VistaPrint and The Finders Keepers, which is celebrating its 15th year of mindfully-made market events, have collaborated on a competition to support and empower small Aussie businesses.

The competition, which was launched by VistaPrint at the Finders Keepers market on 16 June, ends on 12 July, and will give one lucky small business a rebranding package worth $10,000. This includes a $5,000 credit to work with a design professional at 99designs by Vista, and $5,000 credit to print it all.

In addition, VistaPrint is also sponsoring five lucky The Finders Keepers exhibitors this year, helping them with all their printing needs for the markets.

Marketing spend

Recent research from VistaPrint showed that despite the well-documented factors recently impacting business health such as inflation, cost of living pressures, record low unemployment and supply chain woes, small and midsize (SMB) businesses are seemingly putting it all on the line in a bid to get ahead.

More than a quarter of SMBs (28 per cent) see marketing as the biggest opportunity for 2023 – with 30 per cent investing most of their marketing spend into social media specifically, followed by 13 per cent investing in their website.

Passion projects

The research also found that for two in five SMBs (41 per cent), the business began as a passion project which then turned into a mainstay commercial enterprise, and 16 per cent of female business owners started their business as a side hustle, something that The Finders Keepers founders Sarah Thornton and Brooke Johnston can relate to.

The women have grown their humble side hustle into one of Australia’s leading design marketplaces, creating a supportive environment for like-minded, independent designers to sell their work.

Thornton said they look to partner with companies that support them in their mission of seeking to connect, inspire and empower the creative community.

“We have been supporting small creative businesses in Australia for 15 years, empowering them to be courageous in their creativity and grow something unique,” she said.

“Aligning with a like-minded organisation that is as dedicated to small business as we are was a no-brainer for us and we’re excited to see our new season of events come to life.”

Branding tips from VistaPrint’s Bhavani Lee

VistaPrint Australia design expert Bhavani Lee shares some tips to help Aussie small businesses get to the fore front:

• Know your audience to build customer loyalty. Who are you trying to sell too? A little research will help you understand your customers and create an emotional connection
• Know your competition. What are your competitors doing, and what makes your brand stand out
•  Know your story/values. What is your brand promise? How do you plan to help your customers?
•  Develop a clear brand personality/identity

In short, Lee said, “Take the time to create brand guidelines. It can be as comprehensive as you like but the basic goal of brand guidelines is to help keep your brand looking and sounding consistent no matter where you feature, helping build a strong brand identity. If you add your mission statement to it as well it becomes a reminder of what your brand/business goal is which can be helpful when making creative choices by ensuring that they align to your brand identity”,” said Lee”.

How to enter the competition

For a chance to win the competition launched by VistaPrint, entrants need to follow @vistaprintaustralia on Instagram, and fill out a form including who they are nominating and why.

Click here for full details on the competition.

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