As owner of your own business, you’re responsible for making your business stand out in the crowd. Great products, superior customer service and good pricing will help your efforts, but branding and marketing are necessary to build awareness and generate buzz. Let 2014 be the year you step up your branding efforts.
The Logo
Everything starts with the logo. This visual representation of your business needs to catch potential customers’ eyes while conveying what your business is about. It might seem like a simple part of the marketing equation, but it’s harder to get right than you may think. Inc.com recommends creating your logo with an eye for versatility. You want a logo that works in a variety of marketing mediums, such as online, direct mail and banners.
One of the best ways to future-proof your logo is to have the designers create it as a vector. This enables you to resize it without degrading the quality. Additionally, make sure your logo works well in black and white as well as full color. If you plan on designing your own logo, choose colors that work well in print as well as on screen, and familiarize yourself with the common meanings behind a variety of colors. I also love Design Seeds for finding awesome color combinations for your branding as well.
Additional Branding
The most important thing is to always treat your logo with the utmost respect. You don’t want to put your logo on anything your business doesn’t support fully, and you also want it to be as high-quality as possible. Make sure you look at your marketing material before you send it out into the world so you are sure that it conveys exactly the message you want it to convey to your customers and potential clients. For more tips about what to do after your logo is out in the wild, visit LogoMojo.com.
Effective Marketing
Multi-channel marketing—where your marketing efforts and dollars are spent across many venues—is a common tactic in branding and advertising. Use social networks, your website and ecommerce store, online advertising space and direct marketing as part of your overall branding strategy. Some of these tactics take mere minutes to get started, such as setting up a Facebook page for business.
Most importantly, maintain a consistent voice and message across all your marketing channels, and make sure to use your marketing channels to the fullest to build brand recognition.
