We are surrounded by logos of all shapes and sizes whether it be from the huge corporate companies or the local café that you like to visit every now and again.
Well for starters it is often the first thing that many people will see and can be the difference between a sale and the customer turning away. A customer is more likely to consider going with a company if they have a catchy logo. The logo can actually build links bewteeen the client and the business which is another reason why the logo is so important to people.
A very good logo could be one of the reasons that company gains fame and recognition. People are not going to take the company very sriously if the logo is a poor one and this has actually been proved. The first impressions come into it once again.
It is also something that companies can use when they are attempting to sell things as well as the thing that can be used as a letterhead and everything like that.
If the logo for the company has a strange back story to it then why not publish it somewhere for people to read. Many will be interested in finding out why you chose it. It is also a free piece of publicity on the company.
Logo design is certainly a must have for a really cool logo. There are many logo samples that you can look into for some help when getting your logo designed. Custom logos are certainly something that a business needs, they need it to be unique too.
If you are thinking about starting up a company then it is well worth getting a nice looking logo. If you know for a fact that the current logo isnt doing it for your business then why not think about changing it as it could work wonders.
Having your message understood is often, a complex endeavour. With the multiple advertising media choices today, an ineffective advertising program can waste your finances and cause problems throughout your business.
A fundamental principal of advertising is to consider the number of people who will act on your advertising message before it’s forgotten. Ultimately it’s about meeting the needs and wants of your customer: that means, being there when a customer needs you, when they want to buy!
Put up your business message by sticking around
Advertising perishes, but there is nothing that lasts like well priced custom magnets. On cars, fridges, filing cabinets and any other ferrous metal surface, they are viewed by millions daily. Sure, they are not the ultimate advertising solution, but they can be a flexible, powerful part of your marketing program.
Fridge magnets: the non-perishable advertising medium
First, identify your target market, then, what your message is; and, finally, if you need to be under their noses, these full colour, inexpensive fridge magnets, will be there for years . Don’t overlook fridge magnets, they’re a “trusty old dog”.
They are of low cost and consistently reinforcing your message; there is no other advertising medium kept as long and in such a prominent place as a fridge magnet. For many people they are used in preference to a conventional business card. Reason: -“how many times have you lost your fridge?”
How to promote what you do and yet be discrete as you want
The world is full of small businesses’ exploring for the way to get their message across. Having a car magnet is a perfect vehicle based solution; during business it can effectively promote the company message, whilst after hours it’s discretely off, but ready in an instant, for its next use. By keeping the car magnet graphic design simple, clear and large, it can be an effectively powerful business promotional tool.
Getting your message out there is number one, and magnets are highly effective in having the job done.
Growing your business from scratch is a journey best travelled with some careful consideration and money management. Whenever you start something, you need to consider all the possible risks and threats, even those that cannot be seen yet, and you need to have an impeccable plan. It is not as easy as you think, even if you have a solid gold business idea that you just cannot wait to unleash on the market. In the end of the day, you need to consider one very important thing, how much money you are going to spend and in the arena of business, it is always about how much money you should not be spending. The most common cause of failure for start ups is the fact that they incur too much costs in unnecessary variables in the beginning phase of the business.
Be clear about the business you are starting, especially when you are a newcomer in the market. What are your strengths? So you have a new product and you want to unleash it on the market, but how do you fight with the established players and get the word out? This means money needs to be pumped into advertising and offline collaterals used for marketing. This is the most important aspect when it comes to success in any venture, allowing the consumers to be educated in your product and letting them know that it exists. All your dollars should be pumped into development and critical infrastructure. Entering as a new player into any market is always a risk for anyone to take because market psychology evolves with time. Look at us now, we are in the middle of a credit crisis and economic slowdown of massive proportions, this tells us that markets will always be volatile and unpredictable.
Channelling large amount of capital into an office, office equipments or bills will only become a liability for your business. Do not be led into the trap and realise sooner or later, that the money you could have used to save or expand was pumped into something as inconsequential as rent. This is why the virtual office is one of the best solutions for anyone to start a business on a shoe string budget. By reducing cost, you will then be able to focus on other areas of your business. If you are looking for a good virtual office solution, then it is time you log on to the internet and start looking for one. There are plenty of good ones available online, and they provide some comprehensive deals for even the simplest of start ups. Currently there are more than 200, 000 virtual offices registered in Singapore and there is a reason for this. Many businesses are moving into the virtual world to increase their profits and you can join them too.
This morning the sun is shining bright outside as you and sit comfortably in your office. With a cup of hot coffee by your side and memories of the weekend’s activities still fresh in your mind, even if you say so yourself, today at least, life is sweet.
As you take a sip of your early morning double espresso you feel a rush of cool air and catch a movement from the corner of your eye. In the blink of an eye there is now an smartly dressed stranger sitting in the chair opposite. Surprised, you sure are; you didn’t hear anyone knock and before you have time to say anything something he begins in a calm and reassuring voice.
‘Here is the deal’
‘In every city of the world I am going to advertise your product on billboards at the busiest junctions.’
‘I will be able to tell you how many people see the advertisement, their gender, nationality and age group.’
‘I will tell you what they think of your product and in many cases I will give you their contact details. While they are looking at the billboard I will allow them to view your website and even make a purchase if they feel the urge.’
‘I can have all this setup in two days and it will cost you less than a small advertisement displayed in your favourite trade journal.’
He stops for just a second. ‘Interested?’
Now you might think that you should beware of offers that sound too good to be true, that you are going to wake up soon or maybe that you really should get a lock for that office door.
But let’s just take time to reflect. If you are still reading this I am that man who has come from nowhere and offered you a deal.
The advertising site is on the Internet and the billboard I’m offering is the much underrated online survey.
Stop for one moment and start to associate an online survey not with ‘market research’ but with ‘marketing’. And not any type of marketing this is ‘Marketing’ with a very large capital ‘M’ and in flashing neon lights. Marketing that is quick, effective, direct and low cost.
You can advertise a published online survey on a website, or via email and like a billboard by the side of a transport hub, your message will appear in front of people. Unlike billboards where it has to be estimated as to the number of people actually see an advert, the online survey records the number of times a survey is started.
Online surveys can ask demographic questions such as age, gender and nationality and in doing so allows you to collate metrics about the effectiveness of your promotion and confirm that you are interacting with the target respondent on a one-on-one level.
Unlike a billboard where the message can often just be subliminal with an online survey you have the opportunity to connect with the public to find out what they really think about your product, how it relates to them, how it is perceived.
Using an online survey website it takes only minutes and hours to create a survey and using the power of the Internet an online survey can reach hundreds of thousands of people on a daily basis.
Throw in a prize as an incentive for people to complete the survey, maybe some Pay Per Click advertising to capture an even wider, or more focused audience and you are still talking low cost effective marketing.
Designing surveys is easy; or is it? The truth is that writing surveys is easy but writing effective surveys is more difficult. The following tips will help you write more effective surveys.
1. What is the survey’s purpose?
Surveys are conducted for many reasons. By phrasing the questions and structuring the answers surveys can be used in a multitude of ways and for a variety of reasons. When compiling a survey don’t lose sight of the survey’s purpose.
2. Give the survey a good title
The survey title is key and an opportunity to instantly summarise a survey’s objective and encourage respondents to participate. Respondents need to invest time in completing the survey so make them feel that their investment is worthwhile.
3. Ensure that you do not make the survey any longer than it needs to be
Every question asked should be asked for a reason. Minimize the questions providing you with ‘nice to know’ information and focus instead on the ‘need to know’ questions.
4. Use plain English, maintain consistency, avoid jargon and acronyms and don’t ask questions that may result in ambiguous answers
Take care when wording a question. If a question is not clear then there is every chance that respondents may interpret the question differently to that intended by the publisher making any analysis of the data meaningless or at the very least misleading.
5. Avoid having long questions
Try to use succinct sentences wherever possible. Long questions can cause a respondent to lose concentration and lead to them abandoning the survey.
6. Ask only one question at a time
Avoid confusing the respondent with a question like ‘Do you like athletics and tennis?’
7. Do not influence the answer
It is important to avoid loading the question. ‘Should irresponsible shop keepers who sell tobacco to minors be prosecuted?’ is likely to have no value.
8. Ensure that the selected answer format allows the respondent to answer the question being asked
Allow the respondent to answer how they really feel or they may be less inclined to complete the survey. As a last resort consider the benefit of including a “Can’t say”, “Don’t know” or similar response option.
9. While compiling your survey consider how you will want to analyse the results once the survey has been published
When asking questions that allow for a free text open ended response appreciate that such information is likely to be difficult to score and/or summarised. Consider how answers can be grouped. For example “How long have you worked here?” - ‘less than 1 year’, ‘between 1 and 6 years’ and ‘more than 6′.
10. Ensure that the questionnaire flows
When asking questions group the questions into clear categories as this makes the task of completing the survey easier for the participants.
11. Target your respondents
Sometimes you will want to target a specific group, in others a cross section. If you can’t control who responds to your survey consider including questions/answers that will allow you to filter out respondents who don’t match your target profile.
12. Provide a channel for your respondents to expand on their answers or make comments
Allowing respondents to make additional comments will increase their satisfaction level and the comments will also give valuable feedback on the specific questions and/or the survey as a whole. Remember that for large sample collections it may be difficult to analyse free text open ended responses.
13. If the survey you are conducting is to be confidential ensure that you honour your pledge
If you have assured the respondents that the survey is confidential ensure that the individual data is not to be shared with anyone and not used for any other purpose. Confidentiality must be maintained at all times and any contact information destroyed once the survey has finished.
14. Consider the benefits and disadvantages of allowing respondents to be anonymous or identifiable
If your respondents are to be anonymous then you will be unable to follow up specific complaints or match “pre” or “post” surveys. There are advantages to allowing respondents to remain anonymous for example it would allow respondents to respond without possible peer pressure.
15. Consideration carefully the best response format
Maintaining a consistency in the format used for responses is good practice. When designing your survey keep in mind that when analysing the data radio buttons are easier to analyse than check boxes that offer the respondent multiple responses. Do not use a check box format if a radio response format would do.
16. Advise the respondent as to how much time the survey will take to complete
Respondent drop out can occur if the survey appears to be a stream of never ending questions. It is good practice to give an indication as to how long the survey is likely to take so that the participants can determine the best time to complete the survey.
17. Provide respondents with the survey end date
Encourage respondents to complete the survey as soon as possible but advise respondents as to the survey’s end date so that they have the opportunity to schedule the necessary time.
18. Trial the survey
Before publishing a live survey publish a small pilot survey to check for questions that are ambiguous or confusing and to ensure that the survey is aesthetically pleasing.
19. Before publishing the survey check the survey several times
Check and then check again that a survey is grammatically correct and makes sense. If practical get a colleague to check the survey before you publish, if no one else is available then take a break before checking again.
20. Thank the respondents
To complete surveys respondents have to devote their time and should be thanked either in a covering letter, at the end of completing the survey or in a follow up letter. You may even want to consider an incentive such as a reward of some sort.
Writing surveys is easy; or is it? The reality is that writing surveys is easy but writing surveys that will be effective is more difficult. The following are twenty tips that if followed will help you write more effective surveys.
1. What is the purpose of the survey?
Surveys and questionnaires are conducted for many reasons. By correctly phrasing the questions and structuring the answers surveys can be used in a multitude of ways and for a variety of reasons. When compiling a survey don’t lose sight of its purpose.
2. Give the survey a good title
The survey title is key and an opportunity to instantly summarise a survey’s objective and encourage respondents to participate. Respondents need to invest time in completing the survey so encourage them that the investment they make will be worthwhile.
3. Don’t make the survey any longer than it needs to be
Every question asked should be asked for a reason. Minimize asking questions that will provide you with ‘nice to know’ information and concentrate instead on ‘need to know’ questions.
4. Use plain English, avoid jargon and acronyms, be consistent and ensure that the questions you ask will not result in ambiguous answers
Be careful when wording the question. If a question can be interpreted in more ways than one then there is a risk that any analysis of the survey results will be worthless or at the very least misleading.
5. Avoid long questions
Try to use succinct sentences wherever possible. Long questions can cause a respondent to lose concentration and can lead to a higher level of incidents where respondents abandon a survey.
6. Ask only one question at a time
Avoid confusing the respondent with a question like ‘Do you like tennis and football?’
7. Do not influence the answer
Do not load the question. ‘Should irresponsible shop keepers who sell cigarettes to minors be prosecuted?’ is unlikely to have any value.
8. Make sure that the chosen answer format allows the respondent to answer the question being asked
Ensure that the respondent is able to answer how they really feel or they may abandon the survey. As a last resort consider the benefit of including a “Can’t say”, “No comment” or similar response option.
9. While compiling your survey consider how you will want to analyse the results once the survey has been published
When asking questions that allow for a free text open ended response, such as when asking the respondent for their comments, appreciate that such information is likely to be difficult to score and/or summarised. Consider how the answers could be grouped. For example “Indicate your length of service?” - ‘less than 3 year’, ‘between 3 and 6 years’ and ‘more than 6′.
10. Ensure that the questionnaire flows
Group the questions into clear categories as this makes the task of completing the survey easier for the participants.
11. Target your respondents carefully
Sometimes you will want to target a specific group, in others a cross section. If you can’t easily control the respondents consider including questions/answers that will allow you to filter out respondents who don’t fit your target profile.
12. Allow the respondent to expand on their answer or make comments
Allowing respondents to make additional comments will increase their satisfaction level and will also give valuable feedback on the specific questions and/or the survey as a whole. Remember though for a large sample collection it may be difficult to analyze free text open ended responses.
13. If you are conducting a confidential survey ensure that your pledge for confidentiality is honoured
If you have made guarantees to the respondents that the survey is confidential you need to ensure that the individual data is not shared with anyone or used for any other purpose. Confidentiality must be maintained at all times and any identifying information destroyed once the survey has finished.
14. Weigh up the benefits and disadvantages of allowing respondents to be anonymous or identifiable
If your respondents are to be anonymous then appreciate that you will be unable to follow up or match “pre” or “post” surveys. There are advantages to allowing respondents to remain anonymous for example it would allow respondents to respond without possible peer pressure.
15. Carefully consider the best response format
Maintaining a consistency in the format used for responses is good practice. When designing your survey keep in mind that when analysing the data single selection radio buttons are easier to analyse than multiple selection check boxes. Do not use a check box format if a radio response format would do.
16. Advise the respondent as to the approximate time it will take to complete the survey
Respondent drop out can become a problem if the survey appears to be a stream of never ending questions. It is good practice to give an indication as to how long the survey is likely to take so the respondents can choose the best time to complete the survey.
17. Advise the respondents of the survey end date
Encourage your invited respondents to complete the survey as soon as possible but advise the respondents of the survey’s end date so that they have the opportunity to schedule the necessary time.
18. Trial the survey
Before publishing a live survey publish a pilot survey to check for questions that are ambiguous or confusing and to confirm that the survey is aesthetically pleasing.
19. Before publishing the survey proof read the survey carefully
Check more than once that the survey is grammatically correct and makes sense. If practical get a colleague to check the survey before you publish, if you are unable to do this then take a break before checking again.
20. Remember to thank the respondent
To complete surveys respondents need to invest their time and they should be thanked at the end of completing the survey or in a follow up letter. You may even want to consider incentives such as a prize draw or reward.
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