What is Branding and How Important is it to Your Marketing Strategy?

By Laura Lake

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a
 "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.

Therefore it makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, but it is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.

The objectives that a good brand will achieve include:

• Delivers the message clearly
• Confirms your credibility
• Connects your target prospects emotionally
• Motivates the buyer
• Concretes User Loyalty

To succeed in branding you must understand the needs and wants of your customers and prospects. You do this by integrating your brand strategies through your company at every point of public contact.

Your brand resides within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which you can influence, and some that you cannot.

A strong brand is invaluable as the battle for customers intensifies day by day. It's important to spend time investing in researching, defining, and building your brand. After all your brand is the source of a promise to your consumer. It's a foundational piece in your marketing communication and one you do not want to be without.

5 Inspiring Custom Logo and Graphic Design Ideas

...by Angela Willis

Many people think you need to be creative all the time to be in a creative field. I don’t believe so. I know I do pretty well and I don’t think that creativity is seeping out of me. I think I’ve just become good at developing ways to find inspiration when I need it so I can create great custom graphics and logos for myself and my clients.

So here are five sources of web site graphics design inspiration you might not have thought of:

1. Down The Road - When you’re driving down the street have a look at the logos and colors you see in the businesses as you drive by. Most of these businesses will have hired a professional to create the graphics you see on display and they are great sources of ideas for your next product. Have a look at the shapes, colors, fonts and the feeling you get when you view each image. Consider taking out a video camera and video taping as you drive by with your own commentary (as long as you’re not also driving the car, of course!).

2. Newspapers & Magazines - I was at my local library the other day and I picked up a couple of local magazines. One was the town activity guide about local living. Each had plenty of graphics and ads that I could peruse for ideas and inspiration. Collect your favorite magazines or a selection of different types if you serve clients and you’ll always have plenty to draw from when you’re stumped.

3. Popular Websites - Of course you’ll want to look online for sources of web page graphic design ideas. If you’re working on a particular product then look up keywords related to your project and see what sites come up. Pay attention to the colors and the logos you find on these sites. Also many popular sites have ads that you can look at. The great thing about looking at ads is that people often have these professionally designed as well so they’re often great sources of quality ideas and inspiration.

4. Nature and the Outside World - Sometimes being stuck at a computer isn’t the best way to get inspired. Nature is filled with beautiful shapes, colors and materials. If you’re needing a new idea take a drive or go for a walk, you’re sure to come up with new ways to design web graphics that you never would have thought of without drawing from natural beauty. Now, you can also go to a city and draw on your surroundings for colors, shapes and of course plenty of marketing you see.

5. Your Graphic Design Inspiration Book - One thing I’ve wanted to do for a while is to create a binder filled with graphics that inspire me. Also, in this book I’d add a section for all the design techniques I can use to create different effects. You see, there are so many ways to create graphics that sometimes we forget certain techniques when we need them. I know that’s how it works for me, anyway. My suggestion is to get a binder and a bunch of clear sheet protectors and then just start collecting graphics you like. Organize them as you go into different categories to suit your needs.

Inspiration comes from lots of places and the five listed above are a good place to start. I’m sure as you become aware of your need for inspiration you’ll start seeing new ideas as you go about your daily life. Good luck and have fun!

Graphics shouldn’t just be beautiful, they should also be profitable! Join me as I teach you through live weekly webinars, email coaching, video tutorials, templates and more how to design web logos and graphics that get clicks and sales for your business.

Creating a Unique Business Logo

by: Angela Willis

Have you thought much about the branding you’re putting forth to your customers and clients?

When it comes to marketing your business, something as simple as a memorable graphic or catchphrase can create brand recognition and help you establish your business reputation. This is so important because every business needs to establish a relationship where their customers know, like and trust them.
When you think of Nike, what do you think of? For most people, the image of the Nike swoosh or the words “just do it” automatically jump into their mind when they think of the company.
When you see an image of an apple with a bite taken out of it, what do you think of? Many people will answer that question with either “Apple Computers” or “iPod”.
Establishing your own business logo or slogan can help people remember your business and think of it when the time comes that they actually want to use what you have to offer.

Branding With a Logo or Slogan
New visitors to your website will most likely not buy as soon as they get there. Most likely they’re going to see what you have to offer and then comparison shop or surf around looking at similar information.
You need to stand out in order to get them to return!

Creating a Logo That Helps You Stand Out
Look, the honest truth here is that a logo is not going to make or break your business. If you have a good one that helps you stand out that’s GREAT, but if you don’t have a logo you can continue and build a successful business.
The key to creating a logo that is unlike any other is to make sure it is completely authentic and infused with YOUR personality.
An example I can give you is in my own business here at Marketers Mojo. The name of this site itself is a great reflection of my own personality. I just love the word ‘mojo’ and the feel it gives.
Now of course my logo and branding is not just about me. It’s about my market and what they can relate to. The great thing about creating such an authentic logo is that it attracts people who also really resonate with what it represents. That way I work with people like me – and THAT makes for a business that I am completely in love with.

Logos That Associate You With Something
By creating your branding and logo you are associating something with your business. It may be a symbol or an animal or anything really. The important point is that when people see this representation anywhere else they may end up thinking of you if you’ve done your branding well.
When deciding which type of logo to use, think about your business and how you want to be perceived. Who is your target market and what type of things are they interested in? If your target market consists of grandmothers who are active, adding a rocking chair to your logo may insult them. However, featuring an older lady in tennis shoes or a in a jogging suit doing Pilates may make them laugh. This could be the type of logo that will stick with them and make them remember you.
The same goes for your slogan. Think of how you want to be represented and what appeals to your target market. In most cases it’s best to stay away from anything offensive, such as curse words or slang.
You will also want to stay away from trends. Your business logo and slogan can be with you for years. What is “cool” today can be “cold” tomorrow. Plan for a long-term investment and stick with what you will be proud of five or ten yeas from now.

How to Create a Free Business Logo
No cash to hire a graphic designer to create your logo? If you’ve got a bit of time on your hands to learn some graphic design yourself you could use the free graphics software program, Gimp. Gimp allows you to edit, create and enhance images and graphics for your website, business and branding.
You can learn more about using Gimp by checking out my program that offers live weekly webinars, email coaching, video tutorials, templates and more for creating great graphics and logos for your business.

The Value of Watching Over The Shoulder of A Pro

By Lynette Chandler

Ever thought what it would be like to sit beside a seasoned web developer and learn as they work?

Years ago, a marketing manager decided he would hire a web development company to build them a web site. He then instructed a young lady who was among his staff to spend an entire day at the web developers’ offices to learn how to update their new site.

The young lady was excited as she was really curious. At the same time, she was also nervous. Would it be difficult? Could she handle this? What if all this is way over her head?
She was awfully lucky that day because she got paired with a designer-developer who patiently answer questions and freely shared his knowledge.

Sitting side by side, he show her how to update the site. Later, he began building a web site from scratch. At every action, he took time to explain what he was doing and why he did things that way, while she watched and took it all in.

That woman is Lynette Chandler. She says, that single, simple event, changed her career direction forever. It sparked a new passion. Lynette took this new found knowledge, built upon it and used it to create a profitable business with services and products ranging from web development to WordPress plugins, themes and more.

Lynette is fully aware just how fortunate she was to have been paired up with an experienced, professional developer who was willing to do what he did. So many are afraid of you stealing their ‘secrets’ they don’t necessarily tell you what’s going on in their head as they work. But he did and Lynette recognized the immense value in that. In the early days of her business and even on occasion today, she often draws upon what she learned from him.

That’s why, when Lynette started customizing a theme for one of her own projects recently, she decided to record it, explain her steps, the decisions made as she went and why. The result is a 5 part video training that is raw and unedited; filled with golden nuggets and instantly usable knowledge for any web developer or anyone who wants to work on their own web design.  Watching it, would be as close to sitting next to Lynette as you can get. Just like she did with her mentor.

You can learn more or get a copy of this recording at http://techbasedtraining.com/?p=2987
While you’re there. Make sure you check out her other training courses. Lynette is a wonderful and patient technical teacher. Someone you’d enjoy learning from.