Monthly archive for August 2016

August 2016

Taking Care of Business:
Still getting SPAM?

What are you doing wrong? 

  1. You clicked unsubscribe. Seems like the natural solution, right? Wrong. All this action does is alert spammers they found an email that is actually in use.*
  2. You replied to the spammer.  Oh no! First of all, when you reply to them, you inadvertently whitelist their email address. They can now send you every diet pill, designer watch, or Prince Abdul email they would like. Plus they now get to share your email address with all of their spammy friends.
  3. Colleagues cc you in messages – Every person cc’d in the message will have your email address. These people may not be spammers (or are they???…) If any of the recipients email addresses are hacked, your email can be found and harvested as well – increasing your susceptibility to spam.
  4. You didn’t read the small print. Some sites you subscribe to will sell your email address to other companies ( other spammers).
  5. You say you only release your email to reputable companies? Sadly some reputable companies have dishonest employees who can make an easy buck selling these lists.

The best response to spammers is to identify it as spam in your mail client – click junk and be done. If you mark something as spam multiple times your email reader will eventually get smart and send it straight to junk.
*If you have emails you subscribed to and you no longer wish to receive them you can safely unsubscribe. Constant Contact, Mailchimp, Emma, etc. are legitimate services that will unsubscribe you safely. Don’t mark these ones as junk. When you mark an email as junk it does effect the grading of that email list negatively.
Good luck cleaning those inboxes!


Facebook Gems

Do you behave this way on social media? We’re all a little guilty….
You may recognize yourself in a few of these cartoons from this recent post on our Facebook page.
Don’t miss the fun, Find Us On Facebook, and Twitter..,

Capability Statement Design for Women Owned Businesses

capability statement design for women owned businesses

Congratulations, now that your company has received certification as a women-owned business your work has just begun! Let’s start with your capability sheet design. In Michigan, we have regional business summits, MiDiCo meetings, and other meet-the-buyer events. When you attend networking events, conferences, etc. in your state or region you need a professional leave behind in the form of a capability statement. Capability statements are print pieces that essentially offer your company information at a glance. Your capability sheet should also be uploaded to your website for download. Similar to a product cut sheet or a sales sheet, capabilities sheets are what companies use in the procurement of corporate and government bids.

A successful Capability Statement Design Includes:

  • your company name
  • company logo
  • third party certifier (such as WBENC)
  • core competencies (brief company statement and services)
  • contact information (you would be surprised how often this is missed!)
  • differentiators – how do you stand up to the competition
  • images;  professional logos; professional or stock photos
  • past performance
  • company data:  DUNS number, CAGE, socio-economic status if you are a WBE, WOSB, Minority Owned Business, certified through WBENC, NAICS codes, PSC numbers, Federal Supply Codes
  • Key personnel: ownership, management information, or key account representatives, etc.

Do you need a professional corporate capability statement - free consultation

Optional Content for Capability Statement Sheets:

  • customer testimonials
  • partial customer list
  • credentials, licenses
  • logos and mentions of professional affiliations /memberships
  • case studies
  • Do you need help writing the copy for your Capability Statement Design?

You may know your business yet not know how to write or now how to identify which content will stand out to prospects. Consider frequently asked questions and reviews from your customers. Ask yourself:

  • What makes your company unique?
  • Why would you be the best candidate for a project?
  • What sets you apart from your competition?
  • Why do your customers continue to hire you?

capability statement sampleAs a full service branding firm we print, write, and design capabilities sheets. Our web specialist posts keyword optimized sell sheets and capability statement information to our website and our customer’s websites. Take a look at our capability statement design sample. We have included design and brand marketing service listings, print and design awards, women owned business certification, corporate logo, WBENC logo, customer case study results, etc.

Industry Specific Capability Statement Content

If your industry requires licensure be sure to include the licenses you hold. Include affiliations, reports and ratings with third parties.

  • Better Business Bureau rating
  • ISO rating
  • Angie’s List award
  • etc.

Especially relevant, do you hold a professional designation within your industry such as a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP)? These credentials establish credibility and set you apart from your competition.

Capability sheet samples include one and two sided solutions. We try to keep our capability statement design one sided and customize it to each service. For instance, if we are responding to a bid for brand development services we will include specific branding experience. For magazine or publication design we include our experience highlighting publication design and production.

Do you need help putting together your capability statement design? We can set up a 10-15 minute complimentary phone consultation. Also, we will ask the right questions to get the most important content about your business on paper clearly and professionally.

Leave behinds and downloadable pdf capabilities sheets are critical. Consequently, don’t miss opportunities because your prospects didn’t remember you or don’t have enough information to hire you. Give us a call or shoot us a note today.