Witch Words to Write – September 2011

About a year ago my Intuitive Business Consultant told me I’d be running workshops and singing. At the time I thought “pft! as if! What on earth would a graphic designer be running a workshop about and how does singing fit in with that?” I mean, really!… little did I know…

My goodness, what a massive year it’s been for Witch Words. When people mention the GFC all I hear is BFG (Big Friendly Giant – a book by Roald Dahl). Selective hearing perhaps, but I’m a firm believer in the power of thought, so I choose not to listen to the negative stuff. As Bing Crosby sang “You’ve got to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative”.

Since I last wrote, way back in April, I’ve had some amazing opportunities and events presented to me. My dear friend Krishna Everson and I have created a series of workshops called Magnetise Your Brand. We’d previously done some seminars and presentations individually and found ourselves referring clients to each other. Then it dawned on us that we could create something pretty special together. Krishna is brilliant at marketing strategies for small business, developing headlines, bylines and writing articles, so combining her skills with mine has created a powerful workshop that helps our clients identify their ideal client (their avatar) and then develop their marketing and branding to attract that person. It’s awesome – and that’s where the workshop and singing came it… As often happens, we were brain storming one night and a song came together to the tune of Doctor Dolittle’s Talk to the Animals. Except ours is called Talk to Your Avatar. August 10th found us running our first full day (sell-out) workshop and singing our song to an audience of 20 hand-picked clients. We still need more practice, but here’s a sneak peek if you want a giggle.

If you can find a way to be a bit different, and a little vulnerable, it means people will remember you, like you and refer you. So whether you enjoy our singing or not, you will probably remember us, and we’re not afraid to look a bit silly, because as soon as you do that, you give others permission to be authentic.

You see, it’s super important to stand out from the crowd. Have you noticed how many other businesses there are just like yours? For example, there are loads of graphic designers around, so I had to find a way to be unique. I’ve done that by niching my market and becoming a branding specialist for small business women. Once you identify your perfect client it’s so much easier! Trying to sell to everyone is just way too hard!

As a result of Magnetise Your Brand, Krishna and I have recently been engaged by local government DEEDI (Dept Employment, Economic Development and Innovation) to run industry specific seminars for small business on a regular basis. How good is that! Why us? Because they were looking for fresh content that’s delivered with integrity and awareness. This has all come about through the power of networking and facebook – yep facebook! Who would’ve thought that local government departments were into facebook? You never know who’s watching…

About Social Media… I just want to say that if you’re not using facebook, linkedin and twitter to connect and develop relationships with your clients, your are missing golden opportunities. Golden! Networking regularly and consistently is the other best way to connect… it’s about being personal and real.

I just want to acknowledge my elves in the background. The talented and wonderful Amanda is still a tower of strength for me and currently looks after the majority of our creative work. Thanks Mandy! I’ve also found an awesome copy writer, Janelle, to assist with writing and editing web content, so Witch Words is growing fast!
I’ve attached my e-book for you, called ’7 Steps to Creating Your Unique Brand’ in case you haven’t received it yet.I hope you find it useful.

Take care and thanks for listening, Jeanne x
But wait! There’s more below…

Beautifully Branded Business
This month’s Beautifully Branded Business is Fiona Jackson Designs. Fiona was referred to me by a friend and had never had any experience with logo design, website development, business cards or Social Media. She was embarking on her vision and I was very blessed to play a massive role in that.
We began with a long chat where I asked loads of questions until I could visualise her branding in my mind. I explained the process and steps that we’d take to create her brand and then implement it into her online and printed material.
Fiona is a textile artist. She has a large industrial colour printer so that she can print images on to fabric and then apply intricate stitching detail to create gorgeous textile art for walls or bed covers. She does the most delicious flowers and can bring a flat image to life with her skill. Check out her beautiful website here.
This project was super exciting for me because I was just busting to use Fiona’s artwork within her branding. Mandy played a big part in this design and did a brilliant job. What I really like about Fiona is that she’s keen to learn, she’s jumped into her business with both feet and is really committed to building her business and understanding how to use social media, how to manage her website and the importance of networking.
Love your work Fiona!

Recent Project
At the moment we’re rebranding Birkis Footwear in Noosa. This is a shoe shop with a difference, their major product are Birkenstock shoes. Made in Germany, these shoes have been around for years and have a loyal following. Anna and Michael have been in the shop for 6 years.
They’re a lovely couple, they work tirelessly 7 days a week in Noosa and Eumindi, and approached me to help them set up a website and freshen up their branding. They had a bit of fear around the idea of a website but they realise the importance of getting online, especially as they are not only shoe salespeople, but are qualified repairers of Birkenstocks as well. It’s been a joy to work with and educate them (gently) on the whole process. I’m really looking forward to getting their website online, so keep an eye out!

Magnetise Your Brand
Our next 1 day workshop is locked in for 18th October in Maroochydore, Qld. We have an early bird price of $147 available until 15th September, so if you want to get some clarity about how to attract your ideal client through your marketing and start creating your branding, book in now! Last month we were fully booked.
Limited to 20 people, this is a powerful day that will accelerate your business and help you move forward. Book here www.magnetiseyourbrand.com.au and check out the video testimonials and photos from our August workshop. We even had Sarah come all the way from Tully in North Qld to be with us for the day. Thanks Sarah!

Shameless Plug
If you’re looking for a way to promote your workshop, seminar or event, Sue and Toni Louise are the girls to call. Their business is all about promoting and supporting ethical presenters, speakers and facilitators, and they love it! http://www.redhoteventsandseminars.com.au/

Last word…
My mum had a denim bag back in the 70s with words and phrases on it. There’s one phrase I remember best that said “without me you are blah!”. So true. My mum fell ill around that time and was in hospital for months, and we were all blah! So take time out for you. Be still, breathe, relax and speak kind words to yourself, because you’re worth it.

 

Witch Words to Write – April 2011

Happy birthday to Witch Words! It’s one year since Witch Words began, and that year has been an amazing one filled with loads of experiences, beautiful people (such as you) and massive growth. I know this has been said before, but where did the time go? As mentioned in February’s newsletter, Witch Words has hit the ground running and it’s beginning to feel like a marathon.

It seems that every time I give thanks for new clients and the growth of this business, another client or project is knocking on my door – how blessed! So, I came to a cross-roads and had to make a decision about the growth of Witch Words because ultimately I’m only one person and I was fast heading into overwhelm. I could either niche my services, increase my fees and continue as an exclusive designer losing too much sleep and working crazy hours, or I could trust that the right person would come along and help me to continue to offer a great intuitive service to people who work from the heart and want to communicate their values and authenticity through their branding. I’ve found the perfect person! In fact, I found her years ago, and she’s just popped into my life again.

I’m delighted to announce that Witch Words has engaged a talented, amazing contract designer to take the load off, so to speak. I’ve known Amanda for quite a few years now, in fact she taught me a lot of the software basics back when I first ventured into the land of computers. Since then she’s started a family and, lucky for me, is happy to help out with some part time projects. I am so blessed to have her on board!

Amanda’s happy to hang out in the background, so you’ll still only deal with and consult with me. My goal is to keep Witch Words as personal and focused as it’s always been because it’s all about you and your brand! To get to know Amanda a bit better, see her story below.

Enjoy the following bits and bobs of news and have a happy day. Til next time, take good care
Jeanne xx

Introducing Amanda…

Amanda has worked as a graphic designer since 1994, where she first learned her craft as a self taught trainee in Peregian on the Sunshine Coast at Com Art Communications. She then worked as Senior Designer at Graphic Force for 8 years, before packing up her world and heading off around Australia in a troop carrier. On the way she worked in a variety of jobs from folding towels in an industrial laundry to driving dump trucks in the mines in Kalgoorlie.

After a year and a half of living the gypsy life, Amanda settled in Townsville to be near her mum and sisters where she managed a frame/photo shop for 2 years. Then she was ‘love struck’ and two gorgeous men entered her life, one her partner Adam and the other, her beautiful baby boy, Jack.

Amanda is as happy as she has ever been in her life and relishes her time at home with her boys. She’s also really loving being back into design work and I am so very grateful she’s feeling that way, because we are now two witches crafting spells and creating beautiful brands for my clients. It’s pure magic!

What does Witch Words do anyway?

Initially Witch Words was focusing on copy-writing and editing, specifically website text, hence the name Witch Words. After working for years in the advertising and design industry, I was feeling disconnected with the graphic design process and had decided to change my focus to writing. However, as often happens, the Universe decided otherwise.

Through networking, I was listening to and talking with many small business people who wanted a brand, some who’d never needed a logo or website before, and I found myself explaining how a brand is created. I realised there was a lot of uncertainty and fear around developing a brand and the steps to creating a website, business cards, brochures and social media graphics.

As a result I’ve now developed an easy step by step process that’s very clear and concise so that each person’s brand is designed specifically for them using elements that are unique to them in a way that connects them with their ideal clients. My mission is to communicate the personality of the person behind the business name with authenticity and integrity.

The thrill for me is being witness to the delight and joy that I can give when a person’s logo, website, business card or brochure is complete and beautiful. Suddenly it all becomes real, and I love being instrumental in that process. It’s just magic!

Jeanne’s Tip

Never copy text from a Word document into your CMS website. The invisible html coding within Word can play havoc with the formatting on your website.
The best way around this is to copy from Word into Notepad, amend the formatting there, and then copy from notepad into your website. That way the text will be clean and there’ll be no hidden code to mess up your web pages. If you really need to copy the text from Word, make sure you have a button in your CMS website editor that says ‘Paste as Plain Text’ and use that to paste.

 

Witch Words to Write – February 2011

Where did January go? I’ve got a feeling this year is going to zoom by just as fast as last year did. A belated welcome to Witch Words in 2011!

Christmas feels like a hundred years ago now, and ours was great. I really loved having some precious family time with our kids. It’s not often we’re all together now that they’ve grown and gone off to live their lives, so we celebrated in a different way this year and indulged ourselves in one night at The Sheraton, Noosa. Apart from the deluge of rain, we had a lovely time eating out, exploring Hastings Street with umbrellas, having a sauna and spa, and trying a cocktail or two.

As much as I miss the Santa-filled Christmases and the heart-warming delight of small children at 4am (mostly it was me waking them up), it really was lovely to have a grown-up Christmas; to sleep in, watch movies, play cards and appreciate each other. It was also the first year in a long time that we haven’t had extended family around. I have to admit, the thought of just the five of us did freak me out a little at first, but I’ve grown up a bit myself this year and decided that I wasn’t solely responsible for everyone else’s happiness. Letting go of that made a huge difference and it was a really great few days. Perfect in fact.

In January hubby and I took a week off to house-sit for friends in Withcott, Queensland. It just happened that the floods hit south east Queensland that week and we were smack bang in the middle of it! I won’t go into it here, we were safe and well, but our week was quite surreal. You can read my blog about it here.

Witch Words has hit the ground running so far this year! New branding projects are well under way and it’s a busy time. There are lots of events coming up and some travel on the horizon too, so lots to look forward to.

That’s all from me for now, thanks for listening and til next time, take good care
Jeanne xx

Featured Business

This month we’re featuring Natalie McIvor’s Enlightened Goddesses Network. Created from a vision and developed into a reality in 2010, I’ve had the honour of developing all of Natalie’s branding for her website, emails, invitations and business cards. It’s been a mammoth project that just keeps evolving and it’s so exciting to see the response to the Sunshine Coast’s fastest growing business women’s network. It’s all about connecting with heart and integrity.
Natalie has some phenomenal events planned for 2011 that you won’t want to miss! I’m one of the featured speakers at the first NetConnect Seminar in February, so book your seat, subscribe and join today. This network is already attracting Goddesses from all over Australia and is growing fast. www.enlightenedgoddesses.com

We’ve been invited to Melbourne in March to join some Goddesses from ‘Finally at 40′ at their Annual Dinner Dance. Watch this space, Enlightened Goddesses is going to grow faster than Jack’s beanstalk!

Facebook has proven to be a really great marketing tool for Witch Words and I encourage you to join if you haven’t already, or investing some time in building relationships through Facebook. Quite a few of my clients have found me through Facebook as well as new friends. It’s a big wide world at your fingertips! Meet me at facebook.com/witchwords