Saxon Creative

01/10/2024

"I dread doing my marketing."

"Marketing just feels icky."

"Who am I to shove my business down someone's throat?"

Have you ever felt like that?

These are all comments I have heard coming from mission-driven business owners. It makes sense, after the history we have had with marketing and advertising since the 1860's. (A smarmy snake-oil salesman comes to mind).

The main problem with this kind of thinking is that if your mission is to help others, how can those people possibly find you if you don't market? After all, your mission is to help them, right?

I've written a new post that I hope can bring a different perspective and maybe a little bit of compassion to this dilemma that so many business owners face.

Snake-oil Salesman Professor Thaddeus Schmidlap at Enchanted Springs Ranch, Born, TX, USA , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Why Many Good People Despise Marketing and how we can turn it into a force for good by Pam Saxon | January 8, 2024 Long ago, before the 19th century, very few businesses n...

10/27/2023

Your brand is more than a logo; it's a promise of positive change. For non-profits, this promise is your driving force, your reason for being.

A strong brand strategy isn't just about pretty pictures; it's about defining your purpose, values, and the impact you aspire to create.

It's the blueprint guiding you toward becoming effective .

In a world where trust and credibility are crucial, your brand is your greatest asset. Let's ensure that it reflects the transformative work you do, inspiring trust, attracting supporters, and amplifying your mission.

03/05/2019

In business, when we risk being authentic we may be called “weird” and “strange” and we may even be shunned at times. But there will always be those who see and appreciate our uniqueness and feel drawn to it. It is not our job to tie ourselves into knots in order to make everyone like and approve of us. This will not bring favor upon us, and can never bring lasting relationships.

Once we change our thinking in order to "fit in", to dilute our idea in order to appease those who will never buy from us anyway, we are also agreeing to pinch off our creativity. In that instant, we go from creating a unique “something” to swimming in the Sea of Sameness.

10/17/2018

After going through our branding process for one of their new service offerings, the owners of Sound City Realty realized they needed a full overhaul of their website as well, in order to incorporate all of the major changes they were going to be making to their business.

Web Design + Development: Nashville Realtor and Property Manager View soundcityrealty.com Sound City Realty Client Story: While undergoing a name change to Sound City Realty (originally Anthony Schumann Realtor), Juli and Anthony Schumann approached us about going through our branding process for Sh...

10/15/2018

I am so proud to announce that Saxon Creative has a new client: the Vanderbilt School of Engineering. The very first project? Illustration and infographics design for the "Solutions" Magazine, with a distribution of 19,000.

Cover Illustration and Infographics Design Solutions Magazine: Vanderbilt School of Engineering Client Story: Vanderbilt and Saxon Creative have quite a history together. Eighteen years ago, one of my very first freelance jobs was poster design for Vanderbilt Hospital. Years later, Vanderbilt’s Bl...

07/17/2018

I can’t stress enough the importance of having your own platform. Allow me to share an example of how not doing so can actually harm your business…

8 Reasons You Need a Real Website and Not Just a page by Pam SaxonJuly 13, 2018 I’m noticing a disturbing trend with business owners who say they want to use their social media platform as their primary method of marketing. I can’t stress enough the importance of having your own platfor...

05/13/2018

I am looking forward to attending the Donelson Hermitage Chamber of Commerce June luncheon with featured speaker, our own Scott Hamilton on Thursday, June 14. Scott is going to be talking about the formation of his organization, Scott Hamilton CARES. Can't wait!

Chamber luncheon, Scott Hamilton

04/24/2018

If you own a website and you collect email addresses, then you need to know about GDPR regulations which will be rolling out next month. My friend Larry Snow has this terrific video about using Mailchimp's segmentation tool to make sure you are in compliance. Make no mistake... yes, the GDPR is mandated by the EU, but it affects every single one of us here in the U.S.

In this video I show you how to add GDPR options to a MailChimp Sign Up Form. GDPR stands for the European Union General Data Protection Regulation. The Regu...

03/03/2018

Are you an SBE in the Nashville area? Would you like to know more about doing business with the Nashville local government? This event is free, and might be perfect for you.

Mayor Megan Barry, Metro Procurement, and the Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance invite you to learn about Metro's approach to women- and minority-owned and small business inclusion and the benefits of doing business with Metro Nashville. Nashville is growing, and we want you to be a p...

01/16/2018

To those of you who blog, please share this far and wide. And to those of you who use , who sign up for blogposts and do not want changing your permissions as a middle man, please... also share this. It's no secret that Google has become a dominating force in our Internet ecosystem; it's not right that they should also control the content we have signed up for.

An open note to Google To the gmail team, You've built a tool for a billion people. Most of my blog readers use it every day, and so do I. Thanks for creating an effective way for people to connect...