Branding of iGEN
One of the most frequent mistakes businesses of all sizes make is in not accurately assessing their ability to create professional marketing material. Often the owner might do-it them selves, the budget might be on a shoestring or they simply don’t realise the importance of good design. But the plain truth is that without creative marketing, customers can become confused and driven away, often without the business owner being aware of it. However, what is even more important than the marketing material is the branding or corporate identity of the company.
In February issue of ‘The Marketer’ official magazine of The Chartered Institute of Marketing. There is an article entitled ‘Coming back from rock bottom’, were turnaround specialist Theo Paphitis, the entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den panellist, is quoted in saying “he wouldn’t touch a failing company that didn’t have a brand”. He is noted for breathing new life into ailing companies Ryman and Red Letter Days, but he makes it clear that without their brand they would have been beyond redemption.
However, not all graphic design agencies our created equal, and finding the right firm for your business needs depends on a variety of factors. It is vital that you find a company that you can trust and who view themselves as part of your team. After all, your an expert at your own business and you want a consultancy that will share your desire to communicate your product or service.
Here are some reasons to commission a good graphic design consultancy.
1. Saves you time.
Creative consultancies are experts at communicating and thinking differently. They know how to design materials that will attract attention from your target market while visually conveying your business image. When you take advantage of this type of expertise, you get your project completed in a professional manner without wasting your own valuable time.
2. Make your organisation distinctive.
Good graphic design will quickly communicate your marketing message to your customers. They should be able to get an impression of your organisation and a feel for what your core values are by looking at your marketing material. Designers are creatives by nature and are experienced in manipulating colours, fonts and imagery in order to create a perception for what your company has to offer and build reliability in your brand.
3. Get noticed.
It is a known fact that Americans are hit with over 3,000 attempts daily to grab their attention. The right design solution ensure your message stands out, rather than getting over looked.
4. A level of professionalism.
What every designer and creative consult looks to deliver is design that will add a level of professionalism, to elevate your business and build a brand. Design consultants will do more than make your company look good, they will ensure clients and suppliers take you seriously.
5. Result-driven design.
Many businesses understand the need for design and marketing tools in their business, but are not sure where to start. A good consultant will provide more than just design, they should be able to assist you and your staff organise your thoughts. Gathering this information that can be turned into eye-catching, result-driven design.
6. Strengths and faults.
A good consultancy should be part of your team, but they are also in a position to be objective. Many business people are too close to their business, making it difficult to see the strength and faults of their organisation. Instead they should be able to really understand how best to sell the business, the image, the products or services. Designing your branding material for maximum results.
Regardless of size, having a great product or service isn’t enough. Its all about brand.
Examples of our work can be found at our corporate website eo-creative
At The Party
Category Branding, Marketing, Technology, social networking
Ok, I love using Twitter, as my last post Twittersphere and beyond would testify.
In my opinion this is one of the best social media tools you could spend valuable time getting to understand. Sure there is a learning curve compared to other offerings like Bebo or Facebook, but its a completely different beast. With Facebook for example its about communicating with the people you already know, in most cases Twitter is about the people you don’t yet know.
Today I was dipping in and out of Twitter using my current favourite client Tweetie and noticed a tweet by @artbiz2day whom I’ve recently started following.
After reading this very interesting post at ArtBiz2day’s Blog entitled simply ‘Twitter Thoughts’. I was left thinking that perhaps many people are finding twitter a little frustrating, especially if they’re hearing all this buzz about using it as a marketing tool. Perhaps some are getting frustrated with having to put in so much time and not seeing much return financially for their time invested.
Well it does not surprise me that tweeters might feel this way if they opened accounts only with the intention of marketing their product, service or brand. In the world of Twitter the usual marketing methods will not work, people on Twitter don’t want to be a target audience. Normally everywhere we go in life it has been boxed up, packaged and marketed to us. But Twitter is not controlled by the marketing departments of the corporation or at least not yet.
Let me give you an example of how to view Twitter and how it can work for generating business for you.
Visualise Twitter as a party. Like any party you might attend, its about relationships. Some you already might have and others you might need to build. Like any event you attend, commerce or other wise, if your in business you will be keen to network and establish new contacts, but would you go to an event in the real life and walk around telling everyone what you do for a living? I don’t believe anyone in business would consider this a good networking strategy. Sure you would introduce yourself and at some point there will be an opportunity to mention what you do, but no one goes to a party or business event and talks only about what they have to offer.
So like in the real world Twitter is like being at an event and you simply interact with people there. Some share your interests, while many will not. But what you can be certain of is that each person has friends and family who respect their opinion and recommendations. If you make a good impression even on people who do not have a requirement for what you do, they may well have a need to avail of your product or service at some point later, or have no hesitation recommending you and your business to their followers.
What every business or brand must not do on Twitter, is stand in the Twitter room and hand out business cards or give a presentation. Like the real world, nothing will quickly put people off more than selling directly at a social event, and that is no different on Twitter.
The key is found in the word social. That is the clue to making a success of the twitter experience and bringing eyes onto you and your life. More eyes means more opportunities to collaborate, share what you do and eventually lead to more real interaction and possible business in the real world.
If your only looking to only sell on Twitter, then it’s not likely to work the way you might expect. Most success will be found in sharing information, providing assistance and spending time interacting, collaborating with other twitter users and creating good will. Like anything people want a relationship with you before they are going to avail of anything you might be trying to market no matter how good it might be.
I hope this short post will be of use and perhaps help people to realise that good business on twitter is not about making loads of followers, but rather creating a good reputation and connections.
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