Do Companies Really Need to Spend on a Good Logo Design?

A logo is a graphic design used by companies to promote their instant brand recognition and brand themselves. A logo is a company's identity. Given its importance and potential market exposure, the designing and selection of a logo is nearly as important as the company's name. It is one of the most important factors of marketing to come up with a good logo with respect to the business. An effective design should have a few different properties. It should most definitely represent the main objective of the company. It is usually a good idea to keep your logo simple and easily recognizable. A professional looking design portrays a strong image of the company and adds to market appeal to it.

Here are some of the main reasons highlighting the importance of designing a good logo.

1. Get yourself Recognized

Logos are designed to be the "face" of a company. They are a graphical display of a company's unique identity. Using colors, images and fonts, they are designed in a way that they are both, instantly recognizable and linked to the company's identity. They are also a way of referring to the company in advertising and marketing materials. It is very important to design a logo keeping in mind that whenever a customer looks at it, he/she should be able to instantly recognize it and link the design to the company.

2. Reinforce your business' identity

A company's logo is their identity. Hence it should be unique. When designing a logo it should be kept in mind
that this graphical image is going to be used to portray the company nearly everywhere. All the customers, current and potential would use this image to link the products or services to the company. A company should design their logo in a way that it very clearly shows the company's identity. When people should see the logo, the only thing that should come to their mind is the company to which the logo belongs to and their products or services. A logo is an integral part of a company's brand and image building.

3. Keep it simple and look big

Logos should be unique and easily identifiable by potential customers. Although there are infinite choices for color, visual elements and typography, a logo should be designed in a way that it helps convey information about the company. It is generally a good idea that a company's logo should be simple. Simplicity is a major factor in designing a logo. This is due to the fact that a simple logo is easy to distinguish and remember. A simple design greatly helps the people to understand the logo, remember the company and also keep the logo in mind. Adding too many images, colors or different fonts might make the design complex. It may not be recognized by the consumers at all times or it might even be just too difficult to keep in mind. A complex logo is also hard to interpret and link it to the company.

4. Gain your customers trust and exhibit professionalism

A professionally designed unique logo can be spotted by the client even from a distance and it can easily register itself into the minds of the customers. It shows the potential customers that the company is serious about what it does. A professionally designed emblem and branding techniques can greatly promote and develop a company's image for the public, but on the other hand, an unprofessional or a sloppy looking logo can ruin the public image. A professional design always attracts more attention of the customers and it gives out the feeling of trust and reliability. If the customers start trusting a certain company, they talk about it with others. A customer praising the company to other potential customers is the best possible way of marketing. A high quality and professional looking logo will give out certain positive messages to the consumers which would be beneficial for the company.

Four Biggest Mistakes That Cause You To Lose Your Clients

There are several common mistakes which almost all businesses (no matter the size) make that cause clients to leave and move to the competition. It is said that you should have a reserve fund to pay all business expenses and costs for two years after opening it in order to ensure company sustainability.

It might seem out of reach for you, especially if you're still in the growth stage of your business, but the truth is that it takes at least ten years for a company to become established; therefore it is vital that owner(s) take time, have unwavering perseverance and educate themselves as much as possible.

1. Keep an Eye on Both, Clients and Competitors

As a business owner you must pay attention to what their competition offers and how satisfied customers are. Assuming that your business has no competition or that your business will remain superior to the competition is a fatal mistake. Customers almost always have the option to do business somewhere else. Ensure that your company offers products and/or services of greater value than the competitors. Determine what your business provides that is superior to any other product and/or service and capitalize on this.

It is simple and quick to advertise your products and/or services in today's world. It is important to realize that it is just as easy for the competition to do the same. It is also simple for your clients to tell the world about their disappointment with your company in mere seconds. Determine what your company offers and how the consumer may benefit from this, then tell the world, through advertisements, especially on social media platforms.

2. Deliver on Your Promise

Another fatal error that most businesses make is to promise something that they cannot deliver. One simple, but excellent piece of advice is always under promise and over deliver when advertising. Make sure you detail your company's products and/or services in a clear and precise manner. You must not only exceed the clients' expectations, but consistently continue to do so. A business that clearly states what they intend to deliver and consistently does so will definitely keep more clients. Inconsistency can be the downfall of any company no matter how experienced the owners are.

3. Build a Strong Team

Weak team leadership can be the fall of a potentially winning team and the entire company. Anything that is worth creating must be constantly nurtured and must have a strong foundation. The foundation of a business team is you and/or the team lead. Any company's team must have strong leadership that constantly instructs, drives, and encourages them. The team must clearly understand what is expected of it and what goals it is striving to achieve during any given workday. Those companies that build strong, motivated, high performing teams are able to keep more clients.

4. Don't Underestimate the Power of Social Media

It is important that businesses keep up with customers' needs, desires, and degree of satisfaction. This is more easily done, in less time, than ever before due to the explosion of the World Wide Web. The internet and social media enable businesses to keep up to date with customer reviews, feedback, and opinions. Failing to understand the power of social media is a big mistake that causes businesses to lose clients as well as prevents them from getting more referrals. Most all businesses want to know how to get more referrals and keep them. Clearly detailing what your business will provide, consistently delivering on those promises, and knowing what consumers expect will result in numerous satisfied customer referrals.

Silvia Pencak, also known as Magnetic Silvia around social media, is the Brand Strategist specializing on small to medium business online branding.

There are many misconceptions around branding, especially among small businesses and Silvia is passionate about breaking these myths and inspiring entrepreneurs at all stages of development to move beyond what's known and possible.

Just as branding goes beyond visible and helps companies touch their clients' hearts and turn them into fans and customers for life, Silvia takes your business from where it is today to where it can be.

Does My Business Need Branding?

Simply put, your brand is the image of your business in the minds of your customers. It is a perception of who you are and what you stand for. Many experts describe a brand as a promise, an expectation that the consumer has about your product or service. But the important thing to know is that whatever the perception is, it is the reality for that consumer and changing that perception can take time, money and a lot of effort.

Indeed, we all have a mental image of the major brands out there whether it's McDonald's, Target, Buick or Kleenex. If I suggest that you think of laundry detergent, I'm certain a particular brand will come to mind. So what makes these brands so enduring, so easy to conjure up in our minds? It is two things: consistency and communication.

Let's take a hypothetical and typical small business - a hair salon. Now, most hair salons offer pretty much the same services - haircuts, blow dry, styling, color, etc. They might also offer manicures, waxing or even pedicures and some full-service salons offer massages, facials and more. So if Acme Hair Salon comes along and opens up in the neighborhood strip mall, just how do they go about separating themselves from all the other salons? How do they create a brand in the minds of customers?

We start with something called the UVP - the unique value proposition. Essentially, the UVP is what makes your business different from everyone else. You may have expertise in coloring hair, or doing wedding hair-do's, but whatever it is will form the core of your brand. Once you've determined what your UVP is, then you have to build your business around it. If hair coloring is your expertise, then make sure all of your staff are actually experts and can talk about it knowledgeably. Decorate your salon to show off your expertise and advertise it to everyone who comes in. You may even select a name for your business that reflects your UVP. This is the "communicating" part and it includes any advertising or promotion you do. Whatever your message is, it won't mean anything unless your customers hear it.

Next comes "consistency." You can't be the hair dye experts today and the wedding up-do experts tomorrow and the facial experts next week. If you are constantly changing your advertising message, logo, salon decor and even your staff, then pretty soon your customers will lose a sense of what your business is all about.

Let's get back to the big brands - McDonald's for instance. If you drove up to one of their restaurants and saw pink arches outside instead of "golden arches," you might decide not to go in. It would probably strike you as a fake version of the real thing. Or, if you went inside and all they served was tacos and burritos, you would be a little confused. The power of the McDonald's brand rests in the knowledge that no matter where or when you go there - whether it's in England, Russia, or right around the corner - you can buy the same hamburger made the same way with the same fast service.

One last thing: you have a brand already, whether you know it or not. Your customers and consumers in general have an image in their minds about you. The question is, is it the right one? Is it the image you want them to have about you? And if you're not sure, then this is a great time to get started on building the brand you want.

How to Start a Fashion Label: Getting the Edge

New York Fashion Week - who wore what during The Oscars, what Vera Wang has for brides this coming spring, which America's Next Top model wore Versace's creations better - if you've found yourself constantly tuned in to any of the above, can accurately match the designer to the star on the red carpet all the time or spend hours in front of the mirror fussing over the details of your every outfit, then you must have a passion for fashion. And if so, why not put your time spent watching E! to more productive use? Start your own clothing line!

How to start a fashion label, you may ask? Though it may sound easier that it actually is, if you have the right mindset, the motivation and determination, you can start small and gradually build your way up to the top to compete with Jessica Simpson's celebrity clothing label!

Decide on What You Want to Sell

As with any business venture, planning and foresight are the keys to making sure your entrance into the fashion world is smooth as a runway and doesn't see you flat on your face. Make up your mind on how to start a fashion label: do you want to produce more high-end clothes of the limited-edition, special-occasion variety or are you catering more to the mass market who prefer utilitarian and versatile articles? If it's the former, that means you'll be selling less for more, but are clothes made of quality materials and are one-of-a-kind designs, tailor-made and coming from a small batch. If it's the latter, you can go for less expensive materials and can produce a lot more clothes for a bigger market.

Break Out Your Sketches and Designs

If you're a fashion fan, you should already have a couple of these stored somewhere or lying around your place, even if you're not quite the artist. Don't worry, you're not aspiring to be the next Van Gogh; all you need is a clear concept of how you want your clothes to look. A clothing line reflects your personality, so how you dress and what kind of style you like will always come out in your designs. The key here is to remember to show some individuality and unique qualities that will make people want to buy your stuff. Imitation is the best form of flattery, true, but you may come off as a copycat and rip-off if you're not careful on how to start a fashion label.

Know Your Materials and Manufacturers

Having designs and having memorized each gown Nicole Kidman has ever donned, you should by rights know your fabrics as well, along with the other items necessary in making clothes. Being able to differentiate rayon from chintz and shaft buttons from invisible zippers is an essential skill, as knowing the difference between an A-line skirt and a peasant blouse is. If you can't sew garments yourself, you should find yourself a good seamstress or manufacturer that charges reasonably. Bulk orders come cheaper, so if you have a couple of designs, you might want them all created at one time. To get the best deal, shop around for prices of fabrics, accessories and other materials and compare rates for manufacturers and seamstresses. If you begin with a few key pieces that are eye-catching and good to wear, you'll soon find yourself taking more orders and before you know it, you can even write your own success story on how to start a fashion label!

How to Practice Transparency and Build Your Brand Value

Why should you emphasise transparency in your business activities?

Stakeholders hold all the power in brand-stakeholder relationships today. When businesses lie about their activities, stakeholders will react negatively and affect the brand's value. Lying to your stakeholders and deliberately hiding information that stakeholders are curious about (such as the ingredients in a food product) creates mistrust in the brand, which is why practicing transparency is so important - stakeholders react positively when they feel a brand is trustworthy.
By using transparency as a branding and communication tool, you are setting your brand up for success, as your stakeholders will perceive your communication and brand personality as being "real" and trustworthy.

If you are clear and truthful about your business activities, provide truthful information when questioned, and practice transparency in your business, your stakeholders will understand the motives and mission of your brand. Furthermore, through practicing transparency in your communication, stakeholders will feel that the business, brand and person/people behind these are more trustworthy. Your stakeholders might even support and defend your brand. Through this perceived trustworthiness, your brand will gain value, and especially when your actions and promises are fulfilled.

What business activities should businesses be transparent about?

Quick answer - you should practice transparency in all your visible business activities. The more you tell your stakeholders about your plans, activities and mission for the brand (and follow up on these), the easier it is for them to stand behind and support the brand. You should practice transparency on any activities that have an effect on your product/service, and create more value for stakeholders. Letting your stakeholders know about the changes you are making to your brand and business that will make their experience better, may even get your stakeholders excited about these future plans.

How can you practice transparency successfully?

Here are a few tips/examples of how you can practice business transparency:

- Announce your future plans for your business so your stakeholders can see what new products, services and value you will provide in the future. Remember that your stakeholders are the reason you started your business, you are creating value for them, and they are the ones who need to get excited about and benefit from future changes in the brand and business.

- Treat curiosity and questions from your stakeholders respectfully, answer truthfully as long as you aren't revealing any business "secrets" (such as your accounting/bookkeeping information, or in-depth knowledge that competitors may use to get ahead). Dialogue between you and your stakeholders is the key to positive results in co-creation, brand value, word of mouth and ultimately sales.

- Let your stakeholders understand your working processes. For example, if you are an online coach and provide services aimed at small businesses, let your potential customers know what to expect of the process. Use present or past clients as examples (provided they allow you to use their information), to clarify how you work, and give stakeholders an opportunity to understand and connect with your methods.