Posts Tagged ‘identity’

Your new business website allows you to:

• Provide information and details about your products and services to potential customers around the block and all over the world
• Distinguish yourself from your competition, especially if they don’t have a website
• Be found by the growing segment of potential customers who use ONLY the internet to access information and search for product and service providers
• Utilize the power of social media to effectively spread the world about your business
• Take advantage of powerful search engine technology so your customers can find you easily and quickly
• Establish yourself as an authority with your customers and within your industry
• Keep in touch with your customers, providing them industry tips or techniques and quietly building your credibility with them and their loyalty to you
• Build new and effective networking and referral opportunities online
• Maximize the effectiveness of email marketing
• Legitimately measure the success of your marketing dollars and your ROI

Goals:

Building a presence on the world wide web should be done with specific goals in mind.  For instance – do you want to provide information or have an e-commerce site and sell product?  Both? Define your goals – look at what your competition is or is NOT doing.  Spend the time on some quality research in your industry about what is and isn’t working in your field.   

Website Domain:  The name of your website is a crucial first step.  Be sure to maintain ownership and control of your domain name.  If the professionals helping you create your new website obtain the domain name on your behalf – be sure you collect all passwords, due dates etc.  Relationships can and do change over time, and you want to keep control of the name of your site.

Design & Development:  We have many customers come to us having already had a bad experience either attempting to do it themselves or having hired a friend or relative. Hire a professional company to design and develop your website.  There is a lot of talk out there about “design it yourself” programs and it is tempting to hire the lowest bid.  However, service after sale, on time completion, search engine optimization, quality graphics, appropriate look and feel – these should be your goal – don’t leave anything to chance. Hire a seasoned professional who has the background and experience to understand your brand, your industry and is capable of helping you maximize this investment.  Website design and development is a rapidly evolving industry – these changes should be benefiting you, the consumer.   Techniques used just two years ago to build and launch a website – are now nearly obsolete and ineffective.  Obtain a quality referral – and shop around.  There is a great deal of difference in pricing – you can easily pay too much, but don’t think this process isn’t going to require some investment.  Examine the portfolio of your prospective developer and find out what you are getting and for how much.  Make sure your comparisons are “apples to apples”!

Website Content: Having a nice looking website is only a piece of a successful online marketing strategy.  Design doesn’t carry the day – CONTENT does.  Invest the time into getting the “who, what, where, why, and how much?” done correctly.  What type of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is provided in your contract?  Is there any follow up?  A website that nobody can find – isn’t going to do you much good.  Some firms will have the talent to help you with content – but you may have to hire someone to help you.  

Website Hosting:  We recommend hosting your website with the firm who does the design and development if possible.  This will streamline the process and should keep your costs down.   The cost of hosting is competitive and on a downward trend.  As with your domain name, be sure you have all passwords and other information in your possession so that changing this relationship can be done easily.

Local Search Engine Listings:  It is imperative that your new site be listed and registered not only with the major search engines like Google and Bing – but also on relevant local and regional directories.  There may also be industry directories that may benefit your business. 

Internet Marketing:  Remember, your new business website is only a part of your internet marketing strategy.  Your business needs to have an integrated platform of opportunity ranging from social media, internet advertising, email marketing and directory listings.  Maximize the investment in your website and have a reputable Internet Marketing company help you establish these programs.  Many businesses then maintain these themselves or hire the Marketing or Development firm to manage them on a monthly contract. 

Contact Sandpoint Marketing today and we’ll get you started!

208-659-2077

jl@sandpointmarketing.com

Experts urge small business owners to “brand” their businesses with a logo and a set of consistent marketing materials. However, they rarely explain the reasons behind this advice. Read more about Developing Your Company’s Logo. Below are some of some of the benefits of a professionally designed logo and identity system:

1. To look “bigger” and “established.” Home-printed business cards or cards printed with Microsoft clipart scream “small-time vendor” to your potential clients — and that is how they will want to compensate you.
2. To increase your chance of earning venture capital or of selling a business. If you present a well-rounded business package that includes marketing materials and graphics, your business will look more complete.
3. To attract more clients. Some clients look for a well-defined company, and “look and feel” may be one of their criteria for making a purchasing decision.
4. To brand yourself. If you are a consultant, you need a logo in order to build an image and a brand that is greater than your individual identity. Be sure to avoid the Top 10 Branding Mistakes.
5. To convey that you are reputable. A logo and professionally-printed materials show that you are committed to both your business and to your clients.
6. To give clients a sense of stability. You may not have been in business “since 1908,” but if you have invested in your identity, you are more likely to remain firm and relevant in the eyes of your customers. It goes a long way toward building that all-important “trust.”
7. To be more memorable. Forty percent of people better remember what they see than what they hear or read. So to have graphics associated with your business, and to keep those graphics consistent, makes you more likely to be at the forefront of potential clients’ minds when they need your goods or services.
8. To explain your company name. If your company name contains a little-known word or an acronym, the logo can give visual clues to its meaning.
9. To endear your company name to your clients. A difficult-to-pronounce or hard-to-remember company name makes it challenging for clients to hire you. When potential clients need your services, they may not recall a tricky name. But if you reinforce the name with interesting, compelling graphics, they are more likely to remember you, pick up the phone, and hire you.
10. To explain an unusual line of business. If your business is nontraditional or in a hard-to-explain industry, a logo can help to clarify exactly what it is that you do.
11. To differentiate you from your competition. A well-designed logo can have many subtle meanings and can begin to tell the story of how you do business, including the special practices that make you stand apart from the competition.
12. To stand out in your field. A well-designed logo and an identity system can put you far above the competition, especially when paired with a strong marketing program.
13. To comply with expectations. In some industries, a logo is just expected. In the creative services industry especially, having a logo is an industry standard.
14. To show your commitment. Do it for the sense of personal pride that it will add to your practice.

These benefits will boost your business and your confidence, so consider developing a logo and identity as soon as possible.

---

Erin Ferree is a logo, print, and Web designer who has been making it easy for small businesses to stand out and to be visible, credible, and memorable for the past nine years.