Businesses & Services Worth Mentioning
As a small firm, I rely on services and businesses that help and protect Guiding Graphics. Here are few worth mentioning.
Carbonite: This is an online service that backs up ALL my machines on the internet just in case Guiding Graphics goes down. A complete backup only costs me $50/year. That gives me peace of mind.
Dropbox: This online service has saved me from endless emails or hours making an image smaller. Using Dropbox, you can upload and download very large files very quickly. It is easy and free! Always have your stuff when you need it with @Dropbox. 2GB account is free! http://db.tt/c3IAUB8
MailChimp: This email is developed and delivered from MailChimp. A free email service that is very similar to Constant Contact. Comes with a sense of humor too!

Already Have a Brand/Logo?
Are you treating it well? Is your brand conveyed accurately? Is your logo displayed as it should be from one document to the next? Or are people getting creative with it? Developing standards for logo usage is extremely important if your firm produces a lot of documents. Template development is one way to control how the logo is used as well as maintaining a high level of output. Wm. Blanchard Co. is a great example of what can be done. Wm. Blanchard already had a logo, a message and website but they needed someone to develop marketing materials, project sheet templates, and a PowerPoint template. Guiding Graphics orchestrated these efforts starting with their first marketing book which reflected their existing brand. Then Guiding Graphics converted that printed piece into an interactive PDF for their digitally inclined clients. Then, a template was designed for the project pages and PowerPoint so that everything looked consistent. If you have an existing brand but need other materials developed please reach out to Guiding Graphics. We are here to help, not change things up on you! Call to discuss your next project 201-895-1244.

Gaining Business Isn’t Easy… but this works…
99% of my business comes from Networking. That’s right. Whether it is a direct opportunity from someone I met at an event or the person I met connects me with someone they know that need my services. This is HUGE for a small firm. And what is funny is that we probably didn’t talk business when we were networking. It is the follow-up email the next morning that greets them and says “By the way, this is what I do…”. This approach isn’t pushy. You can even ask the receiver to introduce you to someone that could use your services. I have watched networking opportunities grow tremendously these past few years. As part of Guiding Graphics marketing agenda, I will be attending one networking function per week. I have also made it imperative to continue networking even when I am busy. Networking equals new business. You want new business, you MUST network. I found a few interesting articles that you might find worth a read.
Increase Your Sphere of Influence: Hot to Network 
Three Reasons Networking Events Increase Your Referral Business
Tips for Attending Networking Functions
10 Deadly Networking Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

The AEC  Professionals Circle is a regional networking community that brings together the finest architecture, engineering and construction professionals in the New York City area. Taking much of the “work” out of networking, our monthly social events provide ample opportunity for members to make meaningful, industry-specific connections.

updated website coming soon. Click Here

This award submission calendar is an Interactive PDF…which means you can click on items within the PDF and it will take you either a website or another page in the PDF. Award submissions can be used over and over again, year after year. And with interactive PDFs, you can change them anytime. Think of your brochure…did some information need to be updated a few months after you had it printed? Are your clients contacting you via email? If yes, you can respond to them with a very impressive Interactive PDF of your brochure or newsletter. If you don’t have the time to put that award together or update your brochure, I am here to help. Here is my collected 1st Quarter 2011 award submissions calendar for the next three months. Click away!
Recommended you open all PDF files using Adobe Acrobat. Download the Interactive PDF here.