Want to stand out from the crowd?  Find some inspiration in these charming vintage Christmas ads collected by Jon Williamson. To see his collection, visit this link and then click on the "slideshow" button in the upper right.

The holidays and nostalgia go hand-in-hand. For the holidays, set your own advertising tradition by creating a vintage-like ad, print or online. You can have a lot of fun by looking up historical facts related to your industry or product, or make the ad more personal by including a message from the owner or CEO. Shake things up a bit and you're sure to have your customers talking.

Happy Marketing!

A quick and easy way to place a coupon for your business is by using Google Maps' FREE coupon listing. That's right--FREE!

First, you must have your business registered on Google Maps.  If you don't have your business listed yet, drop everything and visit http://maps.google.com. Follow the easy instructions and you'll soon be listed. Once you're listed, getting a coupon placed next to your listing is simple.

Navigate to your Google Maps listing. You'll see a "Dashboard" tab and a "Coupon" tab above your listing. Click on "Coupon" tab and it'll have easy-to-follow instructions on adding a FREE coupon alongside your business listing. This coupon is printable, so a customer can print it out and bring it in or use it in your online store. (Remember to set an expiration date and a PROMO code if for online.) Have fun posting your holiday specials!

Happy Marketing!

If you're ready to cast a hex on your website or blog because you just can't get the colors between the two to look remotely like second cousins, then worry no longer.  Put aside the bat wings, toads, and magic wand, because I found two great resources when it comes to converting your PANTONE color to a Hex or RGB color.

The first website is www.edigita.com/pantone.php and the second website is www.2createawebsite.com/build/hex-colors.html. These sites sure helped me out when I was trying to color match from print to the web. The second link will actually generate the color #'s for you, so if you want a new toy to play with, try the latter.

And if you're interested, here's a link to find out what in the heck is a "hex" if it's not a spell:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_colors . This information will come in handy the next time you rub elbows with a graphic or web designer.... "So, any hex trouble lately?"