Tip #1:

Attend networking meetings.

royblumenthal

The best business relationships start face-to-face. Plus, most networking meetings occur during meal time…and since you have to eat, you might as well be meeting prospects as well. Networking opportunities surround you! The first place to look is your local chamber. Then you will want to ask fellow members where else they network and interact with other businesses owners. Another outlet is to find something that you have a passion for, like a non-profit group or arts group. Get involved and build those relationships. You could network morning, noon and night if you really wanted to! But don’t forget, it’s all about who YOU are (See Tip #4) and what YOU have to offer.  What you get in return will soon follow.  NetworkInAustin is a great Austin resource to find networking opportunities around town.

Tip#2:

Matt Hamm

Utilize social media outlets. Currently, most social media sites are free. This is a great time and place to establish yourself as an industry expert. First, most companies are still not using these outlets to reach their customers.  Those that are, may not be direct competitors. If they are direct competitors, then that’s even more reason to make your presence known.  Second, you have friends and colleagues and they have friends and colleagues, and so on. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. are all great places to share your knowledge and they are where most people (2010 stats and facts) these days reside online. People are hungry to learn – hungrier now than they’ve ever been before and they usually turn to their immediate networks first to find the information they seek.  Make sure it’s you that they are getting their knowledge from! (and having a presence on these sites actually helps your SEO!)  Not sure where to start?  Call us:  512.428.9072.  We can help.

Tip#3:

Ask for referrals. This is something that we all forget to do and it should be the easiest task of all! Pick out your top clients – especially if they are always raving about your products or services – and ask them if they can introduce you to some more prospects. You will find that your happiest clients are more than willing to help you in growing your business…You just have to ask! Quality referrals most often come from those with whom you have already done business.  Full Moon Design Group knows this and we are rewarding those who think of us and send business our way.  We recently launched our 2^nd Annual Referral Reward Campaign.  Our rewards prove to our clients that we appreciate their confidence in us.

Tip #4:

Ensure that you have a memorable identity.

matthew solle

It’s simple – marketing is consistently getting in front of prospects with a consistent look and feel on a repetitive basis. Your business brand or identity is the foundation that you will need to build credibility in the marketplace. If you are going to seek business from your competitors, you better make sure that you look like you have a business. No self-designed business cards that you have printed on perforated stock from your local office supply store…nope…not allowed! You need exceptional quality assets to let your audience know that you can provide that same quality in the products or services you offer.  Not sure what I mean by brand/identity? Take a look at Full Moon Design Group portfolio section to give you more of an idea:

http://www.fullmoondesigngroup.com/portfolio.html

Tip #5:

Make sure you have a website. If you don’t, now is the time. The web is no longer a luxury for businesses…it’s a must. Times are changin’ folks and your website is no longer your online brochure. It’s a place where people are looking to learn more about you, your clients, your culture. They want to interact and learn from you. Blogging, videos and pictures is what’s hot for websites now. The time and money that you invest in your website will pay off in the end. Think about it…your site is working prospects when you are busy at that networking lunch (see Tip #1) or sound asleep in bed! But websites aren’t cheap, you say… Or are they?  Full Moon Design Group has websites starting at just $500 – sites that you can change content on your own (and we’ll show you how!) and blog and feed into those social media outlets of which you are now a part (re: Tip #2).  Take a look at a few samples below:

www.jbaustin.com/
www.austinecofence.com/
www.hillcountryhomeimprovements.com/

Austin, Texas – June 27, 2008 – Full Moon Design Group announces that they will now offer Web design and development to their already large list of marketing services.  Working primarily in the print medium, Full Moon Design Group has realized that the way people get information is changing and that companies need a strong presence on the Web; but until now they have not had the resources or time to delve into the Web.

“I’m so excited to be expanding our services to Web development,” said Katie Osborne, Principal and Co-founder of Full Moon Design Group.  “I can’t wait to take our customers to the online world where they can gain world wide exposure and recognition.  That is our ultimate goal and now it’s at our fingertips!”

Full Moon Design Group will now be able to provide clients with the essentials in Web development.  Full Moon Design Group will work with clients to create the overall branding of their site, as well as all the necessary programming for a fully-interactive experience for all site visitors.  The designers at Full Moon have already worked their magic for clients such as Reliant Title, Thaddeus Jones Homes, South University Center, Glimmerance, The Village at Lamar, Olson Defendorf Custom Homes, and Jaehne Custom Homes.

“To be able to offer custom Website design and programming solutions to our customers is an important area of growth for our company,” said Principal and Co-founder Vicky Gouge.  “This will only expand our level of offerings that we provide to our clients; as well as get us closer to our goal of becoming our clients’ one-stop-shop for complete turnkey solutions to their marketing programs.”

About Full Moon Design Group

Founded in 2004, Full Moon Design Group, Inc. is a fully custom graphic design firm specializing in the creation and production of competition-devouring marketing materials.  From logos to Websites, Full Moon Design Group creates and produces concepts that clearly state your message in a simple and concise manner.  Founders Katie Osborne and Vicky Gouge, and the rest of the Full Moon team, believes in maintaining a standard of quality with a steadfast commitment to customer service and satisfaction.

For more information about Full Moon Design Group, please visit them online at www.fullmoondesigngroup.com.