If you ever said that, you’re not alone. There are many times when we go into a discovery meeting and as soon we start discussing a client’s brand, we get a blank stare.

Don’t beat yourself up. Unknowingly you have already developed a brand for your company, now it’s just a matter of understanding it and making intentional changes if needed.

So what IS your brand?

It’s that feeling your company evokes in your customers. It’s everything all rolled into that one perception. Everything your clients have heard, seen or experienced about your company.

What it’s NOT is your services. It’s beyond concrete information about your company or employees, but rather, what does the entire experience mean to your customer’s perception of your company?

It’s easy to overwhelm your audience which really puts that perception at risk. That’s why it’s so important to be focused and most importantly, consistent.

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If it’s been eons since you took a look at your website and other marketing materials as a whole, there’s no better time than now to kick off the new year in style. Let your customers know you take your business seriously and you are a professional in tune with what your business stands for.

Okay, so maybe you DO take your business seriously and you ARE a professional in tune with what your business stands for, but don’t you think your customers should know that too? Others perceptions of your business have a lot to do with how its presented to them. Read More »

Well, mostly the difference has to do with how you plan to use your logo. Here are simple explanations with samples:

Logotype / Word Mark

This type of logo would be best suited for a company where signage plays a huge roll in their brand visibility. Another reason a company might want a logotype or word mark logo is its placement among other busy content that is regularly seen by the customer or even just brand simplicity.

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When you start out with a new business, brand guidelines may be a little far out for you to think about just yet because you’re still figuring out your core identity and how that looks. A great way to develop consistency in your identity is to create a book that encompasses various conceptual and visual aspects.

Here’s an example of an identity book we created for our client, Hot Corner Connect. We were hired to name, brand and create a membership website for the new company. In creating this book, our purpose was to give the client something tangible and whole that they could refer to for consistency within the brand as the company grows. It’s certainly not as complete as brand guidelines are, but it’s a great place for a new business to start.

To create your own identity book, here is a list of items you will want to include:

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You bring a stellar, unique, why-didn’t-I-think-of-that idea to a design company so that they may help bring your idea to life. Great move! Now what?

1.  Don’t loose your nerve. All great ideas started with someone willing to TRY. That includes investment physically and financially. If you don’t do it right, someone else will. I’ve seen this happen and it breaks my heart. Liquis has a file full of confidentiality agreements of fantastic ideas that never saw the light of day… don’t let this happen to your idea.

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By now you hopefully understand that your business should have some sort of Web presence. These days, customers and clients are looking for YOU and you need to be accessible. Putting your business in the phone book doesn’t cut it anymore and in reality, the Web has replaced these old school methods with tools like Google, Facebook and Yelp. Now we can type in key words and find exactly what we’re looking for with an abundance of information, images and reviews that give us a pretty solid impression about who we’re dealing with.

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The font you use for marketing materials says a lot to the masses about you.  If you use a font like Papyrus or Comic Sans, you’re probably getting made fun of… Just sayin. Take heed the advice of your designer for acceptable and up-and-coming fonts.

It’s not just a battle between marketers and designers pushing the fresh fonts and the consumers holding on to the overused fonts, it’s really a battle of raising the standard or giving in. Fonts have a job to do, a message to portray and a responsibility to resonate. Whether it’s body text or a wordmark logo, there is a purpose behind your designer’s choices and don’t hesitate ask what that is. We get a kick out of talking shop to interested clients.

Now, for a little font humor, here’s Comic Sans Man!

By now you hopefully understand that your business should have some sort of Web presence. These days, customers and clients are looking for YOU and you need to be accessible. Putting your business in the phone book doesn’t cut it anymore and in reality, the Web has replaced these old school methods with tools like Google, Facebook and Yelp. Now we can type in key words and find exactly what we’re looking for with an abundance of information, images and reviews that give us a pretty solid impression about who we’re dealing with.

So what kind of impression are you giving people who find you? Are you even findable? Here are some surefire tips to get you noticed:

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When was the last time your business took a good look in the mirror since first starting out? I know, you think I’m talking crazy, but businesses are like people, who grow, change and refine their identity over time. When you started your business you probably came up with a logo and business cards and hopefully a Web site that communicated all the things you hoped your business would be… kind of like when parents dress their kids a certain way until they start dressing themselves.

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I truly walked away from the #SMAZ event a smarter person. I’ve been using and working with social media since before all the hype, but with the hype, comes LOTS more to keep up on.  Here are some of my key takeaways from Social Media AZ (#SMAZ). Also, if you attended the event or can add to my notes below, please do so!

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