Madeline Louise Designs

24/02/2023

3 Common Myths About Branding - Debunked 🤯

There's alot of jargon out there relating to branding and marketing. Many business owners believe they can do it all - start their business, run their socials, the admin side of their business, and everything else! Often this can work, us business owners are a determined bunch, and it can be hard to swallow our pride and let others help. Here's a few myths you might've heard (or even said yourself!) about branding:

1. I only need one logo, and I can make it myself on Canva

Logo's need to be flexible. Your logo is the face of your business, and you'll be using it for everything - business cards, social media, flyers, signs, and more, so your logo needs to be flexible in design, shape and layout. Canva can be great for alot of things, but unfortunately logo creation isn't one of them. It's best to round up the experts for this one.

2. Branding is too expensive, I don't need it that badly

Whether you're just starting out or have been around a while, investing money into things can be a hard nut to chew. So why is branding so expensive, do you really need it that badly?

Think of it this way. Without a strong brand, how will customers recognise you, refer you, or know who you are? Investing in a strong brand may seem pointless at the start, but it will pay for itself over and over and over again by establishing brand recognition for your business and building a higher level of trust with your audience and customers then you ever would without a brand.

3. I don't need a brand, my business isn't big enough.

No matter how big or small your business is, branding is a necessity to getting people talking about your business. Your clients and audience need to easily recognise your brand, and think of it when recommending to others - and branding is how this can be achieved.

Need a little extra help? Send me a DM, I would love to chat!

17/02/2023

Costly marketing mistakes you might be making - and how to fix them ->

The internet is filled with advice on how to market yourself and increase your level of success. However, no matter how many great ideas you have, things can fail, sometimes without you even realising until too late.

So how can you know what not to do when it comes to marketing your brand?

Here’s my two cents...

1. Your brand needs a vision

As I’m sure you’re aware, starting a business can be a stressful yet exciting time no matter who you are. In the early stages of your brand, it’s important to get clear on your vision before launching marketing initiatives.

Who are you? What industry do you belong to? Are you selling a product or service? Why are you establishing this business? Who might my ideal client be?

2. No plan = heading nowhere

Once you are clear on your vision, you need to set goals. Without a clear goal and plan, you are heading nowhere.

Think about where you want your business to be in 1, 5, 10 years. Then, ask yourself what steps you need to take to get there. How can your marketing align with these goals?

3. Listen to what your consumer needs

Once you understand your vision and plan, understanding your consumer is the next step. After all, why would you want to market a product or service to someone who doesn’t need it or is useless to them.

If you’re unsure what your consumers do and don’t want, do some research. Look at comments, posts in forums, blog posts, conduct polls - listening to your consumer will help you target the right products and services to the right people.

Need a little extra help? Send me a DM, I'd love to chat!

10/02/2023

Small budget? Here's some cost friendly marketing tips ->

One of the biggest challenges any business faces when it comes to marketing is - budget.

You might be working with limited time and resources, so I've got some budget friendly tips for you.

1. Create a free Google my Business Account

For any business, whether you’re online, or a local business, a Google Business profile is one of the most effective, free marketing strategies on offer.

It allows your business to show up on Google maps, and the local section of a Google search.

2. Don’t sleep on LinkedIn

When you think social media, Instagram and Facebook probably comes to mind first.

But LinkedIn is a site often underutilised by businesses. It allows you to make connections with other industry professionals, build your brand, and earn respect and trust as a business owner.

3. Post Helpful Videos

Video as a marketing tactic has boomed in the last 5-10 years, and is only getting bigger.

You don’t need a fancy camera or set, just you and your phone. Chat about something you’re passionate about, success stories, your experiences or even just your expertise. It can go a long way, fast.

4. Attend Industry / networking events

Around 90% of business owners will say they got their first clients from connections and networking. These events bring together business-minded people from all industries who want to make connections too.

It comes with a small cost, but can be so invaluable when trying to get your business off the ground.

Need a little extra help? Send me a DM, I'd love to chat!

06/02/2023

Rejection is a part of life - especially as a business owner.

Not all logos are the perfect one for a client. Here's a recent rejected logo that I think looks amazing mocked-up on this building!

03/02/2023

How to make your Canva posts look like they aren't made in Canva ->

I love you're running your small business and giving content a crack. Canva would be a super convenient option for you as it is low cost, easy to use and has so many easy-to-edit templates right at your fingertips. Sometimes, these templates aren't all they're cracked up to be. Here's a few ways you can level up your Canva designs.

Give your designs space to breathe. Less is always more, particularly when we apply this to the design world. Less content equals more white space, and more white space equals elevated designs. Don't squish all you can onto your designs, they need to breathe.

Keep things consistent and simple. Avoid mixing multiple paragraph styles in one post. Instead, keep things aligned to the same side - the safest option is always left. (Be sure to keep your elements in line with each other - misaligned items can stick out like a sore thumb!)

Easy to read = engaged audience. There's nothing wrong with using images in your designs, in fact, it can make designs brighter and evoke emotions with your audience. If you're putting text or elements over images, things can be hard to read and feel a little cluttered. Ensure that text over images contrasts well enough so your readers don't have to squint, alternatively, you can put a transparent shape over the image to fit the text into.

Need a little extra help? Shoot me a DM, I'd love to chat!

27/01/2023

2023 Services -

It's a new year, so I thought I'd announce some of the services I'm offering this year!

As you know, I'm Madeline, a passionate design and marketing extraordinaire here in sunny Adelaide, Australia!

Here's a few of the services I'm offering this year (this of course doesn't account for custom projects - send me a DM and we can chat to see what you need!)

+ Branding (Logo Design) - this is offered as either a 2 week or 4 week package

+ Google Ads - I can help with anything from the initial set up, or ongoing management

+ Social Media - the opportunities are endless! From creating templates, to ongoing management or strategy, I'll help in however small or big a way you need

+ Landing pages - need a quick landing page for that event? Or a longer sales page for your new course? Get in touch!

+ Websites - this is offered as a 1 week or 6 week package. Whether you need a website for your new store or a small website for that cafe, I can help!

+ Marketing Audit - a little stuck in your marketing? This service is perfect if you need some fresh eyes on what you're doing

+ Marketing Planning - need some help planning out the next 3, 6 or 12 months? Get in touch and we can work to get you on the right path for the year

Interested in something else? Or want to know more? Shoot me a DM and we can chat!

22/01/2023

Hey, I'm Madeline!

I’m a brand and marketing extraordinaire located in Adelaide, Australia!

I’m passionate about working with small, motivated business owners to get their brand to the level it deserves to be.

Having a well thought out and designed brand is crucial to attracting your dream clients, and I'm here to get to know you and your business so we can make that happen.

Here’s a few of the services I offer:

+ Branding (Logo Design)
+ Social Media
+ Landing Pages
+ Website
+ Google Ads
+ Marketing Audit
+ Marketing Plan

Want to work with me? Let's chat! Send me a DM or an email at [email protected]

07/03/2022

Happy International Women's Day everyone! 🎉🎉

I don't know about you, but this is for sure the best day of the year!

Here's to all the incredible women out there working hard and making history!

05/03/2022

01/03/2022

Hi all!

How are you going this year? How's things in your business so far?

In marketing, it can be hard putting in your best efforts, and seeing no results for months. I get it! My clients have struggled with this - putting out incredible content, with so much value for their audience, and getting 0. No likes, comments, just crickets.

It's disheartening for anyone. I thought I'd share my number 1 tip I give my clients, so they're not putting in the hard yards with no reward.

All your marketing needs to be, MONITORED and ANALYSED.

Let's say you create a Facebook Ad for a new page on your website. (Yes, I know Facebook ads can be tricky but bear with me) It's all up and live, the ads been out a few days now and you haven't received any calls or emails from potential clients, what's happening?

In this scenario, the key message is that the campaign needs to be monitored. You're promoting your website page, great! So why not head to the analytics section on your side and see what's happening. The average visit is only 30 seconds! Not good. THERE IS YOUR OPPORUNITY! Somethings not working on the page, so re-organise it, change it up completely, then re-run the ad and see what happens.

The key takeaway from this scenario is that putting out content and ads blindly will be a waste of your time and money IF you do not monitor the results and improve for next time.

27/02/2022

Ready to OWN your online presence?

If you feel like your presence is a little lacking online, there's soooo many options out there to amplify your visibility.

Well, you're seeing me on here, so you obviously use social media, right?

Have you got a social media strategy guiding your content and assisting in planning your topics, post times, etc? If not, it's something that's SUPER important, and will save you alot of time and stress. Getting clear on your goals with your social media, what you NEED to get out there, what you WANT to get out there, and HOW your product or service will be of value to your audience, is exactly the kinds of things you'll need to cover in that content strategy.

Have you got a website? Maybe you do, and it's an incredible site that gives your audience everything they need and then some. But if you're like most of us, this probably isn't the case. So, how can you use your site to your advantage? Blog posting is an INCREDIBLE and easy tool to boost your SEO. Regular blog posts related to your business is an awesome way to boost your websites rating, inching you closer to the top of that google search.

Find any of this helpful? I hope so! Enjoy your week everyone! ✨