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How Important is Your Logo Design to Your Business?

5/23/2013

 
Most often than not, businesses owners perceive their company logo design as an item on the check list to get done when starting out on their new venture or launching a new company. Usually considerable care, time and effort are invested in coming up with the perfect business name, which is great! The right name is the foundation stone of a great brand. If you are on this path of starting a new business, then this article would definitely make you pause and think.

Next, they need to get a logo to go with the name. If the business owner has some experience with computers or graphics software or sometimes, even MS Word, they may be tempted to hash out a design themselves. In some cases, a friend, relative or friend of a friend may have some experience with graphic design, and the business owner may simply give them the opportunity to come up with something “awesome”. In yet other cases, the business owner may be tempted to visit a crowdsourcing website and let 100s of “designers” bid for their business by submitting a lof of logo design concepts. All these stem from the desire to spend as little as possible on the logo design.

Learn more about successful logo designs...

Ensure Your Business

12/3/2012

 
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Protect Your Small Business

Regrettably for you, you're not AIG and you're not qualified for a ceaseless line of life from the United States. If a company of that magnitude came down, it will for certain be felt around the globe. However you? You're just a little business owner and you're, in every feel of the word, little. Don't be concerned however. It's possible to out-ride this recession with your business still in good shape. Here are the top 3 ways to maintain during the holidays even in an economic downturn. This will expand your brand and stabilize your customers and clients and help build trust in your brand.

Rule #1: Remain confident.

It's difficult to break a smile when everybody is busy whirling of fresh story of gloominess and doomsday because of the economic system. But stay confident, all right? If you want your small business to remain afloat, don't shape your mind to fail. Be pleased even during unsure times. Remember, a recession is simply a impermanent condition. If there's a break, there will also be a blast. While you're ready and waiting, keep yourself and your small business united by remaining confident despite everything.

Rule #2: Discover your niche.

Observe where the absolute majority of your business is faring from. Are they from old persons? Working mommies? If you discover your niche, it's easier to yield more business in that certain demographic. Over the long-run, you'll find that proceeding within your niche in reality makes you more fruitful for a lot less efforts.

Rule #3: Expand your promotion endeavors.

During hard times, the budget for promotion and advertising is frequently the first one to be trounced. No, nah, nay. Never do that. A recession is all the more cause that you should proceed in your promotion efforts for your small business. Individuals will still keep purchasing even during recession, and they're more likely to only purchase the brands they know. Where are your challengers now? Are they hiding out? Grab this chance to make yourself well-known.

Just remember when the recession is all over, you'll find your small business leading the market.

Blog Admin.


iPix Brandcast: Active Internet Positioning

9/18/2012

 
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Branding Yourself for Internet Marketing

9/10/2012

 
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The thing about branding is that you do not want to brand yourself with everything. The best thing is to brand yourself with one or possibly two things. The best thing is really one. Some people we work with are branded as a master marketer online. So you brand yourself with the pay per click technique and that is what you stick with, not to say you cannot master anything else or teach anybody anything else, but people are always going to know you for that one thing. So that is branding. Now for longevity. When you have those brandings you can always create new products, things are always changing and evolving in marketing online, things get better, things could get outdated or not as useful anymore.

Because you have that branding you can always be updating your branding on that product or come out with new products on that type of scenario to generate income. If you are in the home based business industry, that is just another income stream. Now, in this industry when you lead people or jump from program to program, if a person did that, at least tell the people in the other program that you are in, hey I am moving on to another program, be honest with people. When you do not do that it just kills your branding and kills your business online. Pretty soon nobody is going to trust you and when you say I am going to do this, I am doing this opportunity right now nobody is going to trust you. They are going to think that you are just going to take my money, leave me there and move on to the next opportunity and do not really care about me anyway. You do not return my phone calls or emails or even do what you said you were going to do.

The reason I joined you is because you said you were going to teach me about this business and you did not. So that loses your branding. When you brand yourself, again you can put that on your lead capture page, you can have it in your header graphics, you can have it under your picture, you can have it throughout your sales or newsletter, and you can have it at the bottom of your emails. If you write a newsletter on it you can call the newsletter that type of branding. If you do conference calls you start off, I am, and then your branding title, whatever branding you have, you can start the conference calls that way. Everything you do, if you write eBooks you can continue that throughout the book and at the end of the eBook when you do the signature or your picture, you put that branding there under it.

Now, branding does not happen overnight, it can happen quickly, but not overnight. Depending on when you get your branding and how much branding you do after that point, it depends on how many on the internet get to know you for that one thing. I absolutely think and know for a fact that branding creates business longevity. It is only from your own personal branding, because you are an expert at something, all the way to your business practice on branding yourself and how you practice business, whether you are ethical or unethical or however it might be, it creates a branding of yourself. If you are an ethical person you are branded for that. Whether you even tell people that you are ethical or people just realize it and it just becomes your branding.

Whether you do everything you say you are going to do or follow through with everything,  that becomes your branding. If you hop from program to program you become branded as a program hopper. If you send out emails twice a week you soon become branded on that email list. You send out two emails a week and you do that consistently every week, people expect it, you become branded for that. When you stop doing that people are like, are you going to send out anymore emails, that becomes your branding. These are unique things that can create business longevity for yourself. Without it you will not have a long lasting business. You will always be worried in your business where your next commission or sales is going to come from.

Good Luck; Good Branding
Tuxedo Branding Blog Admin

Branding 101: Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

9/4/2012

 
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Internet branding strategies, particularly those that deliver targeted visitors to your website, ensure your establish credibility and relevance. Remember that Web visitors are in an intense state of consciousness. They’re very often looking for something specific. If you want to get anywhere on the Web as a user, you have to have an idea of what you want, or you’ll sit frustrated in front of your computer.  Television and magazines are very different. The channels and pages in these mediums are limited and the prospect is captured. Not on the Internet. There are billions of web pages and hundreds of millions of websites.

With search engines, consumers can get help finding what they’re looking for. High ranking sites get first crack at these motivated/directed consumers. Your corporate Internet marketing strategy should be heavily involved in search engine visibility. It is an opportunity to present your site many different ways to many different types of consumers. The potential reach is further enhanced because you have International reach and the cost of entry is so minimal.

Searchers are looking for quick solutions. They’re not looking for fancy graphics and complicated menus that fly out all over the place. They’re looking for specific things about your products and services. Here, you have a low cost of adapting your brand imagery and communications to suit each group of visitors. Generally, it just takes another Web page designed and written for that group of consumers. You can fashion your homepage to let current customers get to what they’re looking for as well.

After these searchers have found your products and services relevant to their search, your corporate brand will then have the power to make the sale and establish brand loyalty.

Intelligent branding adapts to the consumer. It serves each person as they arrive; yet it still delivers the corporate brand communication at the right time after the visitor is satisfied. Rather than a boastful in your face confrontation with the consumer, your corporate image becomes a helpful one and is relevant and timely. You get credit for being there when they needed you.

Good Luck; Good Branding
Tuxedo Branding Blog Administrator


5 Tips on Hiring a Branding Company

8/30/2012

 
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If your company has a good product and a hungry market for that product, you’re closer to success than 90% of the rest. But to take that final step, some of the most successful companies in the world have hired a Branding Company to craft their company’s brand image into the sales and loyalty-generating machine it needs to be.

How have these successful companies—take your pick from the Fortune 500—found these branding companies? There’s no one-stop resource or fail-safe formula. Fact is, finding one worth its salt is exceedingly difficult. But if you’re going to take your brand to the next level, there’s no way around it—you need one. So, here are some things to remember when you’re out there on the hunt:

1. Know your needs and have an idea about how you’d like them met. This will give you the self-knowledge you need to better gauge the work of the branding agencies you'll encounter to determine if they really can deliver what you need.

2. Go ahead, be a fan. If you admire the branding efforts of a certain company, call around and find out who did the work.

3. Go with a referral, not a blind hire. Canvass your contacts. This is always better than hiring someone with no frame of common reference. If they left a favorable impression on one person, chances are it’s a trend, not an exception.

4. Throw a few companies a bone & see what they do with it. Give them a general question or problem scenario. See how responsive they are and how much time it appears they put into crafting their response. This isn't the same as asking for free or speculative work, which is bad form. Don’t do that. Rather, this should give you a preview to how they think and their work ethic…and whether they would really value your business and do a good job for you.

5. Money isn't taboo. Once you’ve found a company you’d like to work with, discuss it from the outset. It’s better to agree on financial terms from the start than for either of you to be in a precarious position somewhere down the line. This may start with a simple question, like: “What’s your budget?” or “What would you typically charge for this kind of work?” If they ask you, give a number if you one in mind, but don’t pull it out of nowhere. Be sure you’ve educated yourself on the costs involved with the kind of work you need, and don’t expect them to give you a discount just because you have kind eyes. If you ask them, try to be specific. Ask how much it cost to produce a specific project in their portfolio.

Good Luck; Good Branding
Tuxedo Branding Blog Administrator



7 Tips for Corporate Branding Success

8/28/2012

 
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Have you ever wondered how multi-national companies like McDonalds, Coca-cola, Microsoft, Apple, Intel, Motorola, Sony and UPS came up with their names? Just think, if these companies have some lame or forgettable brand name, would they be as big as they are now? Every company starts out by thinking of a name. A law firm, for example, commonly uses the names of its associates, like Smith, Johnson and Brown Law Firm. The name of a woman's specialty shop should be something sensual and exciting, like Victoria's Secret or Bare Essentials. A clothing line should boast the popular designer's name.

Corporate branding does not just involve the company name. It also includes the corporate logo design and the overall company image. More importantly, it conveys your corporate identity. When you think of computers, Microsoft comes to mind. Instead of photocopier, you think of Xerox. Toothpaste equals Colgate. Coming up with the perfect brand name that will stick to the consumer's mind is as important as coming up with the finances to start a company - be it big or small.

1.       First Impressions Last

When you distribute a business card, see what dominates that small piece of paper. Brand names and logos. Bland brand names never work. When you think of a name, follow these rules:

-          Be original.

-          Do not be overly creative - business cards must be functional. Sure a uniquely sized/shaped card might generate interest but it's very hard for a secretary to file in a business card rack.

-          From your options, choose one that has a global appeal.


2.       Branding

In today's global marketplace, a brand is considered as a valuable corporate asset and a marketing tool for success. Thus, you should always give careful consideration to different cultures if you plan to conquer a worldwide market.


3.       The Simpler The Better

When creating the company logo, it is much more advisable to be creative and distinctive. The more conservative designs apply to a target market of the same kind. If you apply the same concept to a company whose customers are supposed to be young and hip, they will fall asleep as soon as they hear your brand name and see your logo. With a younger clientele, it is best to be energetic and creative when thinking of corporate naming and branding.


4.       Brand Name Equals Image

With the Internet being considered as the most powerful marketing tool, it is very important that your customers remember something distinctive about your company. Give out a clear picture of the message that you want to impart and the image that you want to project. Strong graphic design is the ace up your sleeve to leave a lasting impact of your company.


5.       Be Consistent

Corporate branding takes time. It includes your company name, your logo, your customer service, the staff, the building location, the state of the offices, even your maintenance staff and the company vehicles. As years pass, your company develops a certain reputation. It is a good thing if, upon hearing the name of your company, people would immediately associate it with the service or product that you represent. Make sure that you stick to the corporate image that you want to project.


6.       Create A Powerful, Branded Web Site

Marketing though the Internet is yet another aspect of corporate branding. You should develop a distinctive, informative and complete web site. This is so that customers would have a clear understanding of your company profile.


7.       Research, Manage, Dominate!

Try visiting websites which offer corporate branding and advertising services. Better yet, look for the people behind the big companies and ask or research on how these establishments have gotten to where they are now. Check on their corporate structure and how they began. Make sure that the people who make up the corporate ladder have enough enthusiasm and confidence about the company which should rub off on the rest of the staff. It would never hurt your company if you have a good personnel attitude and an intense pride of work.

Good Luck; Good Branding
Tuxedo Branding Blog Administrator

iPix Brandcast: Why Customer Service Doesn't Mean Loyalty

8/25/2012

 

4 Tips to Successful Branding

8/23/2012

 
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Branding is much more than just a thoughtful logo or slogan and it's more than just a unique color scheme. Below are the initial steps that need to be taken in order to start your successful brand image.

Step 1: Examine the Competition

One of the keys to creating a successful brand image is to separate yourself from your competition. You will need to know how consumers see your competition. You need to recognize how your competitors differentiate themselves from others. Also, you should know your competitor's strengths and weaknesses. Your business can benefit from knowing this information by learning from their weaknesses, and learning how to differentiate your company from the competition.

Step 2: Identify Your Strengths

Now that you know your competition's weaknesses you can begin to focus on your company's strengths. Perform a target market analysis, learn from it, and use it to your advantage. This is a useful tool to confirm your company's strengths are in fact important to your target market. Once you've realized your strengths, and what strengths are important to customers, you can think about ways to successfully market these to the public and involve them in your branding campaign.

Step 3: Know Your Customer

Learn more about the customer. Know their purchasing behavior. How often do they buy? Do they buy only during sales or promotions? Do they buy an array of products or services or just a select few? These are questions you should ask to better market to your customers. Also, know your customer's lifestyles, needs, mindsets, and attitudes. Knowing and working with these personality traits are also key to marketing success.

Step 4: Be Your Brand

Make sure your company truly represents what your brand identifies you with. For example, if one of the traits your brand identifies your company with is politeness, be polite. This means every employee from the receptionist all the way up to the CEO needs to live your brand.

Good Luck; Good Branding
Tuxedo Branding Blog Administrator

How to Effectively Brand Your Small Business

8/21/2012

 
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Branding a small business is a must if you want to succeed in a competitive world. The importance of branding a business disregarding its size is based on not only real benefits, products and services that your business possesses, but also an image concept that all businesses should keep in mind.

From color business cards to global business identity, depending on how effectively you brand your business, the more or the less opportunities of success will knock at your door. The reason why large companies brand their businesses is because they know this is the best way to differentiate their products and services from their competitors while creating a corporate image.

Many small business owners believe it is not necessary to development a corporate image, particularly those whose business integrate just a few individuals as staff, or even when they own a one-man business, using the internet for selling or promoting their professional services. However, even a small business should utilize the same principles as the large enterprises to brand their business.

Furthermore, if your business has business cards, stationery and other branded elements along with a matching website, you will not only create a corporate image, but also loyal relationships with your customers and prospective customers, who will find more reliability with a small business with these characteristics, than others without a professional look and feel.

Because you only have the opportunity to impress new customers once, you should make sure that this impression is a positive and lasting introduction and handshake, only possible if you brand your business conveniently and professionally. There is no need to spend thousands of dollar to achieve it, but do not go to the other extreme using uneven elements.

Small businesses should be aware of the elements that will make their brand unique and recognizable, including consistency between online and printed elements, such as your logo, signage, business cards and even a slogan that helps people understand at a glance your business's mission statement.

Effective branding must achieve these goals; be consistent and never differing, carrying the same logo, colors, slogans and statements through to every element of your business, all of them always visible and unique, hence the need to avoid elements that anyone can find anywhere such as free or cheap clipart.

Creating your brand, whatever your budget requires a business plan to have a solid appreciation on whom your customers will be and what can you do to serve them. This is not only a matter of elegant stationary or catchy business cards; it is the most important deployment of a small business for an eventual growth in future terms.


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    Tuxedo Branding's Blog Editor scours the trades looking for tips, tactics and information to help you learn and understand branding, brand marketing and logo design.

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