Posts by Susan Sullivan
Define your audience
You need to define your target audience so you can design for your target audience Your most important visual marketing tool is your website. Many visitors will stumble upon your site by chance and you only get one chance to make a good impression. If your site isn’t designed for your specific audience then you…
Read MoreMy favorite Serif fonts
A serif font is a font that has a tiny line attached to the end of a stroke of a letter. Here is a list of my favorite serif fonts. Serif fonts work well for print and when used correctly, can work equally well for web designs. Try using one or more of these fonts in your…
Read MoreA few spaces and places to promote your blog
Email Newsletter Having a space on your blog to collect emails for newsletters and announcements is a great way to let your community know when a post is complete, or a weeks worth of posts are complete. You can share as much or as little information as you like and ask your fanbase to share…
Read MoreFacebook and Twitter: Stats to help posts increase engagement
Facebook and Twitter dominate the social media market. More than half of the adult population uses social media networks and Facebook, by far, continues to lead the market with Twitter coming in second. So how do you know which one is best for your social media marketing purposes? Here are some stats about Facebook and Twitter to…
Read MoreWhat blogging 5 days a week has taught me
The more you blog the more you’ll find to blog about When I first started blogging it was a chore to just find a topic to blog about. But now I can say that the more I blog the easier it is to come up with topics to create posts. Writing five days a week or…
Read MoreIs it time to rebrand? 4 questions to help you decide
1) Are you attracting the right clients? If your customers are astounded at your rates and expect them to be lower, then you should take this as a sign that your brand isn’t up to par with your services. Don’t let the look of your logo and/or website pull you down, if it is time for…
Read MoreCreative Facebook Covers and Template
Your Facebook page cover image is a small billboard for promoting your business or yourself. This small marketing tool is the first thing people view when they land on your page, so it pays to invest a little effort into making the small space work to your benefit. It’s easy is you know the right proportions – your cover…
Read MoreThe About Me page, questions to ponder
One of the first things a reader does when they land on a blog is click on the About Me page. So you’ll really need to turn on the charm and sell yourself, but it isn’t always easy. If you want readers to stick around, it will pay to spend some quality time with yourself…
Read MoreA few graphic design tools I love
Wacom Intuos Pro Tablet I was hesitant to purchase a Wacom tablet because the one I had years ago just didn’t work very well – actually it pretty much sucked. After hours and hours of research, I decided to give Wacom a second chance because this table had fabulous reviews. The reviews were right, and, as a professional…
Read MoreLessons learned in the design world
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder It isn’t always easy to design for multiple clients, especially when they have tastes that aren’t always parallel to your own. I strive to give my clients the perfect website for their business, even if it isn’t something that I personally consider attractive. Beauty is in the eye of…
Read MoreCreate branding inspiration with a mood board
Every small business has something to offer which is unique to their brand. Branding builds trust because it creates consistency. Businesses that are solely based online have often don’t take the time to properly brand their products and style. If your small business has a weak brand, or perhaps you don’t even have a brand, try experimenting with…
Read MoreWhy Sumy Designs is amazing
I’m proud to say this month Sumy Designs turns nine. Less than 50% of small business make it past the age of four, so nine is a good indication we are doing things right. There are many components to our success, so I thought I’d list a few of the reasons Sumy Designs is amazing. We…
Read MoreBlogging tips for small businesses
Write to inspire Good blog posts should trigger the sharing of ideas. And, if your small business has a blog, then you have a great marketing tool because you know more about your business than anyone else. Write posts about your business that will inspire clients to keep reading. Focus on your target audience Try and write about…
Read More19 free stock photography websites
Is your website in need of some stock photography? Most websites could use some great imagery, but many can’t afford to hire a professional photographer or purchase quality stock photographs. Have no fear; your days of stealing photos from Google searches are over. Images add visual appeal because they make your article seem more attractive.…
Read MoreCombining fonts successfully
Fonts are funny, we love them yet if we use them without restraint they look out of control and unprofessional. Combining fonts successfully isn’t hard if you follow a few simple rules: Thick and Thin Stick with the same font but use a thin version and a bold version to separate the header from the…
Read MorePromote your website with Pinterest
Pinterest is all about pinning and sharing visual images to a virtual board – it’s fun, easy and addictive. Have you ever considered ways to promote your website with Pinterest? According to Pinterest expert, McCall Humes, Pinterest is the 13th most popular website in the United States, the 3rd most popular social media network and…
Read MoreHow do I promote my blog post for free?
As bloggers it is nice to know an audience is reading and appreciating what we write. Good bloggers write frequently and provide valuable information that is specific to their audience. As authors we know that some of the posts we write are great and other posts will change the world. So, you’ve spent hours overloading…
Read MoreSocial media practices to help promote your business in 2015
Social media marketing can be daunting for any business – it takes time and a firm commitment to build a trustworthy online reputation – but if done correctly, social media allows you to market your business and receive valuable and instant feedback from customers. Here are a few basic tips to help you utilize social…
Read MoreWhat should be on your homepage?
Exactly what should be on your homepage is a question we get asked often here at Sumy Designs. The homepage is the virtual front door to your business. It performs around the clock and is the voice of your success. The homepage is the who and the what of your business and it explains why…
Read MoreTo interact, or not to interact – the comment debate is always the question
I won’t lie. I’m a huge fan of reader interaction. But just because I personally love that interaction doesn’t mean I would recommend it everyone. For the record, I read blogs that allow comments and those that don’t. We all know that blogging is good for business. But are comments? That is a more tricky question and the…
Read MoreHow often should I blog?
We get a lot of questions about blogging, but probably the most frequently asked question is “How often should I blog?” There is no one answer to this question. Different bloggers have different ambitions; write in different genres and have vastly different ideas about what makes a blog successful. Understanding your content and the commitment it will…
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