Not Just Pretty | Building An Effective Small Business Brand

More on abstract vs. representational

Why do representational logos work for big companies like Merrill Lynch, but not for small businesses?

For a small business, I strongly recommend an abstract logo - abstract logos are more high-end looking, and they make you look more professional. Abstract logos are also easier for more clients to quickly identify with - which is important for a small business brand where you don't have a lot of time or budget to spend educating your clients. You want your logo to tell as much of your story as possible - which is more possible with an abstract logo than with a representational logo, which can usually tell a bit of the story but not much.

Companies like Merrill Lynch have representational logos (ones that look like something) because back when those companies were started, there was no such thing as an abstract logo. And, since they've had many years to build up their brand message, they have educated their clients through more than just the logo in what their company's all about, through their advertising campaigns, etc. - things that a small business won't really be working with (at least not immediately, and not on a national level like Merrill Lynch).

Using "I" or "we" in your website copy

Question:

I am in the process of writing the copy for my new website. I am a marketing consultant based out of San Diego. I provide marketing services, with an expertise in lead generation for software companies. I am incorporated. I will be running a campaign shortly to acquire new clients and plan to focus on tech start-ups. I have had high profile clients such as Applied Materials, Novellus, Business Objects, and BEA Systems. In my website copy, is it better to frame myself as an agency or independent consultant (WHO WE ARE: Our team of marketing professionals comprises high tech experts with over 20 years experience vs. ABOUT ME: A marketing professional with 15+ years’ experience… ) My thinking is that framing myself as an angecy is good in Silicon Valley when targeting large corporations, but framing myself as a single, independent consultant might be more attractive for small San Diego start-ups? I have two versions written and reviewed by an editor, but am not sure which to choose. What is the general consensus out there? Frame myself as an "agency" or "single, consultant"?

Answer:

There's no one-size-fits-all answer for this - which sort of company do you work with most often, and how do you want your company/yourself to be perceived? What do the companies/people you work with want? And, does one of these audiences visit/buy based on your website more often than the other?

I used to say "we" and frame myself as an agency - and then I found out that a lot of potential clients didn't want to contact me because they thought they couldn't afford me from that stance.

When I changed to "I", I got a lot better response from my audience.

So, I'd say ask your audience, or just try to guess based on your audience and their preferences.

Even if you guess wrong, it's easy to swap your text out, so keep both profiles on hand just in case.

Alternatively, you might want to try split-testing, if you can - program both into the site such that every other visitor gets the "I" version, and ther rest get the "we". Then you should be able to look at your stats to see which is working better.

PowerPoint presentation design tricks

If you're creating a PowerPoint presentation, there are a few tricks you can use

1. Create a customized slide template using View > Master > Slide Master. This allows you to create your own slide template file that will appear on all of your inner page slides.

2. Create a title master by using Insert > New Title Master when you're in the Slide Master View. There, you can design a custom cover page.

3. Put your logo into the master by using Insert > Picture From File. You'll want to use a high-resolution copy of your logo (usually a 300 DPI TIF or JPEG file) and you'll want to make sure it's in RGB color mode. Ask your designer if the file you don't have the right format.

Tricks to design your Masters to match your Logo and Visual Vocabulary:

4. First, pull up the best set of tools: If you go under Tools > Customize > Menus, and select the Drawing menu, you'll get a whole set of tools that pulls up.

5. Draw your template: You'll want to use simple shapes; for a PowerPoint beginner, I recommend rectangles and boxes unless your Visual Vocabulary absolutely doesn't allow for it. In the drawing menu, select the AutoShapes button (it looks like a circle, rectangle and triangle together). Use that to select and create your shape. You can select the corner box points on the shape to re-scale or adjust the size.

6. Customize Your Colors: Down at the bottom of this menu, if you click on the paint bucket icon, you can select "Pick Fill Color" which has an eyedropper icon in my PPT. That allows you to pick any color from within any graphic and use it as a fill on the currently selected item. I recommend that you use the colors in your logo and Visual Vocabulary.

7. Change Your Fonts: Chances are, the default "Times New Roman" font won't really work out for your design. I recommend that most small businesses pick a sans serif font - without those little "feet" - like Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS or Tahoma for your PowerPoint presentation. And, any of those fonts will be present on any computer that people need to open the presentation on.

This will help you get started on the right PowerPoint path - and if you make a lot of presentations, consider having a professional design a template for you.

Why a small business needs a website

why each small business needs a website is a question with many answers - all depending on how that small business wants to interact with its' customers, and how the business owner wants to market the business.

• For example, a small business that focuses on product sales might use the website to sell their products to customers all over the world.

• A service business might use their site to market their services locally or to extend their reach to market their services nationally, depending on the type of service they provide.

• A small business website can help the business get press or get their articles published in magazines or newspapers.

• More technically savvy businesses can use their site to build a community, or showcase video or audio samples of their work.
  

A website is a really flexible tool, and the key for a small business to create a successful website is to first identify what you want the website to do for you, and then build it to create those specific results. A small business owner has to make sure not get too wrapped up in putting everything they can on the site, at least not immediately. Just focus on building the content and functionality that will get your business's site up and running and that will help your site to do its job best.

The Domino Effect of Changing Your Logo

It's a rainy afternoon and you've got a hot cup of tea and a box of dominoes. You set them up on end, one next to the other in a snaking line across your dining room table. Then you bump the first domino and watch as the rest fall down, one after the other.

Redesigning your logo is more than just fun and games

Changing your logo is a lot like playing dominoes—once you start, you have to keep knocking over project after project until you've got all of your marketing pieces set up again.

Once you decide to create a new logo, you'll instantly find a whole new list of to-dos. This would include setting up the brand definition, expressing it in a logo, and then making sure that all of the rest of the pieces flow from those

Knocking down those to-dos takes more effort than the simple little bump that topples over the row of dominos.

What does redesigning really mean?

Think back to the first time you designed your logo—the work, time, expense, and thought you had to put into the project. Just because this is a redesign doesn't mean that it will be any easier than the first time around. In fact, it may be more difficult since you're more invested in your business and brand than you were when you first launched it.

1. Having a good reason.

You need to have a reason that makes sense from a business perspective. If you're redesigning your logo because you're bored, this might not be the best use of your resources. But if you've made a major change in your services, target audience, or the benefits you provide, a redesign may be justified.

If you don't have a solid reason to redesign your logo, reconsider whether a redesign is the right path to take.

2. Hiring a designer.

Finding a designer to create just the right logo for your company takes time, attention to detail and the patience to really look into the designer's expertise. You may be lucky enough to already have a designer that you work with. In that case you just have to make sure that they have the time and inclination to work on your project. If you don't have a designer, you can see my tips on hiring a designer to learn more about the topic.

3. Re-examining your Brand Definition.

If you're going to redesign your logo, you might as well dig deeper into your brand and make sure that it's as polished and complete as possible. Going back over your business's personality, service offerings, product plans, and differentiation will help make sure you're developing a logo that will help you connect with your best customers. Clearly define who your target audience is and what they want to see in a logo.

4. Redesigning the logo is a big investment.

If you're going to change your logo, you'll be investing time, thought and money into the redesign. Make sure that you have the bandwidth and budget to give the project the attention it deserves.

5. Trashing and revising all of your existing marketing materials.

Once your new logo is complete you'll have to recycle your business cards, letterhead, brochures and other printed materials—and pay to have the new ones printed. Then there's redesigning your website (and the editing and rewriting that you should do along with that). And don't forget about changing the digital design templates on your computer—your branded email footer, newsletter templates, Word letterheads, and Quickbooks invoices.

Go through your marketing pieces and just think about what it would take to re-create those. The writing, editing, design, coding, printing... Do you really want to redo all that work? And will the redesign of all of those materials pay off?

6. Making the transition make sense for your clients.

Your clients get attached to your logo. They identify with it as the face of your business. If you just change your logo without saying anything to your clients, it can make them feel disoriented and disenfranchised—like their feelings about your business don't matter. Changing the way your materials look can make clients wonder if your business has been bought out, or if you've raised your prices or changed your level of service.

If you do create a new logo, be sure to inform your current and past clients about the change and to explain the reasoning behind the redesign. This simple act can help you keep their trust and keep them onboard with your business through the transition.

Making sure that you're prepared to address these 6 steps in your logo redesign will ensure that a needed redesign goes smoothly—just like knocking over those dominos.

Ways to Draw a Logo: Abstract

The last way to design a logo is with an abstract logo icon.

An abstract icon is one that doesn't necessarily look like something.

There are different levels of abstract icons - some can look a bit like a representational object, or they can just be made up of shapes, lines and other graphic elements.

Every sort of shape has an emotion or meaning attached to it through its' use. And, combinations of shapes can be given a feeling of movement, or can change each others' meaning. That's how abstract icons can look like nothing in particular yet still convey meaning to a viewer.

Pros of abstract icons:

• They usually give an air of sophistication to the logo
  
• By not talking down to or spelling it out to the viewer, the logo encourages a prospect to stop and think for a split second, which can reinforce memorability.
  
• They allow the viewer to see and interpret the logo in their own way - and most people usually create a favorable interpretation when left to their own devices.
  
• They tend to be pretty timeless.
  

Cons of abstract icons:

Not everyone will "get it" - or understand the meaning behind the icon.

The viewer may misinterpret the message in the icon.

Why Entrepreneurs Divorce Their Logos (And Why It's A Bad Idea)

Remember how excited you were when you first designed your logo? How beautiful you thought it was, and how you couldn't wait to get your first batch of business cards printed so you could show it off? How you excitedly described its meaning and subtleties to your mom (and your clients?) And the rush to the trademark office to get your new love "made official"—what excitement when the papers finally arrived!

Where did that magical feeling go?

The problem is that you keep seeing your logo. Over and over again.

You spend time working on your marketing: creating flyers, updating your website, putting together your email newsletter, etc... And of course, each of those pieces includes your logo (right?). Then you do your business development and billing: writing up proposals, processing client intake questionnaires, writing up invoices—again, all with your logo. Then there are the pieces that you see on a day to day basis: the business cards in your purse or wallet, your office signage, the promotional graphics on your car. Just in the process of running your business, you'll see your logo constantly. Did I mention constantly?

Then Entrepreneurial Boredom sets in

Once you've seen the logo for what seems like the millionth time, the logo starts to lose its sheen. It no longer seems as brilliant, beautiful or perfect as it once did. In fact, you never want to see it any again.

This is when most entrepreneurs start thinking about breaking up with their logo, and getting a new one. They think that this will help them recapture their excitement about their brand.

Why changing your logo should be a last resort

A business's logo should last for the life of the business—until "death do you part" (or at least until something major happens within the business that necessitates changing the logo—but that's another article).

Your logo is the "face" of your business for your customers. If you suddenly change the logo, your customers can feel like they are losing a relationship. And they get a bit concerned.

First they wonder "Am I in the right place? It looks different!" Then they think, "Is this the same company that I've worked with before and grown to trust?" Then they say, "Does this shiny new look mean that they're raising their fees now? Can I afford to work with them now?"

You can see how this would be a chain reaction that you'd like to avoid. Not to mention the domino effect that changing your logo has on your marketing—redesigning and reprinting all of your materials with the new look. What a headache!

Keys To Changing Your Mind About Your Boredom

• Repeat after me: I see my logo more than anyone else does.
  You assume that since you've seen your logo a million times, your customers have also seen it too much and are getting bored of it.

  This isn't the case! Realistically think about how often your clients see your logo—once, twice, or maybe four times a month? I promise they're not as tired and fed up with it as you are.

  See if you can make your boredom into more of a comfortable, long-term relationship with your logo.

• Switch your focus. You are more focused on your logo than any of your clients. You are deeply invested in it in many ways - from going through the logo design process with your designer and infusing it with meaning then add the financial and time perspective. Then as you use it, your logo becomes a part of your business and personal identity.

  Concentrating on your logo this much puts it under a lot of pressure, and gives it a lot to live up to. The next time you feel like you're getting tired of your logo, put your focus on something else—rewrite some of your website copy, design a new marketing piece, start on a book, or even just step away from the office to get some distance from it. You have plenty of other things to do in your business that would be easier and more productive to do than to make a major change with your logo.

• If you need to change something, consider changing your Visual Vocabulary. If your marketing pieces are really driving you crazy, change up the other graphics that you have on them—the photos that you use, your background colors and your font treatments. This will change the look of your materials without changing the foundation of your brand—your logo—which isn't nearly so jarring for your clients.
  

So, next time you're looking at your logo and thinking about getting a divorce, take a deep breath and step away from your designs! Keep your logo as the visual face your customers remember. Then see if there are smaller changes you can make to your relationship with your logo to keep the love alive.