute that could have cost me thousands plus court fees and lawyer fees. I was under so much stress that I gained 30 lbs. 

Thankfully, because I had the correct legal documents in place, I was in the clear.  Whew

What no one tells you when starting your entrepreneurial journey is all the legal things you need to be protected from or documents you are legally required to have on your website.

I had no clue that businesses are required by law to have a Privacy Policy on their website. Also, having a “terms of service” is highly recommended to go with that.

Then there’s unexpected things like unhappy customers, unprotected chargebacks, failed transactions or even being sued. This is where the term “treating your business like a real business” really makes the rubber hit the road.

Investing in legal contracts is not the sexy part of running a business but MAN am I so glad I implemented these when I did.

One of my recommended attorney-drafted-up templates is the Contract Shop® .

You get attorney-drafted contract template that is easy to customize and comes with tons of support so you can make it fully your own. For a fraction of the cost of a real lawyer, and with way more coverage than those freebie templates we’ve all used from the internet 🙈

CONTRACTS I SUGGEST FOR ONLINE BUSINESS OWNERS:

  1. Basic Terms of Service & Privacy Policy - These 2 are a must of every online business GDPR and CaCPA Compliant! In accordance with the GDPR, it is required by law to have a privacy policy on your business website. Explain to your users what kind of information you collect, what you do with that information, and how users can behave on your website and use your content. If you want to run a real business, you need to show your visitors you care about their experience with your brand. You need to show them you take their privacy seriously.(Not to mention that the consequences for overlooking a potential breach can be disastrous. Unless you love getting slapped with Surprise Fines!

  2. Blogger Disclaimer - A set of disclaimer templates to use on your blog posts when promoting paid, sponsored, or affiliate link promotions. Includes an Earnings Disclaimer!

  3. Selling digital products and courses - What kind of information is collected & how (emails, cookies, names, etc.)
    What you do with the information you collect
    How you protect the information collected
    What third parties have access to the information you collect (i.e. your hosting platform, server, ISP, employees/contractors, etc.)
    Who is advertising on your site and what information the advertisers have access to (and while you're at it, it may be prudent to say something about how these are third parties with their own privacy policies and terms & conditions...)
    Users implicit consent to your privacy policy by visiting your website
    When the policy was last updated and a notification that the policy could change at any time, so visitors should always refer to your privacy policy for the latest version

  4. Independant Contractor - Effective communication and a proper contract are great ways to avoid any unsettling situations. But, sometimes, we run into a nightmare client. It’s reassuring to know that your contracts clearly lay out what you expect of clients, and when, so they can reference this at any time and deliver what is expected as needed. On the other hand, if you have a vague contract that leaves your clients guessing, they could feel neglected, left out, and maybe even fearful that you’re not taking care of them!

  5. Photographers - Shooting weddings, portraits, newborns, and anything else you can frame in your viewfinder? Includes Photo editor contract, wedding and portrait contract, stock and commercial templates, NDA agreement, model release, print release.

  6. LLC Operating Agreement - The point of having an LLC, and what makes it different from a DBA, is that it separates your business and personal assets in case something were to happen in either area (like…getting sued personallyor in your business, yikes).You want to make sure that if someone tries to come after you in a situation like that they won’t be able to touch those other assets. Having the LLC in place protects you in that circumstance.

 
Read More
Blog Sharon Marta Blog Sharon Marta

5 Things You Need To Do Before You Even Think About Posting On Social Media

Do you have a small business you want to grow online but are struggling to get found by your ideal audience?

Are you confused by social media? Do you post and post on social media but find that only a small group of the same people, mostly family and friends, are engaging with your content?

Before you jump into all things social media, we need to start with the foundation of all marketing, no matter what the platform.

Step 1 Understand Your Brand

Before you start marketing your business online, get out a pen and paper and write down some business branding basics. This might seem trivial but, trust me, when it comes to messaging, it is so much easier to create content and so much clearer to communicate your message when you are coming from the right place.

What is the mission of your business? What are the business values? If your audience could summarize how they feel about your company, what would they say currently? What do you want them to say about your company?

Write down some adjectives that you want your company to be seen as “relatable, professional, trust-worthy, bold, fun, out-of-the-box, creative, innovative, stable, etc.”

Keeping these values, keywords, and mission front of mind will help you stay clear and focused on what content you create for your brand.

Step 2 Understand Your Audience

Before marketing your business it is vital to understand your unique audience. This can be referred to as your ideal client or ideal audience. Businesses that try to reach everyone fail to reach the individual. You want to communicate to the heart of the individual person to make that emotional connection.

Get really specific with the small group of people you help.

Step 3 Give People A Reason To Follow You

When creating content, remember to keep your ideal audience in mind. Create content that brings them value. This is where knowing your audience's pain points and what they are looking for help in your marketing.

You can be entertaining, informative, inspiring, educational, funny, smart, artistic, and inspirational.

Step 4 Start A Blog

Think of social media as your advertising strategy but you need a home for your leads to come to where they can find more information and actually purchase from you. A blog on your own website will allow you to create content that can get found in Google Search. You’ll build authority with your audience with a blog and be seen as an expert as well as gain authority with Google. 

Your blog is also where you can grow your audience by capturing them onto an email list. You don’t want your leads to visit once and never come back again. An email list allows you to stay in contact with your leads. Studies show that conversion rates on emails are around 3% whereas social media has about a .5% conversion rate. So, your blog and email system is a priority to set up before you start bringing in leads via social media.

Step 5 Know How Each Social Media Platform works

Social media is not a one-size fits all solution. Each platform has a different culture and different algorithm. Find out where your ideal audience hangs out and focus on that one platform. You don’t need to be on all of them.

  • Facebook is ideal for building relationships, ideally within groups. You can generate leads by building relationships in these groups or creating your own group.

  • Instagram is great for inspiration, education, and entertainment. It’s a little harder to build relationships on Instagram but great to get found by new leads.

  • LinkedIn is perfect for B2B (Business to Business) relationships and making business connections.

  • TikTok is no longer the dancing app from 2020. TikTok is quickly becoming a great way for businesses to find new leads and build relationships at the same time.

Do you need consistency in your branding on social media?

Get a fully customized branding toolkit designed around your brand

 
 
Read More
Portfolio Sharon Marta Portfolio Sharon Marta

Squarespace Website Design for Photo Editor Shop

 

Squarespace Website Design for Photo Editor

The Still Refinery

 
 
 
 
 

Research & Strategy

We researched the competition and the ideal client for The Still Refinery. We created a mood board based on her colors and photos to attract her ideal client.

Shop Setup & SEO

Beautiful design is only part of the equations. We used researched SEO strategies to get The Stil Refinery found online.

We also use best marketing practices to make the homepage address the ideal client needs and answer any questions before they decide to purchase.

Squarespace is perfect for service providers like the photo editing service by The Still Refiner.

 
 
 
 

Ready To Feel Confident In Your Website?

Let’s create a website that gives you the confidence to show up and is geared to ATTRACT your ideal client. customers.

Let’s Chat
 
Read More
Portfolio Sharon Marta Portfolio Sharon Marta

Squarespace Website & Brand Design for Female Entrepreneur

Website Design & Brand Redesign for Wood Bloack Shop Owner

Confidently Creative with Amy

The Transformation

We highlighted her 3 business offerings. Gave her a fun and professional look. We updated her logo to match.

Sales Copy & SEO

Beautiful design is only part of the equations. We used researched SEO strategies to get ConfidentlyCreative with Amy found locally. We also use best marketing practices to make sales copy clear and concise.

 
 

Ready To Feel Confident In Your Brand & Website?

Let’s create a website that gives you the confidence to show up and is geared to ATTRACT your ideal client.

Get A Free Discovery Call
Read More