|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Take the Logo Litmus Test
Here is your C.I.T.T. (pronounced "kit")
[Color ? Illustrate? Type ? Test]
COLOR. Color plays a major role in influencing particular moods and feelings about your company. Don't believe me? Look at Dove? soap. You'll find the shampoo bottles are white. White conveys purity, simplicity and a sense of cleanliness. It's strategic and makes sense doesn't it?! Have you noticed that you can associate an industry by its color? Blue is a popular color for technology companies and bottled water companies, for instance. How about identifying a certain mood by color? Quick, what mood do you think the color red evokes? Could be romance or anger or urgency...
ILLUSTRATE. Small businesses and solo-entrepreneurs don't have budgets like Nike, Starbucks and McDonalds... so, if you decide to create a graphical image to represent your business, make sure it communicates what your customers might expect from your company. Great examples of this includes the logo of Giftpile.com and IndieArtistStation.com
TYPE. There is an art to lettering... just ask a calligrapher or illustrator who can create a logo based on letters. Again, illustrated in the Giftpile.com (mentioned above). An illustrator created a custom type which looks similar to gift wrap and ribbons on presents which is very appropriate for the service Giftpile.com performs (wedding gifts).
TEST. With the variety of promotions and advertising you may conduct, shouldn't your logo look *Good* in black & white (b&w)?! "Shouldn't I think about color for my logo?" and "Why is b&w important?" you may be asking... Great questions! Do you think you'll ever make copies of your marketing materials... isn't it cheaper to make b&w copies at Office Depot (average $0.02-$0.05/each)? Your logo will be on all your future business faxes, too! If you participate in tradeshows, you may have b&w imprinted giveaways because it's more affordable to imprint your logo in b&w than in color. That goes same for print advertising (newspapers, magazines, business journals, etc.). Since your logo will be used in all types of media or a variety of mediums (from posters, t-shirts to mugs and pens), it should be easy to resize (larger or smaller) while keeping the quality and crispness of the design. Most likely the end result of the logo designed for you will be available in a vector graphic format (the most popular design tool is Adobe Illustrator which saves your design as a .ai or .eps file) - simply crisp line graphics easily scalable without loss of quality.
----------------------------------------------------------------
With over 100+ websites designed in the past 4 years, Maya Sunpongco is your Chief Imagination Officer for Design Insomnia, in San Diego, CA - an internet/web graphics firm that harnesses the "Power of Design to Communicate." She supports women-owned businesses and is a member of the National Association for Female Executives and the Professional Women's Network.
Advertisement: Honest Riches - Click Here!
Advertisement: Lost AdWords - Click Here!
Advertisement: Get $1 Million A Month In Google Pay-Per-Click Ads Free! - Click Here!
Advertisement: Who Loves Money? - Click Here!
Advertisement: SEO Elite, the GrandDaddy of SEO Software - Click Here!
CNNMoney.com - 14 hours ago
Ace Marketing & Promotions Inc. (OTCBB: AMKT) announces that IMAX Theaters is piloting Proximity Marketing at its Palisades theater location in NY, ...
Bizjournals.com, NC - 10 hours ago
Database marketing firm Merkle Inc. has signed up the Limited as a new client in a three-year contract. The Columbia firm will analyze customer data to help ...
Merkle Selected by The Limited to Support Integrated Customer ... MarketWatch (press release)
all 17 news articles
Reuters
Bizjournals.com, NC - 15 hours ago
United Parcel Service Inc. rival FedEx Corp. will cut its marketing budget by more than 25 percent for 2009, the company recently disclosed on its blog. ...
FedEx cuts marketing spend by more than 25 percent Reuters
FedEx to reduce marketing budgets by 25% Brand Republic
all 84 news articles
Bizjournals.com, NC - 15 hours ago
Downtown Greensboro marketing firm Bouvier Kelly has won three awards from the Carolina Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society for its work with ...
CNNMoney.com - 5 hours ago
TMI's marketing plan includes a program where LTC facilities can lease the equipment necessary to perform skin assessments and store the necessary data ...
Wellstar/TMI Announces Estimated Three-Year Revenue Projections MSNBC
all 9 news articles
New York Times
Sun-Sentinel.com, FL - 12 hours ago
By Sarah Talalay | South Florida Sun-Sentinel University of Florida fan Michelle Jackson has her outfit for college football's national championship game ...
Danny Wuerffel to Tim Tebow: Return for senior year Orlando Sentinel
all 3,214 news articles
CNNMoney.com - 15 hours ago
Proton will start by marketing a variety of enhanced water products that provide health benefits for people and the planet as well as the commercial product ...
MSNBC - 1 hour ago
The initial stages of marketing the properties for sale have already begun, and the Company will expand those efforts now that the properties are completely ...
Indianapolis Star, United States - 11 hours ago
With a team of 25 brokers and additional market research, marketing, and client support staff, Summit Realty Group specializes in office, industrial, ...
MediaPost Publications, New York - 50 minutes ago
by Erik Sass, 7 hours ago Katz Media Group is launching a new national marketing unit that will focus on creating custom solutions for advertisers that take ...
Katz Launches Katz Marketing Solutions Streaming Magazine
Katz Media Group Reorgs to Trim Costs MEDIAWEEK
Katz Media Group Launches National Marketing Unit to Exploit the ... Earthtimes (press release)
Radio Business Report - AdAge.comall 23 news articles
Newsletters are Marketing Machines!
Is your business publishing a print or e-newsletter? An informative publication is a great way to stay in touch with your customers and leads. It also reinforces... Read More
Corporate Branding and Trade Shows - 8 Tips for Marketing Managers
Trade shows are part of the marketing mix and the appearance by your firm should be a continuum of your entire marketing including advertising, public relations and... Read More
Love My Dentist
I love my dentist! When is the last time you could say that about yours?True, dentists do tend to get a bad rap (remember Steve Martin's sadistic... Read More
Can Message Board Marketing Work For You?
One of the things that makes the Internet fun is all the message boards and forums. You can sound off about nearly anything, get and give advice,... Read More
Build your Trade Show - Virtually
Virtual trade shows are gaining momentum as a way to encourage participation in the event - both live and online. Here are a few ideas to help... Read More
How Can I Get Name Recognition?
Some of the ways in which to get your "name out there" are to call your local television and radio stations, and ascertain whether there is a... Read More
Trade Show Promotional Products ? Boosting Booth Traffic
I was about seven or eight years old when I learned the value of promotional items at trade shows. I just didn't know it yet. I was... Read More
Sleigh Bells Ring...And Cash Registers, Too
During the holidays, folks everywhere shop many long hours to buy gifts for the important people in their lives. Spending at this time of year is one... Read More
Wife?s Marketing Prowess Helped Edison See the Light
It is well known that Thomas Edison was an inventor, a genius, and he never slept. Did you know that Mrs. Edison was a genius and never... Read More
2 Step Marketing
Do it Right.I receive postcards all the time. The other day I received a postcard trying to sell me a copy machine. It had tiny, tiny lettering... Read More
Thinking About More Business
What does an old Russian joke have to do with getting new business? Did you increase your business in the past 12 months?... Read More
Direct Marketing ? Brand Identity Guru Tips
If your company doesn't have a direct marketing program in place, a direct marketing agency can create one for you. A direct marketing company provides small to... Read More
Case Study: How to Get a Big Boost in Response by Taking Your Marketing to the Extreme
Want a big boost in response and quick sales from your next direct marketing effort? Then take your marketing to the extreme. What do I mean by... Read More
Loyalty Cards Systems ? Beware, Some Should Be Avoided
Recently, I discussed a loyalty card system with a vendor who was selling quite a number of his systems to restaurants. I was shocked to discover the... Read More
7 Tips to Grab New Clients
As a business professional, you probably realize the value of writing articles for print publications to telegraph your expertise. Have you considered that writing articles for online... Read More
Catalogs are Selling Machines
If you've got a mailbox, you're no doubt aware of the popularity of catalogs. People love to look through catalogs, and more important, they love to buy... Read More
Todays Definition of Marketing. Has It Changed?
With the continued proliferation of the Internet, the meaning of the word "marketing" also seems to proliferate. Cyberspace has opened up a whole arena of new marketing... Read More
Did You Know Your Mind-Set IS Your Problem?
How To Save Yourself From The Pits of Marketing Cyber Hell!"Your Mind-Set IS Your Problem!"Did you know that the one major thing that stands between You and... Read More
Alarming Marketing Trend
One key discipline of successful direct marketing has been to test marketing communications tactics to continually improve results. There is now an alarming trend according to a... Read More
Marry Your Marketing Plan
Make a vow to keep up your marketing schedule in good times and not so good times.I have said it time and time again that marketing, no... Read More
How To Use Humor Successfully In Your Business Communications
For generations people have been saying that laughter is good medicine. And now the scientists have taken an interest it turns out great-grandma was right. The boffins... Read More
Who are Those People Youre Selling To?
If you're in the IT business, that's an important question.Most marketers are keen to profile their prospects. For some products and services, these may be 'people with... Read More
Promote your Business and Products through Submitting Articles to Top Web Sites
Articles submitted to online publishers bring your site new visitors and increase your ezine subscribers. You can also get these benefits by submitting your articles to top... Read More
Recipe for Success
Special event and a special recipe- hand it out on a business card.I have seen many real estate people, give out recipes with their newsletter. I find... Read More
D.A.N.C.E. With Me
Recently, a client asked what he could do to help my business, but I wasn't ready with the answer. A lot of us probably miss these opportunities... Read More
The Process of Change in Marketing Approaches
In a world economy that is in constant flux and undergoing turbulence, more companies are realizing that their most precious asset is their customer base. An even... Read More
Step by Step Guide to an SMS Campaign
SMS is good for:? Short lead times and immediacy ? Cost effective personalised communication ? Ongoing 1 to 1 relationships ? Automated data capture and compliance ?... Read More
Marketing Copy - Brand Identity Guru
Tips on writing great copy for your marketing efforts.It's just four steps that I call the Writing Path1. I create a deadline for something to be produced.... Read More
Promotions That Build Profit
Promotions are everything you do to let your customers know you exist. Good marketing techniques can help eliminate the "I didn't knows" from your clients and would-be... Read More
Becoming The Obvious Choice In A Sea Of Competition
Differentiation, niche marketing, and positioning. These and other related business buzzwords have no doubt crossed every business owner and marketing director's ears in recent years.But what do... Read More
The Forgotten Market
There are a great many online business people who are forgetting the potential that this particular forgotten market can be providing them. The forgotten market I am... Read More
Marketing to a Critical Mass
In "Developing a Marketing Plan", we covered the first steps to developing a marketing plan and tracking where your customers are coming from.The thing that I noticed... Read More
Burnout
Today I want to share a question from a reader who writes:How do I keep from being burned out while cold calling? My job is to call... Read More
Niche Marketing: The Affiliate Angle
If you're just dipping your toes into the waters of Niche Marketing for the first time then Affiliate marketing is the ultimate low risk choice to get... Read More
Developing A Focused Marketing Strategy
You want all of your marketing messages to have a single focus, so they pull together instead of competing with each other. Great! So how do you... Read More
How to Set (and Get) the Right Prices
Which product feature of yours is every buyer keen to know about? Which sales tool closes prospects instantly? Your price. Yet, despite the far-reaching consequences of a... Read More
How to Use Business Cards to Network and Market Your Business
You've had one thousand of the finest, most eye-catching business cards printed. Now, what do you do with them?Networking with business cards is one of the most... Read More
How Simple, Small Changes Can Add Real Money To Your Pocket
I want to share with you a story. This story happens everywhere and everyday in America . If you grasp the simple lesson from it, you can... Read More
How to Manage Your Marketing Mix
Here's the deal: advertisement is not marketing. It's like saying you want to have a garden, but you're only willing to plant the flowers. Forget about watering,... Read More
How to Write Fundraising Letters That Motivate Donors To Make Donations to Your Non-Profit
Motivating strangers to give their money away is one of the hardest jobs around. It's difficult to do face to face. And it's even tougher to do... Read More
Target Your Market
Your market is not everybody, as so many small businesses assume. It is the people/organizations who need, want, have the money--and the willingness--to pay for what you... Read More
Using a Contact List Profitably- Part Two
Besides a survey, your contact list can be used to generate sales directly. Some of the following ideas must be done one-on-one and others can be done... Read More
Getting Ideas for Your Postcards
If you're going to do postcard marketing on an ongoing basis, it's a good idea to have a collection of cards to inspire you. In advertising and... Read More
Using Flyers In Your Business
If you are not using flyers in your business you are missing out. Flyers can be used to sell your product, promote your product, promote your services,... Read More
Mail Orders Most Common Mistakes
THE GREAT MAIL ORDER MYTH There are a number of totally unrealistic beliefs about the mail order business. To belive in any of them can be dangerous... Read More
Selling To Your Affiliates
While success with any internet marketing program falls on the head of the marketer, what the program offers in pay outs and products plays a big roll.... Read More
Top 9 Strategies To Attract More Clients Now
1. Advertise in trade journals, ezines, and web sites that cater to your ideal client.One secret for gaining substantial increase in sales is to communicate where your... Read More
The Added Effectiveness of Promotional Products in Your Marketing Plan
Recently, I stopped by a new car wash in my town and while preparing to insert my six quarters into the machine to start the cleaning process,... Read More
Strategic Marketing and Tactical Marketing Know The Differences And Profit
Most people mistakenly assume that when you talk about marketing, you're automatically talking about "Tactical" marketing - placing ads, generating leads, sending out mailers, attending trades shows,... Read More
The Advantage to Buying Promotional Products Online
Buying your promotional products and corporate apparel online provides five major advantages: a greater selection, better pricing, convenience, customer service, and faster ordering time.Manufacturers often display their... Read More
Help! What Happened?
Let's be honest, when you're writing sales material for a product, there are a frightening number of things that can go wrong, aren't there?Remember Murphy's Law: what... Read More
AIDA From A Different View - I Call It the 5 Ws
My childhood was my foundation for how I write and how I think. I caught on at an early age that writing is an art and it... Read More