Laura’s Winning Ideas

Some of you create and execute your firm’s marketing campaigns as well as write proposals. Or, you may provide input on marketing messages and branding campaigns.

A signature file required on all company email correspondence is more of a branding campaign than any logo design. However, some folks don’t see it this way, and one is now getting national attention with their signature file. If you want folks to think you are paranoid, engaged in nefarious activities or foolhardy, this image campaign should do the trick. (Read on ...)

Here’s a toy/business tool that a proposal master might like. Nabaztag is a cute bunny who delivers information visually and with audio feeds from the internet.

Weather forecasts and traffic reports can be communicated with colored lights and wiggling ears. Messages can be sent via email to be read out loud.

It knows when the rabbit owner is in, because it is outfitted with a motion detector. A variety of web sites can be monitored and read, including headlines from your favorite paper, blog posts, or stock quotes.

He has some antics that lend personality and make him a toy or pet. It is the latest way to stay plugged in without being in front of a monitor. (Read on ...)

This was supposed to be a week at home to get organized before my last few trips before the holidays.

Humph.

Somehow in the quiet I decided to tackle a long overdue project that no doubt would keep me from other unsavory tasks like clearing out my reading pile or cleaning off my desk.

My website is long overdue for attention. In 1998, when I started out, my website was an award winner. Of course, back then, most firms didn’t have websites, so we were pretty special.

What started out as an update became a re-design, and is now an overhaul. An overgrown project I hope to get re-potted soon!

My ISP was unable to provide the databases we needed, so after two weeks of trying to find a work-around, I decided I needed to move to another ISP.

That decision knocked me off-line for two days, and my email started again late today. I missed lots of spam, and hopefully nothing important that won’t eventually find its way back to my mailbox.

The migration provided an opportunity to re-arrange the file structure, so that ate another half-day.

After looking at many portfolios, templates and websites, I now have more ideas than can be used on my own website. “David, how would you like this template for your website?” And I can see next week dissolving into some “tweaking” of my husband’s website, “since I’m already in there working anyway.”

I expect to be back to the business of proposals soon. Stay tuned!