Image Up Advertising & Design

Promoting your business post recession By Courtney Taylor, Image Up Advertising & Design Frankly, I don't know if the recession is shrinking in our rear view mirror, but I think we're slowly starting to pass it like a car passing a truck on a steep hill. We're chugging along and keeping our eye on the road ahead, thinking about the long, rough road we've crossed. In 2005, we put in a pool at our house. It was expensive, of course, but the home equity line was so easy - just sign here and here, and initial here. Heck, we could "afford" it. I remember the wife of the pool company's owner telling me about all the plastic surgery she was having, the big boy toys they were buying and the trips they were planning. After all, business was booming money was easy. Rainy days weren't on the radar and many of us were throwing our umbrellas in the trash. Then… well, you know what happened. Some of us managed to make it, cutting back here and there, clipping coupons and keeping our heads down and our noses to the grindstone. For the past 10 years I've focused my energy on helping businesses reach their target audiences by creating beautiful publications for specific communities and purposes. Post recession businesses know better than to be scatter shot with their advertising funds. Every dollar counts, as it always has, and that lesson is fresh in our minds. As a graphic designer and writer, I've always wanted to create something that will be an investment for my client, whether it be a brochure, a logo or an ad. With the magazines I publish, I strive to make sure that the advertisers who trust me to help promote their business get more than their dollars worth. And with the communities for whom I publish magazines, I guarantee they'll have a product that they're proud of and want to show off to their cousins in Minnesota. If you'd like to talk about what I can do for your business, call me. If there isn't a publication that will help your business, I will tell you that and steer you in a direction that will help. I don't like to waste time or money and I won't let you waste yours. And if you're part of a homeowners association who would like to be a part of Beaumont Now or perhaps create your own magazine, I would like to talk to you too. We'll pass this truck, I know we will, as long as we continue to drive safely. For more information, e-mail Peter Barrett at peterbarrett@earthlink.net or by calling (951) 769-3058 BEAUMONT NOW | SEPTEMBER 2013 13

• Cover