4 Key Questions to Ask Yourself When Developing a Logo

For logistically minded folks, a logo might not really seem all that important. You’ve got a great business plan and excellent customer service, so why worry about a silly little graphic, right? Wrong. Think of your logo as the first thing that greets a potential customer. It’s supposed to encompass your brand and plays a huge role in whether or not people feel an instant connection to your business. If your logo looks almost exactly the same as your competition’s, you’ve lost your first shot at standing out. Think about it. When most people (of the non-sommelier variety) are shopping for wine, what’s the deciding factor? The label. Your logo functions in the exact same way. It gives customers something to judge your company on before they really know what you’re capable of. If you have no idea where to start when it comes to designing a logo, ask yourself these key questions: Do you have a professional designer who can help you? Head to your local printer to find a designer who can develop a fantastic logo for you. They’ll work with you to develop something that represents your brand well, and their vast knowledge will ensure that the logo is ideal for different kinds of media. What do you want to customers to associate your business with? Are there certain values or feelings that are at the core of your company? Make them the central theme of your logo. What makes you different from the competition? This can be in terms of service or, more simply, design. If you offer something unique, try to figure out a way to incorporate it into the logo. And if everyone in your market is using the same items/colors/typefaces in their logos, make sure you do something totally different. Just because it’s used often doesn’t mean that it’s effective. What do you want customers to remember about your business? Logos are more likely to stick in people’s minds than a longform educational pamphlet on your services. If all they can remember about your brand is your logo, what does that visual need to convey?

A Guide to Last-Minute March Madness Marketing

The craziness of March Madness is already underway, and the buzz surrounding the event is in full force. March Madness is a marketer’s dream as it presents great opportunities for reaching a broad audience, and it’s not too late to hop on the marketing bandwagon. This is everything you need to know to make the most of the tournament’s marketing potential: Why does March Madness attract so much attention? Partially because the NCAA has a penchant for alliteration (March Madness, Sweet 16, Final Four) and partially because the event consistently draws a large and diverse crowd. Whether you live for these three weeks in March or have never watched the entirety of a basketball game in your life, chances are you’ll still get involved with March Madness in some way. The ritualistic filling-out of brackets allows people to interact with the event outside of watching the games and generates buzz in homes, offices, bars and on social media. As USA TODAY writer Bruce Horovitz explained it, “March Madness is a marketing mix that advertisers crave but can rarely find. It has wide appeal to a very young and desirable audience. It’s live sports -- one of the few things that’s TiVo proof. And March Madness is a social media gabfest.” How are big brands using March Madness in their marketing? Several brands are debuting new ads with celebrity spokespeople. Burger King’s TV spot features five-time NBA All-Star Chris Webber, Pizza Hut’s WingStreet ad stars ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt, and Audi’s new ad features comedian Ricky Gervais. Other brands are focusing on experiential marketing. Bud Light is setting up a temporary Bud Light Hotel in downtown Dallas, complete with Bud Light-branded signage, pillow cases, and key cards. The hotel will also host live concerts and celebrity players. Another major trend this year is ambush marketing. Brands are piggybacking on the event without dealing with the outrageous expense of having in-game advertising. Companies using this approach include Pizza Hut (giving away the chance to win free pizzas), Hooter’s (offering free fried pickles) and Spam (creating viral videos of a goofy character named “Sir Can A Lot”). How can you get in on the marketing action? • Send out email blasts with a special offer. • Create a display ad to run on social media platforms. • Incorporate March Madness into your daily conversation with social media followers. • Hold bracket contests. • Tie-in a local team to make the marketing specific to your community. • Host viewing parties for your customers at your store/office or another nearby venue.

Marketing Lessons From One of Ireland’s Most Iconic Brands

When people think about Ireland, the Guinness Storehouse is often the first thing that comes to mind. But that hasn’t always been the case. In fact, the Guinness Storehouse didn’t even exist 15 years ago. So how did Guinness develop the number one tourist attraction in Ireland and reinvigorate its brand? By carefully examining its marketing and crafting a well thought-out branded space. Grainne Wafer, one of the senior global marketers on the Guinness brand, explained, "The Storehouse is a fantastic way for people to experience and engage with the Guinness brand. But what we are really trying to do...is make it as rewarding, enjoyable, engaging and as participative as possible. That’s true with everything we try to do on the Guinness brand in terms of marketing.” So whether you’re a large organization with an interesting history or a small startup, these lessons from Guinness can apply to your marketing: Focus on interaction. The Guinness Storehouse is carefully designed to encourage interaction with the brand, but also between visitors. There are digital games, bars and even a class on pouring the perfect pint to get people talking. Wafer said, “It’s a place for interaction among tourists who are traveling around Ireland, for the people who live there and for the new Guinness employees who are undergoing training.” In addition, visitors can use the giant interactive wall (one of the largest in the world) to leave messages that connect to their social media. Tell a story. Visitors’ exploration of the Guinness Storehouse begins with a guide telling them the origins of the brand. Preserved in the floor of the entryway is the 9,000 year lease that Arthur Guinness signed in 1759. As visitors continue on their self-guided tours, they learn about and interact with more historical facts, the actual brewing process and the evolution of Guinness’s marketing. At every point, the Guinness Storehouse invites visitors to be a part of the brand’s fascinating story. Know your audience. Before the Guinness Storehouse was built, the company recognized that it needed to start thinking about how to bring in the next generation of Guinness drinkers. They understood that people typically start engaging with the brand in their mid-twenties, so the design of the Guinness Storehouse is meant to attract “guys and girls who are at their first job stage, who are progressing a bit more.” The advanced technology and the juxtaposition of the building’s old exterior and strikingly modern interior serve to accomplish this goal.

The Right Way To Do Real-Time Marketing

Since Oreo’s outrageously successful “You can still dunk in the dark” tweet during the Super Bowl XLVII power outage, several brands have attempted to adopt the quick-and-witty tactic of real-time marketing. Unfortunately, there are many more examples of RTM failures than successes. Take U.S. Cellular, for example. Following Adele’s big win for the “Skyfall” theme song in 2013, the company tweeted “What if her lyrics come true?” with a picture that said “The sky may fall, but we won’t drop your call. Punny? Yes. Funny? No. While RTM can make your brand look out of touch and desperate for social media engagement, it also has the potential to be incredibly beneficial. Here are some tips for doing RTM well: Don’t do it solely for the sake of doing it. You don’t have to tweet up a storm just because the Oscars are happening or there’s a big game on. If you don’t have anything good to say, it’s better not to say anything at all. Even Oreo opted out of RTM during the Super Bowl this year, tweeting “Hey guys...enjoy the game tonight. We’re going dark. #OreoOut” If you are going to do it, plan in advance. While RTM might seem like a spur-of-the-moment thing, the successful endeavors are ones that are well thought-out. Before the event begins, think about what you could post based on various outcomes. What if Team A loses? What if Movie C takes home the Oscar? Make it relevant. The best RTM tweets are those that relate directly to the timely event. For example, NASA used the movie Gravity’s big wins at the Oscars to share photos of Earth from space. Think outside the box to find connections to your own brand. Think small. There might not be a great way to promote your business by relating it to a national awards show, and that’s okay. Some of the best RTM is based around local events. By focusing on a smaller audience, you’ll be better able to target potential and existing customers. Integrate it into your everyday marketing. Why was Oreo able to remain quiet during this year’s Super Bowl? Because each day they generate timely content for their followers. RTM is the most effective when it is part of a conversation with your audience. Use it to show off your outstanding customer service and great sense of humor. If you notice that a follower is turning 50, tweet a special image wishing them a happy birthday. If one of your best customers tweets about their desperate need for coffee, send them a Starbucks eGift. These small acts of kindness show that you actually listen to what your followers have to say.

What to Do With Your Hands When Speaking Publicly

Even the most seasoned of public speakers has experienced Awkward Hand Syndrome. You confidently stride up to the podium, feeling like a person who has control of his limbs. But as soon as you open your mouth, you become painfully aware of the things at the end of your arms. Panicked thoughts run rampant in your mind: “What the heck do I do with my hands? Do I put them behind my back? Should I try to move them? Oh wow, I look like a freakish robot right now. Have I always clapped my hands together when I’m trying to make a point?” Etcetera, etcetera… Figuring out what to do with your hands is inarguably one of the worst parts of public speaking. However, there are a few handy (get it?) tricks that will make your gestures seem more normal. First of all, it’s important to understand what certain gestures convey: - Crossed arms: protective, closed off, disagreeing - Hands clasped in front of body: weak, timid, vulnerable - Hands in pockets: nervous or overly casual - Hands on hips: condescending, overbearing - Holding onto the podium: controlling, nervous, obviously self-conscious about gestures So as you can see, these panic-induced default gestures can definitely send the wrong message. The best hand gestures are the ones that appear natural. They show that you are confident and at ease while speaking. So how do you achieve naturalness when any hand movements make you feel like a bird flapping its wings? - Practice your speech with a friend. Simply sit down at a table and talk through your speech as though it were a casual conversation. It might take a few run-throughs before it feels less strange, but in time you will find yourself in a more relaxed state. Pay attention to your natural hand gestures, and only make conscious adjustments if one of your habitual movements conveys something negative (see list above). - Videotape yourself giving your speech standing up. What might feel like excessively theatrical gestures might actually look very normal and polished when you review the tape. - Practice, practice, practice. This is important for all aspects of public speaking, but particularly for hand gestures. The more you practice using them, the easier it will be to get on that stage and not become paralyzed by the fear of Awkward Hand Syndrome.

Productivity Tips From President Obama

Happy Presidents Day! There’s always a lot of buzz about how to get more things done in your day, so today we’re looking at the productivity methods of one of the busiest guys in the world: President Obama. He’s spoken to Vanity Fair and several other publications about how he stays sane and on top of his tasks. These are some of his best tips: Strategize to avoid decision fatigue. Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to choose between catching up on GIRLS or Scandal at the end of a long day? It’s because the more decisions you make, the more your ability to make later decisions erodes. That means it’s crucial that you prioritize your decisions and try to minimize the unimportant ones. Obama explained this to Vanity Fair, saying, “You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits. I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.” Start your day the night before. You’re the most productive when you can work without any distractions. For President Obama, this is at night after his family has gone to bed. He’ll often stay up until 1:00 am working on a big task that will carry into the next day. If you’re not a night owl, you can still adopt this method; simply figure out at what point in the day you feel most productive and use that time to get a jump start on tomorrow’s tasks. Shut out critics. For President Obama, that means sticking to watching ESPN and avoiding news channels when at all possible. He said, “One of the things you realize fairly quickly in this job is that there is a character people see out there called Barack Obama. That’s not you.” So if you’re obsessing over that one negative comment that someone left on your blog, take a step back and try to let it go. You’ll be more productive if you worry less about other people’s perceptions. Exercise. The leader of the United States carves out 45 minutes or more each day to do cardio or weight training. Obama said, “You have to exercise or at some point you’ll just break down.” It might seem like a good idea to skip your yoga class to work on that big project, but you’ll actually get more done if you make time to workout. Exercise reduces stress, boosts your mood and gives you the chance to clear your head. Remember that your personal time is sacred. For the President, this means setting aside three separate times in the day: his morning workout, dinner with his daughters and the nighttime after his family falls asleep. As his schedule shows, it’s important to diversify personal time. If you use all of it to accomplish the same goals, your life won’t feel very balanced. Set aside times to do something for your health, have some social interaction and catch up on whatever major things you didn’t get to during the day.

How to Woo your Customers this Valentine's Day

The week of Valentine’s Day is finally upon us. If you haven’t made your Valentine cards or decorated the walls with paper hearts, you’re more than a little behind the game. However, it’s not too late to take advantage of the holiday and do some themey marketing. What better day is there to show your customers some love? Take a look at these last-minute ideas for sweeping your customers off of their feet: Make the most of social media. Social media is the procrastinating marketer’s dream. There’s no printing or mailing involved, so you can reach out to customers instantaneously. - Consider holding a contest on Valentine’s Day. You could have people tweet or post about their love stories or worst date experiences. Whether you appeal to emotion or humor, a chance to share personal experiences will get people engaged. - Tweet at other businesses that you have good relationships with, saying, “Happy Valentine’s Day, @insertyourfavoritebusinesshere! We love what you do!” Chances are, they will reciprocate your affection. - Come up with a fun Valentine’s Day-themed game. For example, find or make cupids of some kind (they can even be printed out pictures) and place them throughout your neighborhood or city. Instagram, tweet and post pictures of them in their different locations. The first person to find each cupid can return it to you for a prize. - If you’ve hopped on the Snapchat bandwagon, take a quirky picture of the people in your office and adorn it with hand drawn hearts and typical Valentine’s Day sayings. Your customers will appreciate your playfulness. Harness the power of email. It’s another method of immediate communication and is perfect if you’re going for a slightly more professional tone. - Send messages to your best customers. Thank them specifically and tell them why you appreciate their business so much. If you want, include a gift of some kind. - Send a mass email to all of your customers. Whether you make it fun and flashy or sophisticated and romantic, they will appreciate that you took the time to design a special Valentine’s Day greeting for them. It’s also a great opportunity to announce any sales or promotions that you’re having.