How to Create Your Company’s Best Logo

Your logo is a visual representation of everything your company stands for. Think of McDonald’s golden arches or the Nike swoosh-these two impressive logos embody these companies well. But many company’s still skimp on developing this key identity piece.
Ideally, your company logo enhances potential customers and partners’ crucial first impression of your business. A good logo can build loyalty between your business and your customers, establish a brand identity, and provide the professional look of an established enterprise.

Consider Allstate’s “good hands” logo. It immediately generates a warm feeling for the company, symbolizing care and trust. With a little thought and creativity, your logo can quickly and graphically express many positive attributes of your business, too.

Logo Types

There are basically three kinds of logos. Font-based logos consist primarily of a type treatment. The logos of IBM, Microsoft and Sony, for instance, use type treatments with a twist that makes them distinctive. Then there are logos that literally illustrate what a company does, such as when a house-painting company uses an illustration of a brush in its logo. And finally, there are abstract graphic symbols-such as Nike’s swoosh-that become linked to a company’s brand.

”Such a symbol is meaningless until your company can communicate to consumers what its underlying associations are,” says Americus Reed II, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, who’s conducted research on the triggers that lead consumers to identify with and become loyal to a brand. But building that mental bridge takes time and money. The Nike swoosh has no inherent meaning outside of what’s been created over the years through savvy marketing efforts that have transformed the logo into an “identity cue” for an athletic lifestyle.

Read more at http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/71902

How To Create The Perfect Website Homepage For Your Company

Ever wonder what you really should have on your website’s homepage? It’s often the most over whelming portion of creating the branding that your company needs. Fitting in all the information that you think you need is not always the case. Get straight to the point! When a potential customer or client hits the homepage of your website you will have only about 15 seconds to catch their attention before they head back to their Google search page. Here’s a few tips from our team on how to make it clean, crisp and most importantly…effective!

1. Ask Yourself “What’s the first thing they will see?

This should be the main focus of your site. If its the fact that your company is the best in the industry at producing results or maybe its that you always hear how your companies people are the most friendly group in the biz. Somehow that needs to be portrayed. Most of the time its through an image or stand out text.

2. Grab a Pen and Paper

This is the step that will take you the most time. You will need to make a list of what your company is the absolute best and what you can place on the site to re-market. Your homepage highlights will be key to telling your audience what you can do for them. Don’t be afraid to be very straight forward and list them! What is re-marketing? Its gathering information or getting them to phase two with you. This could be through a newsletter sign up form or your social media marketing links. Always have them wanting more information from you.

3.  Find A Site You Already Like

This is a great place to begin if you are completely lost on where to begin. Use a website that is based on your industry whether it be a service or product based site that is similar to you. Mark down what you as a viewer like and don’t like about the layout, graphics and messaging.

4.  Don’t Be Afraid To Adjust For Clarity

Once you have a solid design concept, grab at least ten people to tell you what you what they really think and don’t be offended at what’s to come. Are they confused on what you do? What’s the first thing they think when they see it. Does it match what you want it to say about your company on first impression? Not only will this give you more input, but it allows  you to make the changes before you are missing out on potential customers. A clean layout, clear messaging and effective content are the keys to a successful homepage.

Creating Your Winning Sales Brochure

A standout brochure can add just the right amount of flair to your companies first impression. To design the cleanest, most effective piece, there are a number of tips to keep in mind. Before you get started, make sure you know your target audience and what they want to hear from you. Are you over-explaining you and not what you can do for them? Step into their shoes for just a minute.

Although many people think the most important part of a brochure is the copy or writing, it is actually a few elements. The imaging you select and the placement of your call-out copy can make or break your sales brochure. Our team always begins with the top three points we are trying to get across. Then work to develop copy or bullet points to go under these topics, as well as the images to relate to them.

Lastly, make sure you consult with your graphic designer on the point you are trying to get across before you begin the design process. You may have written too much text, not enough or have the wrong type of imagery in mind. Being clear and to the point is key in order to produce the right materials to match your brand!

Should You Outsource Your Social Media?

There has been a push in the small business community to market their business through social media.  Some concerns are that hiring a social media consultant may not be as simple as hiring other professionals such as an accountant. Because social media is not a one-time occurrence, it may be hard for a small business owner to the sense in hiring someone outside of their company. In addition, it may not be clear on the value or immediate impact of social media relative to other marketing channels.

Here are three questions to consider when deciding whether to outsource your social media:

1.  Can Effective Social Media Help your Business Grow?

It is important to explore all options to help your business grow. For some small businesses, social media can target the customers and audience that bring the majority income to your company.

2. What Is your social media doing for you today?

If you are maintaining your own social media, how well is it working?  If social media is important to your business, are you using your time and expenses wisely?

3. Could outsourcing your social media free-up time to focus more on business?

As a business owner, you are wearing many hats. If social media could potentially bring money in to your business, then you need to maximize the opportunity. You need to evaluate where your time will be best spent, on your business or social media.

Learning to Brand Yourself Like A Kardashian…Yes I said it.

As I sat at my keyboard this morning Googling, sipping my joe and ghost-tweeting, I noticed something that I have overlooked for a very long time now, the personal branding gurus of the decade known as THE KARDASHIANS! Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, and that crazy mom -Kris, have taken over my TV, internet search, commercials and have me mumbling to myself, “How did I not notice these genius self-promo moves?” We could all take a page out of the book of personal branding from these, ummmm, dare I say self-made gals? Like them or not, the lesson is there to be learned and noted.

If you are ready to turn your business into the branding powerhouse like these reality stars have done for their names, then listen up!

Let’s examine the KARDASHIAN Rules to major branding success that should be followed in any brand.

Lesson #1:  BAD PR IS STILL PR.

Lesson #2:  PICK A THEME AND GOAL . THEN STICK WITH IT.

Lesson #3: KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE IS KEY.

“Help! I Need More Traffic on My Website.”

Tip #1 – Create More Traffic For Your Site Now

Every company wants more traffic to their website to get more leads, build interest and even make a sale. It’s the question we get asked most. Our team uses a plethora of ways to drive new traffic to our clients websites, but you can start by making sure you are doing our first tip.

Tip #2 – Jazz Up Your Email Signature!

We are an email connected world and what’s at the bottom of every email…your mini advertisement of course!  Your email signature should contain your website URL loud and clear. We recommend creating a promotion or interest building line at the bottom as well. For example: “Read our industry blog for tips on…” or “Free Registration for our upcoming Webinar here.” Make sure this line is something that goes directly to your website and always something that is intriguing to your audience. Think about “What would they want from my company?”