by Myra Stacey | Jan 31, 2019 | Print Design, Services
A logo is one of the most important parts of a brand. It might even be the very first thing that people notice – even before your brand name! This is why it is so incredibly important to pay attention to how your logo looks and the vibe it gives off.
So many people think they’re better off doing a DIY version of their logo because it will save them the money that would have otherwise gone into paying for a designer. But more often than not – this backfires because despite saving money on designers, the brand loses out on having a quality logo that can benefit it in so many other ways.
Here are 5 reasons why we think a DIY logo is a bad idea!
1. You don’t have the tools.
It’s simple – free designing software simply does not have the same tools or capacity to design in detail the way a professional software would. And trust us, the software makes a huge difference.
A logo that has been designed with the freedom to customize every pixel is going to look far better than one that was restricted by pre-set dimensions.
2. If by some miracle, you do – you probably won’t be able to use them properly.
Just buying the software won’t solve your woes. There is a reason designers are paid for what they do. Having the tools in front of you is not the same as knowing exactly how to use them.
Think of it as giving a chef and an amateur the same ingredients for a meal. There’s a very slim chance that the amateur will be able to compete with the chef’s training and expertise.
3. You won’t have the marketing eye.
There is more to designing the logo than just choosing an icon and font. There is a great deal of color and shape psychology that goes into creating the perfect impact.
Your logo will not only represent your brand, it will also be a means of marketing it. If you don’t choose the correct palette and design, you could end up missing your chance at making a lasting impact!
4. An amateur looking logo can damage your brand.
While we’re talking about making an impact, let’s not forget that you could seriously end up making a bad impact with the wrong logo. An amateur looking logo will translate into bad first impressions about your brand. And we’re sure you don’t want that!
A good designer will be able to give you a logo that is not only marketable, but also encompasses what your brand stands for.
5. Even a ‘good’ DIY logo can look bad if it’s not versatile.
So you’ve made a DIY logo, and it looks pretty great on your screen – or even on your website. But the true mark of an excellent logo is when you can use it across different mediums in different sizes and get the same impact.
And the chances are – a designer will be much better equipped to understand how to create a logo that will look good when it’s used in a smaller size on business cards or paper as well as when it’s blown up to fit T-shirts or billboards or posters.
Need a helping hand with your logo design? Contact us today for a free consultation so your logo can make the impact you want!
by Myra Stacey | Jan 8, 2019 | Print Design, Services, Web Design
Rebranding can be a tough job. It stands on that thin line between being a complete disaster that needs to be reversed like GAP’s logo redesign or it can be a success like FedEx’s streamlining of the brand. So how exactly do you end up on the FedEx side of the spectrum? Well, we’ve outline three major aspects of identifying when it’s the right time to rebrand so you know exactly what you’re getting into!
1. You have a valid reason
Rebranding is more than just giving your business a new logo design. There needs to be a purpose behind the move. Do you want to engage with a wider demographic? Are you interested in increasing sales? Or do you want to curate a new image for your brand? There needs to be some kind of thought process behind the decision otherwise your rebranding efforts will fall flat and just be a waste of time and resources.
2. You have done your research
You need to have a good sense of your competition, the market climate, consumer preferences, and the cost of rebranding before you begin. Do your research on trends and gather as many statistics as you can on how consumers interact with your brand at present. A successful rebrand will rely heavily on the strategy you implement behind it. And a successful strategy is born out of how well researched and relevant it is to your goals.
3. You are changing more than just one aspect
Once you have solid reasoning behind your decision to rebrand, you will need to focus on different options to go about the process. The first and most obvious for most brands is redesigning their logo. Do the smart thing and hire a designer so your end result doesn’t end up looking cheap or unprofessional. But a great new logo – or even a new name for that matter – is not enough.
You need to show a significant change in your brand that is reflected through the name and logo. Those alone are not enough. Make your rebrand more cohesive and impactful by changing up the company’s mission statement and advertising the reason behind this decision.
That said, if you really want to redesign your brand – go for it! Sometimes, all the research and planning in the world can’t beat vision and passion. Let us help you with designing. Contact us for a free consultation today and get started on your journey!
by Myra Stacey | Aug 10, 2018 | Print Design, Services, Web Design
Marketing is a critical piece of doing business. After all, you need to let people know you exist. This awareness is why marketing teams do what they do.
Many Raleigh and Cary companies, especially smaller firms, do not have internal marketing teams, so they outsource the work. Of course, as you consider marketing agencies, you’re going to ask the natural question: how much does this cost?
How Much is a Good Marketing Budget?
The cost of the marketing varies. The services you decide to implement, the size of your company and the marketing company you hire, and their expertise level are just a few factors affecting cost. Various services might be further broken down by how much help you need. For example, a company might charge different levels of pricing for social media marketing based on which platforms are using.
One source shows companies spent an average of 11.4 percent of their annual budget on marketing. However, many business experts suggest that new companies should spend 12 to 20 percent of their gross revenue on marketing. More established companies can scale back and set this number at 6 to 12 percent of their respective gross revenue.
How much of your annual budget you set aside for marketing is up to you. The key is to include marketing as a line item in your budget from the beginning. So many small businesses spend “whatever’s left” on marketing instead, which means they have very little money to grow the business.
Choosing the Right Marketing Services
Another mistake small business owners make is to select marketing services based on their budget. For example, you have a $1,000 per month to market, so you ask, “What can I get for that much?” The question is not “What can I get,” but “What will be most effective?” You can easily spend $1,000 a month or more on various advertisements or other approaches and not see any increase in your incoming leads and calls.
Speak to your potential agency or marketing vendors first about what they suggest for your business. A good firm will base this on research, your industry, and your goals, as well as your budget. The marketing team you employ helps you implement a strategy that best suits your company, and then helps you put this into effect.
Cost of Marketing Services
Again, the cost of marketing services will vary by agency and location. Here are some ranges to get you started.
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Basic marketing package with ad campaign – Starts at $279.95 per month
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Website Design and Launch with Hosting and Maintenance – $2000 Learn more about website costs.
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Brochure – $400
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Content Marketing and Social Media Packages – Varies from $125.95 – $499.95
Raleigh and Cary marketing agencies often cost far more than these starting figures. If you’re nervous looking at this list, seek a marketing team that is smaller, like you. Together, you can find a way for both your businesses to grow. Contact us to learn more.
by Myra Stacey | Aug 10, 2018 | Print Design, Services, Web Design
It’s so easy to let a project fall to the side for awhile. Procrastination happens, and life happens. Suddenly, you realize you absolutely need that brochure this week, or the sales team must have something to present tomorrow. You ask your marketing team: can I get that in two days?
Unfortunately, no.
Raleigh and Cary web design business owners are busy. We get it because we run a business, too. As much as we want to help you succeed, there are some things we cannot magically produce in a day or two. For example, not long ago, someone asked us to create a six-page brochure in two days. Even if we dropped every other project we are working on, we would have to put in two 10-hour work days (at least!) to make that happen. And that’s throwing it together, which doesn’t result in our best work.
We understand if something comes up last minute, and we’ll do our best, but here are some notes from your marketing team so we can deliver your project on time and with stunning results.
What Goes into a Project
Projects aren’t just us sitting down and doing. Here is what we “do all day” when working on your marketing efforts.
- Research – For whom is this product? The way we present information varies significantly by the audience. As we talked about recently, research is often the missing ingredient in failed marketing campaigns.
- Brainstorm – The best projects emerge when we have time to brainstorm about your website or brochure design. How can we present color schemes, fonts, and information in a way that is visually pleasing, helps the reader/viewer, attracts attention, converts, and aligns with your brand? Those are just some of the aspects we consider when designing.
- Mockups – Whether we show them all to you or not, we usually draw up a few mockups of your magazine cover, brochure, website, or project to get a sense of how it might look.
- Printing – If your product is something physical, we’ll also consider types of papers and weights. Plus, once we send the work to the printer, he or she also needs some time to turn the project around.
Common Project Timeframes
With that in mind, here are some loose project timelines to help you plan. These are not set in stone. In extremely urgent cases, we can sometimes produce decent work in a shorter time. Some projects also take far longer, depending on the back-and-forth between clients and us. But we hope this will get you started when thinking about your next marketing project.
- Website Design and Build – 3 months. This includes initial meetings, design, coding, and testing before launch.
- Brochure – One week.
- Magazine – Two weeks.
- Blog Post – One week.
- Infographic – Two weeks.
We love collaborating with you to produce useful and effective marketing tools. Contact us to get started on your next project.
by Myra Stacey | Apr 5, 2018 | Inbound Marketing, Print Design
Business owners about to build or rebuild their website might feel overwhelmed by the project. Creating a website means making many decisions about the design and content. Will the way you organize the navigation make it easy for customers to find you? Will the content compel potential new clients to click the “contact” button? In the end, will those decisions add up to something that represents your business?
One way to organize your thoughts at the start of your new website project is to look at other websites, especially those of your competition. Your competition might be those within your market, but don’t ignore others. Depending on your industry, you might turn to a very large version of your company located in another city. They are likely not your direct competitors and may have invested more money in market research for their website, meaning you can try some of their approaches.
There are several things you can learn from competitors’ websites:
● What you love – While some aspects of web design are dictated by what marketers have figured out, your site should also have the flavor of your brand. Take a look at what your competitors are doing, but also many other websites. What design and content grab your attention? What colors do you love that go along with your logo and brand (if you have those)? Do you like clean and minimal? Do you want a video to play on the home page?
● What you loathe – Along those same lines, what parts of your competitors’ websites feel wrong to you? Why? If you can figure out the weak points, you can correct those issues in your own design, making your customers’ journey more pleasant. Is there something that looks like a button but doesn’t click? Does the site feel overwhelming? Does it impart a sense of trustworthiness?
● Your goals – Try to identify the goal of your competitor’s website. Can you? What is your goal? Is the core message clear? A website isn’t just a pretty page for people to learn more about you; it should convey your brand and sell your business. Take a look at how the competition approaches this part of web design and consider how you want to present yourself.
● Content ideas – You want to stand out from the competition, of course. However, you may get some ideas of what’s working (and what’s not) by reading their content. That’s not just blog posts, either. What wording do they use on the Contact page and the Home page? What calls to action are they using? You might also see some missed opportunities of which can you take advantage.
● Online marketing approaches – Are they running a lead generation campaign, using some content to gather email addresses? Do they have Pay Per Click (PPC) ads out there? Do those go to their website or a landing page? While this may not directly impact your website decisions, you may find some useful ideas by knowing this information, and it will help you later when you set up online marketing.
Building a website is daunting, but after studying other sites, you may start to form a picture in your mind about how your business should look online. Contact us to guide you through the process and create a beautiful and functional website for your business.
by Myra Stacey | Dec 14, 2017 | Inbound Marketing, Print Design
Business cards have been part of business for centuries and don’t seem to be going anywhere. Newer business owners in Raleigh and Cary will often turn to these online printing sites to churn out hundreds of business cards before they head out to network.
Not so fast. While online ordering is cheap, quick, and easy, you are losing out in other ways. Here are five reasons you should order your business cards from a local print and web marketing agency:
1. Less customization. While you can choose some options online, such as the thickness of the paper, you won’t get the full range of options you’ll find from your local printer. These might include embossing, foils, and more. While you may not want to go crazy with business cards, each little thing you do differently helps you stand out. (See point No. 2.)
2. First impressions matter. We’ve handed business cards to hundreds of people. The first thing they do is rub it a little and look at it. The weight of the card, the thickness of the paper, any embossing — all of those are noticed quickly. The tactile nature of a card affects their impression of you, whether they mention it or not. When your card is later tossed into a bowl on that person’s desk, you want yours to stand out. To get a stand out card, you need to speak to someone who creates business cards. He or she can talk to you about your options (see point No. 1) and let you see and feel samples of what you can get.
3. Personal contact. You can call up your local print agency if something is wrong and they will work hard to fix it for you. They will talk to you about the pros and cons of papers and explain everything you might have wondered about it.
4. Higher quality. If you work with a local printer, you will view a proof so you can make sure it’s exactly what you want. A good printer will do color checks, review everything multiple times, and make adjustments as needed. Your online order is 1-2-3 done so they can move on to the next batch.
5. Support local. You’re a small business owner asking others to support you. Spread that same karma to your local printer and marketing agency. The online printing company isn’t going anywhere.
Each of your cards represents you, serving as a silent representation of your interest in quality. As you ponder your business cards and your brand, contact us to take your business to the next level.
