Amber Rich! Yeah…we look forward to seeing the results of your photo shoot!
Snap! Here’s your chance to win a FREE photo session for your family or business – with renowned Grand Junction photographer Catherine Mayer
Why? Because we believe a photo really is worth a thousand words – as trite as it sounds.
Recently Catherine Mayer took some portraits of our family, and we love them. She’s a truly gifted photographer, as you can see here. At MGC, we also hooked her up with the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce to photograph some local business leaders for the new Chamber Membership Directory. Now we’d like to share Catherine’s talents by giving you the chance to win a free session with her. But first we want to see a fun photo from YOU. Don’t worry, we’re not looking for professional shots. Just send us one of your favorite pics – crazy, creative, whatever. Something you like. That makes you eligible for the prize drawing!
All you need to do is:
1) Become a Monument Graphics Facebook Fan.
2) Email us one funny, silly, or creative photo of your family or business before Thursday, February 25. (We’ll post the photo submissions here, so check back soon.)
That’s it – then you’re automatically entered in the drawing!
Here’s what’s included in the Catherine Mayer Photography Prize:
- One 2-hour family OR commercial photography session in the Grand Junction area
- One 11″ x 14″
- One 8” x 10”
- Two 5” x 7”
- OR five full-resolution digital files (instead of the three finished photos above)
This prize is valued at $500!
We’ll be announcing the lucky winner on February 25, 2010 – on our Facebook page and also right here in our MGC blog.
Hurry, send us your photo – that winner might be YOU!
Check out some of the fun pics people are sending us – don’t fear….not all are posted, due to slow viewing speed we had to limit to just a random selection.
Thanks to all who sent photos, we had over 20 submissions 
A must have tool – search your name online!
A one stop shop for searching your name online.
http://namechk.com/
The biggest advertising day of the year?
by Nattana Johnson, owner, MGC
Who’s missing from this year’s Super Bowl? FedEx, Pepsi and GM. When 51% of people watching the Super Bowl say they watch because of the commercials, you would think that this is THE place to be for advertisers – at a mere 3 million dollars for 30 seconds.
So why are we seeing fewer big-name companies in the “Ad Bowl” mix? Is this a trend that will continue? Is it due to the economy? Is it because of the multitude of options advertisers have now? Are many of them shifting from traditional to new media? Do the big names feel they already have an established brand message? It’s probably a combination of all of these things.
Let’s look at Pepsi, for instance. They shifted their dollars to an online “Refresh” campaign that’s good for their image and good for the economy – asking people to submit their ideas for who should receive a portion of 20 million dollars. How it works.
Is this the new way of advertising? How do we create truly new ideas to reach our target audience – ideas that grab as much attention as this Pepsi campaign? It is obvious that in today’s economy, budgets are tight, but even more obvious is that we are inundated with messages everywhere we look. How do you stand out? Start by thinking of a way to CONNECT with your viewer. Think viral. What will your viewers pass on to their friends? This is a time to be creative, I mean REALLY creative, with your dollars – getting the most bang for your buck. Pepsi can feel good about their campaign that funds new libraries, ships feel-good items to our troops, builds playgrounds and so on. That’s new thinking. Creative thinking. How can you bust out of the box?
Why did Bill Gates take so long?
by Nattana Johnson, owner, MGC
Whatever the reasons for his delay, Bill Gates is now part of the social media conversation. He talked to the morning show last week about how he wants to reach out to listen to the public about his foundation and is tracking the comments to do so. http://bit.ly/8XUQeR.
We know that most of us will never attain the following that Bill Gates has. Nevertheless, we need to listen to our customers, and learn from them. In today’s fast-moving techno-world it’s critical to respond quickly to praise or criticism. If you wait until you have something “impressive” to say, you’ll miss the boat. You need to set the foundation now, start the conversation, create a network, and establish relationships… so when the moment comes, you can jump into Twitter or Facebook and respond.
Remember the Domino’s incident when the two employees decided to add a little “extra” to the pizza and post it on YouTube. It took Domino’s two days to respond and many critics said that was far too long. Today you need to respond in minutes. Social media is the most efficient, most effective way to do that.
Look at the Haiti support efforts – talk about a way to get national response. Sure, for weeks we have seen it on TV and heard it on radio, but without the online efforts and the continual reminder for all of us to band together and offer support, via Facebook and Twitter efforts, there wouldn’t be nearly the dollar volume pouring into those disaster-stricken lives.
It’s a new time and new opportunities, not just for big names like Bill Gates, but also for the rest of us. Like we’ve said before, there’s no good reason to wait. Social media is here to stay, and it has become critical for business communications. So get on board, develop your blog, your Facebook page, your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. Get connected and use this marketing media for what it is – a dramatic reach and impact that we have not had in the past. It’s available to everyone who invests a little time and effort.
Passionate business
by Nancy Ruspil, MGC
A good friend just celebrated the 15th anniversary of her business. Ever since she was a little girl, she knew she wanted to run her own business. Now she manages a successful firm that does fundraising and strategic planning for nonprofits. Fifteen years ago, she had no idea if such a business could survive, let alone grow. All she knew was that this kind of work was deeply important to her and worth every effort she could give it. Today her company is thriving, and she’s constantly grateful for its success.
Easier said than done, you might think. Not all of us are able to craft a viable business around our passions, or to find a job that involves our biggest interests. But if you pay attention to the things that light up your mind and your soul, you’ll gravitate toward work that keeps those sparks alive. Whether it brings you great money – or just enough – is beside the point. The point is that you will know your success by how you feel. Does your work intrigue you? Does it feel worthwhile? Are you happy when you’re working?
Howard Thurman said it well: “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.”
Your skills are showing
by Nancy Ruspil, MGC
A road I often drive takes me past countless businesses and building signs. One sign in particular stands out in my mind because it is so ironic. I won’t name the company, but their business is related to home design. Amazingly, their logo looks completely uncreative and unprofessional. There it is, enlarged and prominently attached to the outside of their building – you can’t miss it. The sad thing is, if I were looking for help with home design, I’d be sure NOT to go there. I’d be afraid that my home would end up looking like their sign. This may be a business full of talented, wonderful people, but that one bad impression keeps me from walking in their door.
Things like this matter. A lot. People notice the way your sign looks. The way your staff answers the phone. The way your website feels. The way you converse with people on Twitter or Facebook. People often decide to do business with you – or not – depending on these kinds of impressions.
It all matters to customers. Does it matter to you?
Be new. Be different. Be FUN.
Take a look at this quick Fun Theory video from Volkswagen.
How can you surprise your customers?
