Brand Interview – Natalie Jobity, Élan Image Management | Branding YOU Better!

Brand Interview – Natalie Jobity, Élan Image Management

By Susan May 19, 2011 Blog, Brand-Interviews No Comments

Natalie Jobity, Élan Image Management

How long has your company been in business?
Élan Image Management has been in business for over 5 years.

Please tell us a bit about your company, it’s mission and goals.
My business is an image consulting firm whose mission it is to inspire and empower women to express the highest vision of themselves via their image. My clients are women who value their image as a way to achieve success in all areas of their life. My personal mission is to reach as many women globally as I can with my message of elevation and education.

Do you support or donate to charities?
I do donate to charities—mostly through silent auctions of my services. I am an ambassador for the American Heart Association and volunteer my time to them.

How did you know what typeface (font) would be right for your company, wordmark or logo?
I did not think much about this aspect. I just liked the overall look and feel.

How did you decide on the right color palette to fit your company look and feel?
I had a deep association with orange—the way it looked and what the color reflects psychologically—vibrant, unconventional, unique, warm—attributes that reflected the way I am and what I wanted my brand to personify.

How did you decide which type of designer to work with, or did you design your own identity and web presence?
My sister is a graphic designer and a really good one. I did communicate what I wanted my site to look and feel like, but gave her a lot of creative license. A no-brainer choice for me.

In what order did you present your company to the world? Did you start with marketing and products, or website, blog and social media?
My logo and website were first. I knew that my web presence as an image consultant was super important. Everything else was an offshoot from the logo and website. I also developed my own tagline immediately. And I would add that I spent some time deciding on the name of my company, once I decided I would have a company.

How long after the launch of your company did you start pitching in social media?
I was on LinkedIn first because of my corporate past. I was on LinkedIn before I started Élan Image Management. I joined Facebook WAY later and Twitter I still struggle with.

Did you do research or study any software, take webinars, teleclasses, before approaching any area of your marketing or web presence?
No. I have a marketing degree and my corporate career was marketing research, so I came in knowing a lot about marketing. I understood the importance of branding and getting it right off the bat. I think I have done well in that area.

Do you advertise locally in newspapers and/or nationally in magazines? Are they effective?
I did a little local advertising in the beginning but quickly learned that it is not effective for what I do.

Do you advertise online using Google, Facebook or on other company sites? Are they effective?
I did Google ads on and off but honestly the best boost to me was working on my SEO optimization early on, so my site came up organically in keyword searches.

When you printed your products, packaging, business cards and other print marketing did you choose an online printer or visit a local vendor?
I used a local vendor for biz cards and brochures, but an online vendor for postcards.

Did you know anything about different types of papers, when you wanted to print your marketing materials?
Not really.

Have you ever used “green” technology in printing, using FSC certified papers or recycled paper and if not, how likely are you at trying this on a next project?
No I haven’t, but I’d be open to trying green printing in the future.

Is there anything you haven’t yet tackled, but will want to do soon?
More YouTube videos
Audio products
Another book(s)