You arranged a beautiful setting, put on a great outfit and, of course, prepared fabulous, enticing raw food. And then you sat and waited, because you forgot to send out the invitations.

Your business is that amazing party. You’ve been inspired by raw foods and now you want to share your special gift with the world. But unless you invite the right people in the right way, you’ll be celebrating alone.

Design is the look of your invitation. Marketing addresses who you send it to, what you say and much more. Together, they reach out to people who would just love to be your client and benefit from all you have to offer… if you only made sure they knew about how wonderful it will be.

Maybe you’re like a lot of people who hear “marketing” and assume it’s something bad. Don’t big companies spend millions of dollars to get people to buy carefully produced and packaged products that do more harm than good? Sure. But like a hammer that can be used to break a window or build a house, marketing is simply a tool. Its impact depends on the intention and skills of the person in charge.

And design’s just artsy stuff, right? Not at all! Great design gets people to take action by using color, images, fonts and layout to communicate your invitation in just the right way.

As an inspired raw professional, you have the right intention. Now you can learn a better way to make your business the biggest party ever. This blog will give you ideas, images and tips to help you –
• Decide who might love to join the festivities
• Let them know why they’ll have a great time
• Design compelling invitations that engage and delight your potential guests

What if a friend gave a fantastic party and you weren’t invited? When you don’t have strong design and marketing, you’re leaving out people whose lives could be enriched by the expertise, experience and enthusiasm reflected in your products and services.

In upcoming entries, I’ll clarify the difference between design and marketing. I’ll also show you why it’s essential that you focus on both in in order to maximize the impact of your web site, business cards, mail pieces, ezine, ebook covers and other promotion elements.

Designed to Inspire
What businesses have extended an exciting invitation to you with their design? What’s worked and why? How might you apply that in your own efforts? Capture your ideas in your business plan, time management system or journal.

Photo of me, Caryn Ginsberg, by Dad and Mom more years ago than I care to admit. Balloon background created from photo copyright istockphoto.com/ChristopherBernard.