Currently, we are working on a project for a restaurant which specializes in comfort food. We decided on a logo and the next step is to set the color combination that will be used for the company image.

Instead of just choosing colors we thought would suit the brand, we took some images off of the web and pixelated them in Photoshop. This gave us a good idea as to what colors we can potentially use for the company image.

The pixels simplify the image into a variety of bold colors where it makes it easier to pick them. Getting inspiration from actual source is the most accurate way!

One of our passions at Pix-l Graphx is working on your company’s image. Our logo designs go through a long process of sketches and online research to make sure we create the right impression for your business.

Social media has become a part of the marketing landscape for some time now. This is not to say that traditional marketing does not have its place because advertising, public relations, and referrals are still an integral component. However, small businesses should consider leveraging social media as a part of your company’s marketing strategy.

Facebook and Twitter have completely changed how businesses both big and small interact with customers. As a business owner, if you have not tapped into the vast potential of Facebook and Twitter, you should be asking how those platforms can help you achieve your marketing objectives.

The best way to regard social media is a means to make yourself available to many different channels. The draw with social media from a business standpoint is that it fosters context, content, connection, and community. This ultimately will lead to the acquisition of new customers because the hard-sale has been eliminated and in its place open and honest dialogue.
We’ve reached out to others who use social networking on a daily basis for business use. Angela Eply (@angelaepley ) from Reach Local told us "I’d venture that #socialmedia is a real-time, digital exchange of content between very human entities." She is correct because not only can you connect with people in your local area, you can connect with millions of people around the world.

Facebook

Facebook has attracted millions of individuals from all over the world. It has become so popular that the site’s management has even provided the opportunity to businesses and company’s to take advantage of a built in audience and market themselves through the use of business fan pages. So use it to your advantage and create interesting content and most importantly engage your audience by facilitating dialogue with potential customers. The important take-away with Facebook is that you are provided important feedback that may be necessary for you to grow your business or make any appropriate changes to your current business model in order to capture more customers.

Twitter

Twitter has managed within a few short years to become one of the premiere social networking sites, plus it is free which is always good when it comes to a potentially expensive marketing budget. Its importance is in that it provides news feeds in real time. For a business owner, the communication appeal of Twitter is enormous. Just remember to tweet often and reply to your followers because it provides a more personal touch.

LinkedIn

LindedIn provides businesses access to thousands of potential business contacts and the resumes of potential employees. Additionally, it is very cost-efficient. LinkedIn is free to join but you can upgrade to certain features for a small amount of money. When adding business information, be as detailed as possible and post links to your website and/or blog. The key is to be accessible and interact with others.

YouTube

YouTube takes social media to another level with its video sharing capabilities. Videos have become a valuable and powerful marketing tool. Additionally it can draw prospective customers to your site. The key is to be informative yet display your personality in a fun, personable way in order to maintain interest.

Social media can be beneficial to small businesses in that it can help grow your business by aligning you with the very customers or new employees you are seeking out. CareerBuilder (@careerbuilder ) told Pix-l Graphx on Twitter, "We encourage job seekers to use social media as another tool in their kit to help them find the career they want." You can reach much more people through social interaction. The key to social media success is to be honest, personable, and accessible to make your business grow.

You shouldn’t take your business card for granted because it identifies how others portray your business. Every detail reflects on your identity and serves as a first impression to new clients. When done properly, a business card is one of the first things potential clients reach for to contact you. Make your business card memorable so it doesn’t become overlooked and thrown away.  Thinking about the design, shape, texture of the paper, and color are simple ways to make your business card look unique and stand out from the rest.

Ways to Communicate Your Brand on Your Business Card

Design

To make a lasting impression, use a unique design. A poorly designed business card will look amateurish, and so will your business. Having a good balance between design and content will create a clean, professional business card.

Content

Do not add an overwhelming amount of information on your business card. Keep it simple with your company name and phone number because many first-time clients will not use an email or fax as a first-time contact.

Typography

Choose a font that is easy to read. If you use a small print where contacts have to strain to see the information, it will turn them off. Also, remember that fonts have so-called voices. Choose a font that best represents yourself or your business.

Size

Most business cards come in standard sizes, but you can use a unique di-cut or shape to help you define your brand.

Color

There are meanings behind colors, so make sure to choose a color that will convey your message. Since most cards have a white background, choose a different background color that will stand out. Add an image to your card at least 1/4 the size of your card to capture interest.

Paper

The quality of paper says much about your brand. Make your business card appealing to the sense of touch. Don’t ever use a cheap paper or material for your business card because it reflects badly upon you. Use paper instead of other materials so people can write reminders to call you or notes on your business card.

Print Quality

Spend some money on good quality printing. It will be money well spent in the long run. Your business card should be bold and printed on thick quality paper. Choose a local printer for your business cards. By doing so, you can work closely with designers to touch, feel and see your card before it is perfected.

Uniqueness

Most importantly, you must make a card unique if you want your card to stand out. People will not remember you once they add your business card to their current pile if your card is not unique. Do not settle for a boring card. Your should distribute your business card with confidence.

So before getting your next set of business cards designed, ask yourself if your current business card speaks for your company. If it doesn’t portray your brand how you would like, you can speak to us at Pix-l Graphx to help you redesign your business card. Be prepared to instantly attract new clients and receive many compliments on your brand new cards.

What Do QR Codes Look Like?

You might wonder what those barcode-looking images are that are showing up on print ads, billboards, websites, t-shirts and cereal boxes. QR codes, or "quick response" codes, are two-dimensional versions of barcodes. Basically, they are a box filled with black and white squares and vary in complexity.

With a simple scan from your smartphone’s camera, they can help direct prospective customers to your online marketing messages. Your smartphone reads the QR code and opens up the encoded command. These commands can direct you to a website, add a contact to your address book, direct you to the market or app store to purchase an application, and so on. The possibilities are endless.

How Do QR Codes Differ From Barcodes?

Barcodes encode data only in the horizontal plane. QR codes encode data both horizontally and vertically. This is what produces the grid of tiny squares. Encoding on both planes allows for more data to be encoded in a smaller space. QR codes are able to store enough information that they can instruct a device to launch a website or download a file when scanned.

How Are QR Codes Used?

Most QR codes link a smartphone to additional content. For example, a magazine advertisement linking a smartphone to a website. However, QR codes do have greater potential. A QR code can be placed on a business card directing your client to your LinkedIn account or adding your contact information to their address book. You can create a QR Code which opens Google Maps with your address to help new clients navigate to your office. A billboard or flyer maybe have a QR Code which adds an event in your calendar. Android users can use QR codes to link directly to apps in the Android Marketplace. Google has also been making good use of QR codes to promote businesses and itself through the Google Places business directory.

How Can I Use QR Codes?

There are a number of apps available to the iPhone, including the free QR Reader, that can read QR codes. Android smartphones can use Google Googles or any other free QR code reader in the Market. Nokia handsets and BlackBerries typically can read QR codes right out of the box. QuickMarks is available to Windows Mobile users.

With our increasing reliance on mobile devices, QR codes will become more common. They solve the problem of trying to type data or URL’s onto tiny keyboards by providing a shortcut at the click of a button. They are easily integrated into different services and can incorporate geo-location data to help navigate and provide a new way for advertisers to reach customers.

How to Create Your Own QR Code

QR codes offer a new and exciting way for an organization to boost its marketing reach. Additional information delivered in an interactive way to customers, that they can share via social media, will enrich their experience.

There are websites that can create custom QR codes for you. The three most popular websites are:

Kaywa QR-Code Generator , QR Stuff , and GO QR

Type in the information you want encoded in the QR Code and the website will create the code for you.

Scan the following QR codes and see what happens!

Mobile websites and searching for information on iPhones and Andriod phone has rapidly grown in the past 2 to 3 years. Not everyone travels with a laptop, but everyone always has their phone in hand. Think about it! Pix-l Graphx can incorporate QR codes on your next business card, brochure, or website! Contact us for more information.

1. Write about what is new in your industry

As a niche blogger, it is essential to stay current and on top of the news in your industry. A recent product launch, industry-wide news, or controversial subject can give you an idea to write about. For instance, if a product is getting too much hype and attention, you can voice your opinion. As a result, you will have an interesting blog for your readers.

2. Write a product review

Have you purchased a product or service recently that is relevant to your blog? You are a perfect candidate to write an honest and compelling review. If the product or service gave you great benefits, find out if the company offers an affiliate program. As an affiliate, you can earn additional income. Write an honest opinion about it. Although you may discourage some potential customers from buying, you will score credibility points, which is important to your online presence in the long run.

3. Post a question

Posting a question helps to get attention. This technique engages readers and encourages them to get involved. Before you know it, a conversation has started. So, whenever you have writer’s block, post a question and watch the discussion begin!

4. Respond to another blogger’s post

Reading other bloggers’ posts is a way to stay current in the blogosphere. If you find an interesting post, write a response. Although you may disagree, it is always a good idea to let the author know about your responding blog post. As long as your writing is professional and respectful, your credibility as a blogger will be strengthened. The author will be thrilled to read it and he or she may announce it to their readers. As a result, your blog will see more traffic.

5. Create a spin-off of another blog’s post

Another way to find ideas is by reading other bloggers’ posts. You could write something opposite of what was already written. For instance, when you read a blog about five things people love about Twitter, you may write the opposite by having five things you hate about this social media. A contradictory approach will bring a breath of fresh air to your blog and is a great way to increase traffic.

Twitter is a social networking website that’s changing the way people communicate and make connections with others from all around the world.

It’s a great way to build relationships with your readers and generate traffic to your website. It is a free service available from Twitter.com

After you create your Twitter account and login, you can add “followers” and others can “follow” you. Following a person allows you to receive the messages they are posting. These messages are called “tweets” and are limited to 140 characters. This is a great way for your followers to quickly read the information you are trying to communicate.

Using Twitter is easy! Just follow these steps below.

Step 1

Go to http://www.twitter.com and sign up for a free account. Enter your full name, e-mail, password and click on the Sign up button to create your account.

The web address to your twitter page will be http://www.twitter.com/your-username
(Replace your-username with the username that you chose.)

Now that you have created your Twitter account, you need to learn the basics of how to use it!

Step 2

After you create your account, click on your username in the top right corner of the screen. From the drop down menu, click on "Settings" . Click on the "Profile" tab to fill in your bio, website URL, location, and to add an icon so people can identify you. The icon can be a picture of yourself or your business’s logo. Click the SAVE button.

Your Twitter can be fully customized! Under the “Design” tab, you can upload a background image and change the color of the text and links. If you need help customizing and designing your Twitter page, contact us at Pix-l Graphx for a quote. (Our number is 201-553-1200 and e-mail is info@pixlgraphx.com.)

Step 3

Twitter suggests you a list of people already on Twitter to follow based on your interests, location, and whom you already follow.

Click on “Who To Follow” from the top menu to view a list of suggested users. Click on the “Follow” button next to the user’s name to receive their tweets.

If you know the person’s twitter username, visit their twitter page at http://www.twitter.com/username (replace username with the actual username) and click on the “Follow” button. Tell your friends your username so they can follow you!

Step 4

Now that you’ve set up your account, you may wonder how do I send a tweet?

It’s simple. Click on “Home” on the top menu and find the “What’s happening?” text box. Type in your message and click on the “Tweet” button! Twitter even displays the amount of characters left you have available to type. (Remember the limit is 140 characters!)

To tweet a message to a specific person, you have to enter @username anywhere in the tweet. You can enter more than one @username in the tweet for multiple people to receive the same tweet. A list of all the tweets others have mentioned you in can be found when you click on “Home” on the top menu, then @Mentions underneath the “What’s Happening” text box.

Example: @pixlgraphx I saw your recent work! I want you to design my new business cards. I’ll give you a call in the afternoon to discuss details.

Step 5

To view the tweets from the people and business you follow, click on “Home” from the top menu. The first tweet on the list is the most recent tweet from all of the people who you follow.

When you mouse over one of the tweets, a menu pop ups up where you can favorite the tweet, reply to that tweet, or retweet it.

Retweeting is posting the person’s tweet on your wall for your followers to see. This is good if you found the tweet informative and want to share it with others.

Step 6

Twitter allows you to incorporate keywords or topics in a tweet so people can easily search for tweets relating to their interest.

Use the hashtag symbol # before the keyword for Twitter to categorize it correctly within the Twitter search. Clicking on the hashtagged word shows you all Tweets where others have included that keyword. Hashtagged words that become popular become Trending Topics on Twitter.

Example: I’m looking for a #graphicdesigner to design my new #businesscards. Anyone know an awesome graphic design agency nearby?

The benefits of Twitter are endless! It’s a good place for sharing information as it happens and a helpful networking platform between clients and business entrepreneurs. It is probably the most effective and cheapest solution to promote your business. Make use of the hashtagged keyword feature and Twitter Search to target your marketing to clients who will benefit from your services.

You never have to worry about missing a tweet because a Twitter application can be downloaded on all smartphones, including the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android phones. You can even take a picture with your cell phone and post it onto Twitter for everyone to see. The applications notify you as soon as someone posts a tweet or sends you a message. This makes it convenient to post and check your tweets anywhere you are.

Titles and descriptions on a website are important because they give search engines instructions on what the page is about and how they should treat it. They are information inserted into the "head" area of your web pages.

Use the Google Keyword Tool to search for keywords that best relate to the content on each page of your website. These keywords should be used in writing your titles and descriptions. Use the character count to check how many characters you have written so you do not go over the limit.

1. Keep your title tag lower than 64 characters and your description tag lower than 155 characters , including spaces.
2. Do not put the same title and description on every page of your website. Titles and descriptions have to describe the content on each page.
3. Include keywords visitors are most likely to search to get to your website. Try to be specific with your keywords to target your visitors. (ex. Use NJ Printing, which yields about 12,100 Global Monthly Searches, instead of printing services, which has over 165,000 results. It will be harder to find your website with so many results.)

Google Keyword Tool
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Character Count
http://www.javascriptkit.com/script/script2/charcount.shtml

Title Tags

A website’s title tag is the title of the page that people see in the top of their browsers when they are on your website. It is also the link that shows up in Google and other search engines when people perform a search.

Examples:

• Pix-l Graphx | Graphic Design in New Jersey, Minutes from NYC
• Full Color Printing | Pix-l Graphx | Green Printing, NJ Printing

1. Google will display up to 64 characters . (Letters, spaces, punctuation are included.)
2. You want to make sure you have your business name and your keywords in the title tags of all your website’s pages. (Keywords can be services or products you offer, your city, etc…)
3. Also, try to use the same keywords within the content of your website.

Description Tags

The description is what shows up in search engines underneath the title. Only search engines can read it or you can see it if you look at the source code of the web page.

Examples: (keywords are in bold)

• Pix-l Graphx offers creative and printing services minutes from New York City . We offer graphic design in New Jersey as well as service clients nationwide.
• Pix-l Graphx delivers graphic design services that exceed your expectations. We design business cards , restaurant menu design , and custom logo design .

1. Use no more than 155 characters . After that, Google adds an ellipsis (…)
2. Use relevant keywords, but keep the sentences meaningful.
3. Think what people would search for and then write the description.

Pix-l Graphx can help you with search engine optimization and other helpful marketing services. The Internet is a thriving world wide market heavy with competition. People must have a way to know that your website exists. In order to attract visitors to your website and beat the competition, your site must have a higher visibility is search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing!

Read more about SEO optimization and the services which we offer.
http://www.pixlgraphx.com/creative-solutions/search-engine-optimization.html

Do you want to create a blog but have no idea where to begin? Pix-l Graphx can help you start your own blog, even if you have no programming skills or experience with web design! In a matter of minutes, you can begin posting articles, photos, videos, or audio for others to see and leave quick feedback on. Best of all, there are free online blog websites that are available for you to use to create and manage your new website.

What Is a Blog?

Many people might not know the exact purpose of a blog. We believe blogging is a new way of instantly sharing information with others, whether it’s for business or personal use. A blog is a website where the content is organized by date and categories. Unlike a basic website, the content is dynamic, which means it’s constantly being updated by you when you add new blog posts. There’s also a way of searching by categories if you want to read posts relating to a certain topic.

How Do I Start Blogging?

There are two ways of creating a blog – using free or paid self-hosting services. A free WordPress blog will suffice if you’re planning to keep a personal blog only family and friends will read. For businesses, we strongly suggest buying your own domain and hosting to maintain a professional appearance when marketing yourself online. We’re going to explain both options so you can decide which is best for you.

Free Blog Hosting

WordPress.com is the most popular free online blog hosting platform used and it’s simple to set up. All you need to do is create a free account at www.wordpress.com , pick a name for your blog and choose one of the available templates as your blog theme. Now you can easily begin publishing new posts!

The downsides to using a free host are the lack of customization and the risk of the website shutting down. All your information will be lost and cannot be recovered. Imagine all the pain and frustration you’ll experience after you realize all your hard work is gone!

Self-Hosted Blog

Most professional web designers install WordPress on their own domain and hosting account to have complete control of their website.

Step 1: If you don’t own a domain, you can purchase one with PixlDomains.com . The domain name will only cost about $10 per year.

Step 2: After you purchased your domain name, you will need attach a hosting package to build your website. PixlDomains also offers inexpensive web hosting packages for as little as $9.99 a month. Our servers are perfectly secure and are optimized for blogs.

Step 3: After you’ve purchased both domain name and hosting, you can log into your control panel, click on “Hosting” and select the option for WordPress to automatically install on your website. There are no technical aspects and it only takes a couple minutes to set up. You can being blogging right away!

Step 4: Customize the look of your website with thousands of free or paid templates and plugins WordPress has to offer. Make your website more interactive. WordPress can connect with Facebook and Twitter so your posts instantly show on your friend’s walls. You can also set up photo galleries, create contact forms, add shopping cart functionality, or automatically transform your site into a mobile version when it’s viewed from an iPhone or any other smartphone. There are many more options, which are not available in the free version.

Need Help Creating a Blog?

If you don’t feel comfortable setting up a website on your own, Pix-l Graphx can help set up a blog for you by purchasing the domain, setting up the template and installing all necessary plugins. We can use a free template or we can custom design one for you based on your likes or company’s branding. Contact us at info@pixlgraphx.com for pricing.

We find that personalizing your blog will attract more returning visitors – which will bring more traffic to your website. You don’t want to be boring so add your own personality to your blog! After all, your website is all about you.

Those are all the steps to create the most effective way to share your thoughts and opinion online. Leave a comment on this post which any questions or if you want to share your blog with us.

Never lose an important file ever again! Our Online File Folder® is a browser-based application that lets you store, back up and access all your important computer files safely and securely online. As long as you have computer with an Internet connection, you can log in to view, edit and share all your files 24/7 from anywhere – at home, the office or even school!

Manage Files Your Way

Don’t worry about showing up late for an important business meeting or class presentation because you’re frantically searching for missing e-mail attachments or your lost memory stick! Online File Folder® allows you to organize your uploaded files into folders and access them anywhere. You’ll always know where your files are!

We offer you two packages to choose from to best suit your needs:

Our Economy Package offers 10 GB worth of space which is perfect for storing business reports and documents, PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets, essays and other small sized files.

If that’s not enough space, you can purchase 100 GB of space with our Deluxe Package! It’s the perfect solution for a large company or for backing up your personal music and video collection.

Online File Folder® lets you upload any file type and size, but you cannot exceed your allowed storage space limit. To get the most out of your storage space, it allows you to compress and expand even the largest files with a simple click.

Simple & Easy to Use

Online File Folder® allows you to easily transfer files with drag ‘n drop simplicity. Back up computer files manually or on an automated schedule using File Backup. Best of all, it is PC or Mac compatible. Always have the latest version of your files wherever you log in using our improved Sync Tool. You can also directly e-mail files as attachments to others!

Online File Folder® is your easy and affordable file management solution whether you’re at home, in the office or on the road.

Read more about the Our Online File Folder® service at www.pixldomains.com