Grow Your Business Exhibition

What comes first? A website or a new logo?

When you're starting a business or revisiting your marketing, where do you start? With your website or with your logo design? When budgets are tight I can understand the logic behind starting with your website - websites can start generating you visible income immediately, they're an essential part of your marketing mix and if you can get the website right you can use the income generated to refine other areas of your marketing.

However, if you take a step back and look at the bigger picture, I think you'll see why this logic is flawed.

Great marketing always starts with strong branding. If you don't have a strong brand identity you'll simply be making life harder for yourself. You'll have to fight harder to engage your target audience, you'll have to spend more money (in the long term) getting your marketing collateral looking like it's come from the same company and quite simply, you're missing a trick.

Think of branding like losing weight
Imagine you decided that now was the time to go on a drastic image makeover - you'd lose 3 stone and get a new haircut and new wardrobe. When would be the best time to invest in that new wardrobe? Before you'd lost the weight? Or after? Sure, you'd feel better instantly if you went out and bought a new wardrobe immediately, but ultimately you'd end up throwing all your old clothes away when you reached your target weight. Your body shape would be different, you'd have more confidence and your tastes might even be different. You'd probably feel like you'd reached your full potential and feel as though now was the time to be showing off your new body shape. Do you think that the clothes you bought when you were 3 stone heavier would still work on your new, trimmer frame? Unlikely isn't it?

So why then, does it make sense to design your website before you finalise your branding? Getting the branding right at the outset can actually save you money in the long run. To start with, you'll have a clear set of brand values and brand identity to give to your web designer. This means that you'll incur less creative bills (and probably get a better outcome since most web designers aren't branding experts). You'll also get to where you need to be much faster because your web designer will know what you expect of them. And finally, you'll have a website that truly represents your brand. That really says the right things about your business.

So before you rush out and order your new website, just think - am I happy with my branding? Is it saying the right things about me? And if you're not, talking to a friendly design agency who specialises in branding!

How to ruin your brand in 5 seconds flat

Your new letterhead and business cards are back from the printers; your exquisitely designed website is all ready to go. All you need now is some photos of yourself, your team and your products.

So, grabbing the digital camera you make a quick tour of the office, snapping everyone at their desks, take a few shots of your products and post the photos onto your website; maybe you even use some in your leaflets. That’s the great thing about digital photography isn’t it? Now, anyone can take photographs like a pro without having to go to the time and expense of hiring a pro, right? Wrong. If only it were that simple. Unfortunately, owning a digital camera is not the only prerequisite for taking professional-looking pictures; if it was, not only would everyone be doing it, they’d also be doing it well; which is certainly not the case, as a glimpse at many companies’ websites and brochures will show! As the photographer Ansel Adams said “You don’t take a picture, you make a picture”.

So, why should you use a professional photographer?

Your brand values are reflected in everything from the words you use to the design of your marketing materials. A mismatch between any of these will weaken your business image.

Whilst it’s tempting to go for the instant result at no cost, will that result send out the desired message about your business?

Don’t forget that it takes seconds for someone to make up their minds about you and your company. How many times have you looked at a website, business card or brochure and been put off by the unprofessional quality of the design, graphics or typeface?

Photographs speak volumes - if you and your people are at the forefront of communicating your business message, then it’s vital that your photos create the right impression first time. And if you have a great product, you should be doing it justice by presenting it in the best way possible. Using the services of a professional photographer will help you send out the right message about your business. Good photography can enhance an already great brand; poor photography can destroy that brand’s credibility in seconds.

Here are just a few of the ways in which a professional photographer can help you create the right business image :-
• By identifying the best locations and backgrounds and “designing” the shot
• Using professional lighting techniques at all times
• Matching the style of photography to your business image
• Advising on the type of clothing that will work best for a portrait session
• Posing subjects in the most flattering way
• Being aware of and sensitive to the feelings of those being photographed and being able to put them at ease within 5 minutes of meeting them
In return, you will benefit from:-
• A consistent style for all your marketing material which supports and enhances your business image
• Professionally lit portraits and product shots at all times
• An ongoing relationship with a fellow professional who, in effect, becomes another member of your team whom you can call on whenever you need to
• Professional presentation and post-production of all your images
• More time for you to spend on your business
Anna Saverimuttu is a Guildford-based photographer, specialising in portrait and event photography for businesses and individuals. To see more of her work, visit www.annasaverimuttu-photography.co.uk
Or, contact her for an informal chat and further advice on 01483 571119 or at annasaverimuttu@aol.com

Attract Hot Leads

Before planning your website, you must identify and understand your target market. This is a must for driving hot leads to your website. You can be performing miracles in the search engine rankings, but if your all your visitors aren’t interested in your products or services, it’s a waste of time. Avoid industry jargon, and write content using your customers’ language. This will bring targeted customers your way, and match their expectations when they arrive.

It is no longer enough just to have a website, and hope that it adds something to your business. 50% of UK SME websites are invisible: they cannot be found unless your prospects know your domain name, or your company name – not very likely, unless your brand is a household name. Your site must appear in the first 3 pages of Google, preferably the first page. If you are outside the top 30 results, then your website is a waste of time, energy and money.

If you want your website to make money, or generate leads, you must either invest the time to find out how to improve your ranking in Google yourself, or employ a search engine specialist help you do this.

Bruce Hazleton of The Marvellous Media Company will be talking on “My Website doesn’t bring me any business!” at the Grow Your Business Exhibition on 30th April. You can register for his seminar here.

“My Website doesn’t bring me any business!”

It’s a common complaint – one that as web designers, we hear all the time. Oddly enough, very often it’s used as an excuse by businesses not to spend time or money improving their website so that it does perform effectively.

Of course it’s these websites that need the most attention.Business websites that don’t make money - or fail to attract potential customers - make a few basic errors. All too often, businesses are too busy thinking about “the company website” from their own perspective, and fail to consider their customers’ needs and expectations.

When devising your website, the three questions you should be asking yourself are:

* Who are your target customers?
* How will your target customers find you?
* What do you want your target customers to do once they are on your website?

Bruce Hazleton of The Marvellous Media Company will be talking on “My Website doesn’t bring me any business!” at the Grow Your Business Exhibition on 30th April. You can register for his seminar here.