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Format Creative is a boutique graphic design studio that specializes in branding, WordPress web design, & graphic design for your business.

25 Free Ways to Market Your Business

By Joelle 9 Comments

25 Free Ways to Market Your Business

Marketing on a shoe-string budget can be challenging. Check out this list of 25 free things you can do to market your business and jump-start your marketing efforts. Post a free Ad on your local online free classifieds website (Craigslist, Kijiji, etc...) Write a Blog Post and Share it on all of your social media pages. Be sure to include a compelling, and "shareable" image. Give new life to old content. Promote an old blog post on your social media pages, and new blog posts. Join and take part in Facebook groups relevant to your niche. Avoid straight-up advertising. Instead, focus on providing valuable content, and taking part in conversations. Create an info-graphic. Check out Canva if you need some help designing one. Build your list. Add an optin form to your website, and ... Continue Reading

Filed Under: Business, Copywriting and Content Strategy, DIY ( Do It Yourself), Small Businesses

My Favorite Free Business Tools

By Joelle 3 Comments

My Favorite Free Business Tools

Starting, and running a business can get expensive. Finding a few free tools that work with your business can really help. These are a few of my favorite free business tools. Gmail Boomerang - Schedule your emails in Gmail. Docracy - Free resource for contracts. A great place to start planning for meeting with your lawyer. Pexels - The best free stock photos complied from around the web (be sure to check licensing on individual pics). You Can Book Me - Client booking calendar. Start with a free plan and work your way up as your business grows. Google Apps: Docs, Sheets, and Slides for Business documents. Google Hangouts for group calls. Google Drive for file sharing. Good Hangout on Air - Free Webinars. Skype for free video calls. Canva - Free graphic design ... Continue Reading

Filed Under: Business, Copywriting and Content Strategy, Design, DIY ( Do It Yourself), Small Businesses

3 Things You Can Do to Instantly Elevate Your Coaching Website

By Joelle 2 Comments

3 Things You Can Do to Instantly Elevate Your Coaching Website

1) Add Your Photo As a coach, You are the face of your business (both literally and figuratively), so show off that smiling face. Your clients want to connect with a real person, someone who isn't afraid to step out from behind the screen and stand behind their work. Showing your face adds credibility and a face to put to your message. As you know, being a coach requires some real confidence so don't be shy, be yourself and add some personality to that pic. 2) Make it Super Clear What it is You Do, and Who You Do it For Coaching is such a broad service. There are coaches for just about every situation. You might be clear on what it is you offer (...and what coaching actually is). But I bet your potential clients aren't sure what you are offering, and if you are the perfect fit for their ... Continue Reading

Filed Under: Coaches, DIY ( Do It Yourself), Small Businesses

Building Your Online Author Media Kit

By Joelle 1 Comment

Building Your Online Media Kit

So, you've written a book, the first step to your publishing empire, and you are fired up to start promoting the stuffing out of it. You've put up a website, sent out a press release, and started talking about your awesome book on social media. Hey, you might have have even had new business cards with the job title "author" right next to your name. So, what's missing? You still need a media kit (AKA Press Kit). What's an Author Media Kit (AKA Press Kit)? A media kit is a collection of relevant information about you and your books. It's meant to provide an easy to find reference for the media (Bloggers, Reviewers, Journalists, Retailers, Event Coordinators (for book signings) etc...) so that they can easily (and quickly) find key information (that their, and your, audience would be ... Continue Reading

Filed Under: DIY ( Do It Yourself), Promoting Your Book

How to Choose the Right Colors for Your Logo

By Joelle 1 Comment

How to Choose the Right Colors for Your Logo

One of the most important aspect of your brand is your Logo. It is the face of your business, and representation of what your business stands for, and color plays key role. Sometimes the color of the logo transcends the logo itself (think of Barbie, or McDonald's golden arches). So how do you choose the perfect colors out of almost limitless color combinations? Here are a few aspects to consider: Mood There is no question that colors evoke a certain mood. Choosing the right colors can tell your customers a lot about how you want your business perceived. Understanding the psychology behind colors can help you choose the right colors to tell your story. Red: Passion, energy, anger, love, aggressiveness, intensity Yellow: Joy, sunshine, happiness, energy, fresh, sunshine Blue: ... Continue Reading

Filed Under: Business, Design, DIY ( Do It Yourself), Small Businesses

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Hi! my name is Joelle Cottle, I am a Graphic Designer that specializes in building brands and WordPress websites for bloggers, freelancers, solopreneurs, and small businesses – like minded entrepreneurs who have a great passion for what they do.

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Working with Joelle was absolutely fantastic and the website she designed went above and beyond my expectations! She was patient with all of my questions and asked a lot of her own questions to develop a design that really feels "like me."

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