I’ve had a few friends inquire about my virtual assistant. She’s polite, professional, and answers any time someone calls my toll free business number. Oh, and she’s not real!

So if you are a savvy business owner looking for an affordable, virtual assistant solution, here you go:

CommuniKate uses a single toll-free number to unify your communications, from e-mail to fax, video conferencing to voice mail. And Kate works on your existing Web, phone and mobile devices, so there’s no equipment to purchase.

There’s no need for a full-time receptionist when you have Kate working 24/7.

I use CommuniKate Lite and it still has a ton of options I can grow into. One of my favorite features is I can have her follow me, to whatever number I choose, or just hold my calls if I am in a meeting. She screens calls as well and announces who is holding on the other end. The service also acts as a fax machine, but everything is electronic and held online, so I can view, file, and print faxes only as needed. Email is also included. I could go on and on because the service really has a lot of bells and whistles.

Here is a quick list of some of the features:
*Monthly rates with no obligation, 4.9¢ Inbound/Outbound Rate per Minute, Toll-Free Number,
Calling, Voice Messaging, One Number Reach, E-Mail by Phone, Video/Web/Audio, Conferencing, Conference Recording, Faxing, Online Billing, Contact Management, Call Records, SMS Message Notification, Caller ID, Call Screening, Custom Greetings, Adjustable Spam Filter,
Online Support and more.
*See website for further details.

CommuniKate information is available at http://www.onekate.com/
Use my CommuniKate toll-free number, 866-427-2424, and the promo code “dream” to view pricing information and to enroll.

Hope that helps!
Let me know if you have any questions. I’ve been using Kate for about 15 years!

If you are like me (getting 50-100 emails a day) you quickly pick up a list of email pet peeves or cringe when you see a certain someone sending you 5 emails in response to your one.

I recently read 101 Email Etiquette Tips that you can view here when you have 10 minutes. I guarantee a good refresher course and possibly a laugh or two as well.

Here are my favorite Top 20 Email Tips to remember myself and remind others off, especially if you want others to communicate with you through email.

1- Address the recipient with the appropriate level of formality and make sure you spelled their name correctly. Do not assume they are a Mr. or a Mrs..

2- Be sure the Subject: field is filled in and accurately reflects the content of your email. No subject text can get your email flagged as spam.

3- Be sure you are including all relevant details or information necessary to understand your request or point of view. Generalities can sometimes cause confusion and unnecessary follow up emails

4- If your email has you emotionally charged, walk away and wait to reply. Maybe even wait until the next day. If you are still fired up the next day, call, talk in person. Do not air your issues via email.

5- Never relay bad news or confidential information by email. Remember, once you hit send, you cannot undo. Your email is out their for the world to possibly see.

6- Refrain, or use sparingly, the Reply to All feature. In most cases replying to the Sender alone is best.

7- Spell check every email.

8- Don’t hesitate to say thank you, how are you, or appreciate your help!

9- Keep emails brief and to the point.

10- Never expose your friend’s or contact’s email address to strangers by listing them all in the To: field. Use BCC.

11- Don’t forward emails that say to do so. Most are hoaxes and may not be appreciated by those you send to. Use snopes.com to check validity.

12- When forwarding email, if you cannot take the time to type a personal comment to the person you are forwarding to, then please don’t bother.

13- It is usually best to refrain from forwarding political or controversial subjects in email. The recipient may not appreciate your point of view.

14- When replying to emails always respond promptly and edit out unnecessary information from the post you are responding to.

15- Take the time to review each email before clicking Send to ensure your message is clear and you are relaying the desired intent.

16- Don’t mass e-mail people who didn’t ask to be on your personal “mailing list”.

17- Don’t send large attachments, photos, or files. Be sure to compress them or send in multiple emails.

18- If you have large files to send, call the recipient first to schedule the best time to send so you don’t clog up their email.

19- Have an appropriate business signature line that gives a few professional details about you/r company. Your name, phone number and company name are the essentials. Company address, fax number and website may also helpful.

20- Type unto others as you would have them type unto you!

You’ve leased a billboard location, now what?

I’ve been designing billboards for over 10 years and I’ve seen a lot of successful boards and not so successful ones too. You have as well I am sure, unless you are a hermit. They are everywhere, lining just about any roadway, highway, byway we travel. Some catch your attention right away, deliver their message in seconds and stay with you throughout the day. Maybe they even persuade you to take action or buy something. Others are just blips on the radar, collages of color or endless streams of text.

If you are footing the bill for a billboard location, here are 5 rules to keep in mind for a successful billboard:

1- Clean, Simple Message~
Know your target audience, have a simple message that discerns you from your competition. 5-6 words is best - depending on traffic speed and how far from the road your billboard is located. If your billboard is a right hand read, place your text on the left side of the billboard. If it is a left hand read, place your text closest to the road, probably on the right side of the board.

2 - Great Call to Action~
If you want a viewer to contact you, go to your website or buy your product, you need to have an enticing call to action. Be sure to share an easy to read phone number, web address or captivating header. Simpler is better here as well, use just 1-3 words if possible.

3 - Solid Text and Graphics~
Your billboard may have cost you thousands of dollars, but resist the temptation to put the equivalent of text or graphics on it! Motorists have only a few seconds to absorb your message safely as they drive by. Your text needs to be easy to read, clear and powerful. Your color combination should be high contrast, such as black type on a yellow or white background. Stay away from color combinations that are close, such as yellow with pink or green with blue. Graphics should be simple and easy to understand quickly.

4 - Distinguish Your Brand~
You want your billboard to match your brand, collateral and attract attention. A simple, large logo or graphic may be appropriate. The addition of an extension may further your brand’s eye catching effects. If you have the budget, an extension that breaks the borders of the billboard can garner you extra attention if done correctly. Depending on your layout, the competing billboards nearby or the production company’s willingness will determine if an extension is right for you.

5 - Higher Repetition Leads to Higher ROI~
As with any advertising and marketing advice I give my clients, it is best to provide repetition in your advertising efforts. I’d rather see my clients have fewer billboards with better locations than more billboards in lesser desirable ones. Also, leasing a board for 6-12 months is much better than a month or two, unless you are advertising an event. The more a potential client or customer sees your name and message, the more likely they are to act on your call to action.

Hopefully that helps your billboard efforts garner the most return on your investment. With all rules, including the above, there are exceptions. Obviously, every advertising campaign will have slight differences and variances.

Now it’s your turn! I am interested to see any memorable billboards you’ve seen lately - good or bad. Please take a moment and share them with me.

So you think you’re ready for email marketing. Or maybe you’ve already started your campaign but aren’t getting the results you’d like. ikandegraphics is fortunate enough to partner with a US company that provides great email marketing software. That coupled with some down and dirty experience leads us to 10 quick tips of email marketing that lead to a successful email marketing plan.

1. Ask for permission.
Sending to people who want to hear from you is the best way to remain legally compliant, maintain a solid reputation, and generate great results. And with consumers becoming more finicky about what they read - and servers becoming more finicky about what they deliver - building a true permission-based list is more important than ever.

2. Get into the address book.
Want to know the secret to reaching the inbox? It’s the Address Book. Get in there, and you’re more likely to bypass any filters and show up just the way you want to. So remind your audience members to add you to their address book (or white list or safe senders list) every chance you get.

3. Give your emails style and substance.
The visual possibilities of HTML mean it’s easier than ever to create emails that are attractive and enticing. Just make sure that in addition to creating emails that look great, you’re also giving your emails enough substance to warrant sending them in the first place. Marry style and substance with the campaigns you send, and your readers will thank you (and probably buy something while they’re at it).

4. Send with delivery in mind.
Before your emails can be read and responded to, they have to be seen. That’s why we make sure your emails are sent in a way that’s designed to ensure high delivery rates - through personalized delivery, sophisticated delivery policies, and ISP relationships. And it’s why we offer you the tools to proof your campaign’s content prior to send-off and see the complete results (good and bad) after it’s out.

5. Use (really use) the subject line.
Arguably the most important single line of any email, the subject line is your two second opportunity to catch someone’s eye and convince them to stop and look. More than one great email has been ruined because of a generic, vague or uninspiring subject. So craft your subject line with care, test variations whenever you can, and remember that those are the most important 5 to 10 words in your campaign.

6. Know your audience.
The key to creating appealing content is to really know the group to whom you’re trying to appeal. Use your signup screens and database to collect information about out who they are, where they live, and what they like, and enlist your recipients’ help to keep that information fresh and up to-date.

7. Tailor your message.
Forget the old days of batch-and-blast. Today, it’s about creating smaller, more targeted mailings based on your recipients’ demographics, interest and more. The more timely, relevant and personal you can make it, the better.

8. Handle opt-outs immediately.
This is one thing you can’t mess around with. The Can-Spam legislation grants you 10 days to handle opt-out requests, but in the world of email 10 days is an eternity. That’s why our opt-out feature handles requests instantly and remembers those requests to prevent against accidental abuse.

9. Understand (and use) your results.
Tracking metrics like receipts, bounces, opens, clicks, forwards and signups is the first step to understanding what’s happening to your emails. But those numbers are more than just metrics - they’re your audience talking to you. Not with real voices, because that’d be weird, but through their actions (or inaction). Listen to what they’re saying and then apply it to your future emails.

10. Experiment and adapt.
Like most things, email marketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. So start with a basic plan, apply your philosophy and style, and adapt as you go. In this technology age, nothing is set in stone and you may need to adjust or partner with an experienced marketer to get your message out.

I’d love to hear from you, how is your eMarketing plan progressing or are you thinking of starting one?

Happy New Year! By now, your New Year’s resolution(s) have either faded from memory or you’ve made some goals that you can actually stick to this year. I loved the Graphic Design Blender’s Freelance designers: don’t set new year’s resolutions this year! If you didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions this year (and even if you did) you’ll love this post. It has some good tips.

I also appreciated the shout-out by Craig Stumpf promoting iKANDEgraphics recent self-promotion of the origami shirt. Craig has a great sense of humor and perspective of everyday life that many will easily relate too. I check in on him a few times a week and find it a great escape from the hectic work week.

For iKANDEgraphics, we look forward to helping our current clients grow and cultivating a few more new clients in 2012. So, here’s to 2012! - may it be the best one yet for all of us!

Finally! After about a year of working on different parts of the redesign, the new site is finally live! The biggest overhaul was the gallery or portfolio section. It is so easy to get wrapped up in projects and design for clients that often our own were put on the back burner and the website redesign was a big one. We still have some tweaks to work on, but all in all we are happy with the unveiling. So go check it out, let us know what you like, what you question, and don’t forget to sign up for our eNewsletter- full of completed projects, tips and extras. Now, time for some bubbly!

Read this great post by Mike Tekula (7 Ways to Save Money on Your Web Development Project blog on Unstuck Digital) today and agreed with much of it- probably couldn’t have said it better myself. It also made me feel good that we are so transparent with our own clients. If they want to be high tech or low tech, we meet them where they are most comfortable. Kind of nice to partner with someone like that I think. Keep it fresh!

Enjoy! … … …

Web development projects can get expensive. There’s a lot at work behind a website. Hamsters on wheels, gnomes keeping the coal fires burning, which create steam, which turn the turbines…you get the idea.

But if you arm yourself with the right information, and take the right approach, you could stand to trim your costs down significantly.

Before you pick a developer and sign on the dotted line (right beneath the small print about your first born and burning in the fires of hell and all that) you’ll want to consider the factors that will contribute to the overall cost of your project and beyond.

There’s more to consider than the up-front price you’ve been quoted. Here are 7 ways to save:

1) Find a developer with chops and plenty of experience

Seriously. If all you care about is that it “looks pretty” and is cheap, you’ll get what you pay for.

Invariably when we take on a new client and set out to make a “quick change” or two I find myself cursing the soul of the original developer. I never had a tremendous sense of pride in my own XHTML/CSS code until I got a load of some of the bloated crap people have the nerve to pass off as code.

Here’s the deal: bloated and otherwise crummy code means it’ll take your next developer two or three times as long as it should to make updates. Not to mention it’s less search engine friendly.

So while you thought you were saving money going with the “cheap guy” you’ll end up paying the next guy for thrice as many hours as you should to swap out an image. Savings = gone.

2) Use Open Source platforms

This site runs on WordPress. We like it, because it’s easy to work with – and it’s open source (read: free). Adding a page or post doesn’t take any coding. After coding all day for clients  it’s nice to use a system that allows us to focus on content.

The Thesis theme makes WordPress better – we paid for that, but $87 is well worth it for the advantages Thesis gives you.

When you’re talking about a framework that is supported by a large community of developers it’s tough to beat the free price point. Combined with the fact that it’s pretty quick/painless (read: cheap) to get up and running on an open source platform there aren’t too many better ways to go – especially when your website doesn’t require advanced or custom functionality.

Research open source platforms that make sense for your project – then let your prospective developers know you’d like to consider this route.

3) Do your homework

You don’t need to become a developer overnight, but learning a thing or two about the ins and outs of quality development will help you make informed decisions.

Some things you should know about your next developer:

• Do they have a strong command of CSS-driven design? CSS makes your site more lightweight (faster loading times) and far easier to update down the line.
• Will they use comments in their code? This also saves time/money on updates and upgrades down the line.
• How many projects like yours have they handled so far? If you’re their first eCommerce project, for example, you might want to look elsewhere.

At some point you’ve got make your decision, but picking up some of the basics beforehand won’t hurt.

4) Get (and stay) involved

Probably the worst thing that can happen to a development project is the client falling out of contact. For whatever reason the website takes a back seat to other business issues. The developer can’t get in touch, and after a while they give up and stop calling.

It’s not your developer’s responsibility to send hired goons to your office to force your hand on those design approvals.

In fact, some web development contracts stipulate that after X number of months of unresponsiveness on your part the project will be closed and your deposit forfeited.

You initiated your project for a reason. Chances are your existing website (if you have one) isn’t quite cutting it for your business. You might not think it’s priority numero uno, but we’ve seen development projects boost our clients’ online sales by 40% almost overnight.

In other words, letting a development project drag is probably costing you business in the mean time.

Your website is truly at the core of your marketing plan – don’t let it fall by the wayside.

5) Don’t get Flash-happy

I’ll probably catch some flack on this one, but so be it.

Flash is expensive. I don’t mean Rolls Royce expensive, but all else being equal it’ll cost you more to build a Flash-driven site than one driven by straight HTML.

Combine the higher development costs with the fact that Flash is not generally SEO-friendly, and you may find yourself in need of a complete site overhaul not long after the first version goes live – at least if you have any interest in getting search engine traffic.

Flash-based websites also almost always take a lot longer to update (read: more expensive). Keep this in mind before you get all googley-eyed at the moving pictures.

6) Get your own hosting

There are plenty of developers out there who offer a “one stop shop” for your website. That means they’ll build it, host it, maintain it, setup your email and provide support on all of the above as needed.

Problem is, that usually comes at a price – a serious mark-up on resold hosting.

The developer’s argument is usually, “sure, we mark the hosting up, but we’re adding our layer of support as part of the package.”

Guess what that means.

It means when you call because your email is down your developer won’t know why, and they’ll have to tell you they’re “checking on it” while they hang up and quickly call the actual hosting company support line. Then, when they get an answer, they’ll call you back and relay the info.

Sound stupid? That’s because it is. Think you’re better off working directly with the hosting company? Now you’re thinking.

Note: some developers run their own powerful in-house servers – in which case the above doesn’t really apply. At all.

7) For that matter, register your own domain too

We’ve heard more than one nightmare story about less-than-honest developers who were “nice enough” to register their clients’ domains for them – then, when the client decided to go elsewhere, the developers refused to give up the domains. The problem: the developers registered the domains in their own name. The clients were stuck.

Breaking up is rough – but that doesn’t mean your ex gets to keep your underpants.

In one case a client was extorted out of $50k to buy their own domain back from the original developer. They were in deep with advertising and couldn’t afford to switch domains.

I’m sure there are legal ramifications of this, and if they took it to court I expect the client would’ve been awarded the domain in the end. But court cases are expensive.

I certainly don’t want to paint with a broad and ugly brush and scare the hell out of anybody. The vast majority of developers are truly out for their clients’ best interests. But why invite headaches down the road? It’s easy enough to register your own domain.

These are just some of the ways you can save costs on your next development project. Fellow developers: feel free to chime in with your thoughts (and disagreements) below.

I receive a number of eNewsletters from my favorite sites and the one covering Free Freelance Tools by Nicole Foster on Aug. 24, 2011 from Graphic Design Blender was great.

I use YouSendIt and MyHours.com as well.

Here you go, Enjoy!

Managing a freelance design business takes a lot of work. A freelance designer has to manage their projects, their clients, their files, and many more.

It’s a lot to do for one person. There are many ways you can manage your freelance design business, such as hiring a virtual assistant or investing in expensive software, but as freelancers, we are on a limited to budget.

Luckily, there are many free tools you can use today to manage your business. Take a look at these free tools below and become a more organized freelancer.

Project Management

• Collabtive is a modern Web application that allows teams to collaborate on projects, manage tasks, milestones, and files, and send instant messages to each other.
• Retrospectiva is a powerful open-source project management tool, designed towards agile software development teams. It features a solid core with ticket system, code review and milestones, but it also has powerful add-ons like wiki, blog or agile project management.
• Teambox is developed as an open source application and it benefits from a simple and clean user interface similar to Twitter. It supports multiple projects, statuses, document attachments.

To Do Lists

• Ta-da Lists is the web’s easiest to-do list tool. Make lists for yourself or share them with others. It couldn’t be simpler.
• Doomi is a desktop application run by Adobe Air to simplify your tasks and get them done. You can create tasks, trash them after their done, and set alarms for them.
• Remember the Milk is a more feature packed task management solution. It allows you to organize your tasks into tabs and tags, make time specific tasks with automatic reminders and repeat intervals, and it even has collaborative features.
• Toodledo allows you to organize your tasks into different folders or projects, assign due-dates and priorities, and attach notes to tasks.

Invoicing

• Billing Boss is a totally free invoicing application with pretty features. The user can easily keep track of billings and payments.
• Intuit Billing Manager is also a free and intuitive online invoicing application. You can easily create and send invoices. The application gives you a review of what is overdue and what has been paid. The user can send reminders to customers if there is an outstanding payment.
• BambooInvoice is a free and open source application to send and manage professional invoices. One has to install it on its own servers before using it though.
• Simple invoices is another free and open source invoicing system which you can use to get money from different clients. You have to install in on your own server to use. You can also email your prepared invoice as pdf.

Storage

• Dropbox is a service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. The free plan lets you store up to 2GB.
• YouSendIt puts an end to that trouble by sending files up to 2GB to your clients.
• Flickr is a place where you can store, share, and organize photos and save space on your hard drive.
• DivShare is a file hosting service that you can use to email files to clients or store them in a folder for shared access later.

Great Wisdom from a colleague: Limits on Creating and Using Email Addresses

In cleaning up a mailing list for a client today, I noticed how many email addresses could really use some help! The number of email addresses that you can create for your new domain name depends entirely upon what your web host will permit. Many web hosts routinely allow 100 plus email addresses. Some web hosts do not have a limitation of any kind.

There are just a few rules you need to follow when you configure your email addresses. You can only use alphanumeric characters (a thru z, and 0 thru 9), hyphens (-), underscores (_), and periods (.). You cannot use any of the following characters: < > ( ) [ ] ; : , @ or spaces

Also, the first character of the email address must either be a letter or a number. You cannot, in other words, use a hyphen as the first character of your email address.

Also, be aware that upper and lower case are treated the same. So, you can reach me at damien@ikandegraphics.com, or DAMIEN@ikandegraphics.com, or damien@IKANDEGRAPHICS.com. It’s all the same email address. ALthough I like to print my email address as damien@iKANDEgraphics.com to help folks remember it - little twists like that may help you depending on how you read your email address.

Lastly, try to use an email address associated with your own domain name. My email address, for example, is damien@ikandegraphics.com. Every time somebody receives my email or responds to me, they’re seeing the name ikandegraphics.com. That’s good for visibility. It’s also much more appropriate than using a little throwaway account from gmail.com or yahoo.com, or another other free email service that might suggest that the sender is not very serious about their business.