News from Two Trees Media

What is the key to quality copywriting?

brad.vertrees — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:42:47 -0800

Copywriting is much more than sitting at a computer and pounding out a few pithy lines of advertising material. Any copywriter will probably tell you that research is an integral part of his/her job.

No two companies are alike. Writing copy for a small pizza parlor is quite different than writing copy for a large industrial manufacturing company. Yet freelance copywriters take on such diverse jobs all the time. So what's the key to writing quality copy that is personalized to your specific needs?

The answer is research.

Create your own unique brand - don't try to be like Apple

brad.vertrees — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:25:53 -0800

I hear this a lot: "We need to be more like Apple." This is understandable since the computer maker has been wildly successful with their products and their brand. Everything from Apple's easy-to-use computers, iPhone, and iPods to their packaging of their products is very simple and clean - yet it evokes Apple's own style and unique identity.

A big part of Apple's branding success comes from their being different. Imagine how Apple might be today if they had tried to imitate Microsoft. A big marketing disaster.

Pantone selects 2010 color of the year, designers everywhere rejoice

susan.vertrees — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 09:58:17 -0800

Pantone, the uber authority on all things color, has announced its Color of the Year for 2010: Turquoise 15-5519.

Turn your hobby into a career by becoming a hobbypreneur

brad.vertrees — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:01:00 -0800

More and more people are becoming a "hobbypreneurs" - taking their hobby (product and idea based) and making it into their career. This can be done with crafts, blogging, cooking and just about any other hobby people pursue. An advantage for hobbypreneurs is making money doing something you love, and not working at some corporate job you hate just to bring home a paycheck.

Freebies: 2010 Calendar in EPS Format

susan.vertrees — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 08:39:46 -0800

In working through our 2009 holiday card and promotion, I had to create a 2010 calendar in vector format. Since the holidays are a time of sharing and I am in a festive spirit, below is a zip containing a 2010 calendar in Illustrator, EPS, and PDF format for anybody to use in anything they wish.

Weeks go from Sunday to Saturday, and everything is fully editable. Enjoy!

Announcing new Etsy Store design service

brad.vertrees — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:50:19 -0800

Two Trees Media is now offering an Etsy Store design and marketing service. Etsy is a site where crafters can sell their creations online to make a few extra bucks or even earn a living.

5 Tips to help your company set-up a presence on Facebook

brad.vertrees — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:49:50 -0800

Imagine a website that has tens of millions of users that you can access for free. This is the idea behind the social networking site Facebook. The site isn't just for giddy teens and college students looking for a good time either. Facebook is also a great way for small businesses to reach out to their customers and potential customers.

Chris Anderson says in his new book Free: The future of a radical price (page 163) says:

How to: Take control of your Drupal site back from the comment spammers

susan.vertrees — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:04:05 -0800

I'm always the first to admit when I make a mistake. And hoo boy, did I ever make one here. I recently created a website for a friend using Drupal. This friend didn't use the site for a few weeks, and when she went to make a blog posting, we discovered that the site had been overrun with comments advertising Viagra, Paxil, Tamiful, "h5n1" masks, and kamagra jelly gel (whatever that is). Overrun to the tune of 48,495 comments in the span of 1 month, to be exact. Yikes!

Great series on running a small business for women

susan.vertrees — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:07:31 -0700

One of my favorite eye candy blogs, Design*Sponge, is running a great series of posts on various aspects of running a small business "to connect and create local support systems" for women. Every Tuesday a new expert chimes in on various ways to start, grow, and run your small business.

Free Alternatives to Microsoft Fonts Part 2: Comic Sans

susan.vertrees — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:24:21 -0700

(Image courtesy of bancomicsans.com/Jeph Jacques)