That’s because your company’s brand identity (everything visual about your brand) can be the difference between success and failure.

It can be hard for a small business owner to justify the expense of a professionally designed logo. But this is shortsighted. A logo is one of the most important parts of your brand identity.

Though cheaper options such as ready-made design stores and designing your logo exist, they rarely produce the type of quality design expected in today’s business landscape.

The problem is that many of these other options can seriously harm your business.

When it comes to design, investing in quality as soon as possible is the best way to get the most growth out of your business. Otherwise, you may work harder than necessary to earn customer trust and stand out from the competition.

And, importantly, a high-quality logo design costs as little as $300!

Here are five ways that investing in design early can influence business growth.

1. First Impressions Matter

During a study at Carleton University in Ottawa, participants were shown websites for only 50 milliseconds and asked to rate them for visual appeal. The participants were then shown the websites for a longer time and asked to rate the websites again. The study found that the participants rated the websites’ visual appeal consistently, regardless of how long they were shown the sites.

What does this mean for small business owners?

Use principles of marketing psychology to your advantage. You have 50 milliseconds to make a good impression on your potential customer, and quality design will play a major role.

Once your prospective customers form their first impression, it will be very tough for you to change their minds.

2. Communicate visually with your customer

When properly designed, your logo can say a lot about your company. It may be the only opportunity to identify what your company does or to separate you from the competition in locations like app download stores and social media. As branding expert and author of Designing Brand Identity Alina Wheeler puts it:

To rise above the clutter, a symbol or a logo is the fastest communication known to man. It unlocks associations with your brand on sight, so it’s important to get it right the first time around.

3. Make your business memorable

A memorable logo doesn’t just help customers create a relationship between your company and its services, it can actually make them more engaged.

An online study conducted by branding firm Siegel+Gale found that memorable logos are 13 percent more likely to get consumers’ attention, 7 percent more likely to make them want to learn more about the brand, and 6 percent more likely to suggest a company is more unique than others in its category.

What makes a logo memorable? Simplicity.

Simple was the word that came up above and beyond, more than anything else,” said Brian Rafferty, global director of research insights for Siegel+Gale. “When people were asked what makes a logo memorable, it was simplicity.

A simple design is harder than it sounds, and many low-quality logos have complicated elements to mask their shortcomings.

Don’t make the mistake of confusing complex with quality.

4. Stand out from the competition

As mentioned earlier, ready-made and generic logos can harm your business.

Ready-made logos such as those bought from online logo stores or pre-made template sites can be purchased by other businesses and could lead to brand confusion when shown next to competitors that went the same ready-made route.

The generic elements often used in homemade designs have been seen so many times by customers they can begin to ignore them completely.

As the visual representation of everything your brand stands for, it’s important for your logo to be unique.

Professional designers take the time to learn about your business and create a logo that represents your company in a way that a generic option never could.

5. Invest now or spend more later

Spending little to no money on logo design might make financial sense in the early phases of starting a business, but it is a short-sighted decision.

If the competitive advantages of investing in quality design from the outset aren’t enough, the financial advantage is also clear.

Low-quality or generic design has a short shelf-life and will likely require a redesign in the future.

Whether it is because you are unhappy with what the design says about your growing business, or you found that your logo design is not as flexible as your marketing strategies, a logo redesign is an additional expense that can be avoided by making the decision to invest in quality design from the start.

Ready to invest in good design? Tens of thousands of the world’s best entrepreneurs, small businesses, agencies and non-profits trust crowdspring for high-quality, professional, custom design. Get started now and request a free, no obligation design consultation for a new custom logo, website, print design, package graphics, or any other design, with one of our design experts today.

The post Five Reasons Businesses Should Invest In Design Early appeared first on crowdspring Small Business Resource Center.

Some new business owners feel paralyzed by this challenge and can’t even begin to write their business plan until they settle on a name.

Here are 10 proven tips that will help you find a great business name your new company:

1. Think about what you want your business name to convey.

Your business name is an important part of your company’s brand identity.

The name will appear in your company logo and on your business cards, letterhead, website, promotional materials, products, and pretty much everywhere in print to identify your company or your company’s products and/or services.

Service-oriented businesses should consider whether it will be easy for their prospective customers to recognize what services the business provides, based on the name of the company (example: Friendly Dog Walkers or Bright Accounting).

2. Brainstorm to identify name possibilities.

Once you understand what you want your company name to convey, you should set aside some time to brainstorm to come up with names for your new business.

Think about words that describe your industry or the products/services you offer. Think about words that describe your competitors and words that describe the differences between your products and services and those of your competitors.

Also, consider words that describe the benefits of using your products or services. Finally, think about words (and phrases) that evoke the feelings you want your customers to feel when they see your company name.

Here’s a handy ideas guide for many different industries like salon name ideas (and many others, including restaurant name ideas, consulting business name ideas, photography business name ideas, and much more).

While brainstorming, look up Greek and Latin translations of your words – you might find new ideas from doing that exercise. Look at foreign words too.

Expect this process to take lots of time (it took us about 40+ hours to brainstorm and then another 10 to finalize names – we went through MANY possible names). Don’t forget to leverage resources, including a dictionary, thesaurus, and any other resources that you think may help.

WHICH NAME IS BEST?

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3. Keep the name short, simple, and easy to write and remember. Also – consider acronyms of the name.

Think about the names of companies you admire. They typically have a few things in common: their names are short, simple, easy to write, and easy to remember. (Examples: Apple, Google, Tesla, Slack).

Obscure business names are often difficult to write and even more difficult to remember.

Plus, obscure names typically make it harder to create a company logo design for your business.

This is a problem because, for most startups and small businesses, word-of-mouth advertising is the most successful form of marketing. If your customers can’t remember your name or can’t spell it for others, it will make it difficult for them to help promote your business.

While it might be tempting, avoid using a “K” in place of a “Q” or a “Ph” in place of an “F” when coming up with your company name. Such letter substitutions make spelling the name very difficult.

Also, don’t forget to consider the acronym of your company name (an acronym is composed of the first letter of each word in a phrase). You might not use an acronym, but your customers might refer to your business by an acronym. A name such as Apple Support Services can result in an unfavorable acronym – ASS.

TELL ME MORE!

Starting a new business?

Read our complete step-by-step guide on how to start a business. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to launch your new business or startup.

You’ll learn how to develop and refine your business idea, conduct market research, write a business plan, choose a business name and logo, build an online presence, find investors and business partners, hire your team, register your business, and much more.

Read More

4. Avoid names that are too narrow or too literal.

Think about how your company may evolve over time and make sure that the company name can evolve with the business.

For example, if you name your company iPhone Accessories and later expand to sell accessories for other products, your original name will be too narrow and restrictive.

The same advice applies even if your company sells a niche product.

For example, if you sell antique lamps, you should consider whether you might sell more than lamps in the future. Naming your business Joan’s Antique Lamps may be too limiting when you later start selling antique clocks and furniture.

5. Avoid decisions by a committee but do “test” your company name with others.

It’s tempting to involve our friends, family, employees, and customers in finding a name for our company. Sometimes, this can work out really well. But there are risks. People might be upset if you don’t pick a name they think is great.

You’ll also find yourself trying to find consensus – which can lead to a very plain name. If you must involve others, pick a small group of people who understand you and your business (and pick a mix of right-brain types and left-brain types so that you can have some variety.

Once you’ve selected a few possible choices, you should share them with a few trusted friends, family, and customers to get some feedback about the name.

6. Avoid plain words.

Plain words make it very difficult to differentiate your company from your competitors.

For example, there were hundreds of thousands of logo design businesses around the world when we started thinking about “crowdspring”. We knew that we would be expanding to many different industries (graphic design, website design, product design, and many more) and so we didn’t want to name our business Great Logo Design or manyDesigners – it would have been descriptive, but not memorable and certainly not sufficiently unique.

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Writing a business plan?

Entrepreneurs who take the time to write a business plan are 2.5 times more likely to follow through and get their business off the ground.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to quickly and easily write a strong business plan that will help you launch a successful business. Plus, download lots of free templates for your business plan.

Read More

7. Be careful with geographic names.

Some people use their city, state, or region as part of their company name. If you plan only to work in your city, then this might serve you well. But a geographic name could hinder you later. One great example is Minnesota Manufacturing and Mining. Initially, the name worked because the business was focused on Minnesota. But once the company grew beyond their industry and the state of Minnesota, they needed to find a new name – 3M.

8. Avoid obscure words.

Company names that help tell stories can be powerful and memorable (think about Google, for example). But obscure words or references might be difficult to spell or pronounce. Be especially sensitive if you’re trying to reach a mass audience (such as on the Internet).

Obscure or invented names can work – Xerox is a great example – but this often requires a huge marketing budget and tremendous effort.

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Want a checklist to help you start your business?

Get this free checklist and make sure you do not forget important startup steps when you launch your new business.

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9. Avoid trends.

You’ll want your company’s name to evolve as trends evolve, so be careful to identify the trends and to avoid following them. For example, in the late 1990s, it was trendy to use a .com after your company name if your company was an Internet business. After the Internet “bubble” burst, the “.com” became synonymous with having no business model, and those companies who survived very quickly dropped “.com” from their names.

10. Consider whether you can register a domain and obtain a trademark.

It’s important to make sure that your competitors are not using the same name in your industry.

It’s not uncommon to find similar (or even identical names) in different industries, but this can result in confusion for your customers and vendors. If your competitors are using the same name – you’ll expose yourself to possible litigation and you’ll likely be unable to obtain trademark protection for your company name. Since intellectual property is valuable, this is not something you should take for granted.

So, look for a company name that is also available for registration as a domain (ideally, as a .com domain). You should understand that .com domains are very popular and you’ll struggle to find available domains that match your company name.

You’ll also want to make sure that you select a company name that you’ll be able to register for trademark/servicemark protection.

Trademark rights arise only through commerce (such as when you offer items for sale and use the trade name or logo in your marketing materials or on the products). You are not required to register a company name – you can acquire common law rights simply by using the name in commerce.

The post 10 Tips for Naming Your Startup or Small Business appeared first on crowdspring Small Business Resource Center.

In fact, it can be paralyzing. Some young entrepreneurs have a tough time writing their business plan if they don’t yet have a name for their business.

Coming up with a memorable business tagline can present an even greater challenge.

A tagline is supposed to communicate to your customers and potential customers what sets you apart from your competition and also your brand’s focus. It’s an important part of your company’s brand identity and also helps you leverage marketing psychology to help people fall in love with your unique brand.

You’ve probably seen and heard some of the most influential taglines of the past 50 years:

Got milk? (California Milk Processor Board) – 1993

Just do it (Nike) – 1988

Think different (Apple) – 1998

The ultimate driving machine (BMW) – 1975

Why did those taglines capture the attention of a wide audience and how did each become so memorable?

Money provides a partial answer.

Each of the companies/organizations that promoted one of the above taglines spent huge sums of money establishing their brand – and the tagline.

Here are 10 tips to help you get a great tagline or slogan for your business:

1. Make your slogan or tagline unique.

Unsuccessful taglines often are too generic.

If your competitor can use your tagline and it would still work well for them – you should keep working on the tagline until you find something that only you can uniquely use.

2. Make your slogan or tagline simple.

You wouldn’t want to have a complicated company name, so why would you create a complicated tagline?

A good way to test for simplicity is to ask your friends, family, and strangers whether they understand what your company does after they see or hear your tagline.

3. Make your slogan or tagline concise.

The best taglines explain what your company does and are short.

Worry less initially about how the tagline sounds and focus first on a rough statement – you can always tweak until you get it just right. Aim for no more than five words.

Five words are easier to remember than 20 words.

Some good examples: “Email marketing software for designers and their clients” (CampaignMonitor), “A Better Way To Work.” (37signals) and “The World’s Largest Junk Removal Service” (1-800-Got-Junk?)

4. Make your slogan or tagline timeless.

As tempting as hip taglines are, they will quickly become dated. There’s a reason each of the above taglines from Nike, Apple, and BMW has survived the test of time – they’re simple and timeless.

5. Keep your slogan or tagline consistent.

One mistake companies make is to regularly change their taglines because they become tired of their current taglines and think that their customers and potential customers also have become tired of that tagline.

This is a mistake and can lead to confusion. If your tagline works – even if you think it’s boring – stick with it if it’s working well for you.

6. Keep the focus on your audience, not on your company.

The most memorable taglines are about your customers, not about your company. If you focus your tagline on your company, your customers will wonder how it relates to them.

On the other hand, by placing the focus on your customers – you’ll create a stronger brand association.

Nike’s “Just do it” and Apple’s “Think Different” are great examples of placing the focus on the customers and potential customers.

One common mistake companies make is to make promises in their taglines (which put the focus on the company). Don’t make promises – communicate benefits instead.

7. Keep your slogan or tagline relevant to your company’s audience.

The memorable taglines above are sexy but not very descriptive. They’re memorable in part because each company/organization spent huge sums of money marketing and used those taglines in their marketing.

Since you probably don’t have access to the same marketing budgets, your goal should be different.  You should use your tagline to identify what you do and to identify the benefit to your customers.

8. Make sure your slogan or tagline matches your other branding.

Many entrepreneurs and small businesses think that a logo IS the company’s brand. It’s not.

A logo is a part of what defines a brand.

A tagline, like a logo, helps to define your brand. Make sure that the style, voice, and other elements of your tagline match the style, voice, and other elements of your logo design.

Because your tagline will be part of your overall branding, you’ll want the tagline to reflect your company’s personality.

9. Keep your slogan or tagline positive.

There’s a huge body of research showing that negative statements generally don’t sell very well.

Keep your tagline positive and focus on benefits.

10. Inject appropriate personality into your slogan or tagline.

Insurance companies speak with a different voice than Internet companies.

Keep in mind your company’s voice and personality, and make sure that the tagline reflects that voice and personality.

The post How To Make Your Tagline Stand Out From The Crowd appeared first on crowdspring Small Business Resource Center.

But what if the company you are starting begins to change?

Just because the business name was perfect when you launched doesn’t mean it will always be the right fit.

You would change your business plan if you found that your products and services were not popular. You should do the same with your business name if it doesn’t help you grow your business.

Remember that your brand identity is one of the most powerful ways you can compete in an increasingly competitive world. Your company’s name is a key part of brand identity.

Unsure if your startup is in need of a new name? Take a look at 5 top startups that have changed their name (and why they did so):

Finding Focus

When Untitled Startup Inc. started, the company had no specific product in mind. Instead, the company intended to create “simple useful stuff that solved big customer problems.”

With an interest in the social media / PR space, Untitled Startup Inc. began to develop a product focused on providing data to marketers with easy to use measurement and reporting tools. The product was a hit and it became clear that Untitled Startup Inc. would continue to focus their efforts on “helping marketers become data rockstars.

After developing a product with a clear focus and customer validation, Untitled Startup Inc. changed its name to Simply Measured.

Product Pivot

RelayRides intended to innovate the car rental industry with a peer-to-peer carsharing concept inspired by online marketplaces like Airbnb. From 2010 to 2014, the company launched its service nationwide and received over $50 million in funding. During this time, the original model of short-term, hourly rentals discontinued in favor of longer duration rentals of 1 day or more due to growth potential. Ultimately, RelayRides found that the average rental period for their service was for more than 5 days.

With a product no longer focused on short-term rentals, RelayRides changed its name to Turo and raised another $47 million in funding in 2015.

Product Success

There are more than 200,000 hospital visits a year related to food allergies or food sensitivity. 6SensorLabs launched to change that, by offering an affordable way to test food for allergens and educate others about unexpected allergens in restaurant menus. After receiving $4 million in seed funding, the company launched its first product in 2015, a handheld app-connected device designed to detect gluten levels in your food titled Nima. The company earned an additional round of $9.2 million in funding before shipping any devices.

Considering the success of the Nima product and its synonymous relationship with the brand, 6SensorLabs decided to change its name to Nima with two new devices launching in 2017.

Product Expansion

When ZenPayroll was part of Y Combinator’s Winter 2012 batch, the intention of the company was to improve the payroll experience for both small businesses and employees. Over the next 3 years, ZenPayroll earned over $25 million in funding and launched their payroll management system in all 50 states. In 2015, after being valued at over $560 million, ZenPayroll added health benefits and workers’ compensation to their product offering.

With a product offering no longer limited to payroll, ZenPayroll changed its name to Gusto.

Rebranding

Virtual Reality has found mainstream appeal in the past year with the release of multiple VR headsets to the general public. Vrse was founded to utilize VR as a storytelling medium by developing the technology required to create, play, and distribute “immersive VR films.” Though the name seemed clever at first, Vrse CEO Chris Milk began to notice some unexpected branding issues:

People reading our name often don’t know how to say it, and people who do know how to say it often don’t know how to spell it when searching for it. Turns out these are not great features for a company name. More importantly though, tying our brand to “virtual reality”, a phrase we may not even use in ten years, seems inadvisable. And at our heart, we’re about more than just a specific technology or buzzword — we’re about creating and sharing human experience. Technology is just a tool to get us there.

Faced with a name that was no longer working for the CEO or the brand direction, Vrse changed their name to Within during their announcement of a $12.6 million round of funding in 2016.

A Case for Change
The most important thing a startup can do is get started.

These 5 companies and many more have proven that the perfect name is not critical to a company’s initial success and that in some situations you may not even know what kind of company you will have in a few years.

Focus on providing a quality service or product to your customers, and don’t be afraid to change your startup name if the timing feels right.

The post 5 Startups that changed their name (and why) appeared first on crowdspring Small Business Resource Center.

Because they have a direct relationship with both the product and customer, small business entrepreneurs are able to quickly analyze what strategies are or are not working and adjust accordingly.

This is especially an advantage in digital marketing, where a business’s willingness to try something new can be a significant competitive advantage for reaching new customers in meaningful ways.

Though you may be flexible enough to try new marketing tactics to grow your business, is your logo?

A professionally designed custom logo can help your business stand above your competition.

Take a look at the checklist below to see if your logo is ready to move as quickly as you:

Your logo is legible at any size

Image Courtesy of LinkedIn

Do any of the elements on your logo become less legible at different sizes? Some logos that look good on your computer screen are a little harder to read when shrunk to fit on the side of a pen or in an app icon. Print out your logo at various sizes to test the limits of your current logo design so that you’re prepared for any promotional opportunity.

Your logo works on any background

Image Courtesy of OpenTable

A logo that looks good on a light background may be impossible to read on a dark one, so most brands create two versions of their logo for these purposes. Try placing your logo on various backgrounds to make sure it is ready to be placed in a variety of locations.

Your logo is still effective in one color

Image Courtesy of Medium

Most business owners will run into a situation where they need to display their logo in only one color, whether this is due to the limitations of the printing method or even budgeting. It is important to have a logo that doesn’t rely on color to distinguish different elements of the design so that the brand’s identity remains intact even when one color is used.

Your logo fits in any format

Image Courtesy of Google

It’s almost impossible to design a logo that is the perfect shape for every situation, so brands often create two different versions of the logo: horizontal and vertical. The horizontal logo, which is considered the “standard” format, can be used on anything from web banners to promotional pens while a vertical or “stacked” version can be used on signage and social media avatars.

Your logo can be printed on different mediums

Image Courtesy of MJW Embroidery

Though it may be tempting to use complicated images, gradients, and effects on a logo that look great on a computer screen, it is important for a business owner to remember that their logo should be usable in the physical world just as much as the digital. Overly complex designs do not translate well to some mediums like apparel embroidery and sign printing which are great mediums for increasing brand awareness.

Flexible Branding

If your logo falls short in any of the categories above, it may be time to revisit your branding strategy.

An entrepreneur’s ability to be flexible when growing a small business will be greatly reduced the first time a partnership or advertising campaign has to be put on hold to redesign the logo to fit.

You don’t have to start from scratch! Existing brands may be able to utilize their current logo to create alternate versions or a designer may just need to simplify the existing logos. In the situation where a designer may need to start fresh, the existing branding is a great starting point to create something new that is still true to the brand.

If you are just starting your business, you’re in luck! Just make sure that you get all the necessary variations designed from the beginning and take a look at our 10 Logo Design Tips for more insight into what makes a logo great.

By thinking ahead about all your branding needs and getting a truly flexible logo for your company, your branding can be just as agile as your marketing strategy.

The post Is Your Logo As Flexible As Your Marketing Strategy? appeared first on crowdspring Small Business Resource Center.

After all, brand building at-scale is typically very different than brand building in the startup and small business world.

Nevertheless, smart entrepreneurs and small business owners pay careful attention to important market forces and trends that shape some of the world’s best brands. These entrepreneurs and small business owners know that despite the many differences between large and small companies, important insights that can help shape their marketing strategies.

BrandZ publishes an annual most valuable global brands report. The Brandz Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands report offers important branding lessons for startups and small business.

Here are 7 key takeaways from the BrandZ report (and the important lessons for small businesses and startups):

1) Disrupt yourself before you become disrupted.

Disruption was one of the key trends in the rankings. Interestingly, three of the fastest rising brands – Amazon, Starbucks and Facebook – continued to disrupt their own business models.

It’s remarkable that only a few years ago, Facebook didn’t have a mobile strategy. Today, most of Facebook’s billions in earnings comes from mobile.

There are many products and services in the marketplace and a lot of noise. Smart brands attempt to be omnipresent and useful to their customers. The best brands deliver great value. Just look at how Amazon has managed to build many multi-billion dollar industries while delivering terrific value to consumers.

2) Integrate your marketing efforts.

One common mistake made by many small businesses and startups is to assume that once they have a great custom designed logo, they’ve created their brand and now just need to do a little bit of marketing.

A brand is more than a logo. But marketing efforts can fall flat if you lose credibility with your marketing collateral.

You must keep an eye on branding (easier for the world’s biggest brands – they can spend billions building their brands) because it’s too easy to make a branding mistake that can cripple your small business. If your branding is inconsistent or consistently poor in email and content marketing campaigns, people will notice.

The best brands excelled in combining digital and social media marketing efforts. Consumers are everywhere and most companies have trouble reaching them if they focus only on digital or social channels.

For example, content marketing strategies can work remarkably well,but get a huge lift if you can follow content posts with a strong social media push (Brands with “personalities” tend to do better). This is especially important because younger consumers have different shopping habits. According to BrandZ:

For example, the millennial dad is not the stereotypical errand boy-man, mindlessly checking off items on his partner’s shopping list. He is often the shopper and decision maker, and therefore a person brands need to get to know better. With the rise of mobile banking, the counterintuitive surprise about millennials is that they sometimes prefer to bank in the physical world first, establishing trust through a face-to-face encounter, before transacting online. Millennials pay for goods and services not only with cash, but with other currencies, including their time and their data.

3) Have a clear and consistent brand purpose.

Great brands have genuine, clearly articulated and consistent missions. The company’s purpose must be genuine and an extension of your brand’s functionality. BrandZ explains:

Higher purpose seems to work best when it is a natural extension of the brand’s functionality. In the car category, Volvo returned to its emphasis on safety, a genuine purpose that helped drive sales. Tesla appeared for the first time in the BrandZ Cars Top 10 as a brand providing high performance and low carbon impact.

4) User experience is a key differentiator.

Customers are looking for a flawless, frictionless experience and typically have little patience when the experience is less than perfect.

Many years ago, companies could offer a poor customer experience and customers would tolerate that poor experience because there were few options for customers.

This is no longer true. There are numerous options for nearly all customers, and poor experience is a sure way for a startup or a small business to lose customers and go out of business. Just look at cable-cutters and the amount of business lost by traditional cable companies (that have, historically, had terrible customer service and experience).

Brands that are meaningfully different tend to be more successful. Consumers are looking for “a bit more” from most brands – not just the products and services they purchased. This is an opportunity for smaller brands to deliver great value and personalize products, services, and communications.

5) Innovation and a higher purpose attract talent.

Millenials are naturally drawn to technology brands.

But equally important, brands that innovate and have a higher purpose appeal most to younger employees. This is a global trend, and evident not just among the worlds biggest companies, but also evident among startups and small businesses.

6) There are advantages to being local rather than multinational.

This is an especially important lesson for small businesses competing against large multinational companies. Interesting cultural trends are pushing local brands above successful global companies.

For example, Intelligentsia Coffee enjoys a great reputation as a local brand. Why? According to to the BrandZ report:

Along with the desire for less expensive products, several other factors drive this trend, which is especially evident in FMCG [Fast moving consumer goods] categories. First, local brands have gotten better in quality and marketing, in part because they have learned from multinational competitors. Second, consumers increasingly prefer local brands for nationalistic or other reasons. In India, for example, consumers feel that local brands better understand and respond to the country’s rich diversity. Finally, consumers in these fast-growing markets also look for brands that act as partners in helping to build the nation. To many consumers, local brands seem more likely to pursue this purpose.

Smaller brands can compete with big brands because you can reach the consumer anywhere, physically or virtually. But even for local business, you must have a web presence to reach consumers virtually.

7) Not all customers are the same.

The best brands understand that marketing messages must be customized to each generation. Marketing to Baby Boomers, for example, is different than marketing to Gen Z. According to BrandZ:

In an age more tech-driven than ever, Gen Z is raising standards for brands. Even with the proliferation of omnichannel, interactions are expected to be more human, benefits higher-order, and offers more individually relevant. Close attention to this generation – leveraging the vast amounts of behavioral data it generates wherever possible – is crucial for building lasting connections, outpacing evolving needs, and ultimately winning with the consumer.

The post What You Can Learn From The World’s Best Brands appeared first on crowdspring Small Business Resource Center.

This is not surprising – successful businesses avoid making branding mistakes that cripple other businesses.

If your branding is confusing, inconsistent, generic, or otherwise sub-par, you can easily undermine your business’s credibility and ruin your chance for success.

Let’s look at five branding mistakes that will cripple your business (with tips on how to avoid them):

Mistake 1: Bad Company Name

A strong brand is easily recognizable by your customers and potential customers.

Recognition starts with the name of your business. The name will appear on your business cards, letterhead, website, marketing materials, social networks, products, and everywhere else – in print and online – to identify your company and your company’s products and services.

Naming your company can be challenging and time-consuming. Getting an available URL for your company’s name can present an even greater challenge because even when you find a great name, the URL might not be available.

Your company’s name should be simple, easy to pronounce, spell and write, and memorable. If you want useful tips on naming your business, there’s good insight in 10 tips for startups and small business on naming your company.

Mistake 2: Poor Design

It’s not enough to have a good, recognizable name.

People also associate brands with the logo of the business.

As you think about your logos, keep your audience and products/services in mind because you want your logo to reflect the products and services your company sells. A good logo builds trust and a strong logo will help to pull your brand together.

Think about the logos of some of the world’s most admired brands (Apple, Google, Amazon). How do you feel (emotionally) when you see their logos?

Now look at your own company’s logo. Have you ever asked your customers how THEY feel when they see your company’s logo?

If you want useful tips on getting a great logo, read 10 logo design tips for buyers.

Great design doesn’t stop with the logo.

It should not surprise you to learn that consumers prefer better-looking websites.

Take a look at your company’s business website. Does it look professional? Is it regularly updated? Does it have the relevant information your customers need? How do customers feel when they visit the site?

If you want useful best practices and tips on successful small business web design, I recommend you read Small Business Marketing: Web Design Best Practices and Tips.

Mistake 3: Inconsistent Voice

A brand is the sum total of the experiences your customers and potential customers have with your company.

A strong brand communicates what your company does, how it does it, and also establishes trust and credibility.

Your brand is your story.

Your company’s brand lives in everyday interactions with your customers and potential customers, the images you share, the messages you post on your website, the videos you create, the content of your marketing materials, and in your posts on social networks.

What you say is important, but don’t overlook how you say it.

Your company’s “voice” is the language and personality you and your employees will use to deliver your branding message and reach your customers. Successful brands speak with a unique voice.

Think about the brands you admire – what makes them unique? How do they communicate with you and other customers? What do you like about their voice?

Why should you care about brand consistency?

You should care because brand consistency leads to familiarity, and familiarity leads to trust. Customers buy from brands they trust.

Mistake 4: Not Keeping Your Promises

Businesses succeed or die by the promises they make. When you tell your customers you offer outstanding customer support – they will expect you to deliver on that promise.

Every time.

If you consistently deliver (and over-deliver) on your promises, you will create more loyal customers who will become zealous advocates for your business.

Although this is common sense, you’d be surprised how many small businesses tarnish relationships with their customers by failing to keep their promises.

Happy customers who feel good about your business are your best source of referrals. For example,

Mistake 5: No Vision

Think about the brands you love. Those brands commonly stand for something (or against something) and connect with their customers emotionally.

After all, marketing is about values.

The post Five Branding Mistakes That Will Cripple Your Small Business appeared first on crowdspring Small Business Resource Center.