thenumber creative

gear up and get ready - thenumber is hiring

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:42:00 -0800

We are looking for the right people to step into the ring at thenumber. If you like to work your ass off doing two things at once using your professional talents and developing new skills on the fly, all while making it look easy and doing a disco dance or at least reciting a bad pun - you could fit in with our team. All job positions include health benefits and other employee perks (including the pay-to-party program, executive bubble machine privileges and access to creative resources). Salaries are TBD based on experience, qualifications and charm. the following positions are being considered, please send resumes and other bribes to info@thenumber.biz;

Full-Time Software Development Gnome

we are looking for an experienced coder to collaborate with our design group in the ongoing maintenance and new feature development of 3 software applications, utilizing Ruby on Rails (w/ Apache and Phusion Passenger) and a traditional LAMP stack using the CakePHP framework. We are currently exploring new mobile-platform specific web options, ie: iphone, android and we are still fighting amongst us about the ipad. You will participate in both new feature design and development and good ol' bug fixing. You will have the opportunity to bring innovative ideas to the table, and execute them (if they are good :) ). Full-time starting immediately, permanent position.

Ideal Skills/Qualifications:

Object oriented languages, specifically;
Ruby on Rails - basic understanding or eagerness to understand req'd.
PHP/MySQL (LAMP)
HTML, XML, XHTML, CSS, Javascript. if you have never heard of jQuery, don't bother applying.
server management skills, LINUX, UNIX, is a bonus.
Love of garden gnomes and boney m a strong asset.

Public Relations Liaison

Based on client demand, we are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced public relations liaison, to facilitate the development of a local PR initiative within thenumber. responsibilities will include collaborating with our development group in the creation of a P.R. strategy for multiple clients, focusing on maximizing opportunities to raise their public profile within our existing marketing strategies as well as executing specific P.R. campaigns, and developing existing and new press relationships.

Ideal Skills/Qualifications:

Creative/Marketing Experience a plus.
Public Relations Experience a plus.
Enthusiastic
Ability to work under pressure a must.
Ability to adapt on the fly (have you ever heard 'the client has changed their strategy'?)
Ability to disco dance a strong asset.

Announcing duraliteflightsystems.com

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:14:00 -0800

We are proud to announce the launch of duraliteflightsystems.com. Duralite Flight Systems understands the importance of having a product that is safe and reliable. They have spent considerable time and resources researching and developing the best, most reliable battery system available today.

Announcing imetropol.com

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:20:00 -0800

We are proud to announce the launch of imetropol.com. Metropol Industries Incorporated is a Vancouver Island owned and operated business specializing in design, digital printing and poster distribution.

8 free ebooks from business and marketing guru Seth Godin

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:19:00 -0800

Seth Godin is widely seen as one of the top marketing experts today, and is the author of 11 popular marketing books. His blog was ranked as the No 1 marketing blog by AdAge Power 150. Godin has also written some free ebooks that he encourages his readers do share and distribute. Here are his 8 ebooks, available to download for free. Please enjoy and pass them along.

The Bootstrapper's Bible

The definitive guide to starting a business on a budget. A must read for any small business owner!

click here to download

Kock Kock

His "incomplete" guide to making and marketing a website that just works.

click here to download

Who's There

His "incomplete" guide to blogs and the new web. An essential read for those marketing online.

click here to download

Everyone's An Expert

All about how to get more traffic, more sales, more attention and more interest online.

click here to download

Flipping The Funnel

Giving your fans the power to speak up

click here to download

Unleashing The Idea Virus

How to get attention and spread the word.

click here to download

Money For Nothing

Effective strategies for getting more web traffic.

click here to download

Tribes Q & A

Answers to readers' questions about Seth's book Tribes.

Click to download

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Our goal is to help you make your business grow. We succeed when you succeed. So whether you’re a small business in Victoria, or a big multinational, thenumber is your solution for web design, graphic design, photography, branding/logos, and business strategy.

Announcing Baysidepress.ca

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:14:00 -0800

We are proud to announce the launch of baysidepress.ca. Established in 1969, Bayside Press has a long standing reputation for excellence and reliability and provides a multitude of high quality printed products.

Announcing realfotovancouver.com

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:15:00 -0800

We are proud to announce the launch of realfotovancouver.com. Realfoto Vancouver provides professional services for real estate professionals.

Announcing timetravelbc.com

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:15:00 -0700

We are proud to announce the launch of timetravelbc.com. The Heritage Tourism Alliance of BC is a collaboration of some of British Columbia’s key heritage and tourism stakeholders, who work together to promote and celebrate the very best of BC’s heritage sites and experiences.

Announcing themintvictoria.com

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:31:00 -0700

We are proud to announce the launch of themintvictoria.com. The Mint dining lounge in downtown Victoria incorporates a contemporary West Coast / South Asian menu and atmosphere, extensive drinks of quality and a lively environment to dine and unwind from dinner to late night. Find out more at themintvictoria.com

Announcing thesuperior.ca

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:06:00 -0700

We are proud to announce the launch of thesuperior.ca. The Superior Cafe takes great pride in its "small plate sharing menu" utilizing the freshest local organic, and seasonal ingredients BC has to offer, while supporting small local food producers. Find out more at thesuperior.ca.

Announcing Lonetreecellars.com

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:05:00 -0700

We are proud to announce the launch of Lonetreecellars.com. Lone Tree Cellars import excellent wines to British Columbia and Alberta. Bringing exceptional wines from vineyards around the world, Lone Tree Cellars aspires to help Western Canada experience new flavours from top wineries. Find out more at www.lonetreecellars.com.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Duh, a recession is a great time to start a business!

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:14:00 -0700

While it may seem illogical, a recession is a great time to start a business!

http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/03/top-7-reasons-why-this-recession-is-a-great-time-to-start-a-green-business/

http://bizcentralusa.com/blog/?p=144

http://www.newsweek.com/id/211573

Announcing GorgeHill.com

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:11:00 -0700

GorgeHill.com is now live! Gorge Hill a new development of luxury residences on Tillicum Road in Victoria, BC. With easy access to all the amenities, including Gorge Vale Golf Course and Gorge-Kinsmen Park. For more information on Gorge Hill be sure to check out www.GorgeHill.com.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

More resources for small businesses!

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:07:00 -0700

Well, since a big part of what we do here at thenumber is offering a strategic approach to graphic design and web design, we're always on the lookout for resources that can help our clients. Here are a few more free-or-cheep resources for businesses big and small.

The Bootstrapper's Bible

This is a great free ebook from business guru Seth Godin. It's full of great tips and food for thought for those trying to build their business with a minimum of cash outlay (so, basically all of us). It's definitely worth a read. You can download it here.

279 Days to Overnight Success

Another free ebook. This manifesto is blogger Chris Guillebeau's description of his path in turning his blog into a full-time income. While this is very blog-specific, most of the principals fit any business online or off. Download it from Chris' blog here.

About.com's Small Business Startup Canada

This collection of articles about Canadian business make its own mini business course. Plenty of good free resources here for businesses of all sizes. Check it out here.

LearnThat.com

They have a whole section full of free articles and tutorials about business. Their categories include Interviewing, Management, Marketing, Resume, Small Business, General Business, Career and Jobs. And, what can I say, the price is certainly right! Check it out here.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Announcing Woodwynn.ca

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:16:00 -0700

We're proud to announce the launch of a new website for Woodwynn Farms, a Therapeutic Community in the Capital Regional District of Victoria, BC. The Creating Homefullness Society, who started this project, are creating a place where the potential and health of the individual, farmland and community are maximized. They will use their 193 acres of arable land will produce organic food for residents and Vancouver Island. This therapeutic community is based on the model of similar communities, such as San Patrignano in Italy and Providence Farm in Duncan, who have seen remarkable ongoing success rates of up to 70%. Find out more about Woodwynn Farms at Woodwynn.ca.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Our recommended reads about graphic design

Wed, 20 May 2009 15:58:00 -0700

Here is a short list of our favorite graphic design books. Some of these are old standbys and some are great new finds, but they're all books we think every graphic designer should have in their library.

Logo Savvy

by Perry Chua and Dann Ilicic

The folks from WOW Branding share their tips for creating a strong name and identity for a business' brand. This book has plenty of case studies of identity and brand packages from top design firms. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

Stylepedia

by Steven Heller

A handy and inspiring collection of visual styles presented in alphabetical order from Agit Retro to Zanol. This book is a great source of visual ideas. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

The Elements of Color

by Johannes Itten

This is a scaled-down (and more affordable) version of Itten's renowned work "The Art of Color". Itten was one of the most prominent colour theorists and art educators of the 21st century. This is an important read on an important subject for graphic designers and artists. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

Design and Form

by Johannes Itten

Inspired by Itten's famous Basic Course at the Bauhaus, this is a great read on the fundamental principals of design. A great read for artists and designers alike. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

The Pantone Guide to Communicating With Color

by Leatrice Eismann

This is a useful guide to colour combinations and colour psychology from the Pantone Institute, manufacturers of one of the most-used colour systems in the world. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

Design Matters: Logos

by Rockport Publishers

An exploration of the logo design process and what makes an effective logo. This book is full of case-studies and a logo gallery for inspiration. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

Graphic Design Now

by Charlotte and Peter Fiell

A thick glossy book full of work from prominent designers. A great source of ideas and inspiration for graphic designers. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

Stop Stealing Sheep and Find Out How Type Works

by Erik Spoekermann

An informative guide to the history and contemporary usage of typography. No graphic designer's skill set is complete without a strong understanding of typography. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

The Secret Agent revealed!

Mon, 11 May 2009 09:35:00 -0700

The Secret Agent has revealed himself. After his successful "Guess The Agent" campaign, we have unmasked the Secret Agent, AKA Agent Chris Cochrane: Real Estate Operative. Find out more about Agent Chris at his new website: www.SecretAgentSells.com.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Announcing Taste: Victoria's Festival of Food and Wine

Mon, 04 May 2009 12:43:00 -0700

We're a proud to announce the launch of the website for Taste: Victoria's Festival of Food and Wine. Taste is a four day festival full of exciting events that focus on the Victoria, Vancouver Island and BC by bringing together local farmers, fishermen, vintners and chefs to bring you a complete taste experience. With more than 20 events in Victoria and Southern Vancouver Island, Taste has something for everyone interested in fine food and wine. Taste starts July 16th, and tickets will go fast, so be sure to visit the site here for details.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

West Coast Bookkeeping's New Look

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:20:00 -0700

With a new visual identity by thenumber, West Coast Bookkeeping and Tax is dressed for success this spring! Along with rolling out their new logo and print materials, westcoastbookkeeping.com has a been given a makeover. Based out of Royal Oak Shopping Centre here in Victoria, BC, West Coast Bookkeeping and Tax offer years of experience, friendly staff, and accurate reporting.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Introducing HealingHandsTraining.com

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:55:00 -0700

We're proud to announce the launch of HealingHandsTraining.com. Healing Hands trains people in the art of chair massage and how to run their practice as a Certified Healing Hands Chair Practitioner. Chair massage is a rewarding, low-stress career choice for practitioners and an accessible form of massage for clients. Healing Hands is also announcing their Massage for Charity program which offers $5 massages with all proceeds going to local children's charities. For all courses held here in Victoria, BC and in Vancouver, BC the charity is the BC Children's Hospital. Click here for more information, or to find out how to get a $5 massage for charity!

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Useful Graphic Design And Web Design Tools and Resources

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:56:00 -0700

Not only do we love working in graphic design and web design, but we appreciate quality design and great websites. Here are a few resources that help us do our jobs, provide us with inspiration and benefit the graphic design and web design communities here in Victoria, BC and around the world.

Inspiration

faveup.com This is a community collection of logo, business card, and website designs. Good source of ideas and inspiration.

styleboost.com A collection of great websites. More great ideas and inspiration for the web designer.

Typography

typechart.com A very useful site for dealing with the pesky problem of web compatible fonts.

typetester.org Handy site for comparing web fonts.

Color

colorschemedesigner.com This is a handy color scheme program. It uses Johannes Itten's color chords in a handy interactive color wheel. It also provides hexadecimal color codes for web design. Fun to play with and great for color inspiration.

kuler.adobe.com Another great color reference. Like the above resource, Kuler provides an interactive color wheel and choices of color chords. There is also a community component that allows you to share your color schemes.

Stock

graphicriver.net Stock photoshop files, textures, vectors, icons and more.

flashden.net Stock Flash elements.

themeforest.net Stock website and wordpress themes.

videohive.net Stock videos.

audiojungle.net Stock audio clips.

Community

Creattica Daily Design and creative news and ideas.

Society of Graphic Designers of Canada Just what the name implies.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Who is the Secret Agent?

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:51:00 -0700

There is a Secret Agent on the loose in Victoria, BC Canada. Follow the clues to discover his identity. You could win a Las Vegas vacation in it for you. Clues are being posted weekly at www.secretagentsells.com, so be sure to visit and enter to win the coveted Vegas trip!

I also hear you can find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace. He's a crafty one, so keep your wits about you to discover his true identity.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

How Does My Website Rank?

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:50:00 -0700

One of the most important and effective ways for customers to find you is an internet search. There is nothing easier than 'googleing' something, and you want to make it as easy as possible for people to find your site, ideally by placing your site on the first page. The amount of effort required to acheive this depends on the online landscape for your particular niche. Here are some of of the questions we ask and tools we use when determining how a website fits into the landscape in your product or service's area, and what we can do to improve it.

Who is your competition?

http://keywordspy.com/ - A great way to find out who you are competing with for top-noth, just enter your site:

http://www.quarkbase.com/ - For larger sites, this can give some interesting info about demographics

What are people searching for?

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal - Google's oficial keyword research tool.

http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-tools/seobook/ - A free third party equivalent.

How does the site rank?

http://www.mikes-marketing-tools.com/ranking-reports/ - This site is not pretty, but gives you the goods quickly. It also accrues your rank over time, so it's easy to see movement.

http://www.iwebtool.com/search_engine_position - This site is a backup site for us, when the first is not functioning.

Who Links to it?

http://www.iwebtool.com/link_popularity - this site will report on any documented back links to your site in google's databse.

http://www.backlinkwatch.com/ - This is a handy site, it finds much more than the google-only one above.

Another important resource for search engine optimization is your website's statistics. Most web hosting providers will provide built in tools to show stats, but we really like Google Analytics, which is a free service that provides a multitude of useful metrics.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

5 Reasons To Start A Marketing Campaign Right Now

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 10:19:00 -0700

Many small businesses avoid starting new marketing campaigns. Some fear their business doesn't have the resources necessary, some are worried about the return on their investment, and many feel they're too busy at the moment. Here are a few things to consider about why right now is the time to ramp up your marketing efforts.

Marketing Is About Being Busy Tomorrow

Most small business owners forget to, or choose not to, promote when they are busy. It seems reasonable enough. For a small business, the busy times often mean that resources are stretched as is. The important thing to remember, though is that any marketing initiative needs time to mature before it starts to show results. That means that a campaign you start today may not bring you new business for days, weeks, or even months. This is all the more reason to start marketing today. Steady marketing all year will reduce, or possibly even eliminate, your slow times.

Success Begets Success

As long as you are offering a great product and/or service, your customers will happily spread the word about your business. Marketing brings in new customers who will refer their friends, family and co-workers. This means that the potential value of a marketing campaign far outreaches its initial results.

Marketing Is The Best Way To Battle Tough Economic Times

When the economy falls on rough times it can feel like every penny counts, and it does, but it's important to always keep a budget aside for marketing. Promoting your business is necessary to keep new customers coming in, to keep revenue flowing, and to ensure that tough times don't get the best of your business.

It Doesn't Have To Be Expensive

A marketing campaign doesn't have to mean a large budget. There are plenty of ways to market that don't involve expensive tv and print ad spots. The internet provides a free-or-cheap way to distribute information and ideas. Guerilla marketing, buzz-marketing, and viral campaigns can often happen on a small budget up front and show long-term results.

It Doesn't Have To Be Difficult

Hiring competent professionals to take care of you marketing campaign can make the process simple, painless and effective. There are plenty of do-it-yourself options these days, but the extra budget spent on having professionals develop your marketing materials is usually far outweighed by the added return on your marketing investment.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Essential Reading To Build Your Business

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 14:36:00 -0800

Here are a few great books that we we feel everyone in business should read. Whether you're a small business entrepreneur or a juggernaut executive, these must reads will help you understand your customers and grow your business.

The Culture Code: An Ingenious Way To Understand Why People Around The World Live And Buy As They Do

by Clotaire Rapaille

In The Culture Code, internationally revered cultural anthropologist and marketing expert Clotaire Rapaille reveals for the first time the techniques he has used to improve profitability and practices for dozens of Fortune 100 companies. His groundbreaking revelations shed light not just on business but on the way every human being acts and lives around the world. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

The Tipping Point

by Malcolm Gladwell

The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. This widely acclaimed bestseller, in which Malcolm Gladwell explores and brilliantly illuminates the tipping point phenomenon, is already changing the way people throughout the world think about selling products and disseminating ideas. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

The E Myth Revisited

by Mich Gerber

Michael Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business. He walks you through the steps in the life of a business from entrepreneurial infancy, through adolescent growing pains, to the mature entrepreneurial perspective, the guiding light of all businesses that succeed. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

Making It Happen: A Non-Technical Guide to Project Management

by Mackenzie Kyle

Often people have trouble seeing the forest because of the trees. Many of life's jobs, careers and obstacles are not about specific tasks and problems; rather, they are all subject to a general way of approaching the 'big picture'. MacKenzie Kyle has written a fascinating book about project management that features no technical guidance at all. This is a very accessible and readable book for anyone interested in the art of heading a project from beginning to end. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

The Art of Speed Reading People: How to Size People Up and Speak Their Language

by Paul D Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger

The Art of Speedreading People is a crash course in communication strategies, showing you how to observe behavioral clues to gain valuable insights into people''s personalities and communication styles. Using the model of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, this book teaches you to identify the different personality types and how to effectively communicate with those personalities. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach To Web Usability

by Steve Krug

A comprehensive look at how people interact with websites and how we can make our websites more usable. Wry and entertaining. This is a must for anyone doing business online. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

Dirty Little Secrets of Buzz: How to Attract Massive Attention for Your Business, Your Product, or Yourself

by David Seaman

A fun, easy read on the art of buzz marketing. Some useful tips and ideas on how to get your fifteen minutes of fame and get your information spreading like wildfire. This book is available at Amazon, click here.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Some Insightful Ideas That Can Benefit Your Business

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:38:00 -0800

The TED (technology, entertainment, design) conference is and annual collection of seminars from experts in a variety of fields. Here are some "TED Talks" from their website that can help you build your business.

Joseph Pine on what customers want

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/joseph_pine_on_what_consumers_want.html

Joseph Pine talks about the new "experience-based economy" and how it has made authenticity the ultimate product. The problem with selling authenticity, Pine says, is that an authentic experience cannot be manufactured.

Malcolm Gladwell on spaghetti sauce

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce.html

Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers, talks about the quest for the perfect spaghetti sauce. He imparts some valuable insights into what customers really want.

Barry Schwartz on the paradox of choice

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html

Psychologist Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox Of Choice, gives us a look into how people react to the growing amounts of choice in the market place. Their are few businesses that don't deal with these issues.

Yochai Benkler on the new open-source economics

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/yochai_benkler_on_the_new_open_source_economics.html

Yochai Benkler talks about the future of collaborative projects and human organization.

Richard Branson: Life at 30,000 feet

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/richard_branson_s_life_at_30_000_feet.html

Richard Branson talks to TED's Chris Anderson about the ups and the downs of his career, from his multibillionaire success to his multiple near-death experiences -- and reveals some of his (very surprising) motivations.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Business Survival Tips

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:10:00 -0800

Here are a few pieces of good advice we've received over the years. We find them useful as reminders about the basics of helping a small business grow.

Take care of your existing customers first.

Treat your small business like a big business.

Always carry business cards and hand them out relentlessly.

Promote your business before you need the work.

Remember the power of word of mouth. Every customer should be your advocate.

Plan today for tomorrow’s growth.

Keep your contacts organized and follow up regularly, whether they are active or not.

Know your target market. Make sure you understand what they want and need from you.

Constantly look for new markets for your business.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Resources For Victoria, BC Businesses

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:38:00 -0800

Here a few online resources for businesses based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce www.victoriachamber.ca

Victoria's voice of the business community. Plenty of resources, seminars, and networking events.

Canadian Federation of Independent Business www.cfib.ca

The CFIB lobbies on behalf of small- and medium-sized businesses on a local, provincial and federal level.

Business Victoria Economic Development Commission www.businessvictoria.net

Business Victoria’s entrepreneurial resources centre offers small business assistance with start-up, registration and expansion through training and seminars.

Small Business BC www.smallbusinessbc.ca

Created in 1993 as a federal/provincial partnership and then transformed into a not-for-profit Society in 2002, Small Business BC is British Columbia's key resource centre for business information and services.

Canada Business www.canadabusiness.ca

Services for entrepreneurs from the Government of Canada.

Camosun College www.camosun.ca

Camosun's Continuing Education department offers classes in business, bookkeeping and other useful areas for business.

Douglas Magazine www.douglasmagazine.com

Victoria-based Business Magazine.

BC Business Magazine www.bcbusinessonline.ca

Magazine for business in British Columbia, Canada.

thenumber www.thenumber.biz

This is us. We are an important resource for any business. For graphic design, web design, photography, branding and logos, and printing we offer agency-quality results without the inflated budget. And we're right here in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

9 Easy Ways To Generate More Business

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:43:00 -0800

Lets face it: advertising is expensive and its effectiveness is often hard to track. Here are nine cheap or free ways to get new customers for your business.

Get Your Name Visible.

Do you ever wonder why huge businesses like Coke or McDonalds advertise so much when everybody already knows who they are? It's because they know that brand recognition is a huge part of generating and keeping business. People trust names they recognize, and trust equates to sales. Take every opportunity to make your brand visible. Put your logo and business name on your car, t-shirts, email footers, stationary, and anywhere else you can.

Host A Seminar or Teach A Class

A class or seminar that is focused in your industry will not only bring qualified customers to you, but it establishes you as a trusted expert in your field. Everybody wants to deal with an expert.

Get Some Press Time

They say there's no such thing as bad press. Let the local media know about newsworthy things you're doing. Hosting an event? Tip off a local lifestyle and community press such as Snap (www.snapvictoria.com) here in Victoria, BC.

Ask For Referrals

Word of mouth is the strongest advertising there is. Don't be afraid to ask your satisfied customers to refer their friends and family. This can be done by simply saying "Please tell your friends", or by giving them a card that asks for referrals. If your customers are happy with your products or services, they'll gladly spread the word.

Join A Networking Group

There are many business networking groups and functions out there to spread your name and meet potential clients. Check with your local chamber of commerce or industry association. Here in Victoria, British Columbia, the Chamber of Commerce (www.victoriachamber.ca/) hosts monthly socials for its members, and networking companies such as BNI (www.bni.com) are also available and provide more structure (and more results) than causal socials.

Turn Up The Google Juice

Because customers often go to the internet first for information, it is vitally important that your website is not only easy to use and understand, but also has a strong search engine rating. If your site is weak in either area you could be losing potential customers.

Launch A Viral Campaign

The internet gives everybody a chance at 15 minutes of fame, giving your small business a chance to compete with the big boys. Funny and interesting videos and sites get passed around at mind-boggling speed. A little creativity can get people spreading your brand for you. The campaign should always point back to your website but remember that if it feels like an ad, people are less likely to pass it on.

Offer Something For Free

Everybody likes free stuff. Your wine store could give away a free tasting guide, your restaurant can give free appys to passers by, or your golf store can give away free divot tools with your business name on them. It doesn't need to be something physical either. A free consultation, free advice, a free massage, whatever you have to offer.

Get Active In Your Industry

Attend industry events, post comments on blogs, and participate in online forums related to your business. It all adds to your clout, fame, and trustworthiness. There's just one thing to keep in mind: make sure you're seen by potential customers, not just potential competition.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Planning For Business Growth In The Coming Year

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:03:00 -0800

The new year is here, and now is the time to plan for growth in the months ahead. For many industries this is a slower time as their customers slowly shake off the sluggishness of the holidays and get into gear again. For your small business to grow it is important to take advantage of the slower times to work on the business (rather than working in the business). Here are some tips on how to prepare to have solid growth this year.

Budget For Advertising and Promotion

Set aside a budget for monthly promotion, and more importantly, make sure you use it. It's easy to forget about promotion when you're busy, but that is the most important time to promote your business. Promotion and advertising during the busy times will reduce, or even (fingers crossed) eliminate, your slow times. Take the time right now to decide how much you can afford to spend on promotion, and lay out a rough plan of campaigns for the next 6-12 months. This plan can be adapted as the year progresses, but lay the ground work now and hold yourself and your employees accountable to follow it.

Think Like A Big Business

Your small businesses may not have the resources of your multi-national competition, but that is all the more reason the be wary of do-it-yourself advertising. The digital age has made it easy and affordable for anybody to take their own photos, layout their own ads, and create their own websites, but sometimes the shortcomings of home-made promotions just make the big businesses look better. When competing against big corporations, professionalism in your promotional materials can make the sink or swim difference. Hiring a professional designer, photographer, web designer, or copy writer pays for itself with increased business.

Improve Your Processes

For a small business, growth often comes with growing pains. What do you do when your work outweighs your resources, but not enough to justify bringing in new staff/equipment? The answer is to improve the efficiency of your existing resources. Two easy ways to improve efficiency are batching tasks and optimizing skill sets. Batching means doing similar tasks all at once. Significant time savings can come from small changes such as dealing with email only twice per day (once in the morning and once at closing), or sending all the week's invoices on Fridays instead of one at a time during the week. Optimizing skill sets means having your staff doing what they do best. For small businesses it is common for everyone to do a bit of everything, but by separating tasks into specific skill sets allows staff to be more efficient by only doing what they do well, and minimizing lost time from switching gears to do different tasks. Improve your efficiency now for greater success down the road.

Plan Additional Resources Today For Tomorrow's Growth

Your slow time is the perfect opportunity to explore your options for outsourcing tasks (such as accounting and payroll) and bringing in additional resources. If you have all this information gathered in advance, then when you get busy enough to justify the additional resources it'll merely a matter of doing it.

Retain Your Existing Customer Base

While getting new business is always important, keeping your existing customers is even more important. Finding new customers takes time and resources (read that as "costs money"), keeping existing customers and getting more business from them costs next to nothing. Follow up regularly with your existing clients. The beginning of the year is a good time to ask them what they might need from you in the new year, or what products/services they'd like to see added to your business. Plus, happy customers refer their friends, family and co-worker!

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

New site and new media for theMAKE

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:27:00 -0800

Be sure to check out the new site at themake.ca where we've posted some previously unreleased photos and video from theMAKE installation art show. For those unfamiliar, theMAKE is an art book featuring 50+ local artists that thenumber participated in the publishing of. The book was launched with two installation shows (one in Victoria, one in Vancouver), with Buck 65 making an unannounced, intimate performance at the Victoria show.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

The New Whitehallsolo.com Goes Live

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:43:00 -0800

We're proud to announce that the new site for the Solo 14 for Whitehall Rowing and Sail. The Solo is their low-maintenance hybrid fixed-seat/slide-seat rowing boat. Whitehall are longtime clients of thenumber, and we were proud to provide strategy, design and implementation of their updated site. Check it out at whitehallsolo.com.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

Announcing Phoenix Hunt

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:33:00 -0800

We are stoked to announce a great new way to waste time in the office - Phoenix Hunt at phillipsbeer.com.

Swing by their site and check it out. If your thirsty, try a pint of Phillip's Dirty Squirrel, which is just out for Nov. If you don't know where to find the best beer in town, check out the beer-o-find page, which will help you locate your next brew.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

My Favorite Business Blogs/Podcasts

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:46:00 -0700

Staying up to date on what's happening in the business world and the latest marketing techniques is an important part of your businesses growth. Here are some of my favorite online resources for keeping up to date on marketing techniques. While some of it is obvious, I find a gem in almost every edition of these Blogs/Podcasts:

Help My Business Sucks! - despite the accent and cheesy stage, this guy has some great input and advice on daily business decisions.

Harvard Business IdeaCast - A bit dry, but provides interesting insights into big business.

Internet Marketing Secrets - Tons of tips and tricks in a newsletter format

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

The Difference Between A Logo And A Brand

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:18:46 -0700

The Difference Between A Logo And A Brand

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:18:00 -0700

The terms "logo" and "brand" are frequently used interchangeably. In fact, they are quite different, yet fundamentally connected, things. A logo is a simple graphic or symbol used to represent a product or business. A brand is an entire identity, a promise of worth, and a set of values rolled into one. A well designed logo will reflect all the elements of the brand it represents.

Brand Identity

A strong brand becomes almost an entity of its own. When potential buyers think of your brand they should automatically associate it with an entire personality. A soft drink company, for example, may choose to brand its product as fun, youthful and exciting. An expensive wine, however, might be more inclined to come across as classy, distinguished and reserved. Whatever personality you choose for your company or product, the target market should be kept in mind to ensure that it will appeal to them.

Brand Promise

In order to give customers confidence, a product or service it needs to provide a promise. With a service this is easier to identify than with a product: fast, friendly, reliable, or affordable can all be promises for a service. Some of these promises can be used for products as well, but often a stronger promise is that of how the product will affect the life of the buyer. A brand may promise happiness, convenience, or even the admiration of peers. A solid brand promise gives buyers a reason to choose you over your competition.

Brand Values

A well thought out brand will also reflect the values of the company. Concern for the environment, unwavering dignity, devotion to the customers' satisfaction, and ethical business practices are among the many values a brand may represent. Along with the brand's promise and identity this will create an emotional response in potential customers. Care should be taken to ensure that the three facets of the brand compliment each other, and together have strong appeal for the target market.

The Role of the Logo

Logos are small, simple creatures with a huge burden to shoulder. It is the job of the logo to convey the brand's identity, promise and values. A logo should be as simple as possible to ensure that it is easily recognizable and that it will reproduce well at a variety of sizes and in a variety of media (on screen or paper; in rubber stamp to embroidery). This means that a logo must say a lot with very little. The process of developing a logo and brand should be carefully planned to allow for growth, continued, and resilience in the fickle, trend-driven marketplace.

Serving Small Businesses And Big Businesses In Victoria, BC, Canada, And The World.

thenumber is in Douglas Magazine

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:39:00 -0700

Look for us in the Sept/Oct issue of Douglas: Victoria's Business Magazine. Douglas is the source of trends and resources in local business, and they have chosen do do an article about us. Look for Chris' and Niels' handsome faces in looking out from page 8. Check out www.douglasmagazine.com for more information about Douglas Magazine.