As Branding and marketing professionals, we have an in-depth understanding of the importance of a marketing plan. However, not everyone recognizes the benefits of investing in a strategic marketing plan prior to launching strategies and tactics that seem intuitive at the time. The following few paragraphs attempt to impart our understanding of a well-written plan’s importance by first defining some of key elements of the role of marketing in most organizations.

Defines Focus: Your strategic marketing plan gives the company, and everyone in it, a benchmark to measure all marketing activities against. A well-developed strategic marketing plan not only gives you a structured strategic and tactical outline, but also defines your target audience, messages, goals, and objectives, in a way that allows flexibility. A structured plan provides a benchmark to measure all marketing activities and ensure that the investment they require meet the needs and goals of the marketing plan - preventing you from spending on wasted efforts. It helps staff understand goals and become customer-focused. It also empowers them to make decisions on their own that are consistent with the company’s objectives.

Tracks Costs / Measures Value: A marketing plan provides a step-by-step guide to what you are spending money on and when. It enables you to budget marketing expenses–helping you keep control of your expenditures, manage your cash flow, track sales to marketing expense ratio, and measure success of your marketing efforts. It also ensures that product development dollars are not wasted.

Charts Success: A marketing plan helps you chart your destination point. It becomes a guide through unfamiliar territory.

Captures Thinking on Paper: The finance department isn’t allowed to run a company by keeping numbers in their heads. It should be no different with marketing. Your written document lays out your game plan. If people leave, if new people arrive, if memories falter, the information in the written marketing plan stays intact.

Reflects the BIGPicture: In the daily routine of putting out fires, it’s hard to turn your attention to the big picture, especially those parts that aren’t directly related to the daily operations. Writing your marketing plan helps in determining your current business status and provides a roadmap for business goals.

Becomes a Document to Build On: Creating your very first strategic marketing plan is a time and resource consuming endeavor, but well worth the effort. Once the plan is complete, you just need to make minor adjustments and tweaks to it; you won’t have to re-create it from scratch. It will serve as a template and benchmark for you to work from as you define your objectives and strategies for future years. It becomes a living document for measuring sales success, customer retention, product development, and sales initiatives.

Where Do You Start?

The best place to start is to evaluate where you are now. How are you positioned in the market? How do your customers see you? What are your strengths/weaknesses, and what are some emerging market threats and opportunities?

Typically the strategic marketing plan is done in sequential phases–each part of the plan builds off of the phase before it. Your strategic marketing plan also needs the help of most everyone; it cannot be completed without the assistance of many people within the company: finance, operations, sales, management, and marketing.

Your Strategic Marketing Plan Should Include Include:

Phase 1

Situation Analysis: Defines the market dynamics and identifies client’s position in the market as it currently exists and will summarize the current situation from an internal and external perspective.

Industry Overview: Defines the current market situation and explores market trends and product consumption.

Competitive Profile: Identifies key players in the market and defines their positions, strategies and initiatives. This section is designed to give the client a clear understanding of the competitive dynamics of the marketplace and will provide you with valuable information for developing your future strategies and target markets.

Customer Profile: Provides an analysis of each of the potential target markets, regarding their use of the product and the factors affecting their buying process. This information is gathered using a variety of research tactics and may include you contacting a number of organizations within each category to gather facts about the buying process.

S. W. O. T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats):
Provides client with an in-depth view of the strengths and weaknesses of his or her organization, both from an internal and external perspective. It also defines potential opportunities and threats. This section is critical because it provides an objective summary of both perceptions and issues that will affect the success of future marketing efforts.

Target markets: Key target markets will be identified given the competitive situation, growth potential and product offering of the client. These markets will provide the best opportunity to develop strong brand awareness and will maximize the potential for both market share and revenue growth.

Phase 2

Key Objectives: Once all of the information is gathered during Phase I of the plan, you will work as a group to define the key objectives that will be instrumental in developing future strategies and tactics.

Positioning: After reviewing the industry, competitive information, company objectives, you will then define the new positioning in the marketplace. It will tie directly to the company ’s strengths and will reinforce its objectives and strategies.

Summary: A summarization of all relevant factors and information will be completed prior to developing strategies and tactics.

Phase 3

Strategies: You will then develop marketing and communication strategies that support the positioning and key objectives. These strategies will address channels of distribution, as well as define key corporate sales messaging.

Tactics: A list of marketing and communication initiatives that support and reinforce the company’s positioning, objectives and strategies will be developed. You will identify and produce the marketing support tools that provide the largest return on investment and ones that will substantially increase a client’s brand recognition and market share.

The Strategic Marketing Plan is a comprehensive effort that will allow a company to direct its resources toward achieving a common goal. It has been our experience that a Marcom plan plays a vital role in developing accurate messaging and provides a forum for consistently delivering those messages to your marketplace. It is the one document that ensures that every dollar spent on your efforts reinforces the corporate objectives, identity, image and Corporate Branding.

Scott White is President of Brand Identity Guru a leading Corporate Branding consulting and Branding research firm located in Boston, Massachusetts.
Brand Identity Guru specializes in creating corporate and product brands that increase sales, market share, customer loyalty, and brand valuation.

This Article may be freely copied as long as it is not modified and this resource box accompanies the article, together with working hyperlinks.

How would you like to sell as much in one year as Britney sells in one day or in one hour? Have you put much thought into how marketing empires are created? If you’re selling anything then you’re a marketer and you should study the biggest successes to follow in their footsteps.

We’ve all heard of branding, but do you do it? Have you branded yourself? If you have, are you expanding your marketing opportunities with your brand?

Once you’ve created a name, built successful marketing campaigns and gotten people to know and like who you and your company are don’t stop there.

The real money is in building multiple streams of income. Once your brand begins to build you can diversify to create your own franchise. Think Star Wars, Harry Potter, the books for “Dummies.” You don’t have to be a celebrity or an acclaimed author to cash in, but we can definitely learn from them.

Here are some examples:

Britney Spears makes money on CD’s, concert sales, posters, books, movie appearances, TV appearances, videos, Pepsi commercials and other endorsements.

Paul Newman makes money on movies, and makes money for charity on salad dressing, pasta sauce, popcorn, salsa, lemonade, steak sauce, cook books, T-shirts, hats, and sweatshirts.

Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield (The “Chicken Soup For The (fill in a lucrative target market here) Soul” authors make money on a series of books and tapes so large and profitable that they have their own book rack at Barnes and Noble stores everywhere. There are over 35 titles and 53 million copies in print in over 32 languages. What if they would have stopped with the first title and not bothered to expand the money making potential of their brand?

Talk about branding! …and they get other people to send them stories for free so they don’t even write the books. Beyond this, they make money from other books and tapes, public speaking, joint ventures, and seminars.

Robert Kiyosaki (author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad) makes money from books, tapes, board games, public speaking, seminars, an affiliate program, game events, teleconferences and real estate.

There are limitless possibilities of where you can go in expanding or capitalizing on your brand. Mark and Jack have used their “Chicken Soup” fame to sell unrelated products that are also directed at helping people live the lives of their dreams. Paul Newman is using his fame as an actor to sell food and sauces that have nothing to do with the movies he’s been in.

So don’t limit yourself. As your success builds over time continue to write down new and bigger goals. Imagine what you would do and what products you would create if you were already famous in your field. What would you sell? How would you market? How would you expand your empire?

You are a brand and so is your company. Even before you had a business everyone you came into contact with had an idea of who you were (your brand) because of how you presented yourself. Now it’s time to be aware of the brand your building and make the most of it.

Hey, we can’t all be Britney, but we’re missing the boat if we don’t learn from watching her cash in.

About The Author

Sopan Greene, M.A. is a marketing & life coach & editor of the Net Profits newsletter. Grab Your 2 FREE eBooks & a FREE report: “Million Dollar Emails” “How To Start Your Own Traffic Virus” & “The 13 Deadly Internet Marketing Mistakes Almost Every Business Is Making…” mail to: webmaster87-5956@autocontactor.com

http://www.NetMarketingMastery.com

Have you ever watched 5-year-olds play soccer? It should be called “Follow the Ball,” because that is what happens the entire game. The beginning of the game starts with players in assigned positions. However, as soon as the whistle blows, all the kids form into a big herd guided by a little checkered ball.

High school soccer is an entirely different experience. The players start in the same positions as the 5-year-olds. This is where the similarity ends. The whistle blows to start the game and the players…play their positions! What a difference a decade makes. As the players grow older and wiser, they learn that they must play their positions in order to be successful. If the defenders run up to play offense, then nobody is playing defense.

Even to non-soccer players, it makes sense advanced players learn the importance of playing their positions. When you have a defined position, your team knows what to expect from you. It is your job to deliver on those expectations. Although the thought of chasing the ball is tempting, strong soccer players play their positions.

Soccer serves as a great analogy for small businesses. Far too many owners want to chase revenue, much like the 5-year-olds chasing the ball. We all want to believe if you work hard at growing your business, you will be rewarded. We want to believe it, because it seems like it should be that way. Unfortunately, hard work does not guarantee business success. Smart business owners clearly define their position (or brand) in the market and remain committed to meeting the expectations of their customers.

Much like a soccer coach picks players who are strong in a certain position, customers pick businesses that are strong in their position. If the need is defense, the coach picks a player who is strong in defense. He doesn’t pick a defender who has a history of running all over the field chasing the ball. When customers want a specific service, they pick the business that has defined itself as a specialist in that area. Customers do not trust (or pick) a business that does everything and anything.

If you want your business to be “picked,” these are the two things you need to concentrate on now:

1) Select Your Position - Customers need to know what you stand for and be confident they can trust you. Having a defined position and remaining committed to it is how you establish the much needed trust. Can you easily and clearly articulate what position you play?

2) Play Your Position - K-Mart used to be one of the largest discount-retailers in the country. Along with (and possibly because of) stiff competition, K-mart tried something new. They started using celebrities to sponsor higher-end products. K-mart played the discount-retailer position since it started in the early 1960s. By leaving their position, K-mart confused its customers. Sadly, K-mart must now merge with Sears just to stay in the game.

Much like the 5-year-olds that score a goal because they left their defense position to chase the ball, the company that chases revenue may become excited about a new service or product outside of their position. Immediate profit does not always equate to long term business success.

Kevin Kearns is a small business branding coach. He holds a Master of Science degree in Organization Development and is a member of the Coachville Graduate School of Coaching. With a mixture of hands-on experience, research, and FUN, Kevin helps you become the only choice for your customers. Visit http://www.kevinkearns.com to join The Branding Bunch - a community made up of small business owners that want to grow their business the easy way.

…or Is My Brand Working?

To measure the impact and effectiveness of marketing and branding on the bottom line alone is a mistake. There are far too many facets of the success equation. It is easy to lose enthusiasm and focus if there are no intermediate benchmarks of success for activities that will ultimately affect the bottom line.

The value of reputation, relationships, brand awareness and consumer attitudes related to your business, are impossible to measure just on financial return.

A thorough evaluation of where your business is now and the identification of the most important next goal is a good place to start.

Other measures of ROI are:

-number of leads generated

-total sales revenue generated

-change in awareness of your brand – attention form the media

-change in market share

-change in buying pattern re products, days etc.

-change in intent to buy

-increase in incremental sales revenue

-customer retention

Look for ways to track your progress keeping the end in mind. It is all about prioritizing and being able to identify and sort the factors that are crucial to your success, from the insignifcant details it’s so easy to get caught up in.

It may feel more productive to be doing, but it is actually more constructive to be planning. The odds of achieving marketing success increase exponentially if you are aware of what has succeeded and failed in the past. 80 to 90% of effort is well spent on identification, planning and determining the success metrics, with the balance on execution and assessment.

The owner of a successful business or product is often reported as saying, “It seemed to develop a life of it’s own and just take off.” It could be a lucky break but often it’s the result of years of experience and thought finally put into action.

Nancy Fraser is the President of Nota Bene Consulting a marketing and advertising firm that encourages their clients to “First Ponder, Then Dare”. Sign up for the free ezine at http://www.notable-marketing.com

…my senses. I know, you were thinking ‘Texas’. Well, if they do live in Texas, then it’s a good thing that I live in Virginia (dodged that bullet - swish!). In fact, most of my experiences, good and bad, nestle deep in the base of my subconscious until ‘something’ wakes them up. It could be the ocean air, a certain perfume, the sound of fireworks or a song, the touch, the feel of cotton, or even the taste of burnt pizza. Yup, all of these sensory experiences can bring any memory rushing back to the front of your mind.

So, what does this have to do with branding?

Have you ever smelled french fries and said, “Oh, I could go for McDonald’s”.

Nokia, the leader in cell phone manufacturing design their phones to touch at least 4 of the 5 senses, and touch some more than others. The design of the phone is perfectly shaped to the contour of the users hand (touch). The interface is designed to be exactly the same in any language, to the point that a Japanese user change his settings to English and know exactly where everything is (sight and touch). Their ringtone is unique and a branded Nokia sound (also used on their web site), so that it is easily recognized worldwide (sound). Their packaging has a branded scent that is emitted into the users brain the moment it is opened (smell). And, I wouldn’t put it past them to find something taste-worthy to tie into their brand.

Again, what does this have to do with branding? EVERYTHING!

Branding for the senses takes your brand to another level of memorability. Did you know that the Disney Parks purposely spray the scent of cotton candy in areas where there isn’t any? This drives traffic to other areas of the Parks where there is cotton candy! Did you know that the ‘new car smell’ is a manufactured scent? It’s deliberately added because people love it. It is the finishing touch, the icing on the cake, that makes the decision to buy final.

Some stores have a branded scent, or a branded sound when you walk in the door. You don’t realize it, but when you hear that sound or smell that smell you will automatically think of that store. Certain hotels hand you warm chocolate chip cookie when you check-in - this is to wake the memories of home, which is how they want to remembered!

So, what does your brand smell like?

tandembranding is a nation-wide branding firm, and we work with marketing directors to make their company famous. We specialize in industries that cater to the customer experience.

For more articles on how branding can make you famous, please visit tandembranding.com

Mark Campanale, Brand Expert
tandembranding
tandembranding.com

First let’s clear up a common misconception of what a “Brand” really is. A brand is more than just your company’s name or logo. It’s more than just a particular type of product you offer such as Q-tips brand of cotton swabs. It’s more than just the look of the packaging of your product. In a nutshell your ”Brand” is the culmination of everything your prospect’s 5 senses can pick up on about you.

It’s the image you present at all times. From the company’s logo and color scheme all the way to the manner in which your employees dress.

It’s what your prospect hears from and about you. From what they hear about you in the media to how your customer service team handles incoming complaints.

It’s the feeling your prospect gets in all their dealings with you. From their satisfied or unsatisfied interaction with you to the relationship building activities you carry out.

It’s the pleasant or unpleasant scents that get associated with you covering everywhere from the scent of your product or facility, to even your employees.

And lastly it’s also the tastes that get associated with you. From the taste of your product (if it’s a product meant to be tasted) to the quality of coffee or tea you serve.

As you are probably beginning to see the picture I am painting for you, your brand encompasses everything about you. Hence you can see why it’s important to always put your best foot forward.

Let’s take this one step further. Even more important than being perfect in your eyes, is being consistent in the prospect’s eyes.

Consistency is the key to branding. It is terrible branding practice and just plain unacceptable to offer great service one day, and bad service the next. You are better off being consistently mediocre. Then at least the customer knows what to expect and is generally more satisfied. Another example of bad branding is having a different look and feel for your website as compared to your other marketing collateral (e.g. business cards, brochures, etc.). Ultimately, your prospect should be able to recognize you at a quick glance – just by colors, design style, logo, etc.

For instance, let’s take the fast food retailer McDonalds. They have done a spectacular job at branding. Their food tastes consistently the same no matter which location you eat at – essentially around the world. What you see, hear, feel, smell, and taste are pretty much consistent and acceptable across the board.

Bottom line, branding is essential to establishing your identity in the marketplace and consistency is the key to effective doing that. Prospects want consistency! Consistency breeds comfort and comfort is an aspect of relationship building - a key marketing strategy.

© 2005 Online Marketing Muscle — All Rights Reserved.

Dean Mercado is an Internet marketing coach, strategist, author, and speaker. Dean and his company Online Marketing Muscle help entrepreneurial professionals leverage the power of Internet marketing to turn their businesses into money magnets. Visit Online Marketing Muscle for many more Internet marketing tips.

http://www.OnlineMarketingMuscle.com

This is not a how-to design a logo. This is a guide to educate you on how an
experienced designer can help you through a project whose outcome you will need
to live with for years. Learn how greatly the symbolic significance of your corporate
identity can impact your business. To say anyone can design a logo is to say
anyone can design a 53 story high rise. Here are some key lessons that will tell you
if you’re choosing the right architect for your corporate identity!

Simple Definition- On The Surface

A logo design is composed of one or more elements of shape, type, and
thematically chosen colors. In a glance, it conveys a substantial amount of
information to the viewer, much in the form of short gut feelings that aren’t
vocalized —good, hesitant, authoritative, dignified, classy, upscale, expertise,
cheap…the list is endless.

Your logo is a symbol that will stand on every piece of printed or electronic
collateral for at least the next 10 years. Remember that thought. Changing your
logo in a year because you don’t like it breeds confusion and mistrust that spreads
like weeds within your audience. Many people over look that fact when they have a
logo designed from the Internet for $25.

Your identity is an extension of your business that communicates visually, through
appearance, and emotionally, through symbolism. Curtailing or ignoring thought,
revision, and growth in the design process will hurt your finished product and
corporate image. A good graphic artist will lead you through the design process.
He or she will help visualize your company as the world sees you.

“I’m not creative,” “I can’t draw,” “Make it green cause green is my favorite color and
I’m the boss and it’s my logo!” If you find yourself thinking along these lines, you’re
pretty normal so don’t worry! If your passion and talent lie in matching the perfect
violin to a young blossoming talent that walks into your music store, you’re
probably not going to do your own corporate tax returns.

Tax returns are done every year. Your logo, the heart and soul of your business is
created once. It’s part of you, and is the face of your business the world will see.
Let a graphic artist, whose own passion is design, help you with what they do best.
It’s well worth the investment. Let’s look at why…

In the following we’ll discuss some obvious and not so obvious things a logo
communicates and illustrate by examples you’ll recognize. You will have a greater
understanding of how much power your little icon can potentially have.

Logos: The Obvious Characteristics

From a usability and visibility standpoint there a several key factors that must be
built into the design. Your logo must be clear and simple enough that it does not
lose meaning when reproduced at different sizes, specifically smaller. If it is too
cluttered and muddy on your business card your first impression will be a
disappointment to a potential client.

It must not lose meaning when reproduced in one color. The Internet and online
marketing let you produce things in blazing colorful glory without extra cost.
However, don’t forget those equally important other places your logo will be seen
like packaging, shopping bags, faxes, Xeroxes, newspapers, business cards,
brochures and letterhead. Those are important items in building brand loyalty and
recognition to your product. If they don’t look sharp, neither will your image, and
neither will your sales.

Logos: The Quiet, Harmonic Subtle Qualities Often Overlooked

Your logo is a symbol of your company’s ideals, practices and missions. A well-
developed, carefully sculpted logo can inspire vision, stability and comfort. Your
image can make a viewer feel he or she is in the best, most experienced hands.
With this visual interaction you are building a trust with your audience.

Instill trust and a solid foundation

A logo can build trust and credibility. When you see a company’s logo, even briefly,
you feel something. That something can make you uneasy and worried about what
you’ll get for your money, or it can make you feel safe. How about McDonald’s? (Fat
grams and calories aside for a moment), when you see the Golden Arches, most
people think good, fun, always-know-what-to-expect-even-in-a-strange-land
hamburger. If you are lost in a foreign country, sighting the McDonald’s Logo
creates a sense of familiarity and relief.

How about a black circle with two little circles on either side, toward the top.
Mickey. (Yes, that might make some mom and dad’s feel faint at the ticket prices),
but beyond that, there’s an unparalleled, magical feeling of childhood, laughter and
joy. What powerful emotion from three, joined, black circles that transcends
language and culture.

If we say your logo is a symbol, by definition it represents the heart and root system
of your company. The ultimate goal is for your audience to feel and understand
your business on an emotional level and remember it. Sometimes logos can have an
abstract relationship, sometimes right in your face. Either way, they must make
sense and uniquely tie into your business. If you buy a pair of sneakers with a
swoosh on them, do you have any doubt that they will wear out too soon, be
uncomfortable, or a waste of money?

Show you are proactive and visionary

Say you’re in the market for a luxury car. You are probably less worried about the
obnoxious sales people and more attune to advertising you’ve seen. Which
companies immediately come to mind when you think of precision, perfection and
technological achievement?

Logos like Jaguar, Mercedes, or BMW convey enough inherent sense of forward
thinking that they can appear as the only element on a billboard. There is a
confidence you’re in a class of superior engineering, advanced technology, and
luxurious style compared to low and mid range automobiles. And even more
intriguing, if you’re an owner or in the market for one, doesn’t seeing that particular
logo reinforce those ideals to you? How can a little silver kitty on the front of a
hood evoke such deep emotional reactions?

Portray confidence and expertise

Calvin Klein, Ralph Loren, and Coca-Cola are recognizable from across a room.
With each, you know purchased products are consistent in quality. I’d suggest the
most obviously confident is Calvin Klein. But it works, doesn’t it? The smell of CK
cologne might trigger a good (maybe bad!) memory for you. Who in real life is more
confident than the perfect underwear models that seem to be in endless production?
If they don’t radiate self-confidence to that corporation, I’m at a loss for what does!

People will argue Coke is better than Pepsi or vice versa. It really doesn’t matter
because both are regarded as the best cola drinks made. Either one far surpasses
any of the knock off brands. They are experts in their field. So how does a designer
create an image like these for your company?

How does a designer begin? Every creative professional has his or her own methods,
but the initial premise and ultimate journey is the same.

Design Is A Process

Research

It is impossible to find parallels of symbolism and create a logo identity without
learning about the company, interacting with its employees, understanding the
products and services, and examining the competition.

Here a designer starts to understand what ideals the corporate image must convey
and what makes the company unique. Now, how to communicate those thoughts,
feelings, and ideals onto paper.

Brainstorming/Draft

I usually carry a small tablet around with me when I’m working on a logo design. I
sit at lunch, at red lights, and through the day sketching, scribbling, jotting down
thoughts that pop into my head. These aren’t anything for show, but quick ideas
that usually springboard to new ones. Eventually one common thread stands out
and I’ll extrapolate some tighter focused ideas around that theme.

Revision

This is the most important process of design. This is where shapes and words
combine into life. Here is where ideas evolve into concrete concepts. These
concepts are further reworked, poked and prodded, transformed into more detailed,
individual entities. A new idea may still enter into the mix, but results become
much more refined and defined.

At a point when gut instinct and some outside opinions say, “That’s a keeper!” I’ll
present the top three concepts to the client. I may offer some thoughts about color
or other added aesthetic enhancements, but I’m more interested in conveying the
underlying meaning of the symbol, and how I think it would speak to an audience
and drive the company forward.

Conclusion

I strongly suggest you let an experienced designer help you with your logo
development. It’s not unreasonable to pay several thousand dollars for a design.
That design should, however, take more than two days to develop and a lot of
interaction and explanation! But you have to live with the results and they should
be nothing less than great.

When interviewing several graphic artists, ask them how they develop a logo. What
steps do they take? Their way might be a bit different than this article, but the
general thought should be the same. You’re business is probably your most valued
investment. Help the world believe that too by having a logo that conveys it.

Name recognition, building trust, and brand loyalty take time. All of the companies
talked about were new once too. And, all are innovators with their own unique,
wonderfully expressive faces to the world.

John Krycek is the owner and creative director of http://www.themouseworks.ca theMouseworks.ca. Read additional articles on logo design
and identity creation and graphic and web design in easy, non-technical, up front
English!

Any business with the minimum interest to be successful should concentrate on developing their corporate image and when I say “any business”, I mean it, absolutely any business—even if it’s a mom-n-pop shop. “Corporate image” might be a big word for such small ventures, however, what I meant by that is how the business wants themselves to be perceived by their customers. Irrespective of the size of the business it is very important to determine how do you come across to your potential customers? How do you compare to your competitors? These factors are largely determined by your branding and marketing strategies. Branding tools like logo designs, business cards etc goes a long way in creating your corporate image. Any marketing communication material should ideally have your corporate logo on it, which would give more credibility for your business as well as help your client to perceive your business as a professional enterprise.

Logo design is an absolutely indispensable part of corporate branding strategy and should always be assigned to professional logo designers. A professional logo designer is not just a graphic designer but he should also have ideas about branding and positioning of business. Depending on your requirements he will create a logo that would successfully exude the nature and attitude of your business. He also needs to understand the media in which you are going to use your logo; it can be web, print, electronic media (TV commercial etc) or a mixture of all of these. The logo should be compatible and equally attractive wherever you might choose to use them. While working on any of our logo design orders we ( Custom Logo Design )always try to capture as much as information possible, from the client.

Basically there are 4 types of logos, glyph, alpha-glyph, alphanumeric or a combination of any of these. There are a number of factors that should be looked into to determine what would be the ideal solution for you. A professional logo designer or a specialist logo design firm can definitely help you with decision making in this aspect.

Types of Logos

Glyph: This includes symbols, icons, pictures etc that represents your company. These are most widely used for secondary communication rather than business logos, except for few like, Apple. Glyphs though used rarely as logos, if created properly by talented logo designers can be extremely sophisticated and create a deep impact as a corporate identity. However, we need to be careful that glyphs need to be done by well experienced professionals, an amateur attempt can simply male your logo unattractive and useless and might even cause loss of credibility to your business.

Alpha-Glyph: An alpha-glyph logo uses a letter from the name of the company to graphically convey the nature of the business. At times picking the first letter of the company name and designing it in a particular way also do this. Ideal examples of this type of logos can be seen with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), IBM, Honda, Motorola, and Oklahoma State University. This type of logo is also not used very commonly and shares the same advantages and disadvantages as the glyphs.

Alphanumeric: This is a very common type of logos and is also used by some of the most reputed and well-known companies in the world. To name a few, Microsoft, Sony, Fed Ex etc. These logos are nothing but the name of your company written in a unique way with typographical effects. The typographic treatment gives a unique look to the logo and there is generally no issue with getting a Trademark. These logos are comparatively easier for amateurs to create however to get the best effect from an alphanumeric logo it’s always better to work with a professional logo designer. Choice of font, color, letter spacing etc can make big difference in creating an impressive corporate logo.

Combination Logos: This is the most common type of logos and is found everywhere. Most of these are actually glyph or alpha-glyph with an alphanumeric company name. It is the arrangement of the company name and the image and their color combination that plays the most instrumental role in the effectiveness of the logo. Some good examples of combination logos are UPS, Red Hat Linux and Intel.

Placing your corporate logo on all marketing collaterals including business cards, brochures, flyers etc helps you to mark those collaterals as your company property and establish your corporate identity.

Logos and marketing materials are integral part of a company’s brand establishment strategy. A logo done by an amateur can ruin the credibility of your business in no time but when done by a professional logo designer can definitely add value to your business. A professional logo designer can help you to decide which type of logo is best suited for your business and can make people perceive your company as a huge corporate house with much credibility even when it might be just an one man shop.

It’s the image of the company that matters, if you intend to portray a positive and impressive image of your company go for a professional logo design today.

Ray Smith is a marketing Expert with years of experience in different industries and specialized knowledge on branding and internet marketing.
Custom Logo Design

What does it mean to be remarkable?

Brian Scudamore, CEO and Founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, who in 1996 was operating the million dollar plus company at the age of 26, said it means, “You’ve got to get out there and be loud and proud… You’ve got to stand out. You have got to have a brand that is worth remarking about.”

He learned much about this type of philosophy from the book Purple Cow, written by one of his mentors, Seth Godin.

It’s kind of like Sir Richard Branson’s recent flying superhero-saving nurses publicity stunt to launch Virgin Mobile Canada.

Like Branson, Scudamore takes risks. He and his company want to make sure they get noticed. After all, they’re “building the Fed-Ex of Junk removal.” He does know, however, that beyond the gorilla marketing, his strategies and his team of motivated employees and franchise partners are key to sustaining the brand. “It’s all about the people,” he said.

After changing the company name, from Rubbish Boys to 1-800-GOT-JUNK (Scudamore was looking for a more professional name and was inspired by the Got Milk campaign and the 1-800-FLOWER model, where it doesn’t matter where you are in the country, you can call one number), Scudamore knew he would be able to build a brand. It had never been done in the industry.

“Junk removal is not something new. It’s been around forever,” he said. “But, it is similar to some other industries where brands have come in and successfully dominated and created a very branded industry.

“Look at Starbucks. There used to be a mom and pop coffee shop on every corner. You don’t see that anymore. It’s all Starbucks.”

1-800-GOT-JUNK is heading in that same direction. Perhaps you’ll never find it on every corner, but July 2004 marked its 100th franchise. The company’s short-term goal is to have 250 franchise partners with system-wide sales of $100M by the end of 2006.

And, its long term goal is to be the World’s Largest Junk Removal Company with a presence in 10 countries by the end of 2012. “We’re building something much bigger together than anyone of us could ever build alone,” said Scudamore.

He is committed to maintaining and strengthening this type of team work. The growth of the company depends on it and it’s also what makes the brand special. ”We’re only as good as we make ourselves out to be. If we’re out there not delivering on our on-time service and up-front pricing that we promise, then our brand doesn’t build. People will start to look at us and say, ‘These guys aren’t as good as they say they are.’

That’s the problem with having such a well-established brand and reputation; you have to deliver on your promises. You simply cannot hide from a disgruntled customer, especially not when you’re wearing a big blue wig and standing beside a large mobile billboard, waving to the morning commuters as they pass by. The “Honk if you love junk” sign will not help either.

By Christina Lee

Christina Lee is Editor of The Image Architex Online Marketing Magazine (http://www.theIMAGEarchitex.com). Visit the site for more articles on branding and general marketing practices, opportunities, tips and ideas for small-sized business entrepreneurs, artists and producers.

Businesses eager to open often give little thought to their identity.
With so much to get done, designing an appropriate logo hardly seems
like a top priority. However, this oversight can prove to be a
costly error in the long run.

While it’s admirable to let your uncle’s wife’s cousin take a crack at
designing your logo, it might not be very wise - especially if it’s not
what they do professionally day-in and day-out. You don’t let just anyone
contact your best clients. Nor do you let just anyone develop your mission
statement. You get the idea here. The good news is that there are now many online,
cost-effective ways to have a professional work on your design projects (eg., http://
www.bullseyelogo.com). You get high-quality without having to pay the traditional
ad agency prices.

• A new business must compete with established companies. A quality logo is one
of the easiest ways to gain credibility and professionalism right from the start,
when you need it most.

• A new business usually has to attract customers away from competitors.
A distinctive logo stands out in peoples minds, and is much easier to remember
than a name alone.

• A logo adds visual appeal to any document or website, and increases the
impact of your promotional materials.

• Eventually, the time will come when the need for a professional logo is evident.
Having already begun to establish the presence of your company, you now risk
diminishing your existing brand equity. Additional money will have to be spent to
promote the change or introduction of your logo, in order to avoid loss of business
due to confusion.

Get off to a great start!

A well designed logo signals the existence of a company, its strength, services and
products offered. The aim is to create a lasting impression on a customer’s mind. A
stong identity becomes your SILENT SALESMAN 24/7! That’s a great way to get your
business off the ground.

Article written by: Umberto Micheli http://www.bullseyelogo.com

Umberto Micheli is the Creative Director at Bullseyelogo., a logo design firm that
designs high quality corp. logo design and corporate identity packages for
businesses worldwide.