Barb’s notes

Your logo tells your story

Have you visited a Web site with so many flashing animations that you leave? The same principle applies with logos: simple is good.

Here are 5 litmus tests for your new logo:

Does it look good in black and white? If not, re-think it. Even with dinosaur technology like the fax machine, your logo will show up as a one-color wonder sometime. A crisp graphic can pull this off with ease.

Can it be reproduced on a hat, t-shirt or mug? Wearables and promotion items help give your brand visibility. If you cannot reproduce your logo on these items, it means lost opportunity for getting your name out there.

Does it require metallic ink, or any other special finish? Inks are expensive, and do not translate well to other mediums. (see #2)

Will it look good on a cell phone? Mobile access means customer access – if your logo doesn’t translate to digital media easily, it works against you.

Will it look good on a billboard? Logos show up in all sizes and scale. An excellent one will translate in any medium.

With easy design packages, animations and “do it yourself” kits available, the temptation to get carried away with all of the bells and whistles is common. But just because you can do it, does not mean you should. Technology special effects do not equal solid design.

Your logo communicates your brand in an instant. It is worth the extra time and investment to get it right. Then it can tell your story well.

Even in my soft drink days, there was a certain edge of “geekiness” to me, and some fascination with technology. I probably got this from my dad. He was, no surprise, an engineer.  Back in my soft drink days, I learned a computer language  to do regression analysis charts on things like displays and market share. It printed out on a dot matrix printer.  State of the art.

Continue reading Are you a geek?

Small business owners often tap their children, students and friends to build Web sites. After all, it’s either free or very cheap, and helps out a relative, student starting out or  a friend. Others use a Web design shop, who’s sole business is Web design. (As opposed to marketing.)

Continue reading 5 reasons to use a marketing pro for your Web site

Recommended must read: Is your social media expert really an expert? The top 25 ways to find out.

This new post by Peter Shankman and Sarah Evans (both experts) nail the differences between those who claim to be experts and those who really are experts in social media. Social media is, of course, the hot marketing topic de jour, surrounded by tons of hype and more than a few charlatans. Peter and Sarah do a great job (as usual) of showing how to spot the posers.

Social media may not fit every organization’s goals and does require on-going attention. And the elements may vary from business to business. Not everyone needs to be on all of the “latest and greatest” platforms. Beware of anyone who makes a blanket claim to that effect.

Bing, Microsoft’s new search engine, offers some great features. The attractive landing page with a single stunning photo as backdrop to the simple search box sets the stage for a different experience. There are some interesting tools that come with search results – a table of contents, cool travel feature and others – but how has Bing performed it’s first few days?

Continue reading Bing’s first few days

Good marketers do their homework. Homework goes by different names: due diligence, research and discovery among them. Whatever moniker you choose, it boils down to the same thing: work. Lots of work. Work to learn more and more about who your customers may be, what matters to them, where they go to get information, to shop, and on and on.

I’ve noticed many people want to skip this part. Eager to get to the “fun” parts like graphic design, tag lines and soundtracks, they barrel ahead at full tilt – often in the wrong direction.

It’s irritating as sand sometimes. The market and competition seem more active during the homework phase, and business owners often feel they are wasting time and their money with little to show for it. But, like oysters, it takes time for the discovery process to yield the pearls. By doing the work up front and learning as much as possible, you can avoid costly mistakes and instead capture opportunities you may not have known existed.

“Oh, you’re in advertising”

How many times have people said that when they ask what I do, and I respond “Marketing.”

The truth is, many people, including some clients, view marketing as advertising. Continue reading Why advertising is not marketing

Last week I gave a talk about networking for job seekers. About twenty people showed up, ranging in age from 20’s through late 50’s (guessing). We were there to talk about local networking, but soon covered networking opportunities on the Web. Continue reading Job seekers learn about LinkedIn

Seth Godin’s blog had a great post this morning. He clarified the difference between knowledge about your field (content) and having a track record of actually doing effective work in your field and knowing how to do it correctly. I call it the “secret sauce” that a professional brings to the table.

Continue reading Process: aka “track record”

How people converse speeds up relative to the plates in the air. At least that’s my theory. Meetings, planning, travel. All of it adds up to managing hectic lifestyles in micro seconds. So if you cannot grab attention in 3 seconds, it is often gone.

We used to call it the Blackberry test. If your colleagues faded to check their Blackberry, the point was not compelling or relevant enough to stay engaged in the conversation.

Social media seems like that. 140 characters or less to Twitter a relevant message. Is that so different from headlines? Not really.

Effective marketing has always been about earning attention. Fast. Because if you do, most people will stop and learn more. If you miss, then they move on.

And rightfully so.