As a self-taught graphic and web designer, I’ve always had the motivation and drive to learn on my own — but I’ve always wondered what I missed out on by not attending design school. That’s why I want to attend the HOW Design Live Conference in June.

Those who have had the opportunity to attend the conference have called it one of the “most inspiring, rejuvenating and creativity-boosting experiences in graphic design. Many have called it life changing.” 

For freelancers, design work — and consequently, money — isn’t always reliable, so formal education like this can’t be a priority. But ever since I heard about this conference, I’ve wanted to attend. To learn. To discover. To grow. With your help, I can finally have the funds I need to take my creativity to the next level.

Feeling generous and want to help?

I’ll be forever grateful! Click here to make a donation. Who knows… This one little act could change the world. (Cheesy? Yes. Possible? Why not?)

As an added bonus, I’ll send you a coupon for your next design project. If you’re going to help me take my education to the next level, you ought to benefit from it, too, don’t you think?

Click the links below to download the appropriate resolution.

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Special thanks to the Green Bulb Gang for providing the inspiration for this graphic!

• Plagiarism is bad, so don’t steal other people’s posts.
• Don’t follow just to get people to follow you.
• Don’t unfollow just because those aforementioned people didn’t follow you back right away.

Now that we’ve covered what you don’t do, it’s time to discuss what you do do. (Yes, do do. Any Friends fans out there?) Without further ado, we’ll dive right in.

If you're on social media, it's time to get social! (Image: SXC http://www.sxc.hu)

1. Socialize… Really, you’re supposed to.

It’s called social media for a reason: Because you’re supposed to be social! You aren’t the only one out there posting (hopefully) important information. Your fans and followers want you to read their stuff, too. You take the time to pick out the best information to share, and so do they. Take some time to go through other people’s tweets and Facebook posts every day, sharing a few with your own followers (remember to give the original poster credit!) and writing thoughtful comments on others.

You don’t have to post solely about business… In fact, you shouldn’t. This is a chance for you to let your sparkling personality… well, sparkle! Show interest in your fans’ problems, interests, and opinions. Ask your followers questions and share short anecdotes. Post funny videos that have nothing to do with your company. The more you act like a real person, the more you show that it’s not all about you, the more likely people will interact with you, too. That means more website hits, blog subscribers, and ultimately more clients.

2. Be polite.

Remember what your parents said: Please and thank you are our friends. They didn’t mean that literally, of course (who has friends named Please and Thank You, anyway?). If someone starts following you, shares your post or writes on your wall, show your appreciation. That doesn’t mean you should respond each time with a “Thank you for following me” or “Thanks for sharing my blog post.” Not only is that boring, but it’s obvious you didn’t put any thought into your response.

If people are sharing your posts, they must find them interesting. This is a great way to start a conversation (read: interact). Ask them what they found most interesting or helpful, recommend another resource for more information, even commiserate with them (something like “I know, can you believe that?”). Show them that you appreciate their loyalty and want them to stick around.

And don’t forget about our other friend, “Please.” If you want some kind of reaction — for someone to answer a question, to share or retweet your post, to respond with their opinions, etc. — please say please. When you want something from your social media friends, just ask… but remember to be polite! A little please and thank you can go a long way.

3. Give the people what they want!

Your fans and followers have connected you for some reason, right? They want something from you — be it knowledge, a connection, or free stuff. So give it to them. Give the people what they want!

What they want depends on your focus and what kind of audience you’re attracting, but suffice it to say, it should be something useful to them. Useful, or free. Free stuff always works wonders (but more on that at a later date).If you spend at least 80% of the time giving something to your audience, and the rest of the time sharing information about yourself or your business, I’d say you’re in pretty good shape. It’s those people who are constantly pushing their products and services on you: Every single tweet is “Visit my website” or “Buy this wiggidy gidget.” (In fact, that is my No. 1 reason why I won’t follow someone back.) Guess what? If you’re going to push your wiggidy gidgets on me all the live-long day, I am going to un-follow you. And I’ll probably un-fan you, too, because I am just that irritated.

Bottom line is, remember it’s not all about you — it’s all about them. That’s what customer service is all about, right?

Energize your followers by asking them to do something, even if it's as simple as clicking "Like." (Image: SXC http://www.sxc.hu)

4. Create calls to action.

We know that everyone wants something, and you’re no different. You want to get something out of social media; otherwise you wouldn’t be there in the first place. Deciding what you want to get out of social is the first step — before you even set up your Facebook page or send that first tweet.

Once you’ve decided what you want, and you’ve got some fans and followers who are happy with your content, ask them for something. It may be as simple a request as “Please RT!” or asking them to connect with you on Facebook too. Ask them questions, invite them to share their own Facebook or Twitter pages, encourage them to post pictures or videos and interact. (But don’t forget our friends, Please and Thank You!) You might be surprised at the response you get. Sometimes all people need is a nudge in the right direction.

5. Respond… and do it quickly.

If your fans & followers are engaged, they're going to talk to you. Talk back! (Image: SXC http://www.sxc.hu)

If you’re smart (or lucky) enough to have an engaged community, then you’ve got it made in the shade. If a particular post resonates with your fans, they will want to start some kind of conversation. Make sure you are involved!

Now, I know you’re busy and probably can’t be on your computer or smartphone 24/7 (psshaw!), but don’t ignore your fans for long. They’ll get bored and leave. In a world of instant gratification, it’s all about timing, and if yours is off, your fans will quickly lose interest. Make a commitment to yourself and your community that, barring a natural disaster or some kind of epic event (which, of course, you will later share with your followers), you will respond to questions and comments within X hours. (You fill in the blank on that one.)

Season's Greetings from kp creative!

Don't make a mess of your social media strategy.

All right, you got me. I’m not Miss Manners. I can’t help you with the most polite way to decline a tea party invitation, or decide what time of day it is appropriate for a woman to wear pearls. Of course, if you were interested in either of those things, you probably wouldn’t be here.

So, gentle reader, instead I am going to give you some advice that will improve the quality of your online social networking. You might think you’ve got Facebook and Twitter down pat, but if you’re doing any of the following things, you’re in for a rude awakening.

1. Don’t steal other people’s posts without giving them credit (especially when you’re copying and pasting their exact words).

As a writer at heart, I feel very strongly about this one. Plagiarism is never cool. In fact, it’s kind of smarmy. You may get away with it once, twice, even 100 times. But eventually, your luck is going to run out, and you’re going to get in trouble. Depending on the severity of your offense, it could be more than just an irate Facebook friend. So what do you say we avoid trouble and foster positive online relationships by giving credit where credit is due?

Give credit where credit is due.

Thanks to handy Facebook tools, giving your original source credit is really easy to do. In fact, it’s easier than stealing. If you see a link someone else posted, and you think your fans would like it, all you have to do is click “Share” underneath the post. In the box that pops up, type in your message and simply DO NOT remove the original author! What could be easier than not doing something? When you are finished, the post will appear on your profile with a little note that says “via (original author).”

And on Twitter, we all know all you have to do is click “Retweet.” If you want to add your own comments (which, unfortunately, Twitter does not allow you to do when retweeting) or change the Tweet entirely, just add in the original author yourself with a simple “via @User” or “MT @User” before posting.

Viola! You’ve shared the post… and as an added bonus, you’re going to make someone happy that you’re sharing their work with other people — instead of angry that you’ve essentially stolen their post.

If you want followers, be willing to give them something in return.

2. Don’t follow just to get follows.

The number of people and businesses on Facebook and Twitter is astounding. In fact, I am pretty sure it’s somewhere around a thousand million, give or take a few. Point being, it’s a lot of people, so it’s really easy to find Facebookers to like and tweeps to follow.

Many social media amateurs go on a follow frenzy with one goal in mind: To get those people to follow them back so they can barrage them with shameless self-promotion. These individuals have no intention of putting any thought into their social media “plan” or giving their new followers something useful to gain their trust. Rather, they believe that because those people are polite enough to follow back, they’ve done as much work as they need to in order to convince them to become customers.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Look at it this way: Just because I walk into your jewelry store doesn’t mean I’m going to buy anything. You’ve still got to make the sale. That requires finding out what exactly I’m looking for, what my budget is, not pressuring me, and establishing a rapport to get me to trust you in this context — in other words, it takes work. Social media is no different. If you want to get something out of it, you’ve got to be willing to put something in first.

3. Don’t unfollow people you follow when they don’t follow you back immediately.

If you’re like me, you’re not on Facebook and Twitter 24/7. After all, I’m just one person, and I have other things to do than follow people back 30 seconds after they follow me, all the live-long day. True, in my line of work, I am often in front of a computer, but I am also working on other projects. I tend to save (that is definitely a euphemism) my Twitter notifications til the next morning or, during particularly chaotic times, the end of the week when I have fewer distractions.

It’s not an uncommon occurrence to see one of the users I followed back yesterday start following me — again! — after I return the favor. What this says to me is that you weren’t really interested in having me as a follower (read: client, customer, source of income, etc.) and were just mass following people. You got impatient and, when I didn’t follow back immediately, you unfollowed me. Then, whoops, when I started following you (better late than never, eh?), you had to start following me. Again.

Not only is this follow-unfollow-follow-again process inefficient (and rude!), but it’s the antithesis of social media. Guess what? Getting results from social media takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight. Obviously if you’re not willing to wait a few days for a follow back, you’re not willing to put in the time needed to get results — and believe me, with that attitude, you won’t. Unless you revise your social media “plan,” you might as well throw in the towel now.

Stay tuned for part 2: What you SHOULD do as part of your social media plan.

Talk back…

What don’ts would you add to the list of social media etiquette no-nos? Share your own Miss Manners-esque advice in the comments!

Cheers!

If you’re like me, you don’t mind having a glass of wine (or two) while working on a creative project. While most companies frown upon working under the influence (WUI) and especially drinking while working (DWW), I’ve found that it can sometimes help my creative juices flow. Just remember to find the right balance. Here are 15 eye-catching wine labels that prove that wine and work do, on occasion, mix! If you find that you can’t sip on a glass of wine while working, at least these labels will inspire your creativity.

1. Sohne Vineyards: I love the customized letters. Not only are they elegant and eye-catching, but the swirls remind me of grapevines. But do I need a reminder to drink wine...?

2. St. Francis Red Splash: Not only is the label creative, but the winery as well: Red Splash wines feature 12 different labels. Clever marketing if you collect wine labels (which I do): you'll have to buy at least a case to see the full collection. Well, all right... Twist my arm...

3. Rivarey Tempranillo: Two colors, simple typography, and a simple but bold tangled squiggle that mimics the pouring of wine makes this label stand out. Pour me another glass? Yes, please!

4. Lunar Vine: These wine bottles are, simply put, beautiful. Each one matches the overall style yet stands out on its own. And, once you're done with the wine, you can use the bottle as a flower vase or olive oil bottle!

5. Avere wines: These creative labels are not only nice to look at but functional too: On each bottle, recommended pairings are scrawled in beautiful handwritten type. Unique and elegant. I would definitely buy a bottle of this if I happened across it in the store!

6. Boarding Pass Wine (R Wines) If you're like me, you need a li'l somethin-somethin to ease the anxiety of flying. This appeals to all of us too-logical people who think a several-ton object staying in the sky is simply unfathomable. (And, the wine got 91 points!)

7. Bitch Barossa Grenache (R Wines) holds a special place in my heart. (I'll let you contemplate why.) I love the purposeful clash of the fancy cursive type and soothing pink background with the harsh wine name. The back of the label brings a smile to my face. What could go together better than wine and cheese? Wine and bitching.

8. B Frank wine: OK, now this is just fun. Who wants boring old wine from a boring old bottle? This wine features a simple, high-contrast label, AND it makes you think! Imagine how much more frank you'll get as you drink more Frank...

9. Bootleg (Click Wine Group): Remember KISS? Keep it simple, stupid. Not only do these adhere to the KISS philosophy, but they are clever as well! The use of the zipper and tiny tag conjures up images of boots, which makes it easier to remember this particular brand of wine.

10. Handprint Merlot (Meeker Winery): Although this isn't technically a label, it still qualifies as creative and memorable. If you find this wine in your local grocery store or wine shop, check out all the bottles in stock. Notice anything?

11. Primal Roots Red Blend - This simple (minimal colors, elegant typography) yet complex (intricate swirls, subtle silver embossing) wine label grabbed my eye immediately. The attention to detail goes beyond the label: Buy a bottle and make sure you check out the foil and cork before you have a glass... or two!

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12. Moselland Riesling: Who needs a label when the bottle itself is so imaginative and memorable? Once you see this clever design, you'll never forget it. How's that for marketing?

13. Killinbinbin Wines - These "killer" wines each have a unique label to match the "killer" name. I love the vintage look, and the imagery plays on the wine's name in a style you won't soon forget.

14. Rabid Red - They say if you want to sell something, put a puppy or a baby on it. Even though this dog is rabid, he definitely draws you in! Not only does the alliterative name make you want to try a bottle, but this label is so crazy you just can't resist. Great use of contrasting colors and an unusual but well selected font.

15. Flirtini Cranberry Wine (Creative Wine Company): This is just pretty. I love the shape of the bottle - very elegant. Going along that theme, the use of vines and a simple all-caps font has a vintage appeal. I'm not sure how cranberry wine would taste, but the packaging is enough to make me want to try it.

That’s it, folks! If you’ve come by an interesting bottle label lately, I’d love to see it. Please share your favorites. Until then, cheers!

Avoid Qwikster-esque embarrassment with these three simple tips.

No doubt you’ve heard by now that Netflix has yanked its DVD-only website, Qwikster, before it was even born. Wasn’t it just weeks ago that Netflix proudly announced the new entity, separate from its streaming service? Why, yes. You are correct. Three weeks, in fact. Obviously a move like this makes Netflix look pretty silly.

When it comes to your website (and by extension, your reputation, online and off), you can’t afford to go off half-cocked. Not only do you waste valuable time, but in the end you can end up with proverbial egg on your face. Learn from Netflix’s mistake by applying these 3 Anti-Qwikster Rules of Re-Branding.

1. Research, research, research.

First things first. Do your customers need this new service offering? Better yet, do they even want it?

In the case of Qwikster, the answer was a resounding no. Only Netflix didn’t do the research before making the announcement. In fact, as of this moment, there are 27,801 Qwikster-related comments (i.e., rants) on the company’s Facebook page. Wouldn’t it have been nice to know their customers absolutely loathed the idea beforehand? You are right again.

This is where research comes in. If your clients are going elsewhere to get their hoobyjobs, or have expressed interest in purchasing them from you if you had them, well, it might be a good idea to start making hoobyjobs. But if no one has ever asked for a hoobyjob, and you start making them anyway, you’re probably going to waste a lot of money, manpower and valuable reputation making it happen, especially if you’re just going to kill it anyway.

How do you get feedback? Your best bet is to talk to your clients. I doubt anyone reading this has quite as many customers as Netflix does, so this should be doable. Have your salespeople test the waters by asking their clients during their weekly phone conversation. Send out an e-mail survey asking for feedback. Put a short poll on your website inviting visitors to share their thoughts on your new hoobyjob offering. This way, you can get a feel of how your customers, well, feel about whatever changes you’re about to make.

2. Remember appropriate communication channels.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced the company’s new direction — and price increases — in a blog post (which, unsurprisingly, seems to have disappeared). Now, I know blogs are a popular medium of communication with a large audience, but is it the appropriate medium for an announcement such as this? According to SmartBrief on Social Media, nearly three-quarters of readers said no. With huge changes like this, don’t you think a more personalize approach be better received?

If you’re planning a website re-design, or really, any changes to your brand that your customers have come to know and love, don’t tell them on Twitter, Facebook or your blog. Don’t be lazy: Your customers want to feel valued and respected. Send them a jazzy HTML email, or be old-fashioned and snail-mail them a postcard announcing upcoming changes. Go out of your way to let them know; don’t expect them to come to you. Otherwise you might be doing some groveling down the road.

3. Be careful and take your time when naming new segments or re-vamping current ones.

Gung ho on the new DVD-only program, Netflix apparently settled on the first name that popped into their collective head: Qwikster. This is what you call “jumping the gun.” While that’s a catchy name with all that alliteration, was it the right choice?

If you’re anywhere near selecting a name for your new division or service offering, take a quick look around Twitter, Facebook, and Google. Obviously, Netflix skipped that part: Soon after making their announcement, some ingenious individual searched Twitter to see if that handle was already taken. Turns out, not only was it already in use, but perhaps by the least reputable person on Earth. (He’s one of those Tweeps I would not follow back — #3 to be specific.) Not a good way to debut a change, let alone create excitement about it.

This is easy to avoid, if you take the time to do it.

• Constantly tweeting cliche quotes
• Being a social media snob
• Tweeting only sporadically
• Tweeting all the darn time, and
• “Convo bubbles” (aka secrets)

Today I’m going to share with you the top five reasons why your fellow tweeps aren’t following you, even though you’ve fulfilled your end of the bargain by following them first. In my book, these are the follow-back deal-breakers.

5. Your tweets and profile description don’t match. This sneaky Twitter diversion goes something like this:

• Step One: You cleverly write your bio so that it will appeal to a lot of people. Maybe you promise social media tips and trends, or free Photoshop tutorials.
• Step Two: You follow a bunch of people, who consequently get email notifications from Twitter.
• Step Three: You post a bunch of tweets that have little or nothing to do with social media or Photoshop. In fact, you’ve probably posted several blatant sales pitches, too.
• Step Four: Those people click on the link to your profile and instantly become loyal followers — and maybe even customers.

Does anyone else see a flaw in that logic? If you don’t, allow me to spell it out for you: People don’t like being promised one thing and being given another thing that they probably don’t even want. Think about it: If you paid for a first-class seat but found out later that the airline overbooked and you were demoted to coach, would you become a loyal customer of that airline? I’m going to go out on a limb and say no.

4. You haven’t put any effort into your Twitter profile. You’re using the default background and colors, and you haven’t even bothered to upload a photo or type a few words about yourself. Sure, you might not be artistically inclined, but there are a slew of profile generators out there (check out Designzzz’s post on 10 free sites for amazing Twitter profile layouts as a starting point) that take most of the thought out of customizing your page; try one of those to get started. And puh-lease, upload an avatar so I know you’re a real person! That default egg-esque icon just makes you look silly. The bottom line is, if you’re not willing to put effort into your own company, why should I trust you with mine?

Let's keep it clean, folks.

3. You’re downright offensive. I support everyone’s God-given right to drop the occasional f-bomb when warranted, but that should never be on Twitter. Even worse is when you bad-mouth people or organizations, use racial or ethnic slurs, or are just downright unprofessional. Where’s the incentive to follow you back? What if you start bad-mouthing me or my company? I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there are quite a few people on Twitter, so your negative commentary could reach thousands of my potential or, worse, current customers. If I want to hear a curse word every 10 seconds or some really un-PC jokes, I’ll go rent South Park, thankyouverymuch.

You are getting very sleepy...

2. I don’t care about what you have to say. This might be because I’m simply not interested in the wide world of knitting patterns (though I’m sure you’re an expert in the knitting circuit), or it might be because you have nothing of value to offer me. (That’s the polite way of saying your posts are mundane and have no impact on my life except to have wasted the last 10 seconds.) If the former, keep on truckin’—you’re not doing anything wrong. But if the latter, you might want to re-think your strategy (or get one in the first place).

And now, the number one reason you aren’t getting follow-backs:

1. You’re all about taking rather than giving. All you do when you’re constantly prodding people to visit your website to learn more about your state-of-the-art hooply gidgets or demanding your followers to hire you is annoy the you-know-what out of them. It looks desperate, pushy and arrogant. If you want something from me, you’re going to have to give me something first. That’s just the way it is. The thing you have to ask yourself is: Do I want to reach new customers, or do I just want to drive people away with my obnoxiousness? The choice is yours.

Share your thoughts…

What are your deal-breakers when it comes to Twitter follow-backs? Are there any bad Twitter habits that aren’t mentioned here? What’s your number-one reason for not following someone who’s following you?

Follow me... Please?

One of the tacit rules of Twitter is: “I’ll follow you if you follow me.” Sure, that’s the polite way of Twittering, but realistically, it isn’t going to happen. Sometimes the old “it’s not you, it’s me” excuse holds true: The person or company you just started following is a super-star tweep with a thousand million followers (or thereabouts), and either they can’t keep up with follow-backs, or they’re just too arrogant to put in the time.

But most often, (and I hate to be the one to break this to you), you aren’t getting follow-backs because of you. Here are a few reasons why you might not be getting the return follows you’re hoping for.

Inspire me with something new, not a recycled centuries-old quote.

10. All you tweet is motivational quotes. If I want to know what Ralph Waldo Emerson or Gandhi said about persevering in tough times or the benefits of meditation, then by gum, I’ll look it up myself, because I am just that resourceful. Every now and then, a lesser-known quote that is somehow related to your topic of conversation is peachy keen, jelly bean, but please don’t inundate me with them. I’m looking for something fresh: a new perspective, a unique idea, or a thought-provoking question. Motivational quotes are the exact opposite of all of those things. So, get off your soapbox and make your own impact on the world.

9. Your following-to-follower ratio is way too low. Now, I’m not asking you to do any math here (I of all people wouldn’t ask you to do that) but just take a quick look at your numbers. How many people are you following? How many people are following you? If the latter is much higher than the former, you’ll probably come off as a social media snob. There are gazillions of tweeps out there you can follow, and it’s likely some of them will even interest you. Just take a few minutes every day and find them. Twitter is all about community, and if you’re the recluse who never comes out to play, well… we’re going to talk about you. Oh, and, we probably won’t follow you, either.

8. You tweet too little. If your last tweet was three months ago, that doesn’t really inspire me to follow you. Why are you on Twitter, anyway? If you’re there just because everyone else is doing it, you’re not going to get anything out of it — and neither will I.

7. You tweet too much. I have no desire to follow anyone who tweets 57 times an hour. Who can do that, anyway? Either you need to get a social life with some three-dimensional people, or your social media is so automated that there’s no personality and no interaction. Plus, it’s just annoying to see my entire home screen filled up with what are probably useless posts from the same person. Remember, it’s all about quality, not quantity (and please, do not tweet that quote).

I'm not telling you what we're talking about.

6. All (or most) of your tweets are conversations that 98% of your followers aren’t a privy to. My high school friends used to call this phenomenon a “convo bubble”: conversing with select few individuals while there’s a whole group of people standing around with confused looks on their faces. Another term for this is a “secret.” There’s an appropriate place to conduct a “convo bubble” and Twitter ain’t it. Might I recommend a personalized e-mail or an old-fashioned in-person discussion over drinks after work?

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Why You’re Not Getting Follow-Backs… In the meantime, please share some other reasons why you would opt not to follow back a fellow Tweep!

To Be Continued…