It’s been said, and I agree, that your brand message should be easy enough for a child or your mother to understand. Applying that standard to the visual mark of a business, designer Alan Ladd shows his 5-year-old daughter logos she’s not familiar with for 5 seconds, then asks her to redraw them from memory. What parts of logos have the most lasting impression for her, and, by extension, to all of us? Check out his video:
Selecting a designer for your firm to work with can be daunting. Some considerations are easy – you may not like the style of a particular designer, or maybe they are out of your price range. But what are some other things you should pay attention to?
Very low estimates. This may seem counterintuitive – why would you want to spend more than you have to? However, receiving a low estimate may mean there are things not included in the estimate, or the designer is inexperienced. Make sure that you are comparing apples to apples when you review estimates.And, please be very wary of sites that offer logos for $79 or less. Horror stories abound about these sites. In addition to being notorious for copyright infringement, you’ll have little interaction with a designer (often inexperienced and in another country) and no guarantee that your “custom” logo won’t be sold again and again to other businesses. (Read my post, Logo Design for Dummies – And Thieves, for more on this.)
A recent conversation with a prospect reminded me how effective infographics are at conveying complicated information in an easy-to-understand way. He had information that, if understood correctly by his prospects, would show why using his services would increase their profits. He struggled with the right words to explain to me what that difference was. Finally he said, “If I can just get them to see how much more they would earn with my program, they’d be convinced!”
Studies have shown that people retain information better when it is presented visually as opposed to spoken or written words. Which of the following is easier for you to understand?
“Our domestic students represent 32 states – 23 from Maine, 57 from New Hampshire, 8 from Vermont, 314 from Massachusetts, 19 from Rhode Island, 64 from Connecticut, 39 from New York, 9 from Pennsylvania,…yada, yada, yada.”
Or:
Not only can you see at a glance which states are represented, you can also clearly see which are not!
The next time you have complex information you need to share with others, consider using infographics. An infographic will take your data and turn it into information you clients and prospects will understand.
Here are some sites for inspiration:
Waaay back in October 2009, I had an interesting networking experience at my local Panera Bread bakery/café, which Ilise Benum of Marketing Mentor wrote about in the Creative Freelancer blog.
The following spring, I received a phone call from Panera Bread corporate headquarters saying that they had come across the post. Panera was creating a new website – My Panera – which was going to include a collection of stories about the people who visit and work for Panera. Could they use my story? Of course I said yes, and an interview with a writer and a photo session was set up at the Panera café. (I’ve art directed plenty of photo shoots in my time, but I’ve never been on the other side of the camera – it felt weird!)
No one knew exactly when the story would appear on the site, so I checked frequently for a few months, then sporadically for another few months, but it was never there. As time passed, I would think about it occasionally and check, but…still no story. I finally figured they had lots of more interesting stories to share and decided not to use mine after all. C’est la vie.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when I was arranging to meet a colleague at a new Panera location. I went to Panera’s web site to get directions to the store and, to my surprise, there was my networking story: More New Business Than You Thought Possible. (They didn’t use any of the photos taken, opting for a stock photo instead. Did I break the camera?!)
Now, I am far from the only person who conducts business at their local Panera Bread or other coffee shop. But, because I decided to share about my streak of good networking karma, it was the story that got noticed! Do you have any interesting networking experiences that you can share?
Check your links.
Do they still connect to the pages you want them to? Are they still relevant? Especially if you link to third-party sites, make sure the page is available with the content on it that relates to your business.
Check for typos.
Typos can ruin the favorable impression you’re trying to make on your web site’s visitors. Instead, they say that you don’t pay attention to details. If you’ve been working closely on your web site, have someone who’s not closely involved with the content look it over with fresh eyes.
Take a look at your “About Me” page….how recent is the photo of you? Or are there no photos at all? Studies have shown that visitors literally want to see the people behind the business. And, viewers respond more favorably to an image of a face than anything else.
Current photos of you and your staff on your site boosts visitors’ familiarity and confidence in your business.
Nothing says there’s no current information on your site like an out-of-date copyright notice. But more importantly, the copyright exists to protect YOU and the content on your site.
It’s now mid-March; if your copyright still says 2011 (or earlier!), update it today.
Throw out out-dated information and add fresh content.
Have email addresses or staff bios changed? Do you offer more services and products or have you discontinued any?
Look over your site and save only what still supports your value to your clients, and add new content that visitors will find relevant. A blog or a “News” page is a great way to add new content on a regular basis. Not only your visitors, but search engines, will love your site for it!
Spring is right around the corner, although it seems like it’s been here for a while already in the Northeast! In anticipation of warm breezes through open windows, here is one tip to clean the cobwebs out of your web site:
Take the Blink Test. Look at a page of your web site for 5 seconds, then close your eyes. (No fair peeking!) Do you remember clearly seeing and understanding what your value proposition to your customers is? No?
People’s attention span when scaning a web page is about 5 seconds to find if there is anything of interest to them. If your business’ value is not immediately apparent to your visitors, they will move right along to another site. it’s time to clear out the “junk,” and focus on making your message focused and memorable.
An insurance agency needed to update it’s quarterly newsletter for a more informative and contemporary appeal to their customers.
Knight-Dik Insurance is a Central MA personal and commercial lines insurance agency. They use a customer newsletter to help keep their customers informed about issues that affect their coverage.
Working with Choice Words Chisolm & Company, a writer well-versed in insurance, the up-dated newsletter has fewer but more informative articles. The new design has a contemporary feel. Full-color printing gives it a lively look and offers more options for creating interest and focus for the content. Carefully chosen high-resolution, full color photos complement the articles and add visual reinforcement for the content.
Imagine the impact a compelling and powerful visual brand has on your customers. Now picture it used with your marketing collateral and your web site—all created specifically to attract and motivate your ideal clients.
I help professional service firms like yours (insurance agencies, law, accounting and engineering) bring your brand and message to life. Looking beyond the obvious for the custom solutions your business needs, I work with you to create marketing communications that resonate with your clients, prospects and partners, and support you in achieving your marketing goals.
