Referrals

Word of mouth remains to be one of the most powerful brand awareness and lead generation tools your business will ever have. It’s free and it can bring highly targeted prospects ready to purchase your products or services. For small business, you can use word of mouth effectively to raise brand awareness by creating a simple program to reward and empower your current clients for referring their peers to your business. Be sure to let the current clients know about the existence of such a program in your business so that they can make good use of it.

Hold an event

Irrespective of the business or the industry you are engaged in, holding a live event will make you attract the attention of both clients and prospects. The event could be anything, either directly in line with your products or services or something complimentary to what you have to offer to your clients. It can be as simple as a social summer barbecue or a party and for better results, you should structure it to coincide with of a product or a new promotion in your business. If possible, you can run a free workshop to share with the potential clients about your business and the kind of value your products and services can bring to them.

Increase your networking

Networking is another awesome way to meet new people and potential clients to your business. You can attend a local networking event and even the though the results may not be apparent immediately, those whom you will share your business with will have the name of your company at the top of their mind should they need your services or products in the future.

Hold Exhibitions

By exhibiting yourself, you create an awesome avenue to show your products or services to hundreds of highly targeted prospects and it is also very possible to make sales during the exhibitions. Though it might be slightly expensive, the results will be worth it in the long run.

Additionally, you can organize a relevant giveaway or a competition as a means of making more people aware of your products or services. Giveaways and competitions have always performed well because people love free things and if you tell them that you will give them something without them spending a dime, they are likely to register for the giveaway or the competition in multitudes. Just ensure that whatever you will be giving away is relevant and will provide real value to the winners.

Sponsor an event or a product

Sponsoring an event or a product is another nice way small businesses can reach targeted audiences and increase their brand awareness. Through sponsoring such events, the business will have a face-to-face time with attendees and this will give you an awesome chance to get leads which you can follow up once the event is over. Be careful however, when choosing the event to sponsor. It should something related to your business.

Consider the social media

Small businesses can also consider offered by the social media for short term and long term branding options. Social media is a fertile ground for people seeking to raise brand awareness on their products or services since it contains all types of audiences. All that is required is for one to build a large base of active following and interact with them on a regular basis. It is also possible to increase the results from social media by using paid ads which can be very effective if the targeting is done in the right manner. The best social media sites to target for brand awareness currently include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Google +.

Invest in promotional merchandise

Promotional merchandise is also a nice avenue for businesses to increase their brand awareness. The merchandise can be given to customers after they make a purchase and also to the potential customers who come to make inquiries about the business. Such promotional items don’t have to be expensive, but they should be relevant and also provide some value to the recipients. Additionally, the items must be branded with the company’s name, logo and contact details. In this manner, those who get the promotional items will continue having the business in their minds for as long as they have the promotional items and they will also have the business contacts readily available should they need to contact the business.

Take these 5 steps to brand a new business

The post Brand Awareness for Small Businesses appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

However, the only agents to be discouraged are those that are not creative enough and who view competition as a bad thing. But to the savvy travel agents like you, all it requires is a little realignment and polishing up the branding strategy to gain a competitive edge, despite all the lunacy taking place in the industry. Presented here are killer tips for travel agents to revamp their branding so that they can get the most despite the current competitive nature of the industry.

Take one more look at your website

It is unfathomable to think that there could be a travel agent operating at this time and age without a website. For those who have website, the first tip towards enhancing your travel agent branding is to take a keen look at the website and discover what is working and what needs to be changed. Check if the information presented in the website is up to date and reflects on the nature of your agency. For instance, if your niche is targeting older clients, are your products and services suited for this particular group of people? While tweaking the website for better performance, remember to have the following in mind-:

• Make it responsive – this is to take advantage of the humongous number of mobile traffic, since there are many people accessing the internet using mobile devices than those using desktop devices.
• Simplify the design – Use a simple design which makes it easy for the users to find the information they are looking for.
• Test the site – use various website testing tools to check how effective your website it. Track to get an understanding of how your visitors behave and also test the loading speeds to ensure that you don’t get high bounce back rates due to low speeds.
• Update regularly – maintain a regular supply of fresh content on the website. It is out of such updates that the site visitors will be eager to visit back more in the hope of getting new information.

Take advantage of the social media

Most people trust the recommendations they get from friends and family and this is why the social media is a powerful low cost tool for marketing travel agencies. The number of social media platforms that can be used by travel agencies keeps on increasing and it is imperative for every agency to build a strong network of followers on the relevant platforms.

Sites like Facebook remain the preferred social media platform for travel agents and tour guides. With proper Facebook marketing, it is possible to grow a formidable number of followers, out of which you can get leads for your travel agency. Additionally, Facebook has powerful inbuilt features including Graph Search and Audience Insights which are powerful should you decide to venture into paid advertising for your agency. Learn how to market effectively on Facebook and take its full advantages of spurring your agency to the next level of growth.

Build your database with email marketing

A large and responsive email database is one of the most valuable marketing assets a travel agency will ever have. Put in place strategies to continue growing your email lists while you encourage the current lists to subscribe for different newsletters you have for them. In this manner, you will manage to segment your list so that your campaigns become more targeted and effective. Also be sure to have an opt-in page in your websites where you encourage people to sign to help you continue growing your email list. Additionally, you must have an active newsletter going out at to your lists at different intervals. This is how to create value and make the subscribers eager to hear from you and also to try out the offers you recommend for them.

Work together with travel aggregators

Each year, millions of travelers book their accommodations, flights, and meet their other travel needs through aggregator websites such as SKyScanner or Kayak. Despite the fact that the aggregators will charge some fee to include your business in their websites, you will benefit immensely from the huge volume of targeted traffic that the sites usually have. Besides, the travel aggregator websites dominate the search engines and by partnering with them, you also make it easier to get a chunk of the search traffic. Add your travel agency to the relevant leading aggregators in your industry and start reaping their benefits.

 Learn how to protect your design from copycats here!

The post Tips for Branding Travel Agents appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

Apple, McDonalds, Google, IBM, Nike and many others wouldn’t have attained the staggering levels of success they are currently enjoying if they never invented their time and resources in having great logos. Therefore, note very strongly that it is possible for your logo to cause your business to fail and that can happen in one or a combination of the following ways.

Alienating new clients or prospects

One of the primary reasons of having a logo for you business is to stand out from the crowd and attract new prospect clients. With a poorly designed logo, you lose the competitive edge to be conspicuous amongst the competition and you will be effectively alienating the prospective clients whom would have been interested in doing business with you. Additionally, a poorly designed logo may attract the wrong crowd which is not suitable for your business and this will do nothing but stunt your growth potential. Therefore, be sure that you are not locking out potential customers by having an ill-designed logo.

Sending out the wrong message

When it comes to using business logos for branding, the logo must have the ability to send out the right message to your potential and current clients. The logo should essentially portray what the business firmly believes in and it should tell the potential clients the business has what it takes to meet their specific needs. People will be more confident in engaging your business if they feel they will get value out of doing so.

And since your logo is the first point of contact between you and your clients, if it delivers the wrong message, then this is likely to make your business fail. Therefore, if you don’t want your logo to fail your entire business, it is imperative to ensure to get the messaging right.

A poor logo may suggest poor quality standards

It goes without saying that success in any business is greatly pegged on the ability to deliver quality products or services. It is a must for the clients or customers to believe they are getting their money’s worth by working with you. A poorly designed logo may create an impression that the business does not take quality seriously. If they can’t design a high quality logo, why should a potential client think that they will get quality products or services from the business? This is another way through which a logo can make a business to fail.

Lack of a great first impression

A successful logo must have the ability to standout from the crowd and make a lasting impression when a potential client sees it for the very first time. This ability to be noticed from amongst the competition is what will be responsible for continuous flow of potential clients to the business. In this manner, it will not be possible for the business to win and to retain prospects if the logo can’t make a good and lasting first impression.

Not only this, but the lack of a good  first impression will have other implications on the business like making the prospects doubt your values and every other thing you claim to stand for. As a matter of fact, it will be an indication that you never took much time and effort to create the logo. Thus, it will not be possible for your business to realize its ultimate growth potential with such a logo.

Affecting talent acquisition

It is important to have in mind that business logos are not just for attracting new clients, but also attracting the right employees to the business. A bad logo may not only drive away talented and experienced employees, but also it can prevent the business from attracting talented professionals from applying for open positions.

A poorly designed logo will send a message to the potential employees that the business is not keen on connecting with their employees, leave alone the customers. A potential employee will thus be left wondering if the business will have any interests in investing in them. If your business is unable to attract the right talent in the industry, then moving forward will be very difficult and the business may as well fail.

These are some of the ways through which a logo can make a business fail. It is imperative to consider each keenly so that you avoid curtailing the growth of your business due to poor logo design.

Learn more about design education here!

The post Can Your Logo Cause Your Business to Fail? appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

A LinkedIn logo therefore, demands serous considerations and should not be designed with the concepts or the mentalities adopted when creating the other types of logos. If you are interested in creating a killer LinkedIn logo to separate your practice or profession from the millions that are already flocked in the site, the following is how you ought to do it right-:

Being unique is not an option

For stellar LinkedIn logo results, being unique is not an option, but rather the only option. There are millions of people and businesses in LinkedIn, all keen on establishing connections with either likeminded individuals, businesses or the right target audiences. By its very nature therefore, the only way to stand out from the crowd and be noticed by potential partners is to have a unique logo to distinguish your LinkedIn business or personal page from the rest. It is important to take your time and do adequate research so that when you finally decide to create the logo, you will be certain it is absolutely unique and there are no chances of finding similar ones in LinkedIn or anywhere else in the internet.

Understand your brand

For the most part of it, LinkedIn is all about branding and networking. You are either branding your business or yourself with the nature of products or services you provide. Unless you have a good comprehension of what your brand is all about, creating an effective LinkedIn logo may forever be a mirage. Once you have known the brand, it becomes a breeze to play around with other design elements such as symbols, fonts, colors amongst others in the creation of the logo. Therefore, be sure to know what your brand is and what it stands so that you create relevant logo that will vibrate well with your potential networks within the social media website.

Use the Psychology of color to your advantage

Color in LinkedIn logo design is not just to appeal to the eyes and make people marvel at your profile or business page. Wrong use of color in a professional social media site like LinkedIn can bring nuisance to your message and instead of attracting potential networks, they will be running away.

For you to get it right with the appropriate colors for your logo, a good understanding of the color psychology is important. This is nothing but simply how the mind perceives different colors and the kind of meaning it attaches to them. Essentially, the choice of color should be dictated by the kind of emotional responses you want to evoke or convey to those who will be seeing the logo. Below is a quick breakdown of the color psychology so that that you know which colors to choose and for what purposes-:

• Yellow – inventive, sunny, optimism
• Purple – royalty, wise, evocative, spiritual
• Green – growth, instructional, organic
• White – clean, pure, simple
• Brown – historical, rural, steady
• Red – sexy, energetic, bold
• Blue – professional, tranquil, trustworthy, medical
• Black – credible, powerful

Simple and Flexible

While branding in LinkedIn, it pays to maintain simplicity and flexibility just as you would do when creating a logo for any other offline business. Your LinkedIn logo should have the simplicity to make it memorable in the minds of as many people as possible, and it also imperative for it to be flexible enough to accommodate the changing needs of your profession or business.

The last thing you want is to have a logo that will look outdated and annoyingly deprecated after using it for just a couple of months. To gauge the level of simplicity desired for your LinkedIn logo, browse some of the top performing professionals or businesses in your industry and see what they are doing right with their logos.

Consider using the services of professional designers

With the advent of the internet and a superfluity of free online logo design tools, temptation to create your LinkedIn logo without professional input might be endearing. If you are a professional graphics designer, then such an attempt may be allowed. But if your profession is something else and you are in LinkedIn to make networks and get business, then it is highly recommended you hire professional logo designers to create the logo for you.

Professional designers have the skills and the experience needed to transform your inspiration into a design and create a functional logo that will meet your branding needs in LinkedIn. Additionally, they are well aware of the current trends and the best approaches guaranteed to give you great results in your specific niche.

Learn how to make a youtube logo here!

The post How to Create a Logo For LinkedIn appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

Unknown to many, you don’t have to be a design geek to create a stunning logo which will drive your YouTube channel to success. All you have to do is follow certain conventions and also use trips and tricks which have been proven time and again to deliver quality logos. Presented below are a few factors worth taking into account if you want to create a magnificent YouTube logo for your channel-:

Begin by knowing what your message is

Your YouTube logo will be the brand identity for your channel for people who will be browsing YT videos. It should be designed in such a manner that people will be able to tell easily what your channel is all about. This makes it important to determine exactly the type of message you would like to share with your followers and viewers in the channel. Out of the message, it will be easy for you to decide on the other aspects of the logo such as the symbols, fonts, and colors amongst other design features.

Browse other YouTube channels

Once you have known what your congruent marketing message is, the next step is to browse other YouTube channels for more inspirations. By browsing the channels, it doesn’t imply that you lack in originality or you want to copy other people’s logo, but it is designed to give you an idea of what the top guys are doing right as far as YouTube logo design is concerned. Of great concern to you should be the leading channels in your niche, which also happens to be your greatest competitors. Have a look at their logos and pick a few cues you could use to make your logo even better than theirs.

Make a clean and functional logo

At this point, you already have an idea of the kind of message you would like to pass across to your channel visitors and you have also browsed the top channels in your niche and you now know what kind of logos are pulling the crowds in your niche. The next step is now the actual design of the logo. You have the option of doing the design on your own, which will give you lots of flexibility to translate your idea into the design.

But if you don’t have the design skills, you can outsource the creation to graphics designer, whom you will share with your inspiration so that they can transfer it to the design. Whichever option chosen, the logo must remain clean and functional since this is one of the characteristics of top performing logos in the world.

Depending on your research and the suitability of your channel, you can create the following logo types for your YouTube channel-:

Symbol or Icon logos – with this kind of a logo, a symbol or an icon is used in the design of the logo. It doesn’t include any letter like the channel name. The beauty of such logos is that they are very simple, yet powerful and remains memorable in the minds of potential clients for a very long time. Think about Apple logo for instance.

Word or Letter Mark Logos – with these logo types, letters or words are used as the primary essence of the logo. Google logo is an example of a word or letter mark logo.

Combination mark logos – with these, you use a combination of words, letters and symbols in creating your YouTube logo.

Get the colors right

The colors used in your YT channel logo are very important since colors have a way of passing different message or emotions to those who view the logo. Choose colors appropriately depending on the feelings or the emotional responses you intend to invoke from your channel visitors.

Choose the right logo sizes

YouTube recommends that your channel logo should render at 98 x 98px and you are recommended to upload sizes of about 800px x 800px. On the size still, remember that you are likely to use the logo in other social sharing sites, hence it should be versatile size that will cut across all your potential marketing platforms.

Make the logo memorable

Finally, a successful logo is one which is easily memorable. Your views should be in a position to recognize the logo easily even if they see it somewhere out of YouTube. In this manner, it becomes easier for them to remember your channel and this is very powerful for branding and marketing the channel.

Learn how to build a successful social media strategy here!

The post How to Create a YouTube Logo appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

However, many entrepreneurs normally freak out when they hear about personal branding. They think that it is more complicated than rocket science and that it’s something that requires time and a lot of resources to achieve. Whereas it may take a considerable time to establish a personal brand, it is very much achievable and you don’t need to have a lot of resources to do so.

Presented here are a few tips to help entrepreneurs succeed with personal branding.

You are already developing it

If you are in an entrepreneur in any form of business, and you are interacting with clients or customers, you are already working on your personal branding only that you may not be aware of it. When your clients and customers interact and engage you on a number of issues, they are developing a perception and an image which they will associate with you and your products or services. Therefore, right at this moment, you are already branding yourself, but you now need to have the realization so that you can do it in the right manner.

Define your brand

You can’t build something which you have no idea about. When it comes to building a personal brand, it should be crystal clear to you what exactly you are looking forward to achieve. Remember you are already in the process of marketing yourself but you now need to know the things that set you apart from the rest so that you can capitalize on them. Defining your brand will imply that you understand yourself and have a thorough comprehension of your strengths and weaknesses so that you can continue to build upon them.

Be authentic

Without authenticity, you will never manage to establish a long lasting personal brand. Your personal brand should be a true reflection of who you are. It should reflect on your beliefs, your strengths as well as your weaknesses. Some people are fond of saying that you can fake it till you make it, but the problem with this is that you can’t be someone else when you are trying to build a personal brand. Therefore, simply be who you are and never try to mask anything. One the day the mask will fall off and you shall have wasted valuable time and resources which you might have used in building a personal brand in the right manner.

Become the best in your field

When you can prove to the people that you are among the top performers in the industry, it is very easy to gain their trust and this will be instrumental for personal branding. It is important for you to become the go to guy when people have problems and are in need of solutions in your industry. Strive therefore to increase your competency and credibility in your industry. If necessary, get more certifications and courses that will make you more knowledgeable and experienced in your field. Developing the skills you need to make your trade won’t just increase your proficiency but also make the process of building your personal brand a breeze.

Use memorable visual hooks

A personal brand doesn’t imply that it must have everything to do with your personality or image. As a matter of fact, the brand should outlive you. It calls for the use of memorable visual hooks that will make people think about you and your brand each time they see them. You may want to consider designing a logo amongst other materials to help you project the right image for your personal brand.

However, this might depend on the specific industry you are serving. For instance, if you are a motivational speaker in the personal development niche, you may want to consider using a professional image of yourself rather than having a logo as your graphical identity. This won’t be the case if you are trying to build a personal brand around a product or a service.

Make use of the internet

The internet, especially the social media has opened a forum for entrepreneurs to engage with their potential customers in manner that was not possible a few years ago. For personal branding, you can make strategic use of the social media to connect with your audiences and use the platforms in projecting the right image you want them to have about you. You can also share with them useful insights or help them find solutions to some of their most pressing needs so that you can come out as a responsible and authority figure which they can trust.

Learn how to create an excellent cover letter as a graphic designer here!

The post How Entrepreneurs Can Succeed With Personal Branding appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

An example of a logo that has been criticized and considered not to be a culturally best logo is the Blackhawk’s hockey team logo. The logo depicts American Indian tribal leader – Blackhawk. It is an Indian head wearing face paint and feathers. Many people believe that the team’s logo is no better than the Redskins. It has been criticized for a number of times for caricaturing the Native Americans. Due to all the criticisms, it is clear that the logo is not culturally appropriate as some cultures finds in a bit offensive. But how could this have been avoided so that the team can have a culturally appropriate logo that will be accepted by all cultures?

Consider the following tips to design a culturally best logo.

Wise Choice of Symbols

A bigger part of the controversy that usually mar logos considered not to be culturally appropriate usually lies in the symbols used. A culturally appropriate logo should not use or have symbols that other cultures might consider to be offensive. The Blackhawk logo that is considered culturally inappropriate. That’s because it features a head wearing feathers and face paint just like the American Indian tribal leader Blackhawk.

The choice of symbol for the logo, in this case, is very specific. It can be construed to have targeted the native Indian communities, even if it had pure and sincere intentions of doing so. It would be a good idea to use a more neutral symbol that might not appear offensive to other people. This is because the logo has been considered not to be culturally appropriate.

The Color Choice for the Best Logo

The color is always an integral part of every culture. Different countries and regions have colors to which they cherish and upon which they draw their inspirations from. To create a culturally appropriate logo, it would be prudent to choose the right colors that will be in tandem with the cultures of the target audience. Additionally, colors that might create controversy or which hold bad memories as far as the concerned culture should always be avoided at all costs.

Make use of Prominent Features

Using prominent features or landscapes in the logo design will make it appear more culturally appropriate. This contributes the proper choice of symbols in designing a culturally appropriate logo. This might include the use of geographical features such as lakes, mountains, rivers as well as native animals such as Bear, Kangaroo, etc.

When such features are used, it will be easy for the people to recognize easily. Also, it will be easy for people accept the logo because it contains features that they consider as part of their culture. An example of a logo that uses both a native animal and a natural feature is the Toblerone logo. Toblerone is a region in Switzerland, near Bern City and it is believed that this is the place where chocolate originated from.

The logo features the prominent Mount Matterhorn as well as a white bear. This is culturally appropriate since the mountain is native to the residents and nobody will ever find it to be culturally inappropriate.

Choice of Words

The choice of words is another important factor to consider when designing a culturally appropriate logo. The wording in the logo is especially important if you intend to have a tagline or name in one of the local dialects. The world is comprised of different ethnicities and dialects. Its important for you not to use wording which might be considered by another community as culturally inappropriate.

One word may make sense in one dialect but be totally offensive when seen by another community. Though such cases are rare, you should always be cautious, especially when you have to use the various dialects in the native languages in your designs.

Most logo designs in the present times will be considered culturally appropriate. But it still pays to be cautious and take the necessary precautions. This is to ensure that you don’t end up with a logo which will upset some people due to your choice of symbols, patterns, colors and wording. This is why you should take note of these four tips so that you culturally appropriate logos. This way you can also avoid being attacked for targeting a particular culture with your designs.

Learn how to build a brand from scratch here!

The post Tips for Designing the Culturally Best Logo Design appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

Other than the simplicity of such brand logos, you will also discover that their designs have been targeted for specific reasons and to a particular group of people. They use colors, symbols, shapes and typography to make the logos connect well with the targeted audience. This is based on the premises that branding can’t be successful if you try to target every Tom, Dick and Harry. Here is a look at some of the unforgettable brands with awesome logo designs. Whenever you see these logos, you will never fail to recognize which companies they belong to. This is the ultimate aim of marketing and branding.

Apple

Apple will always feature whenever there are discussions on the top brand logos in the world. The tech giant has received massive success in its history. This is not just because they were able to introduce cutting edge gadgets into the market. But, also they had a clear and distinct logo that helped in identifying their products anywhere in the world. The current logo was arrived at after iterations, with the initial one having been designed by one of the founders – Steve Jobs. The logo being used by the tech giant is a simple one in the form of an apple with a bite taken off. No other company in the whole world uses a logo similar to that, and this makes the apple logo to be distinct and very powerful for the branding needs of the business.

Nike

The Nike logo is the artwork of a talented designer by the name Carolyn Davidson. So powerful is the logo that the company is known more by the logo rather than by the name. Carolyn designed the logo way back in 1971 while she was a student at Portland State University. Even though the logo has undergone several revisions, it has never dropped the Swoosh which is the trademark. Its also the main identity of the leading sportswear and accessories manufacturer. One of the strongest features of the logo is its simplicity, and this has made it be one of the remarkable logos in the whole universe.

Google

Google is another tech giant whose massive success has been attributed to amongst other things the use of a simple and memorable logo. The Google logo is a logotype, with only the name of the company and no other symbols whatsoever. For the company, the logo is not just a mere logo, but a representation of the impacts that the tech giant has had on the internet. The logo uses three primary colors and one secondary color. Thus creating a unique but memorable distinctiveness that has helped the company achieve the current levels of success it enjoys. Even having been redesigned recently, the logo has maintained it charm and effectiveness in promoting the brand of the company.

Coca-Cola

The Coca-Cola logo is another top brand logo in the world. The initial Coca-Cola logo was designed way back in 1887 by a designer known as Frank Manson Robinson. Little did he know that his humble design helps the company gain worldwide recognition and become one of the top beverage manufacturers in the universe. The logo has also undergone quite a number of revisions But it has always retained the swirly scripted fonts that have now become part of the lives of millions of people across the globe. Whenever you see the logo, you will always remember the sweet content present it the bottles. This demonstrates the power of a logo in branding because it has created a permanent reminder on the brains of the customers.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s logo wraps up for us the list of unforgettable brand logos. It is one of the most popular logos, not just in the United States, but also in the entire world. Its a popular logo even in countries where McDonald’s does not have a formidable presence. The logo is a simple design featuring two golden arches. They actually turned out to be the hallmark of the entire design and the ultimate pivot for the marketing of the company. The logo’s design also uses a conspicuous yellow color. The color is known to trigger the feelings of hunger, hence, whenever you see the logo, the yummy bites from McDonald’s will always come to mind.

Use these tips for making a logo for kid-focused brands!

The post 5 Unforgettable Brand Logos appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

Top considerations:

Your budget: If you have a fully outlined budget yet and you are just blindly looking for quotes for a logo design, you should strongly consider what you are willing to spend on logo design and look at services based off of this. There are logo design prices to suit nearly any budget. But, it is important to note that by spending a little more you can often get access to more seasoned professionals who will produce a better/more engaging product.

If you want to work local: Working with an international logo designer can be an excellent way that you can cut down the price on your logo design. It is also a great way to have access to a logo designer regardless of where you are. Sometimes working local can offer its own advantages. If you want a designer that can visit your business and learn more about corporate culture as well as meet with you to go through the mockups, working local may be a good choice.

Do I know what I’m about?: Understanding your own corporate culture is essential before getting any type of logo design. A logo will act as the face of your company and will work for your brand recognition. You need to make sure you know what you are about and what your companies about before starting to look for a logo designer.

What style do you like: Put some of your ideas on a piece paper, like the type of style you would like your logo and the type of imagery/text you might want to include in the final design. This can make the process of quoting your design and initial meetings with the graphic designer much easier.

After satisfying some of these conditions you can start the search.

Searching online:

Most people will immediately turn to online sources as a means to find a professional custom logo designer. The Internet is an excellent resource for finding a custom logo designer. But, it’s important to note that many of the first page results and sponsored links will often be package deals from graphic designers who have little to no experience. These deals can seem like a really great buy but some of the package deals that you might see where you can get a logo design in 24 hours for $50 will only provide you with a product that is temporarily satisfying and not really worth the cost. They are often created using template designs and with zero consideration of your target market.

Check out a few design pages that come up after these initial sponsored results. Don’t be afraid to look through some of the portfolio items of a custom logo designer to see the type of products that they have produced in the past. Finding a designer that really takes pride in their work at a designer that has years of experience in the industry can make sure your design carries weight. Designers that have extensive experience will often provide exemplary customer service as well.

Checking LinkedIn/Freelance websites:

Freelance websites and sites like LinkedIn are great way that you can get in touch with freelance graphic designers that are interested in taking on clients. This is a fantastic way that you can break it side of your own local area as well. If you don’t mind working with a custom logo designer that using in your area, you can use a platform like freelancer.com or LinkedIn to contact someone with the qualifications and experience you need. Any of the meetings that take place between you and your graphic designer will most likely happen over Skype or some type of cloud-based meeting system. This can be a great way to share ideas back and forth and it’s nearly as effective as an in person conference or meeting.

While many freelancers like to work fast to maximize their income, most talented logo designers have experience and realize that the average logo may take several days or a week to actually perfect. Make sure that any freelancer will be performing market research, multiple drafts and revisions of your logo so that you can get a polished product you can be satisfied in.

Use these top tips for finding the best custom logo designer.

Here is why you should trust a professional for your logo design. 

The post Tips for Finding a Custom Logo Designer appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

Brand exposure is important and by getting a professional logo and then sharing it in the right places you can work at improving your brand recognition. By improving your brand recognition you can improve your sales. This is really the only way that your small startup can turn into a bigger, more successful business for the future.

Here are some of the top places you can use your logo as a small business to improve your brand awareness:

Social Media:

If you don’t have a social media profile, you should think of creating one now. The most successful online businesses have their own online profiles today. That’s because they can market products and services out to their target market cheaply and effectively. Using your logo in marketing materials and for your profile picture on social media is important. Once you have a logo finalized you should consider using it for your profile picture on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and more.

Promo Items/digital advertising:

If you are building a banner ad or a print advertising spot, this is the perfect place to put your logo. If you put out a flyer or produce any kind of advertising online, you need to strongly consider including your logo somewhere on the same material. Without including your logo on print advertising or online advertising slots, you could be missing out on a prime chance for exposure. Including your ad in the bottom corner or as a main part of the advertisement if you are a new company, is a great idea.

Packaging:

Your logo is a must on your packaging. If you are selling a product that will be in retail locations or even a product that will be sold/shipped from an online store, you need to include your logo in the packaging. Logos on packaging are a fantastic way to improve your brand recognition. That’s because even if someone happens to see the box your product was shipped in located in someone’s recycling bin, this can show your product is being used in their local market. Packaging gets people excited to try your product. With a logo that shows your business culture, you could potentially influence a purchase.

Emails:

If your company uses email marketing or sends out any kind of email newsletter, you need to include your logo into the template for your emails right away. Showcasing your brand in any email message is a fantastic way to increase brand awareness. It can also help to improve the way that people feel about your brand. A customer or potential customer can see your logo whenever they get new news about your company. You can also influence their opinion of your logo or branding by showcasing different deals or offers with your logo distinctly displayed.

Webpage:

A logo must have a place on your company webpage. Including your logo on company webpages is essential for your logo to reach an international audience. You can go a step further as well and index your page with Google business. This will ensure that your logo comes up every time someone searches for basic info on the search engine about your company, but doesn’t visit the main page. A logo can be a big part of a webpage. Any small business needs to take advantage of displaying one on their home page/ throughout their pages. Even blog pages and businesses that are entirely based on the web know the value of branding. They also have strong logos distinctly displayed across their posts and main page content. Following this kind of visibility can only bring you success in brand awareness.

Business cards:

A logo displayed on a business card is a very professional move that is great for expanding your industry contacts. Many of the world’s top executives carry business cards that showcase the professional logo design of their company. Any small business needs to showcase their logo on business cards. Imagine being able to improve your brand awareness by showcasing your business cards at trade shows. People would be passing by and anyone could pick up your business card! By displaying your logo on your business card it becomes more than just a tool for contact information. It becomes a promotional tool as well. With a unique business card design as well as a trendy logo, you can really make an impact as a small business.

Keep these top areas in mind when you are thinking of where to put your logo. If you are in the early stages of your business and you need to increase brand awareness, don’t forget to take advantage of all of these spaces and more!

Check out this article on who needs a logo!

The post Small Business Guide: Where to Use Your Logo appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.