Archive for the Trends Category
Feb05
Top Secrets to Creating a Phenomenal Website
Comments Off on Top Secrets to Creating a Phenomenal Website
Congratulations on taking the first step to creating a website for your small business! Your website will be a key part of your marketing and branding efforts, and you want to put your best foot forward.
Luckily, there are various site-building platforms out there, including the uber-effective and popular WordPress. With a little guidance, you can craft a top-notch website that wows your customers and helps you achieve your business goals. Vector Logos has provided some industry secrets to creating an outstanding website.
Choose the Right Website Builder
You don’t have to hire a web designer to get a stellar website. There are many different website builders on the market these days. But how do you know which one is right for you and your small business?
For starters, you want to look for a platform that is user-friendly and offers robust features. Additionally, it should be affordable and scalable and offer support in case you run into any snags along the way. And finally, it should be popular enough that there is a large community of users who can offer advice and support.
By those criteria, WordPress is one of the best options out there. Kinsta explains that it’s used by millions of people worldwide, has an intuitive interface, and offers tons of features and plugins to make your site look and function just the way you want it to.
Implement Important Plugins
Plugins are what make WordPress so versatile and powerful. There are plugins for just about everything you could possibly want to do with your website, from adding contact forms and social media sharing buttons to improving your site’s speed and security.
While there are literally thousands of plugins to choose from, there are a few key ones that every small business owner should implement on their WordPress site. These include:
- Yoast SEO for improving your site’s search engine optimization,
- WPForms for easily creating forms and surveys,
- HubSpot Marketing is free for tracking website visitors and leads,
- Jetpack for security and performance enhancements, and
- W3 Total Cache for caching pages and speeding up your site.
What is Valuable Content?
Producing high-quality content for your website is essential to ranking well in search engine results pages (SERPs). Not only does good content provide value for your website visitors, but it can also help you to rank higher for relevant keywords and phrases. But how do you know for certain that you’re bringing the right content to the table?
One of the surest ways to produce valuable content for your website is by using search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. By incorporating keywords and phrases into your content, you can help to improve your ranking in SERPs. Also, Adjust suggests that you consider implementing other SEO tactics, such as optimizing your site’s metadata and boosting its click-through rate (CTR).
Also, make sure that you understand your target audience when creating any kind of content. Take time to research your ideal customers, their demographics, pain points, and where they hang out online. Then, you’ll be armed with information to direct your content strategy.
Produce High-Quality Visuals
What people see when they come to your site is critical, so create engaging visual content for your audience. Videos are incredibly popular now, especially with younger audiences, but visuals in general are key. Infographics, for instance, are a great way to visually represent information about your business, your processes, or your impact. Not sure how to make one? Check this out! There are free templates available that you simply plug your information into to create a beautiful – and informative – infographic in no time.
Another key visual is your logo. Having a simple, tasteful, yet recognizable logo is also incredibly important for your marketing efforts because this is how you develop brand recognition. Work with a company like Vector Logos to create something that reflects your business and will help you to build your branding across all marketing.
Use Analytics to Track Your Progress
A significant benefit of having a website is that it lets you track your progress over time using analytics tools. Google Analytics is a free service that provides detailed website traffic data. This information can be very helpful in understanding who is visiting your site, what they’re interested in, how they found you, and whether or not they’re converting into leads or customers. Tracking this data regularly allows you to make adjustments to improve your site’s performance over time.
Start Building Your Website Today
Creating a great website doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. By using a top-notch website builder, developing a memorable logo, and creating audience-focused marketing, you can design a fantastic site that takes your small business to the next level. So what are you waiting for? Get started today!
Text credit: Elena Stewart
Photo credit: Pexels
May23
3 Best Practices for Small Business Branding
Comments Off on 3 Best Practices for Small Business Branding
There’s a lot of contradictory advice when it comes to branding, but there’s no denying that small businesses need to create a clear-cut, identifiable brand to survive — especially in the online marketplace. Vector Logos invites you to consider the following three best practices when determining the best branding strategy for your company.
-
Determine Your Audience
Reaching your target market may take some trial and error in the beginning. You may already know your demographic, but if you don’t, consider where your customers live, how old they are, and which social media they most frequently use to get a basic sense of what your marketing strategies should be. Choosing a branding strategy will depend heavily on whose attention you are trying to get. Use a demographic mapping tool — or hire a professional to do it for you — for fast analysis of your customers’ metrics.
It’s important that you (or whoever you hire) regularly check these metrics and key performance indicators to analyze how your customers are responding to your marketing tactics and see if they are meeting expectations. If they aren’t, it’s time to pivot and switch strategies. A professional branding marketer can help you if you tire of trying to figure out these details by yourself.
-
Create a Narrative
According to numerous digital marketing experts, the best brands tell a story. Perhaps you’re running a family company that your grandfather founded, or maybe you lost your job and decided to bounce back by turning your hobby into a full-fledged online business. Whatever your background, you’ll see the most connection from customers and likely the best sales results if you connect with your audience by telling them a story.
As you think about what to include in this narrative, let your customers know more about your passions, hopes, and goals for your business. This helps your customers feel a sense of connection to you, which is crucial if the business you own is online-based. Shy away from obvious sales pitches, guilt appeals, or anything that doesn’t feel ethically right to you.
-
Know When to Hire a Pro
While you may be able to build a simple website with a template platform such as WordPress, you may not have the skills (or the time) to create an appealing and functional site and run the site and your social media platforms by yourself. Consider working with a digital marketing agency who can optimize your website, handle SEO, and manage Google and Facebook ads.
When it comes to choosing a logo that represents your brand, try Vector Logos for ready-made options you can easily download and then customize with Adobe Illustrator software. Choose from many expertly designed logos that include your desired font, colors, and design elements.
If you’re new to marketing your business in the digital space, branding can be a tough concept to tackle. Before throwing yourself into the task, take some time to research what you need and reach out to other small business owners to learn how they branded their businesses. Get in touch with professionals with branding experience if you need help with the concept or the practicalities such as web design, logos, and social media engagement. The clearer the concept and the more engaging the narrative, the better identity your company has.
Work with consultant Brad Adams to scale your business and grow your sales and profits! Call (702) 583-6656
Text credit: Elena Stewart
Photo credit: Pexels
Hermes, the British delivery company, has a new name now: Evri. The new design was created by creative agencies Superunion and Monotype, as a multi-font logo with thousands of variations, in a comprehensive rebrand.
The new logo typeface was created with many different characters for each of the four letters of Evri, as well as a generative instrument to produce random combinations.
There are a total of 194,481 possible logo combinations – enough for every vehicle in the 5,000 – Evri trucks to have its own logo.
“If they wish to change a letter, for example because it is too expressive or too similar to the letter it sits next to, they can use the tool to choose another alternate. Each character has 20 OpenType alternate glyphs, while each number has four variants and punctuation is confined to a single set.”, said Mark Wood, Superunion senior creative director.
Superunion is a subsidiary of the advertising company WPP and is headquartered in London. The agency has worked also on the branding for Notpla, a company making biodegradable packaging.
Monotype‘s previous works include redesigns for digital era of the the popular font Helvetica and the London Underground’s Johnston typeface.
Dec30
Another car brand has revealed its new flat logo
Comments Off on Another car brand has revealed its new flat logo
One of the most important rebrands at the end of 2021, which chose the flat design for its logo was that of Swedish car manufacturer Volvo.
According to Volvo, the new design is a modern reinterpretation of the logo, but retains its own essence. Volvo’s new logo is a simple black, flat design which keeps the same circular shape as both the male symbol and the scientific symbol for iron, first used by the brand in 1927.
Volvo joins other car manufacturers like Toyota, Renault, Kia and others who have decided to switch to flat design with their logos.
It is the only major change of the Volvo logo in the last 7 years.
Aug16
This Is How an Artist Can Make a Side Gig Profitable
Comments Off on This Is How an Artist Can Make a Side Gig Profitable
A staggering 63 percent of Americans admit to living paycheck to paycheck, so it’s no surprise that approximately one in three of them are working a side hustle to make ends meet. Many of them elect to do so through artistic endeavors, which not only helps pad your bank account, but as Forbes points out, that creative outlet offers the added benefit of boosting your mental and physical well-being.
If you dabble in artistic pursuits as a hobby, it may be time to consider pursuing a side gig. But before stretching a canvas, joining a jam session or throwing clay after your nine-to-five job, make sure you approach a second job the right way so you can ensure that it’s profitable. Vector Logos presents some ideas to help artists, graphic designers, and other creatives get their side gigs off the ground.
Secrets of performance
For starters, you need to figure out what you’re going to offer, whether that’s a service or a product. Some artistic gigs include, but are not limited to, animator, art teacher, graphic designer, makeup artist, industrial designer, fashion designer, motion graphics designer, painter, sculptor, jewelry designer, cake decorator, and illustrator. Getting going is easy these days, thanks to the internet. There are job platforms like Upwork which help you to market talents like graphic design services, where you can connect with clients, frame project details, and set your own freelance graphic design rates.
Do It Your Way
Whichever path you choose, Mic suggests thinking about how you can make your offering different. Before diving into your project, make sure you craft a detailed budget that includes all of your costs — from materials to home office to vehicle if applicable — so you can ensure you’ll actually be turning a profit from your gig.
It’s also crucial that you find a balance between your day job and side gig without feeling burned out or compromising one for the other — remember, for now, you need that nine-to-five job. You can’t risk losing a steady job, especially if you have a family or a pile of debt to pay down. Focus on one job at a time so you’re putting in 100 percent effort. Use a day planner or app to keep track of your schedule, make to-do lists, and set boundaries for both jobs. It’s also important to make time for self-care such as proper rest, exercise, healthy meals (try cooking them ahead and freezing to save time), and social time with friends and family.
The Perfect Creative Environment
Make sure you have the proper home workspace so that your side gig feels like a profitable job, not just a hobby. Choose a distraction-free space that’s either an independent room or at the very least is sectioned off by some form of partition. Find an organizational system that works best for you, but don’t neglect this detail as it’s liable to save you from having a few headaches.
A comfortable place to work will prevent stress on your neck and back, and with the right design you gain the added benefit of raising the value of your home. Since you already have an artistic eye, you should have no problem figuring out ways to decorate your workspace in order to feel inspired and focused while also being aesthetically pleasing.
If all goes well, there may come a time when you can turn your side gig into a full-time business — but just make sure you’re in the right place financially before giving your notice. If this is your goal, save — don’t spend — the profits from your side job so you can put together an emergency fund and support startup costs. This is also a good time to reconfigure your budget (to include all your financial responsibilities) to reflect the fact that you’re no longer generating a second income stream.
Is it time to take your creative talents to the next level? It can be scary to put your abilities out there, but it can also benefit you in important ways. Not only is it a meaningful chance to express yourself, but you can gain a much-needed income boost.
Vector Logos can help you find exclusive, ready-made graphics for your business logo. Check out our different designs today.
Photo Credit: Pexels
Recent comments