PowerBand Graphics LLC – Creative Branding and Graphic Design for Small Businesses in Nebraska.

It’s been an interesting few weeks. I’ve had the good fortune of meeting many business owners lately. I’m active in the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, LIBA and early this week I had the good fortune of going to the first annual Stack Unconference in Omaha where I got to converse with other designers in my industry. One thing all of these businesses owners shared in common was the desire to make the most out of their marketing dollars. After listening to them talk I think some business owners have the wrong idea about what marketing, design and social media can do to help their business. Here’s some of the things I heard that I disagree with:

MISTAKE #1: Thinking that having a Facebook Page with nothing on it is better than no Facebook Page at all.

This got a lot of discussion at the Unconference. For designers we were pretty concerned with leveraging social media tools! We discussed how Facebook is a tool just like any other. It’s no silver bullet and if you aren’t using it to actively try and engage your prospects then it’s best to leave it on the shelf. But there’s the problem! What’s the best way to actively engage your prospects in such a way that it generates sales or brand interest?

You really can NOT treat these tools like normal marketing venues. Marketing is about spreading your message EXTERNALLY. People have Facebook pages and Twitter accounts for themselves and THEIR interests. Not to constantly be shouted at by whatever company happens to be having a sale that moment. It doesn’t have to be incredibly complicated or require expensive apps. Take a look at SmartyPig, they generate a ton of interest on their Twitter account with a contest, a gift card, video camera and YouTube account.

MISTAKE #2: Spending money on marketing and advertising before a clear and creative brand has been established.

One business owner I met with used to spend thousands of dollars on monthly print advertising to drive people to a website that was completely stuck in 1998. He was a good business owner and provided a great product but he had no clear creative message on his ads. His website did not reflect the quality of work his company did. Eventually he stopped advertising to save money but he could have had a website that stood on it’s own if he had saved a few months worth of advertising, focused his image and  spent the money on an engaging site. Advertising without something unique and clear to say is a waste of money. If people don’t know what you sell, and if you don’t do anything to stand apart then why would they visit your site or call you?

MISTAKE #3: Not doing your homework on businesses that guarantee “Instant First Place Listing on Search Engine Results”

It’s tough to run a small business. You have to be the expert on so many things, human resources, accounting, sales and marketing. It’s impossible to be the expert on everything. Unfortunately there are places that take advantage of that inexperience.

I talked with a business owner who was the sole employee of his business. He worked hard for his customers and relied heavily on word of mouth for sales. He told me he was about to sign with a company that promised first page search engine placement for a “mere” $250 a month. I told him that sounded fishy and asked for more information. After talking with him for a while it was clear this company was merely going to be purchasing advertising on search engines.

So while true, he was going to be on the first page, it wasn’t where he thought. The truth of the matter is that as old as the internet is, there’s still a lot that regular people don’t know about putting a site up and getting people to it. Plus he didn’t have a website to begin with so spending all that money was going to be an afterthought to having a solid, informational website. I told him that if he had $250 a month to blow, then to go ahead but it might be better off to save that amount up for a few months and create a website and really an image that people will WANT to go to on their own. I told him to not just think about quantity of website visitors but quality. Google Adwords can be a fantastic tool for promoting yourself but once you turn that advertising off, the visitors are going to stop coming too.

MISTAKE #4: Not paying attention to changing technologies and emerging tools.

Okay, you are the business owner, you don’t have the time to keep up with every new shiny toy that pops up online. Who does have the time? Remember MySpace? I know people who swear up and down Facebook will replace email someday. I may not agree with that but it does not hurt to keep your finger on the pulse of new trends coming through the gate.

Twitter and Facebook may not be right for every company but it doesn’t hurt to try. If you are a small business, you have the advantage of being VERY nimble when it comes to changing marketing courses. Want to try a blog? Awesome, do it. Maybe set yourself up a Blogger account that isn’t associated with your website. Then tell a few people about it. If and other people seem to enjoy it, keep it up! Maybe even redesign your own website to reap those juicy SEO benefits that many people have blogs for. The point is you can’t know what will fit your business unless you try.

MISTAKE #5: Not getting a professional opinion when it comes to all of the above.

I’m not saying you need to hire a creative professional full time. I’m saying getting an opinion from someone who uses new technologies and is constantly working with new trends can be a huge asset when it comes to making the most of your marketing budget. Designers can be an invaluable resource when it comes to keeping up with trends, staying relevant and finding new ways to interact with people because, after all, that’s their job!

Yet another business owner I met with had his business logo done by a local company that provided automotive graphics. This automotive graphics company did good work in their own field but were completely inexperienced with came to trademarks and threw together a logo that used clipart and suffered from readability issues. It looked decent on the van but wasn’t really suitable for a business card. In the end, if this business owner decides he wants a unique image that he can trademark, it may cost him thousands of dollars extra! Again, it would be impossible for him to know all this himself but working with a professional designer, if even to get a consultation and quote, could have saved him a huge hassle.

So there are five of the mistakes I’ve seen recently that business owners make when branding and marketing themselves. Is it a complete list? Absolutely not. But hopefully it will get you thinking about things you can do with your own business to improve your branding. Focus on the basics first and build the foundation to build your marketing plan on. In the words of Speak Human “Make great stuff and give people a good reason to care.” It goes a long way towards improving any marketing.

Most people who know me, know that I grew up in a small town called Winside in Northeast Nebraska. This is a town of about 400 people. It has an Elementary School, High School, general store and a couple bars. Your typical small town Nebraska fare. It’s got a lot going for it, my Grandma’s church was able to get a brand new one built, there’s a new cafe and great people living there. It has a rich history that goes back to 1890 that includes railroads, hospitals and opera houses.

I’ve got a lot of love for my hometown and I’m glad I grew up there. It’s one of the reasons that I want to help businesses in those areas compete with larger companies. It’s been my experience that a unique brand and professional appearance can work wonders to create buzz and attract attention. I think the same goes for towns and communities wanting to promote themselves. Some small towns are on the decline while others are thriving. The ones that are thriving are the ones that have found their identity and do a good job promoting it.

It’s all about being able to differentiate yourself. Find those specific qualities that you or your community offers and showcase them! Is it your schools? The amazing landscape? Is it the attractive business potential? Make people know EXACTLY what you have to offer. Focus your image on the people you WANT to attract and let them come to you. Design is all about that. I know that budgets for many of these communities are limited but what makes these places great is the strength of their communities. Get together, find people with the talent and desire to make their communities better! Make a Facebook page and update it with local events and information about people. Start a blog, create some attractive and consistent community signs. Give your town a personality and brand it! There’s so much potential. Take a look at it for yourself and your community, there’s a lot you can do to strengthen the area you love so much.

Here is August’s cover for Strictly Business. The cover photo is of Lori Botz, owner of Coach2Win, the photo is once again by the good folks at Shane & Sunny. You may remember that PowerBand Graphics also did the rebranding for Coach2Win recently. Lori runs a great company, the publication is a must have for any business owner in Lincoln and Omaha and Shane and Sunny provide great photography as always. Check it out!

PowerBand Graphics recently had the opportunity to help Coach2Win rebrand their company. Here’s the story of their business, how we worked with them and the final result.

Coach2Win is a business and personal development coaching company. Their mission through coaching and training is leading their clients to become high performance individuals and companies, unleashing their human potential.  Coach2Win will always maintains principles of honesty, integrity, open mindedness, community involvement, and being respectful.

Lori Botz is the owner and head coach of Coach2Win. She has coached individuals, professional sales people, business owners, and managers closing over 3 million dollars in business in 2009. Last month she came to PowerBand Graphics, interested in improving their company’s image with a new logo, identity and advertising. Below was their old logo. After working with them and getting to know Lori, it was clear she has an incredible amount of enthusiasm, energy and business acumen. While the old logo was serviceable, it was clear more could be done to showcase those qualities.

PowerBand Graphics sat down with Lori and worked with her to establish what qualities she wanted to highlight with her image. Quality branding isn’t just about creating a design, it’s about finding the ideal market and creating an brand directed specifically at them. Working with businesses had become primary importance to her company so it was clear we needed it to be professional and business friendly. After working with her, we contacted some of her clients to get their opinion on Coach2Win’s strengths in addition to areas she may need to focus on.

While working with her and interviewing people it was clear Lori is energetic and wants to make sure she maintains a fun environment with her and her clients. There’s also a transformative process as she works with her clients. She helps her clients reach their goals by identifying obstacles and providing common sense business expertise. She helps her clients transform the way they think about problems and the solutions. First up was creating a logo that met those qualities. After rounds of concepts and revisions, here’s the results.

The logo is the core component to a business identity. It is the first thing a customer sees and will often be the defining mark that visually makes a company memorable. It should express the personality of the company, employees and its services.

For Coach2Win the logo needs to express professionalism and confidence above everything else. Since the main service is providing business advice and holding the clients accountable, so too must Coach2Win be held in that high regard to be taken seriously.

At the same time the service that Coach2Win provides is a very personalized one. Tailored to each individual. There is a warmth and enthusiastic side to this process and that should be reflected as well. In this case the number “2” becomes that fun, transformative preposition. It’s that process that is unique, inviting and even magical. Everything else should be confident business but the technique in how it’s accomplished is what defines it.

Color is also an important factor in defining a business. Emotional response in the target audience must be taken into consideration. Since Coach2Win works so heavily with businesses a traditional business color is appropriate. At the same time adding the complementary, bold and inviting orange emphasizes the fun and outgoing nature of the business.

Since Coach2Win expressed a desire to focus on businesses, when space permits, the tagline should be included with the logo to help clarify the services.

From there we created Coach2Win’s identity components. This included business cards, letterhead and envelopes. Simple things like official letterhead and envelopes can help reinforce a company’s image and brand.

In this case the important main information is included in a way that matches the company aesthetic. Once again, the company mantra is very obvious “Play Better, Play Bigger” almost subconsciously motivating people when the coaches arent’ even there.

Similarly, the advertising for Coach2Win should show a business that practices the ideals it teaches. The advertising should be structured and consistent but also fun and inviting.

The company message is important and central to the ad design. “Play Better, Play Bigger” hints at the what the business can help people with but is abstract enough to entice readers to learn more.

Larger ads should explain more about the coaching and benefits. They should be able to explain clearly what coaching means and possibly even include testimonials. This particular ad style can be modular. The grid like structure allows sections to be easily arranged to show photos of coaches, testimonials or info for upcoming coaching events.

The imagery should reflect the end results of successful coaching. Successful businesses and business people. The image here reflects what is a goal for many people starting out their business, confidently public speaking.

So there you have it! The Client Showcase for Coach2Win. Branding for businesses is important and PowerBand Graphics is here to help businesses of all size. Feel free to contact us for more information on what professional branding can do for you.