Going Cheap?
Jun 18, 2010 - by Dave
Every cloud has a silver lining and one positive of the recent tough economic situation is increased value for the consumer and businesses. Prices have definitely come down and the buyer now has all the power. I'm all for this and for too long we haven't been getting good value for goods and services in Ireland. But when is cheap too cheap and why is the cheapest option sometimes more expensive?
In my opinion we have now reached the bottom and businesses have reduced their prices as much as possible. Graphic Design is no exception and studios are running on very, very tight margins with little or no room for further reduction or sustaining slow paying clients.
What we do in general is come up with a fair price and quote on this basis but some businesses are going for the cheapest possible option. Yes, there will always be someone cheaper but do you really want 'Fred in the Shed' designing your corporate logo? You're going to be stuck with it for a long time. And is it really a good idea to get that guy doing work experience who knows a bit of HTML to put together your company website?
For me this is a false economy. You might get it done very cheap but how much is it going to cost you if you have to get the work done again in 2-3 months because your site doesn't work properly or your logo looks shoddy and embarrassing? Are you missing business opportunities because your website isn't attracting new customers and is it in effect costing you money? How many potential clients have dismissed your business due to poor and ineffective brand positioning?
All these skills take time and effort to acquire. They require investment in training, software, equipment and ongoing learning on the part of properly run graphic design companies. If a quote seems way too cheap there's probably a very good reason for it - don't forget the maxim: "Pay Cheap, Pay Twice!"
Posted in Small Business, Scapegoat Design, print design, Marketing, creativity, Client, branding
Get to work!
May 10, 2010 - by Dave
Whenever I look up a website from a business card that I have received I am always amazed at the amount of them that are 'Under Construction' or 'Coming Soon'. Sometimes the 'soon' in question can be a year or more!
I understand how this happens. People are busy, it's always hardest to work on your own site, don't have the time, blah, blah, blah. Let's face it - all excuses really. In 2010 it's crazy for a business to not have a functioning website and sometimes these 'Under Construction' pages don't even have contact details.
We receive several enquiries through our website every week and if it works for our business there's no reason it won't work for your business too. So if you've been procrastinating delay no longer and give Scapegoat Design a call on 01 676 2446.
Posted in web design, Under Construction, Marketing, Communications
Social Media - To Jump, or not to....
Feb 9, 2010 - by Dawn
As a member of DCEB Network for Women I attended the talk given by Lauren Fisher of Simply Zesty last night. OK at the end of the working day and being a Monday I confess to feeling a little under-enthused before heading into the Clarion. My mindset was quite dramatically reversed both on hearing the 20 sec intros of all attending and the presentation by Lauren. The women attending embody the meaning of self-starter and I was inspired by the variety and creativity of businesses which have been developed in recent years and are now forging to use every avenue to make sure their venture continues to grow in these tough times.
Social Media in itself provides us with a mass of tools to use in developing a companies online presence. Lauren likened the aim of all this to amounting "site real estate". It seems it may be easier to make your product "hot property" online with the right planning, brand image, targeted communication and time...
Many people in the room felt Linkedin was a good resource and can lead to potential contacts and down the line possible contracts. Newsletters, Blogs, Twitter and Facebook can also be valuable but the Golden Rule seems to be make sure communication is connected, each should serve as an outlet which leads back to the website. Also "measure, measure and measure again" the results (traffic to your site) you are achieving from your efforts. Social Media tools are free so you're not bound for life and again it may suit you better to pick the best to engage your target audience rather than throwing the whole kit and caboodle into the cart!
Posted in www.oneriot.com, www.irishblogs.ie, www.blogpulse.com, Trendistic.com, Social Media, Simply Zesty, Network for Women, Lauren Fisher, http://ie.linkedin.com/in/dawncolescapegoat, Dublin City Enterprise Board
Sell, Sell, Sell.
Sep 1, 2009 - by Dave
I have to admit that I am not a natural at marketing my own business. This might seem a strange admission for someone who is in an industry that is closely allied with marketing and selling products and services, but I suspect that I'm not the only one.
The idea of cold calling fills me with dread and it's always hard to get past the 'gatekeepers' as they're affectionately known! So what's the solution?
Well there's no easy answer, especially at the moment. One thing that has worked well for Scapegoat Design though is word of mouth marketing and more specifically networking.
We are members of BNI Riverside Chapter and I have found it an excellent way to get introductions to a wide variety of businesses in a fairly relaxed manner. However, there's still plenty of work involved before deals are done as an introduction is just that at the end of the day.
Persevere though and it will bring rewards and that's what I have found. For anybody who might be interested in coming along and seeing BNI Riverside in operation we have a Visitor's Day on Thursday 3rd September. If you'd like some more information call me on 01 676 2446 or email info@scapegoatdesign.com
Posted in Selling, Networking, Marketing, BNI Riverside
Time to come out of our shells...
Jul 14, 2009 - by Dave
The doom. The gloom. It's all got a little bit tedious at this stage. Are the banks open for business or are they not? Is there anybody out there doing business any more?
Well one group that don't seem to be ducking for cover are the many small business owners setting up new ventures. It's tough at the moment but these hardy entrepreneurs are still plugging away, employing staff and putting money into the economy.
How do I know that these people are still out there? I know because they come to us with their plans and dreams for new businesses and we help them to create brands and identities that will get them noticed and make sure people remember who they are and what they do.
We're always on the lookout for new small business owners to work with. According to Enterprise Ireland there's over 20,000 people starting new businesses every year so there are plenty about.
At Scapegoat Design we can offer excellent deals on print of stationery as well so if you're starting a business and need some help with your image why not start here.
Posted in Stationery, Small Business, Printing, New Business, Entrepreneur, Enterprise Ireland
