Easy Business Answers: How to Create a Business Logo Design?

Welcome to Qlixite answers where we ask the box to go beyond it. We take common questions that business owners have and give you easy, straightforward answers you can actually use!

Today’s we’re asking the box a branding question about logo design.

Do I need a logo?
The truth is, despite the old adage, people DO judge a book by it’s cover. Your logo is the “cover” to your business. It’s the first thing a potential customer sees (whether it’s on your business card, a website or storefront signage). A logo promotes your professionalism and instills trust to your customer that you are a legitimate business.

Can a logo be just text?
Yes! Many companies have been very successful with a text-based logo. Be aware that certain fonts will convey different messages about your brand.

For example:
• A block font can express a clean, modern or assertive presence
• A decorative or serif font can express creativity, humor or elegance
Avoid using overly common fonts that can appear less professional.

What  kind of graphics should a logo have? 
Many business use a shape or graphic to establish a visual identity. Think of companies like Starbucks, Twitter and Apple. Their graphics are not necessarily complex but the images are distinct – in most cases a customer can identify the company without seeing the name . A word of warning, if you choose a generic image, be aware that other businesses could have your graphic too which will make branding more difficult.

What about color?
A good rule of thumb when creating your logo is to see if it passes a few color tests …

#1 Black and White – Reviewing how your logo looks in black and white can catch a variety of problems right away and will ensure that your logo can be easily transferred onto items like ink pens or shirts.

#2 Flat Color  – This helps you look at how the colors are laid out without adding the details of shading. Reducing your logo to flat colors can allow you to pick up areas that are unclear or cluttered.

#3 Background – Inevitably, there will be a time when your logo needs to be displayed on a light or dark background. Try it out now! If you want to make sure your logo is only viewed on one kind of background, you may have to incorporate a shape, like a box or circle to make it easily transferable onto any color.

Do I need a graphic designer to make a logo?
Of course not! However, it’s important to note that a professional graphic designer knows how to convert your brand into a variety of print-ready formats including vector files and web optimized graphics. This is not as easy to do if you create your logo in a program like MS Word.

One final point…
Whether your logo is simple or complex – it should be memorable. It should stand out from your competition in the same way that your business stands out. Be sure to show your logo design to friends, family and current clients to get feedback. You’d hate to be memorable for the wrong reasons like these guys who ranked in the tip 10 worst logos online.

As always, let’s end with our high five review... a logo design should…
• Include text in a font style that matches your company
• Include a unique graphic or shape
• Pass color tests to ensure it can be used easily
• Be convertible to multiple formats that are print and web ready for future use
• Be memorable and get positive feedback from your customer base

We hope this video helps you to better understand logo design and how it can impact your business….

Stay updated as we add new videos on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or see how we can make your business life easier at Qlixite.com

Social Media Snapshot: Pinterest for Business

According to Pinterest.com...."Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes." Users share visual images from the web by "pinning" them on to a series of virtual PinBoards.

It's All About Visual Connections!

So How to Get Started?
FIRST: Our first suggestion is to RESEARCH what your ideal client is pinning. Search the keywords and categories on the Pinterest Dashboard. Create your business boards with your ideal client in mind.
* Provide answers to their questions
* Feed their inspirations.
* Solve their problems.

SECOND: Setup your first boards by choosing topics or categories that reflect your business values, culture, interests, products and services. Tip: Be creative with your board names!

THIRD: Pin ethically. Read the fine print and pay attention to copyrights. When re-pinning, check to see if the pin is linked to a legitimate website. If it hasn't report it or leave a comment suggesting for the original pinner to update the source.

We Suggest a Watermark...
When pinning original content to Pinterest - we suggest you add a watermark of your logo or website to the image to preserve integrity. This way, the image will always stay connected to your website and continuously promote your brand.

Add Prices & Links when Appropriate...
If you are pinning images of your products, add the price into your pin description. Pinterest will add a price banner automatically! You can also add live links to your descriptions which will continue to add brand identity to your pins.

Follow & Engage!
Start pinning across a range of boards but also spend some time following and engaging with other users and boards. By doing so and repinning their content, you will gradually build your own community.

Watch what others are doing...
Again, Pinterest is a very new social platform but there are some brands that are already doing very well. Search around and see what others are doing and how users are responding. Brands like Oprah, McDonalds and Mashable are going strong.

Plan and Execute
Create a plan what and when you want to pin and then track how things go. You may have to try several strategies to find the one that works best for your brand. Click here to read 6 Pinterest Tips from Power Users from Mashable.

Conclusion
Be prepared for learning and change when it comes to Pinterest. It's such a new social media platform that we guarantee you - they're not even close to offering services that they will offer 6 months from now. Be willing to spend the time doing research and creating original content and be prepared to learn something new everyday. It just got Pinterest-ing!

Understanding the Superstitious is Smart Business

Friday the 13th is associated with many elements of superstition; black cats, spilled salt, broken mirrors...but business performance? Many would say no - but in fact, a reported 9 percent of Americans are superstitious about the ominous calendar day and studies show that $800 million to $900 million in business revenue is lost on days like today.

We know that baseball players are superstitious about their favorite bat or pair of socks but business men and women have their own 'lucky' traditions. Whether it's that favorite suit for an interview or reading their horoscope before selling stock - it may seem irrational but according to Stuart Vyse, professor of psychology at Connecticut College, these actions are understandable, especially in times of economic uncertainty.

"In the business world, there is a tremendous amount of randomness in the market and people seek ways to gain control over these events, even though they can't," he says. "What you wear that day, the coffee that you drink--these things can't affect the outcome of the day's business, but people engage in this [behavior] to feel like they've done every possible thing to manage the outcome."

Although Vyse isn't a proponent of irrational behavior, he acknowledges that there are certain psychological benefits, such as more confidence and a sense of comfort, linked to superstitious rituals. "Crazy or not, you feel better having done [them]."

How can Lucky Numbers Work for Business?
You might not believe or buy into supersition but as a business - you need to takes steps to  mitigate losses on days like Friday the 13th. Plus, you can capitalize on positive superstitions.In the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Block and Kramer point out that some successful marketing campaigns based on the number seven, considered lucky in Western cultures, can draw positive attention from customers.

Icelandair, for example, ran a promotion allowing customers to add on excursions for $7 each, provided they booked by 7/7/07. Another was Wal-Mart's "Lucky in Love Wedding Search," which granted seven couples a free wedding ceremony and reception for 77 guests on the lucky date. "That campaign was very successful," Kramer says.

Acording to Entrepreneur.com, hundreds of millions of dollars are lost on Friday the 13th because humans are naturally risk-averse. Although it's not always done consciously, there's a tendency toward less decision-making, Block says. "People don't do as much shopping and don't leave the house--and there's less flying." But by simply making people aware of superstitious behavior, it can bring out their more rational side, reminding them it's just an ordinary day.

Home store Crate & Barrel, Kramer recalls, ran a "Lucky You" campaign on Friday the 13th. "They played off the superstition and got people to come out anyway." Because consumers are not always aware of the extent to which they rely on superstitions, this is perhaps one model that businesses can follow.

Kramer concludes that it's important for business owners to be aware of any superstitions held by their target market. "Then they can both capitalize on [this knowledge] as well as avoid mistakes."

Educate Your Customer - A Failsafe Marketing Strategy

It's a less publicized strategy but educating your customer is an effective marketing tool that should be a part of any business makreting plan. Marketing is an essential element of running a successful business and the key is to do it better than your competition. When creating your marketing strategy - especially for a small business - every dollar spent needs to produce!

Education is Your Foundation

Although many marketing guru's might spout that ROI and target audience are the main focus in your business strategy - educating your customer should be your centerpiece. Educating your client is one of the best ways to increase sales and turn one time sales into long lasting loyal customers. Many times, when people are considering buying a product - they know little about it which makes them less likely to buy on impulse. They don't know if the price is realistic, if the product is reliable, if the quality is an industry standard - this kind of uncertinty makes a customer feel uncomfortable about the purchse.

Be a Teacher of Your Business

Believe it or not but sales and teaching go hand in hand. A teacher in a classroom wants you to learn the material to be able to pass the test (for example). A salesperson (or business owner) wants you to learn about the product to see why this purchase is ideal. So if a customer is interested in a product or service and someone takes the time with them to show them the features and how they compare to other similar items - a customer will begin to feel more confident in their decision to purchase. The more the information is balanced and informational (rather than just a 'sales pitch') the more likely you earn their trust and loyalty. Guess who they will come to for information in the future? You, their expert!

Educate About Your Product or Service

This is a no-brainer! Make sure your customers know about what you offer and how you can solve their problems. Often, missed sales occur when a customer doesn't know or understand your product or service.

 

How do you do this?

• Advertising
• Blogs
• Website
• FAQ's
• Cross-selling
• Point of sale offers
• Direct mail to current customers

Educate About Your Business

This is one aspect that often gets overlooked in marketing but can be just as important as educating your customer about your product or service. The relationship your customers have with you and your business is emotional. 

Customers often ask themselves...

• Do I trust this business?
• Is the staff knowledgable?
• Does the company stand behind their product with a warranty?
• Is this company the best place to get this service?
• Do I feel good about supporting this company?

If you're still unsure about how important this aspect of marketing is then consider this: If you are looking at two identical products at the same price - who do you go with? Have you ever paid more money for a product or service because you like the company or owner. Everyday, people choose to pay more or shop exclusively with brands because they like the company as well as the product (examples: Macy's, Nike, Pepsi, Budweiser and Apple). If it works for them - it can work for you too!

Go Beyond Your Field

While you are educating customers about your business and your company (in ways that solve their problems) think about also educating them in related subjects. For example: If your business is selling appliances, it would be helpful if you understood home construction or remodel budgeting. Something as simple as providing referral business information or a pamphlet discussing related topics will continue to establish trust with your customer. You aren't directly selling them anything by offering this information so this solidifies that you are trustworthy and have their best interests at heart. Imagine how often they will think of your business when talking to their friends and family as well.

Conclusion

Is is often said that knowledge is power - think of educating your customer as a marketing strategy that empowers your customer. The more they know, the more power they have to make a decision and buy...as well as share what a helpful expert you are!

Social Media Snapshot: Twitter for Business

According to Twitter.com...."It took Twitter three years, two months and one day to reach our first billion Tweets. Today, there are over a billion Tweets sent every three days. These Tweets represent conversations related to almost any topic imaginable."

That's a lot of people talking!

So How will this help you?
• The conversations happening on Twitter offer businesses a wealth of information about current and potential customers.
• You can quickly and easily see what people are saying about your brand, your product, your competitors and industry in a few clicks. It's like having the world's largest focus group at your fingertips!
• It's REAL-TIME interaction - you can watch it happen or you can jump in there and get your brand involved in the marketplace...at NO COST!

What you NEED to KNOW...
There are a couple of things you should familiarize yourself with to safely navigate the Twitter universe...

140 CHARACTERS - its a magic number...and it's the maximum length for all tweets (aka messages)

MENTION - Precede a Twitter username with an @ symbol and they will be notified that you have mentioned them in your tweet. (Example: "We love our new client @susanjones")

RETWEET - When you want to share a tweet - click the retweet button below it to send it out to your followers. Again, people are notified when you retweet which helps establish camaraderie.

MESSAGE - Think of this as something similar to email. Privately tweet a message to a user with a DM or direct message.

HASHTAG - Hashtags (like Mentions with the @ symbol) involve a # symbol before a word or phrase (no spaces). Think of a hashtag as the them of your tweet. Users can click on a hashtag to find other tweets with the SAME hashtag. (Example: " Now offering an #extendedsale of 50% off")

Twitter is on the GO!
You might have noticed a lot of people walking around with these things called smart phones...no? Well mobile technology is a MAJOR craze that is changing how people connect with businesses. This means you NEED to be accessible in the mobile universe. One of the easiest ways is TWITTER!

• Twitter's mobile aplications make it easy for people to connect and read your tweets from their smart phone, tablet or blackberry.
• People can subscribe to INSTANTLY receive your tweets to their phone - very cool!
• Tweet from ANYWHERE - this means you can get your information out without sitting at your desk computer.

Need a Widget?
Twitter offers follow buttons and widgets that allow for live streaming of tweets right on your website. Once you place them on your site - you don't have to do a thing! Visitors will see what is happening right from your site on your twitter feed. This is great if you want to tweet during a live event or sale.

Promote your Tweets, Trends or Yourself
Twitter offers several options for advertising on Twitter. This is recent option for businesses so we recommend getting more familiar with Twitter advertising directly. Click here to check out their site.

Conclusion
If you're still not convinced that Twitter is a viable social media platform for your business - we have one final point to make. Twitter is all about REAL-TIME information which is something that search engines (Like Google, Bing, Yahoo & more) really LOVE! This means search engines will prioritize results from a website like Twitter over normal websites. Don't you want a piece of that action?

Qlixite will setup and manage your Twitter account for you

Facebook Page Admins - New Roles

Facebook is an ever-changing forum of capabilities for business owners. In a interesting twist of events, admins of Facebook business pages now have tiers with different capabilities for each role. There are five different types of admin roles: Manager, Content Creator, Moderator, Advertiser, and Insights Analyst. Having the option of these different roles and responsibilities can be great tool for you, as an admin, and for your business page. Instead of all admins having the SAME options to create content, remove and invite other admins, and change Page settings - admins can split up the responsibilities. Think of the possibilities – different tasks for different roles.

Managers have the widest range of capabilities for the business page. Not only can they edit and create posts, but they can manage the Business Page’s admins, create ads, edit applications, and view the Business Page’s insights. It’s the most powerful tier of the five apps. All admins will begin as managers untilyou assign a different role.

Content Creators have all the functionalities of the Manager, except for being able to manage admin roles. Content Creators can post as the Page, respond to comments, and view insights.

Moderators are great for managing the business Page’s fan base by responding to Page comments, likes, and messages. Community managers can devote their precious time to interacting with what really drives a Page: its fan base. Interacting with a fan base is key and lending a personal touch to your posts in the form of responses to fans is invaluable in creating your brand as one that fans can really interact with.

Advertisers can create ads which will in turn drive fans to your business Page and hopefully become fans – perfect for a brand’s marketing team.

Insights Analysts are limited to viewing the business Page’s insights and interactions with fans. It’s ideal for someone who needs to learn the ins and outs of FB, such as an intern or a social media volunteer. It can be overwhelming to get thrown into FB’s admin panel, so let’s slowly wade in.

Facebook’s new admin roles allow admins to divide and conquer when it comes to managing the diverse elements of your Facebook Business Page.

Vehicle Advertising: Take Your Business on the Road

Advertising takes on many forms for a small business. You may try postcards, leads groups, ads in magazines or newspapers or of course - online advertising like Facebook or Google Ads. But there is definately an avenue of advertising that is affordable and wildly effective. What are we talking about?

Vehicle Advertising!

Imagine the usual traffic jam - whether it's on the highway or in line to drop of kids at school. Everyone sits, in their cars, trucks and even campers waiting for the car in front of them to move. They are almost begging for something to look at that is more exciting than the license plate cover ahead of them that says "I'd rather be..." Now, you might know exactly what we mean because you have been in this situation. One might think this is not the moment to advertise your business - but you'd be wrong!

Here's 5 Reasons Why

1. Impressions Galore

The Federal Highway Administration reports that a vehicle sporting an advertisement generate up to 23,000 impressions per day in a metro city. Now, maybe you don't live in a metro city but just think about how many cars you pass on your way to work, the grocery store, the bank, soccer practice and even on vacation. All of those trips in your vehicle are advertising oportunities for people to be exposed to your business.

2. It's Never NOT on Duty

Vehicle advertising works for you around the clock, every single day and night, 365 days a year for as long as you have it on your car. Whether you are driving or parked in a parking lot - your vehicle advertisement is a non-stop marketing machine working for you!

3. Stats Speak for Themselves

• 98% of Vehicle Advertising creates a positve image for the advertiser
• 97% of customers remember seeing a specific vehicle advertisiment of a business they buy from
• 96% of drivers and pedestrians say they notice words and pictures displayed on vehicles

4. Reach a Wide Demographic

Most American's (96%) spend time in a vehicle as either the driver or passenger at least 2-3 times per week. Many of us drive or ride in a car every day! This isn't an age, wealth or interest specific type of advertising. You can reach a vast number of people - all who could potentially be your next customer.

5. Cost Effective for You

Many kinds of advertising charge you for the length of time an ad runs and the quantity of people it (might) reach. While you pay for a vehicle advertisment in the beginning, you don't pay again! Many vehicle decals last for 2-5 years which means this initial cost spread out over this long span of time rates as a cost effective method of advertising.

There are many different kinds of vehicle advertising options - from decals to window graphics and more! While some are permanent (perfect for commercial vehicles) - others are easily removable and work great for your own personal car, truck or RV. Take the lead that even the big businesses employ and take your business on the road with vehicle advertising!

Online vs Traditional Advertising Methods

As the saying goes, "Nothing changes if nothing changes." However, if everything out there is changing except you - you can be you're getting left behind. The growth of online information technology has changed the landscape of business marketing. The internet has replaced or vastly altered traditional advertising mediums such as magazines, newspaper, radio and television. All of these once "print only" mediums have online versions. With a good strategy and market awareness; businesses can utilize the internet to achieve effective and cost efficient marketing. Below are a few comparisons drawn between online and traditional advertising.

Online Advertising is Targeted

Instead of wasting time and effort (as well as lots of money) to send out mass mailings and junk mail with low return on investment, businesses can allocate their money smarter and more efficiently with online advertising by targeting specific audiences who are actually searching for your business, product or service.

Tracking and Conversion

Here’s the big question - How many people have been exposed to your ads? It’s very difficult to measure the effectiveness of direct mail, newspaper and TV advertisements. Online advertising however, empowers businesses with powerful tracking tools that can measure the smallest details such as impressions, conversions and Return on Investment.

Entry-level and Ongoing Fees

Yellow page ads or a magazine ad placement can be very costly. Internet advertising has yet again empowered the users to control their budget by allowing various bidding methods and low initial fees. Due to the targeted nature of online advertising and the ability to track the effectiveness of ads, making instant adjustments to campaigns is much cheaper than non internet advertising mediums.

Internet Gives Businesses Control

The biggest advantage of Internet advertising is that it is the most powerful communication tool available. It can reach households and other businesses via computers, mobile phones and tablets. Rather than allocating your efforts on finding different mediums for various regions and audiences; you can focus on what you do best and let your clients come and find you by setting up targeted campaigns.

Better Branding

Any form of advertising helps in improving the branding, but online advertising stands a notch higher in effectiveness. Internet advertising can expose a small business to potential customers all over the world. When used for the right products and in the right way, it has the potential to reach more customers for less money than any other form of advertising.
Online advertising is a powerful tool for businesses to have in their marketing strategy to effectively get the word out and achieve their marketing goals.

Facebook in 5 Mintures - Get Recommended

Today's Tip is centered on promoting your Facebook Business Page by encouraging past customers to write a recommendation on your Facebook Business page.
 

What is a Recommendation?
When new people become fans of your page, Facebook will automatically ask if they want to write a recommendation however, this is a great venue to have past clients share their story. Recommendations are posted near the top of your timeline posts under 'Friends Who Like' & 'Recent Posts by Others'. These are short snippets that can offer valuable feedback to fans and potential fans.

How to Get Recommendations?
This is not rocket science. Most of the time it comes down to a cold, hard, fact - YOU HAVE TO ASK. Now, maybe you haven't asked because you are worried about what people will say. If you think there are areas that could be improved - improve them! If someone gives you negative feedback - listen! Follow up with them and implement changes. But more than likely people will have nice things to say and giving them a nudge is perfectly okay.

Time for Action

Go to your Facebook business page and create a post that asks for people to write a recommendation. You don't have to be pushy - just ask them to be honest. You might be surprised the things that people point out which will also give you insight into what is important to your fans. When someone does write a recommendation, be sure to say thank you! It only takes 5 minutes a day to improve your Facebook Business Presence.

Facebook in 5 Minutes in April from Qlixite

Everyday we will be posting fast and easy (& Free) ways to get more out of your Facebook Business page. Become a Fan so you don't miss out!

We are not affiliated with Facebook in anyway. All of these tips are based on our own knowledge and research of public resources