CVAC

by Caroline Jarzabek, CMJ Virtual Office Manager

Lately there seems to be a lot of talk about how to get your business known and how to find clients. Since September is rolling around before we know it, this might be an opportune time to address networking.

Networking is such a vital part of growing a business, especially a VA business. So what is networking, how and where do you start?

First and foremost, networking is about building relationships. Think about it for a minute. If you were looking for someone to fix your computer or do some work in your home, where would you look? Would you go through the Yellow Pages and then hope that you found someone reliable, who knew their stuff and was the best person to handle your needs? Would you really trust someone that you didn’t really know?

This is what networking is all about. You need to get out there and get yourself known. Once people get to know you and your business then it is easy for them to refer you to others. Why? Because, they have built trust and a relationship with you. They know what type of person you are and what your work ethics are by how you present yourself. This works online and in person.

Now where do you go to network, what groups can I possibly look at and where do you find them?

Here is a few to get you started both online and off:

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The York Business Exchange (YBE) www.ybe.ca

Business Owners Idea Café www.businessownersideacafe.com

The Leapfrog Network www.leapfrognetwork.com

BNI Canada www.bnicanada.ca

eWomen Network www.ewomennetwork.com

Canadian Women’s Business Network www.cdnbizwomen.com

entreWomen www.entrewomen.ca

Canadian Association of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs www.cawee.net

Business Women’s Networking Association  http://www.bwna.biz

Women Entrepreneurs of Canada www.wec.ca

Small Business Forum  www.small-business-forum.com

Company of Women www.companyofwomen.ca

Wings Canada www.wingscanada.com

Ryze Business Networking  www.ryze.com

Linked In www.linkedin.com

International Association of Administrative Professionals www.iaap-hq.org

Canadian Virtual Assistant Connection  www.cvac.ca

Canadian Virtual Assistant’s Network www.canadianva.net

Virtual Assistant’s Networking Forum www.vanetworking.com

Women In A Home Office www.womeninahomeoffice.com

Canadian Federation of Independent Business www.cfib.ca

SOHO Business Group www.soho.ca Business Innovation Group (BIG) www.bignetworking.ca

Business Partnerships http://businesspartnerships.ca

Business Networks http://businesspartnerships.ca

Meetup http://smallbiz.meetup.com

ReferralQuest www.referralquest.net

For other groups, events, meetings and times check out this fabulous website by Jennifer Beale – the Queen of Network. You can even sign up to have meeting and events come right into your mailbox:

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http://www.biznetworknews.com

Remember that networking is an ongoing investment in your business. Think of it as courting your potential clients, it doesn’t happen overnight, it does take time but what lasting relationship doesn’t!  Happy networking!

by Karen Saunders

It’s almost 5 o’clock on Friday afternoon. Do you know where your newest marketing pieces are? If you’re a small business owner, they may be buried on your desk because you’ve got so many other important details to handle. Or they’re still sitting on your assistant’s desk where she’s staring at them hopelessly. She’s an admin assistant, for heaven’s sake, not a designer, and she knows what she’s produced so far is not very memorable or effective.

All of us would like to think our product is so good, our services so unique, they’ll simply sell themselves. Not so! Strong branding, powerful images, compelling web pages and outstanding marketing pieces make or break that upward sales curve you crave so urgently. In today’s market, your customers and clients are influenced more than ever by the visual presentation of your marketing pieces. If they are well designed, they’re likely to be read, remembered and respected.

Here are five simple, but essential tricks of the designer’s trade that you can use immediately, at little cost, and with excellent results to profit you both short and long term.

1. Take advantage of quality clip art and stock photos
Chances are you’re not an illustrator or photographer, but that shouldn’t stop you from using professional illustrations or photos in your marketing piece. You can use clip art–sometimes at a very low price–to enhance your layout. Check out the Internet for sites that feature clip art or stock photo libraries that provide a wide variety of quality and prices to choose from. Use the same style of graphics throughout your piece to create a consistent look.

2. Add dramatic contrast
Using contrast means having clearly apparent differences among the design elements that come together on a page, business card, or computer screen. These include contrasting colors, shapes, fonts, and sizes of text and graphics. A high degree of contrast helps create dramatic interest and draws the viewer’s eye to specific areas of your page. White space also provides contrast, aids legibility, and gives the reader’s eye a resting point. Controlling the amount of white space you use affects the overall page design.

3. Repeat certain elements
Good design calls for repeating certain elements throughout your piece to make the whole piece come together visually. For example, use the same color, shape, and size for all your bullets. Also make all your headers the same size, color, and font. Go for more and repeat specific graphic elements (e.g., boxes, banners, rule lines, etc.) throughout the piece.

4. Pay attention to proximity
Proximity refers to the exact spatial relationships between elements. For example, you create visual relationships between photos and their captions by keeping the captions close to the photos. For subheads, a pro positions them closer to the text below than the text above. Apply this principle of exact spatial relationship to all other graphic and text elements where appropriate. When you review your work, make sure you’ve applied this spacing consistently throughout.

5. Know when to use serif and sans serif fonts
In general, when you have a large amount of text, it is best to use a serif font because it is easier to read than a sans serif font. Serifs are the tiny horizontal strokes attached to the letters which help the reader’s eyes flow from letter to letter. Bold sans serif (without serifs) is good for headlines and subheads because they slow the reader down thus bringing more attention to each word or concept. Some examples of serif fonts that are good for body copy are: Times, New Century Schoolbook, Garamond and Goudy. Some examples of sans serif fonts that are good for headlines are: Arial Bold, Helvetica Black, Univers Bold and Trade Gothic.

It’s 9 o’clock Monday morning. You’re smiling because you have incorporated these important design elements into your marketing strategy. You’re ready to face a new week with vastly improved opportunities to keep smiling at a growing bottom line.

Copyright © Karen Saunders

Karen Saunders is the owner of MacGraphics Services, a unique design firm for today’s entrepreneur.  Karen’s book, Turn Eye Appeal Into Buy Appeal: How to easily transform your marketing pieces into dazzling, persuasive sales tools! is a comprehensive resource that teaches you how to create effective marketing materials, give marketing projects a professional appearance, and execute projects using ready-made checklists to immediately begin assisting clients with the planning, developing and creating of marketing materials.  To learn more, visit http://www.marketerschoice.com/app/?af=1090208.  You can contact Karen at 888-796-7300, or Karen@macgraphics.net.