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We had so much fun recently, working with Cheri and Charlie Diehl as they launched their new real estate brokerage, Discovery Coast Real Estate.  Charlie came up with the logo concept and did all the prelminary design work.  We started by digitizing Charlie’s design and converting it to a few different formats.  This allows them to take their logo artwork to any advertising or print vendor and have the vendor use high-quality logo artwork.  This will keep their look consistent and crisp.

Cheri has always done a great job with her own real estate blog, so we made the new brokerage site blog-based.  This allows Cheri to edit the site herself, adding regular blog posts and keeping her page content current.  Google loves that!  Check out their new website, www.discoverycoastrealestate.com.

We gave Cheri a quick tutorial in her new online tools and she was off and running.  She had updated posts in the blog before it had officially launched to the public.  Way to go, Cheri!

Once the logo and site design were firmed up, the next projects were updating their broadcast email template, business cards and letterhead so that all used the same look and feel.  We did a couple of different sizes of web and advertising banners, again keeping the visual identity of the new brokerage consistent in the eye of their customers.

We love our cards, our signs, our blog, just  …everything!  Thanks to you guys….

Charlie and Cheri have done a great job of keeping their brand consistent and we’ve really enjoyed working with them to make it happen.  Congratulations on your new venture, Diehls!

We’re starting to hear the buzz:

“I can’t afford to advertise this year.”

“The economy is tough.”

“It was a rough season.”

Boy, do we feel the fear and pain of these small business owners.  Owning your own business is one of the hardest jobs out there.  You’re chief cook and bottle washer, jack of all trades, spending much of your day doing things you never knew even needed to be done, and you only meant to open a cute little shop and do the things you love to do, maybe gain some free time to spend with your family along the way.

And so, when times get tough, we all want to put a clamp on the ‘ole pocketbook, shaving off expenses, keeping overhead as low as possible, hoping to ride out the storm.  It’s exactly the kind of smart thinking and action that has saved our home budgets time and time again.

I’ve got bad news, friends.  The quickest road to business bankruptcy in a struggling economy is to sit on your hands, do nothing, and wait for things to improve.

We’re not advocating throwing a ton of money at a shotgun approach to marketing.  We’re certainly not suggesting that you ramp up your advertising efforts.  There are definitely marketing tools that work better in tough times and those that work better in a fat market.  Smart, targeted, research-supported marketing works.  Now is NOT the time to pull back on your marketing plan.  Now is the time to ratchet it up.

Whether business is good or business is slow, you’ve got to get your share of the business that is out there and that means telling the world why you’re different or special.  Your approach to telling the world might be more refined in tough economic times but if you stop putting yourself in front of your customer in a way that makes you stand out, the guy who does will earn your share of the pie.

So, my question to you is, “Are you the guy grabbing the pie or the guy who is giving his share away?”