Health Care Reform Digital Version
Creative Instinct attended a Health Care Reform Symposium in Little Rock on 8/10/10. Here is a brief article on what was covered, taken from www.arkansasbusinesss.com.
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By Mark Carter | ArkansasBusiness.com | 8/10/2010 3:50:06 PM
Health care reform is here to stay, like it or not. Now, just how to navigate it? Such was the theme from representatives of the health care industry Tuesday at the Arkansas Business Health Care Reform Symposium presented by Mitchell Williams law firm.
Close to 400 attendees participated in the half-day event, which included separate sessions for large and small employers as well as a panel discussion over lunch from some of the area’s leading health care experts.
The consensus? The days of single-doctor practices and independently owned small-town hospitals are numbered, many components to the reform legislation passed in March will never be implemented, and while coverage will be made available to many Americans who previously couldn’t get it, health care costs will rise as a result.
“We’re definitely going to see increases in the cost of health care because of expanded coverage,” said Tom Kane, senior vice president at Stephens Insurance in Little Rock and a presenter in the session for large employers, which are defined as companies with 50 or more employees. “I’d say anywhere from 2 to 5 percent.”
St. Vincent Health president and CEO Peter Banko said dealing with reform legislation was like “trying to navigate a battleship in a bathtub.” He predicted that it would result in fewer small practices and small, stand-alone hospitals, and ultimately nobody will benefit financially.
“This [reform legislation] is going to be funded somewhere,” he said. “By 2019, we project our bottom line at St. Vincent to be cut by $8 million.”
The prospect of businesses facing federal-government fines for not offering “qualified and affordable” health-insurance coverage to “full-time employee equivalents” by 2014 – the “Pay or Play” provision – resonated with many in attendance. “Full-time equivalents” are the number of workers putting in 30 or more hours per week plus the number of part-time hours for a month divided by 120. Businesses with 50 or more FTEs that opt out of coverage will be fined $2,000 per full-timer minus the first 30 full-time equivalents.
Kane said an employer with 150 FTEs would pay $240,000 in annual fines for opting out of coverage. Those employees who are not covered by a group plan at work would be placed in a statewide health-insurance exchange where they would have options for individual coverage likely more expensive than their previous group plan.
Kane was not the only speaker who predicted many large businesses will determine that opting out and paying the fine is cheaper. Some estimates call for as many as 30 percent of U.S. businesses with 50 or more FTEs to opt out of the mandated coverage. Small businesses with FTEs under 50 are exempt from the mandate, Kane said.
But Kevin Ryan, associate director of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, said small employers – currently the most likely to not offer group insurance to their employees – “have the toughest part of this…. You are health care reform.”
Companies with fewer than 25 employees are already, beginning in the current tax year, eligible for tax credits of up to 30 percent of the cost of providing health insurance, Tod Yeslow, a Mitchell Williams attorney who specializes in benefits, told the small business session.
One Little Rock business owner who attended Tuesday’s large-business session (and asked that his name not be used) said he believed he could save $2,000 per employee each year by opting out of coverage. His family company has been in operation for more than 40 years and employs well over 50 FTEs.
The issue will boil down to this, he said: “Is it worth that $2,000 in additional costs to provide coverage to my employees? Will that help me pull in and retain top-notch employees? And what will our competition do?”
The lunch panel represented the full spectrum of health care: Banko; Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford; Michael Stock, president and CEO of QualChoice health insurance company; and David Wroten, executive vice president of the Arkansas Medical Society, which represents doctors.
Session speakers included Kane, who spoke on policy and provider implications; Yeslow, who spoke on legal requirements; Bill MaGee of BKD LLP accounting firm, on tax implications; and John Robbins Jr. of DataPath.
Overviews were provided by Dr. Joe Thompson, director of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement and the state’s Surgeon General, and the ACHI’s Ryan.
More From the Symposium
8 Facts About Health Care and Health Care Reform from Tuesday’ Symposium
Please click the here to view the Health Care Reform digital edition. The digital edition provides you access to a recap of the day’s events, articles written by the speakers and links to each of the presenter’s power point presentations.
Creative Instinct: Health Care Branding & Marketing Experts…
Need some help with your healthcare branding, marketing or website development? Call Creative Instinct at 501-244-0573 for a free estimate on branding, logo, brochure or website design. Or, send an email to Gwen Canfield: gwen@creative-instinct.net. To see samples of our work, visit www.creativeinstinct.biz/health.
Newsletters Are Smart Marketing
Visit our website to see more newsletters
A newsletter is one of the best ways to keep your name in front of the eyes of your clients, your associates, and others that may be in your target market. A newsletter allows you to show them that you are more than just someone who is looking for projects to work on. And a newsletter shows that you are willing to pass on information that will help them run their own businesses.
Think about how many newsletters you read each week or month. Do you enjoy getting and reading it? Do you find the articles and other information in the newsletter helpful? Do you know who or what company produces it? Of course you do!
Newsletter Formats
Newsletters can be produced in several formats. For businesses, the most economical and most readily acceptable newsletter formats are plain text emails, HTML emails, HTML page on your website, PDF, and print. Each newsletter format has its own advantages and disadvantages. Your graphic designer can guide you through the pros and cons.
Many people considering starting a newsletter ask what newsletter content should be included. Again, your target audience will be the main factor that will determine what you want to include.
But no matter who your audience is, be sure to make your newsletter content timely. If a world event may affect your industry, be sure to include newsletter content that shows the various possible points of view.
Newsletter Content
Another question that many readers (and prospective newsletter editors) ask is, “where do you find your newsletter content?” Actually, most of the content in Creative Instinct’s e-newsletter finds me. I do write newsletter content myself but also include information from other writers and sources.
Once you start publishing a newsletter, you can submit it to Ezine directories. Most of these directories will ask you if you accept newsletter content. By answering yes, writers will submit their articles for your newsletter.
A few sites you can submit your newsletter or ezine to are BestEzines.com, EZine-Marketing.com, and Ezine-Universe.com.
Another way of finding newsletter content is to read other newsletters and ezines that are similar to yours or that target similar markets. If you spot a particular article or other newsletter content that you would like to use, contact the newsletter editor or the author of the article and ask to use it before you go ahead and include it in your newsletter. Editors will appreciate that you are actually reading their newsletter content and authors usually like to have copies of publications that their articles appear in and may request a copy or subscribe to your newsletter.
Once you have approached an author, you will probably be added to their mailing list and they will send you future articles that are appropriate for your newsletter.
You can also pick up articles from various Web sites that collect articles strictly for the purpose of offering them as newsletter content. Some of those sites include Marketing-Seek.com, EZineArticles.com, WebSource’s Article Announce, and AuthorConnection.com.
Other ideas for possible content for your newsletter are:
- special dates for the month,
- jokes or limericks (be sure they are not offensive),
- helpful links and tips,
- crossword or word search puzzles,
- testimonials,
- profiles of your clients or contacts,
- book reviews,
- upcoming events in your industry,
- and of course, information about what your business offers.
Some of the above suggestions for newsletter content will come to you through emails, discussion lists, or just surfing the ‘Net. Be sure to set aside a folder in your email program and an area in your Favorites list in your browser for anything that may seem like good newsletter content.
Whether or not you choose to include advertising in your newsletter is your own choice but don’t overdo it. It is a way to make a few bucks to offset your time but ask yourself one question, “How much advertising do I like to see in a newsletter?”
Also, learn by example. What is it about other newsletters that you receive that you like and dislike? Just remember to think about your readers when deciding what to include in your newsletter. Ask them for feedback and what they would like to see included in upcoming issues. Producing a successful newsletter is not all that difficult but you must be sure to make time to do it on a regular basis.
Newsletter Promotion
The next step in the success of your newsletter or ezine is promotion. The following are just a few suggestions for newsletter promotion:
- Include your article archives on your Web site and be sure to have a sign up email address form for your visitors.
- Put a link to your newsletter in the signature lines you use in your emails.
- If you write articles, be sure to add a short sentence about your newsletter in the contact information that you include at the end.
- Invite your newsletter readers to pass on each and every issue of your newsletter to their friends and associates.
- If allowed, announce that the current issue of your newsletter is available on any email discussion lists that you are on. Don’t include the newsletter, just include instructions on how people can get it and how they can sign up to receive it automatically.
- Exchange ads or information with other newsletter publishers.
- Be sure to submit your newsletter to various submission sites such as the ones I’ve mentioned above.
No matter how you choose to format your newsletter or what you choose to include in it, newsletters are one of the best ways to showcase your business, build credibility as an expert in your field, and stay in touch with your contacts.
Need Help with Your Newsletter?
Need some help with your e-newsletter or other marketing collateral? Call Creative Instinct at 501-244-0573 to arrange for a free consultation. Not only can we create an effective design for your e-newsletter, we can set up the entire email platform for you online. Our e-newsletter program makes composing and sending emails a snap. And, you can easily view the results of your email campaigns and manage your recipients. Email Gwen Canfield: gwen@creative-instinct.net. To see newsletter designs we’ve created for our clients, visit www.creativeinstinct.biz/portfolio. (Newsletter pictured at top of article was designed by Creative Instinct for Signal Group.)
ARTICLE WRITTEN BY: Janice Byer (About.com)
“Should I have a website?”
Article by Tim W. Knox – Entrepreneur Magazine
Q: My business is very small, and our products/services really can’t be sold online. Do I really need a website?
A: That’s a good question. In fact, it’s one of the most important and most frequently asked questions of the digital business age. Should your business have a website, even if your business is small and sells products or services you don’t think can be sold online? Of course the answer is an emphatic YES. If you have a business, you should have a website. Period. No question. Without a doubt.
Also, don’t be so quick to dismiss your products or services as ones that cannot be sold online. Nowadays, there’s very little that cannot be sold over the internet. More than 20 million shoppers are now online, purchasing everything from books to computers to cars to real estate to jet airplanes to natural gas to you name it. If you can imagine it, someone will figure out how to sell it online.
Web Presence Is Essential
Let me clarify one point: I’m not saying you should put all your efforts into marketing your business over the internet, though if your product/service lends itself to easy online sales, you should certainly be considering it. The point to be made here is that you should at the very least have a presence on the web so that customers, potential employees, business partners and perhaps even investors can quickly and easily find out more about your business and the products or services you have to offer.
Image Is Everything
That said, it’s not enough that you just have a website. You must have a professional-looking site if you want to be taken seriously. Since many consumers now search for information online prior to making a purchase, your site may be the first chance you have at making a good impression on a potential client. If your site looks like it was designed by the boy next door after his homework, your chance at making a good first impression will be lost.
Web Levels the Playing Field
One of the great things about the internet is that it has leveled the playing field when it comes to competing with the big boys. As mentioned, you have one shot at making a good first impression. With a well-designed site, your little operation can project the image and professionalism of a much larger company. The inverse is also true. I’ve seen many big company websites that were so badly designed and hard to navigate that they completely lacked professionalism and credibility. Good for you, too bad for them.
So, your business is a small operation. But when it comes to benefiting from a website, size does not matter. I don’t care if you’re a one-man show or a 10,000-employee corporate giant; if you don’t have a website, you’re losing business to other companies that do.
When NOT to Have A Website
Here’s the exception to my rule: It’s actually better to have no website at all than to have one that makes your business look bad. Your site speaks volumes about your business. It either says, “Hey, look, we take our business so seriously that we have created this wonderful site for our customers!” or it screams, “Hey, look, I let my 15-year-old nephew design my site. Good luck finding anything!”
Your website is an important part of your business. Make sure you treat it as such.
If you currently have a website that needs a makeover, or you don’t have a website and need one, call Creative Instinct, it’s what we do. Email gwen@creative-instinct.net, or call 501-244-0573. Visit us online at www.creativeinstinct.biz. (Website pictured at top of article: Riverwalck Saloon & TexMex Roadhouse designed by Creative Instinct. )
Health Law Gains Acceptance In Arkansas
Maybe only because it has been six months since the last TV commercials and newspaper ads brandished Frank Luntz’s poll-tested slogan “government takeover of health care” national health insurance is enjoying a modest rebound… Read more
10 Ways to Get Customers to Buy Now
You’ve hired a talented graphic designer. You sent out the best direct mail piece you’ve ever seen. Your catalog belongs in the Smithsonian, and your brochure is so great you framed it and put it next to the pictures of your kids.
So why aren’t you getting sales?
Take a look at your call to action. With any advertising materials, it’s crucial that you get potential customers to act. Now!
Use the following techniques to create a call to action that will have your phones ringing off the hook and your profits reinventing your sales graphs:
Give a Deadline for Ordering
We’ve all received some sort of promotional material that has a deadline for ordering. The offer could end on that date.
Or you could use the deadline in conjunction with an upgrade or free gift. For example, order by the 15th and receive….
Also, try to make the cut off date in the same month as your materials will be received. That way, your potential customers know they only have a limited time to respond and they won’t fall victim to the “I’ll do it later” syndrome.
Advise of a Price Increase
People want to get in on a good deal. If your price is going up on a specific date, let your customers know. They’ll want to buy before your product’s price increases.
Establish a Trial/Introductory Period
Trial periods are a great way to get new customers. Offer a special deal, extra service or a lower price during your trial/introductory period.
Free Gift
Nothing attracts new customers like free gifts. As an added incentive for ordering, offer your free gift to the first 100 people that respond.
“No Risk” Trial
People want to know there’s no risk involved if they’re not satisfied with the product/service. Let new customers know they can cancel for any reason before the trial period expires.
“Not Available in Stores”
Is your product exclusive to mail order? If your product’s not available in stores, be sure to tell your customers. They’ll know they can only order your product from you instead of visiting the local stores.
Offer an Upgrade
One simple line can boost your sales. “Order within 10 days and we’ll upgrade you to the deluxe model.”
Free Supplies/Accessories
You’ve seen this technique used with computer sales. Buy a computer and receive a free printer. This works with a whole range of products. But be sure to include a date on your offer. This politely urges people to take advantage of your offer before time runs out.
Use Action Phrases
No matter how you approach your own call to action, be sure to include action phrases:
Call Now. Toll Free. 24 Hours a Day. Mail this coupon today in the postage-paid envelope. Fax your response card.
Avoid Passive Phrases
Be sure to avoid passive phrases like:
You know how to reach us. Call when you’re ready to order.
Give your customers the perks of responding immediately. They’ll grab their wallets. You’ll see an increase in profits!
Need some help with your marketing?
Need some help with your company brochure or other marketing collateral? Call Creative Instinct at 501-244-0573 to arrange for a free consultation. Not only can we create an appealing page-turning design for your brochure, we can bring in an talented copywriter to craft the perfect verbiage that will make the sale. Email Gwen Canfield: gwen@creative-instinct.net. To see collateral designs we’ve created for our clients, visit www.creativeinstinct.biz. (Brochure pictured at top of article was designed by Creative Instinct for Ambassadors Formalwear in Madison, TN.)
Article written by Apryl Duncan – About.com
We’re On YouTube!
Click to view our promo video!
Check out our promo video on YouTube! (Click here)
This video was easy to make, and it’s free! First, we designed each slide and saved them as jpegs. Then, we created the video using a free online software at www.FlixTime.com. Save the video file… post it on YouTube… and Voila! Instant promo video.
Want a video like this to promote your own business? Give us a shout, we’d be happy to help you!
Email Gwen Canfield at gwen@creative-instinct.net, or call:
p. 501-244-0573
m. 615-945-9296
Visit us online at www.creativinstinct.biz.
Is Your Small Business Website Profitable?
unidig.com Website design by Creative Instinct
How effective is your small business website? The fourth annual small business Internet survey by Verizon Superpages.com conducted by the GallUp Organization found that over 41% of small businesses saw an increase in sales revenue with a website. If your small business website is not as productive as you would like, consider these pointers…
Most successful businesses cannot be without a web site… OFTEN IT IS A FIRST IMPRESSION OR INTRODUCTION TO YOUR BUSINESS. What sort of impression does your website make? Is it functional, organized AND aesthetically pleasing to the eye? In today’s market – it must be all three.
What does your website say about you and your business?
You should be able to answer yes to all of the above questions. Nowadays, most people have Internet access, and are using the web more as a research tool to obtain information about everything from travel to local restaurants. They are accessing information 24/7 via desktop computers, laptops and hand-held mobile devices.
Having an effective website is a cost-effective and easy way to advertise your business. Once it is built, the maintenance should be relatively easy and inexpensive.
Active or Passive Audience
The difference between using a website as opposed to other methods of advertising is the difference between having an active or passive audience. People hitting your website are an active audience, and are curious as to what you have to offer. Print ads, telemarketers, or mass mailings are geared towards a passive audience. An active audience is seeking information, which your site can provide and win them over. The beauty of the web is that you can advertise your website by using the other passive methods of advertising.
On the flip side, how often have you visited a website that took too long to load, had a lot of flash and fluff but no substance, was out of date, or looked like the boy next door created it after his homework? Your business and your image are too important to place in jeopardy. If a person is trying to learn more about what you have to offer, and sees a website that is less than desirable, chances are you lost that business and they will not return. The web can be the easiest way to pick up new business and you should use it to your advantage.
Some establishments practiced business the same way for many years and are having difficulty becoming web savvy. They are realizing that the economy has impacted their business. The best advice is to look at your competitions’ websites, and the most successful companies and businesses websites, and your neighbor.
It is not a coincidence that more and more people are doing business on the web. Maybe it is time to reach out to a web developer and educate yourself on how the web can work for you.
Let Creative Instinct help ensure you’re getting the most out of your website. Call us at 501-244-0573, or send an email to Gwen Canfield at gwen@creative-instinct.net. To see websites we’ve designed for other small businesses – visit our website at www.creativeinstinct.biz. (Website pictured at top of article: Universal Digital in Nashville, TN (www.unidig.com) designed Creative Instinct.)
Article written by Donna McGuire.
How to Create an Effective Trade Show Display
With all the trade show display options available today, it’s easy to lose sight of the basics. When it comes to creating a trade show display, your images and messages should be simple and your layouts clean. There are many things to consider when designing a good display. Relying on the expertise of a professional graphic designer is your best bet. However, here are 5 basic tips on creating a display that is effective and eye-catching.
Below are five basic elements that every trade show display should include and tips for using each of these elements to create an effective trade show display.
- Visual
- Headline
- Description
- Company name & Logo
- Website
1. VISUAL – Select your photos and images carefully.
Simple, bold and clear images are the most effective in creating a memorable canvas for your selling story. Ornate, involved, mysterious and confusing art and graphics may be great to look at but can be distracting and much less effective as a backdrop for your trade show message.
Tip: If possible, select simple single images. You may want to use many images to tell a complicated story, but often, a single simple image will serve you just as well. Your graphic designer can help locate the right photography to convey your message.
2. HEADLINE – Make it simple & easy to remember.
Choose your words carefully, and keep the headline for your trade show display simple, clear and short!
Most people that did not plan to visit you at the show will simply walk past your booth. They may, at best, give your display a passing glance. This, believe it or not, is often your only chance to grab them. If your trade show display has a carefully thought out and compelling headline, they may choose to take an extra moment and learn a little more about your company.
The shorter your headline the larger it can appear on your trade show display. The larger it is on your trade show display the further your display can reach into the trade show traffic. Even a small table top display with a short bold message can be seen from several yards away.
Your choice of typeface is also important. With thousands to choose from, the task of selecting the right one can seem daunting. Your graphic designer can help you choose the right font for your message.
Tip: Choose a simple and easy to read typeface. Next time you’re at a trade show, take notice of the displays produced by large companies. Not necessarily large booths, but even table top displays produced by large and successful companies consistently use simple bold graphics. You can and should do the same.
3. DESCRIPTION – Keep it short and sweet.
We know it’s tempting to write a description for your trade show display that explains everything you want your customer to know about your product or service, but don’t!
As much as you would like them to, most trade show attendees will not want to spend much time reading about your company. If the headline and graphic of your trade show display captured their attention, they may want to read a sentence or two at most. Keep your sentences short and choppy. Make each word count.
Tip:
- Use bullet points
- Keep your messages short
- Don’t get too technical
- Less is more
If you have access to a copywriter, use one. If not, ask a friend, a school teacher, and/or someone not connected to your business to review your trade show display description. You will be amazed how at how much you can learn.
4. COMPANY NAME & LOGO – Make it prominent.
It’s amazing how many trade show displays seem to hide their company name. You pay a lot of money to exhibit. Take a little extra effort and make certain your company’s name is easy for all to see!
Tip: Have the company name placed in the header portion of your trade show display, as most trade show visitors will expect to find it there.
As for a company logo, if you don’t have one, we suggest you hire a graphic designer to create one. It is your opportunity to make an impression. It makes you look established and professional.
5. WEBSITE – Feature the address.
Probably the single most important message in your whole trade show display is your website address. This is because if the show attendee saw something at your booth that interests them, they can copy your website address, even at a distance, and visit it at their leisure. If you don’t already have a website, get one!
Tip: Try to select a website name that is both meaningful to your business and one that is easy to remember.
Follow the five basic elements outlined above to make any table top display or floor display more effective at your next trade show.
Need help with your trade show display design?
Call Creative Instinct now at 501-244-0573 for a free consultation. We provide branding for your business, including: logo design, trade show display design, brochures, website design and more. Call today or send an email to Gwen Canfield: gwen@creative-instinct.net. To see samples of our work, visit www.creativeinstinct.biz. (Display pictured at top right of article designed by Creative Instinct for TradePRO in Gallatin, TN.)
Article written by Alex Virvo
Today, marketing and advertising your business is all about branding. A key element in the effort to establish your oranization’s marketing identity is something called continuity. What exactly is that? It’s the strategy and process of coordinating all the elements of a marketing message to achieve a consistent, memorable, overall “look and feel” for a company, service, or product.
Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? It’s really all about making sure that everything you do as a company has a coordinated look and feel about it. Graphically, that means creating a standard logo, selecting a corporate color (or colors), a particular typeface, even a photo or illustration style. Content-wise, it means determining key points for your marketing messages that clearly, concisely, and compellingly elucidate your unique selling proposition (there’s another one of those industry terms that falls in and out of fashion on a regular basis).
This is not as simple as it sounds. It requires an unfaltering, dedicated effort up and down your marketing chain to avoid going “off message”. Time and time again I have seen small businesses grab logos and typestyles and use them with haphazard abandon on everything from data sheets to PowerPoint presentations. I’ve seen sales people ignore mandates from the home office and routinely put out their own marketing pieces with not a shred of semblance to the carefully crafted look painstakingly created by their own marketing department. The result is always the same – a dilution of the company’s identity and often a related drop in market share in response to the lack of an effective, unified marketing message. That, in turn, requires a needless squandering of precious marketing resources to reestablish the company’s former brand awareness in the marketplace.
It doesn’t have to be that way! A little discipline and a lot of vigilance can head off these potential image drainers and nip them in the bud before they become a real problem. By paying attention to continuity, your company can reap a multitude of benefits:
- heightened market visibility
- enviable awareness among potential customers
- more effective use of your marketing budget, yielding the biggest bang for your buck.
Overall, a keen eye toward continuity helps you achieve levels of image and branding efficiency unavailable to practitioners of hit-or-miss marketing with little or no image consistency between messages and media.
It starts with your corporate identity.
I never cease to be amazed at how casually some companies treat their identity. There’s no shortage of firms that use two, three, even four versions of their logo on a regular basis, with no particular rhyme or reason. The same goes for corporate colors – often a victim of one or more employee’s personal taste (“I HATE that color, I’m going to use green instead…I think it looks better”). This dilution of image is made even easier by the proliferation of PowerPoint and other tools used by more and more employees. If this is happening to your company, I have three words of advice: STOP IT. NOW.
The longer this practice is allowed to continue, the more it will cost your company. In time, money, image awareness and, ultimately, in market share.
How do you combat this insidious problem? By establishing company-wide standards and maintaining them. Issue a simple style sheet that everyone can understand and follow and then enforce it. That means establishing a corporate color (or colors), a particular typestyle (especially one that is duplicated in computer fonts) and creating a logo that works well in 4-color (the process colors used by printers to print in full color), 2-color (usually black and a particular shade of a color from the Pantone Matching System, identified by a PMS number), and black and white printing. If you create high and low resolution files in these three versions and make them available to the people most likely to need them, you will go a long way toward unifying your image out in the marketplace.
Follow through with your message.
Now that you’ve got your company “look” under control, it’s time to work on your message. This often starts with a mission statement. Make it meaningful, concise, actionable, and unique. Be ruthless. Is this who we really are? Is this what we really want to be? Does this really set us apart? Once you’ve honed your statement to accurately reflect what your company is and what it stands for, it will enable you to create a meaningful slogan or tagline to be used in your marketing messages. Avoid the trite and contrived. “The Leader in (blank)” has been done before. Trust me.
A good tagline will inform every message that follows. It will help flavor copy written for your sales literature, web site, advertising, even internal messaging. It will make generating consistent, focused text easier because it will help set the tone and form the basis of the message. And that message, aided by the consistent visual combination of logo, color, and typestyle – wielded with ruthless discipline — all combine to create a powerful, memorable marketing impression.
That, my friends, is the power of continuity. Consistency, otherwise known as continuity, is the most potent weapon of great marketing minds.
Need some help with your organization’s brand?
Call Creative Instinct at 501-244-0573 for a free quote on branding, brochures, logos, website design and more. Or, send an email to Gwen Canfield: gwen@creative-instinct.net. To see samples of our work, visit www.creativeinstinct.biz.
Article written by Jim Schakenbach.
By Laura Lake – About.com
When we speak about branding it’s not uncommon for people to mistake their logo as their “branding.” Your logo is only one piece of your branding strategy. Your company’s logo is a symbol that can provide consumers with instant and powerful brand recognition of your business and the services or products that you offer.
Before beginning the process of logo creation be sure that you have developed your brand strategy. Why? Your logo is like a small ad for your company, without the strategy behind it a logo can put across the wrong message and in return weaken your strategy. You want to keep your brand message consistent to help increase consumer recognition.
How do you know when you are ready to move to the process of having your logo created?
- The mission of your logo is to portray the values and goals of your company. Make sure that these are clearly established before venturing out to find a logo designer.
- Be clear about the message you want your brand to convey so that your logo can clearly reflect that message. You must have a strong association between your brand and your logo. Remember it is only one piece of your branding strategy.
- Your logo should reflect professionalism and growth no matter how small your company is.
- Make sure that the logo you select is not dated but can be used effectively year after year. Keep in mind it is how consumers will recognize your company.
The conclusion of the role your logo plays in your branding strategy can be summed up in the following statement.
A strong branding strategy uses design to communicate a message that attracts the target audience you want to attract – a message that creates confidence in your brand while differentiating you from your competitors. Does your logo fulfill this mission? If your answer is no it may be time to consider strengthening your brand strategy and looking at a new logo to re-position your company.
Call us now and we’ll build your brand.
When you create a powerful business brand, you’ll attract the clients, projects, and referrals that you want. Deliver your branding message consistently, and your reward will be consistent profit growth.
Call Creative Instinct now at 501-244-0573 for a free quote on branding for your business, including: logos, brochures, website design and more. Or, send an email to Gwen Canfield: gwen@creative-instinct.net. To see samples of our work, visit www.creativeinstinct.biz.
