Want to invest in branding that doesn’t cost the earth?

This is the age where advertising and branding is in full swing. Previously only the big companies could think of making advertisements and afford branding, but times have changed now. There are several small advertising agencies and branding companies who work with medium scale business and certain small businesses. All in all, branding has become a lot more affordable.

So this makes you wonder if start ups and small businesses do great a deal of advertising and marketing now. Well the answer is no, they don’t. Although branding and ads is a lot cheaper now, it doesn’t make it affordable for start ups and the majority of small businesses. Luckily advertising and marketing in online space is a lot cheaper. But there is one kind of marketing that is free.

Enter Social media marketing

Social media marketing is a fairly new term and has been around only for the last couple of years. Of course you have heard of social networking sites like Facebook, twitter, Linked In, Google Plus, Pinterest and such. Did you know that you can market there for free?

Well you actually can. On Facebook, Google Plus, Pinterest and similar sites, you can have a company business page. By saying the right things on such social networks your business can grow popular. A quick Google search will give you a list of several businesses that became popular through clever implicit social media marketing. So the next question is; Where to get the right people for managing your social media.

Social media management as a service is offered by many freelancers and there are social media management companies as well. Such companies provide all services related to social media management be it text, video or podcasts. They take over your account completely and manage it under a contract.

A good social media management company will know to adapt their messages to the latest trends in social media marketing. They have astute brand sense and would know to use this skill for your business. For a small price you can get this done for your company as well and it won’t cost the earth!

Excited about starting your own business?

There are so many people like you out there who are planning their first few steps in starting their dream business. Yes, at the moment there are several others are who are laying out business plans, pitching their ideas to VC’s and a whole lot others thinking about what to name their company and what logo to have for it. 

A logo is extremely important to the identity of a business. It is by the logo that people will identify your business in the long run. Name any famous company and the first thing that hits you is the image of the logo and the brand colors. So don’t take the idea of a logo very lightly. Many business owners later regret not investing in good custom logo designing. Unlike any business practice, it is not something that can be changed easily. Changing your logo is equal to re-branding and it means that it is going to be long before people make the connection between the logo and your company.  The best thing to do is to hire a logo design company to give you a good custom logo design.

 

Here are 2 things to keep in mind when meeting with the design company:

1.       Know what you want to communicate- it is important that you have to be clear about what you want to tell your audience about your company. You might want to say that you are a no nonsense business or you might want to say you are very friendly considerate kind of business. It is important to be sure of it and even more important to communicate this to the creative team.

2.       Treat it as a permanent investment- Look at logo design as a onetime thing, meaning the idea has to be solid and not susceptible to change anytime in future.

Be sure of these two things from your end you have everything ready to get a great logo. Just be picky about the company you hire to do this job.

Search Engine Optimization: The basics explained

SEO is one of the most effective tools to promote your business online.

But what is SEO?
Let’s say you want to buy a pair of Jeans online. You open a search engine, most likely Google, and type a few words on the search bar. Something like “pair of blue jeans” or “cheap jeans”, or “stylish jeans” or just “jeans” and then hit Enter. Google displays a set of links, in fact thousands of links that relate to your search. Ever wondered how this happens?

Now let’s get back to the words you typed earlier. Stylish jeans. Cheap jeans. Those are called keywords. Google uses these keywords and matches this with content across the web and displays the most relevant results.

It does so based on certain algorithms or conditions. That’s why one company appears as the first link and some other as the second. When the top results are shown, you are more likely to click a link among the first five, aren’t you? You might even end up buying something from there. So your purpose is solved – you wanted to search for jeans – Google did it and you have several options to choose from. That’s the work of search engines in brief – bringing you the most relevant content that matches the keywords you typed.

It looks like all these are done in a few seconds. But the truth is, those businesses have worked for months, in order to bring their website links among the top results. That process is called Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. Your business, if you have one, needs it too!

But not everyone can do SEO themselves. It takes time and efforts and a certain acquaintance with search engines in the past. There are many companies that have search engine optimization analysts. Check out the best SEO company and start promoting your site online!
 

Getting your first brochure designed?

If you are going to print some brochures for the first time, it is best to think of it long term. True that you can get a redesign anytime you want, but looking at it long term will save on design costs.  This is great tip if you are a small business looking to save on costs.

Now when approaching a designer for brochure design, it will do you good if you keep in mind these points.

1.       Make a list of things that the brochure must have. Things like your phone numbers, email id’s addresses and such. It is better to have this noted down so your designer knows in advance how much space he/she must set aside for these details.

2.    Be sure of the dominant colors you want used. It is wise to stick to the colors of your logo. Other colors may look good but the priority is that it should look like a part of the company. Lots of designers focus only on the design without understanding this basic, so it is up to you to tell them.

3.       If you are only going to spend on one brochure design, it is best to stick to a generic kind of brochure that can be used for all occasions. A simple one that talks about who you are and what you offer.  You might want the catalog for a recruiting event or maybe just to give out at the reception; either way one generic brochure will serve both purposes.  Designing and printing separate brochures is unnecessary and will cost you a lot.

4.       Lastly, ask the designer for at least three design options. Many designers are lazy to do up more designs and will try to persuade you to select the one design they show you.

These are the basics with which you can be prepared while approaching a professional designer for a brochure design. When you are prepared with these you should be able to get a neat brochure design that serves its purpose.