Photo by Aleks Dorohovich on Unsplash

If you run a business, your logo is one of the chief pieces of branding that deserves your attention. A logo is like your brand’s ambassador — it’s the primary visual that your customers associate with your brand.

Because of its importance, it’s absolutely vital that your logo is:
⦁ Memorable
⦁ Unique
⦁ On-message
⦁ Easy to reproduce
⦁ Visually appealing

Those are just some very basic requirements for any good logo. But you don’t want just a “good” logo — you want the best logo design to represent your brand. How can you make sure that your logo is absolutely fabulous?

Let’s take a look at some pointers and tips from design and branding experts.

Tip One: Don’t Get Too Attached To Your First Idea

This comes from experienced Designer, Rodney Abbott, among others. Designers are just as prone to fall in love with their initial design as other creators are to attach to their first drafts. It’s the “newborn child” syndrome.

But that attachment, even if it exists, should be kept in perspective. The fact is that design really requires multiple stages, rather than just a “one and done” approach. You might stick with some of the core ideas from the first draft, but it is very, very rarely appropriate as a final product.

This does require some self-control on the part of the designer and the owner of the business. Don’t let yourself fall in love at first sight with a design. Be analytical, look for its strengths and its weaknesses. Every design has both.

Tip Two: Opt For A Simple Design

If you take a look at any given list of design trends, whether for logos or other aspects of design, the likelihood is that you will see “simplicity” included on the list. This is true regardless of the year or season, because simple is always on-trend. And it’s an evergreen, because it works.

As Leif Abraham, CEO and co-founder of branding and business specialist, AND.CO, states, “Some of the smartest businesses these days are those with the simplest solution to solving a problem, and this philosophy carries through to the branding.” A focused approach, he says, allows you to “prioritize simplicity and not over-design.”

A good rule of thumb is to remove, remove, remove elements from the logo design until it is stripped down to its most basic functional level. As you do this, you may very well find that you don’t need as much detail as you may have thought. At the same time, a more simple design increases memorability and recognizability for your customers, as well as increased scalability for marketing purposes.

The scalability issue can’t really be overplayed, either, because it has a direct impact on the quality of your marketing materials. As Liz Jammal, the owner of Vivid Marketing, points out, when logos with too much detail need to be shrunk down and resized, the overall effect looks blurry, less professional, and, “the logo loses its impact.”

Tip Three: Make Sure Your Logo Is On-Message

Your brand personality sends a message to your potential customers and clients. Your logo should align with that message, rather than clashing with it.

For instance, if you’re a homegrown, grassroots, informal type of business, you don’t want a cold, impersonal logo.

Some designers equate this on-message tip with alignment to the brand’s promise, allowing your brand to fulfill the message sent by its logo and other branding. Marketing expert, Filiberto Amati, suggests aiming for a balanced combination of “promise, credibility, and relevance.” Your logo should deliver on the promise of your brand, making it relevant and practical for your customer, and establish credibility in the customer’s mind.

It’s obviously a fine balance between a logo that sends the right message and one that doesn’t, which further pushes the realization that just choosing a logo design that you happen to like isn’t the criteria you should go by, for the good of your company.

Tip Four: Take Your Competition Into Account

If you really want a fabulous logo for your company, the last thing you want is a design that looks too much like the logo for another company. This is one of the main areas in which you really want to stand out!

There are a lot of possibilities out there for logo designs, but those possibilities are finite. So it’s possible that your competition may have a logo that is too similar to the one you’ve selected.

For that reason, scoping out the branding of your competitors is definitely recommended.

Marketing Director Kenneth Burke suggests, “Use your competitors’ decisions as a set of checks and balances to help you make better decisions.”

This means you can take into account popular colors, fonts, graphic styles, and other factors, while still combining them in a way that makes your logo stand out from the others. Market research is a vital part of launching a company, for a lot of reasons — and informed branding and smart marketing decisions are near the top of the list.

With so many possibilities, your logo has every chance to do exactly what it’s meant to do: represent your company in a way that stands out from the competition and sends the right message. The elements you choose can boost memorability and visual appeal, leading to a logo that is exactly the right choice for your brand.

 

In today's day and age, people want answers to their questions in an instant.  They want to find solutions to their problems from experts, but rather than seeking out an expert in person or speaking to someone on the telephone, people seek their information from sources that they find online. 

People want instant answers to their questions, and in today's world, they merely pick up their smartphone and ask Google a question.  In an instant, they are directed to a search results page with links to websites that Google has matched most closely to the question that they asked that provide the answer to their question .

 

 

 

 

In your business, your target audience is searching for solutions to their problems or answers to their questions.  The question is:  will they find you and your website? 

 

Well, contrary to what you might believe, they are not searching for you!

 

 

 

You spent time and money creating what you thought was the perfect website, yet your website is not generating the number of leads that you expected to achieve each month.

 

 

 

 

Why is that?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Furthermore, what can you do to generate the leads that you need each month and to reach your target audience?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are 5 tips that will help your website generate more leads and help you to reach your target audience:

 

 

1.  Website Design for Lead Generation

 

If you want to use your website to generate leads, you first need to be sure that your website is user friendly and is designed to provide the visitor with helpful content that provides answers to their questions or solutions to their problems. 

 

To generate leads from your website, you should do the following:

1. Design your homepage so that it provides content that will answer visitors questions and provide solutions to their problems rather than making the website all about your business
2. The content should be engaging and interesting and on topics and provide information that will provide the visitors to your website with the answers and solutions they are seeking
3. The content should be easily accessible and easy to find with headlines that draw attention to topics that will then be linked to other pages on your website
4. You should have your most recent blog post near the top of the homepage as well as a list of blog topics and links to your most popular blog topics
5. Include content offers
6. Include call to actions and forms for visitors to complete to receive a content offer or to sign up to receive a newsletter or blog posts
7. Include a pop up chat window that connects to a live person or that will answer questions with canned responses and provide helpful links
8. Include links to content on your website that answers visitors questions and provides more detail as well as links to outside sources that has useful content that provides those answers and solutions
9. Build trust with your visitors by being the expert

 

 

. 

2.  Knowing your Buyer Personas = Lead Generation

 

 

In order to build an effective website that will generate new leads for your business, you need to know exactly who your target audience is.  This target audience is known as your buyer persona.

 

Understanding your buyer personas will generate more visitors to your website and result in more leads.  Here is how:

1. Knowing your target audience (aka:  buyer personas) will generate more visitors to your website because you will have on your website content that your buyer personas are seeking
2. You want to attract visitors that will be potential customers for your products and services - understanding who your buyer personas are will accomplish this
3. Provide content on your website that addresses the needs, questions, and problems that your buyer personas have and for which they are seeking answers and solutions - only by understanding who your buyer personas are can you accomplish this
4. Create content that is specific for each of your buyer personas - you can only do this if you understand who each of your buyer personas are
5. Understanding who your buyer personas are will allow you to design your website so that it is marketed to them

 

 

 

3.  Create Content to Generate Leads

 

 

A key component for any business to attracting new visitors to their website and thus to generate new leads is the content that is on the website. 

 

Understanding what content to create will generate more leads.  Here is how:

 

1. Content needs to be helpful and informative
2. Don't focus your website exclusively on your business and the products and services that you offer, rather provide content that your buyer personas are searching for
3. Answer the questions that your buyer personas are asking
4. Create pillar pages for each core topic and have subtopics with the content that supports the pillar page and is linked to it
5. Create content in the form of blog posts, videos, podcasts, e-books, etc. on topics that your buyer personas want to be informed
6. Build trust with the visitors to your website so that they will complete a form and provide you with their contact information
7. Larger content pieces should be made available to download as an enticement for visitors to your website to complete the form and provide you with their contact information
8. Once the visitor has completed the form, you have created for yourself a warm lead
9. It is now up to you to nurture that lead and to build the trust that will convert that lead into a customer

 

 

 

4. Generating Leads by Blogging

 

 

One of the most common forms of content that you can create is a blog post.  Each blog post is essentially a new page on your website. 

 

Understanding how to blog will generate more leads for your business.  Here is how:

1. Having a blog on your website provides your website with additional content.  Each blog post is like another page on your website.  The more you blog; the higher your chances of getting a higher ranking in the search results to a query.
2. Google Analytics - the more blog posts that you have on a particular topic; the higher your rankings will be.  Google looks at the content of the blog posts and uses analytics to rank those web pages.  The pages that have the highest ranking and that best match the query will end up highest on the search results page.  Having a library of blog posts will increase your SEO rankings and the chances of your website being in the search results for queries on topics on which you blog.
3. Design and layout of your blog will influence how long someone stays on the blog post and if they read it.  Utilizing  white space and distinguishing fonts as well as interesting images, info graphics, gifs, chats, tables, etc. will keep your reader engaged and also lead to higher SEO rankings.
4. Using video and audio will also increase SEO rankings and also keep the reader engaged.  Audio and video embedded into the blog text will allow the reader to download the content for listening and watching at another time of their choosing. 
5. Generate leads from your bog post by including a call to action button that asks for visitors to provide you with their contact information in order to subscribe to the blog.

5.  Lead Generation using Multi-Media on a Website

 

 

In today's marketplace, people want to receive information in an instant, but as a result, many people do not have the patience or the time to read the information. 

 

Here is how to use multi-media on your website to generate leads:

1. Video is the most popular format that is preferred across all generational indicators and in every age bracket, so integrate video content on your website
2. The content that you use in your multi-media formats needs to appeal to the audience that you are trying to reach
3. Content can be demonstrations, how to videos, a tutorials, testimonials, interviews, power point presentations, etc.
4. Content should provide solutions to problems that your buyer personas have or answer questions that your buyer personas are asking
5. Content can demonstrate or provide a guide for your buyer personas to use to overcome a problem that they are having - content = solutions
6. The right multi-media content will help you in your SEO rankings
7. Free previews or snippets will engage visitors to your website and leave them wanting more
8. Include a form for visitors to complete in order to receive a link or to be able to download the entire piece of content in which they are interested
9. By completing the form and providing you with their contact information, the visitor is converted to a new lead

 

Summary

• Your website can be a key component in lead generation; however it must be designed correctly. 
• The content and the layout of your website are key elements to utilizing your website for lead generation. 
• Knowing who your target audience specifically is and what challenges they face and questions they are asking will help you to develop the right content so that your website can be found by the people that you want to become your clients. 
• By using content such as blog posts and multi-media presentations you will engage your visitors and can also entice them with offers for more content that they will be helpful to them to solve the problems and challenges that they have. 

 

 

 

 

 

Before you can decide which CRM system you should use, you need to know what a CRM is and how it is applicable.  The following video is an excellent introduction to what is a CRM:

 

As a political consultant or a general consultant, you will, without a doubt, have many contacts. These contacts will probably number into the thousands if not hundreds of thousands. You will undoubtedly have contacts that fall into different categories and that are also in different stages. The question is: how do you keep all of these contacts organized?

Gone are the days of the Rolodex, the whiteboard, and the index cards pinned on a cork-board.  In today's modern technologically advanced society, if you want to compete, you need to have the latest technology to assist you.  Today, to keep your contacts, your campaigns, your marketing, and your fundraising organized, you must have a CRM system as part of your workflow.  It is as important as your website, and it will not only save you time and money, but it will help you to make more money. 

As a political consultant or a general consultant, you will have all kinds of contacts.  You will have contacts for fundraising, media contacts, grassroots supporters, staff, clients, target contacts, and more.  Within each of your contact groupings, there will be subsets of contacts that will be in similar stages on the buyer's journey. Each of these contact groups will have different strategies and plans to communicate with them and to market to them depending on where on the buyer's journey they are at that point in time.  You need a system in place that can manage all of this and more. 

Here are 5 CRM systems that can help you to keep your database organized:

 

1.  HubSpot

HubSpot is probably the best overall CRM system on the market today.  It is applicable to every facet of your database from sales to marketing to service.  For the political consultant or general consultant, it allows you to segregate your contacts into different groups or categories and to create content that is specific and applicable to each particular group or category.  In other words, you can create email blasts, social media posts, and other content that is specifically relevant to each category of contacts in your database. 

For contacts that are specific to your fundraising efforts, you would create content that is applicable to and that will only reach them.  For volunteers or prospective voters or supporters of your campaign or issue, you can create specific content that is relative to them.

HubSpot offers a full stack of software for marketing, sales, and customer service, with a completely free CRM at its core. They’re powerful alone — but even better when used together.  HubSpot provides you with the tools that you need to organize, track, and build better relationships with leads, supporters, fundraisers, and more. 

Key Features:

• Reporting dashboard
• Company insights
• Deal tracking
• Pipeline management
• Email tracking & notifications
• Prospect tracking
• Meeting scheduling
• Live chat
• Contact management
• Deals & tasks
• Company insights
• Email templates & scheduling
• Gmail & Outlook integration
• Forms
• Ad management
• Live chat
• Chatbot builder
• Email marketing
• Contact website activity
• Reporting dashboard
• Ticketing
• Conversations inbox
• Team email
• Email templates
• Tickets closed reports
• Time-to-close reports
• Third-party integrations
• Productivity tools
• Prospect tracking
• Deals

Don't just take our word for it.  Here is a video produced by a HubSpot user explaining the 10 reasons he loves the HubSpot CRM:

For more information about HubSpot and all of the different features and benefits of the CRM system, click on this link:

https://www.hubspot.com/

 

2.  Pipedrive

Pipedrive is primarily a sales based CRM; however, it can be adapted and customized to meet the needs of a political consultant or general consultant.  In addition to the standard tabs and information that is included in the contacts or deals, you are able to customize and add the specific items that you want to include.

Pipedrive provides you with the tools so that you can do the following:

•      Activity reminders keep you on top of all activities & deals
  • Sync all your activities with Google Calendar
  •  Edit, complete and add new activities on the go
  •  Customize activity types to meet your needs

•   Add notes and files to your deals or contacts
• Send and write emails from Pipedrive
• Enrich your data by connecting Pipedrive with your everyday tools
• Import, add and update Google Contacts from Pipedrive

 

 

Here a video that provides an overview of the features of Pipedrive:

But don't take our word for it.  Here is a video with an independent review of Pipedrive:

For more information, check out the Pipedrive website: 

https://www.pipedrive.com/

 

3.  Salesforce

Salesforce CRM is an extensive sales and marketing solution. Salesforce has separate systems for: Analytics, Marketing, Service, and Community Cloud. Using automation, as a political consultant or general consultant, you can maximize CRM data to highlight top leads and determine the separation between deals lost and won.

As a CRM, the software helps you to track all customer information and interactions in one location to follow more leads. The Lead Management, Marketing Automation, Sales Data, and Partner Management apps let you follow these leads until they are ready for conversion.

Salesforce also offers a mobile app so that you can access the data that you need when away from the office as well as create new contacts as you meet and interact with new persons that are potential donors, supporters, volunteers, etc.  The mobile app is made for Android and iOS devices and features real-time data from dashboards and custom reports, plus a Feed First feature that lets you see the most important information based on your settings at a glance. Likewise, you can add more functions and tools from a long list of apps in the AppExchange.

Salesforce Sales Cloud also allows you to get insights from varied, real-time customer data. Creating critical reports, sales forecasts, and territory models are accomplished with ease in the platform.

To give you more flexibility, Salesforce Sales Cloud integrates with external business solutions, such as: Desk.com, TeamSupport, LeadExec, FinancialForce ERP, Ambassador, Zuora, Zendesk, and other major CRM, sales, and accounting solutions.

 

Key Features:

•  Reach customers across every channel: telephone, email, live chat, and social media
• Get real-time notifications when customers interact with your business
• Measure the effectiveness of your customer communication and find the best time and channel to reach out to your customers

Save more time with automation

• Automate every aspect of your business and cut out time-intensive, repetitive tasks
• Streamline your lead nurturing process and make the most of every incoming lead
• Trigger instant actions, stay on top of activities, and follow up better with workflows

 

Conversational AI for smarter selling

• Find any information you need from your CRM data, instantly with the help of Zia, your AI-powered sales assistant
• Get advanced lead and deal predictions from Zia so that you can identify the leads that are likely to convert and ultimately close more deals
• Receive intelligent alerts, task reminders, and suggestions for the best times to contact your leads based on your past successful interactions

Why choose Zoho CRM?

• Simple, straightforward user interface with a minimal learning curve
• Flexible, month-to-month contracts supported by transparent pricing plans
• Deployment, consultation, onboarding, and training programs to help you get started smoothly

• Migration wizard to easily import data from spreadsheets or other CRM systems
• Fully extensible developer platform that facilitates tighter integration of CRM with external systems and applications
• Sell on the go with our award-winning CRM apps for both iOS and Android

Key Features:

Benefits of Using Zoho CRM:

• It automates vital sales operations
• Gives access to important data in real time
• Makes maximal use of social media
• Allows you to go mobile
• It is integrated with Google Apps and Zoho suite

But don't just take out word for it.  Here is a video with an independent review of the Zoho CRM:

For more information about the Zoho CRM, here is a link to the Zoho website:

https://www.zoho.com/crm/

 

5.  NetSuite

NetSuite CRM is a robust and powerful customer relationship management solution that provides a complete 360-degree view of their customers, leads, and prospects in real-time.

Users enjoy a continuous stream of information from all points and throughout the buyer persona lifecycle. With NetSuite CRM, you are able to deliver exceptional customer experience from the early stages of lead management all the way to decision including the ability to follow up and keep in front of your target audience to convert them to partners and advocates by providing them with relative content.

One great feature is knowledge management. Through here, you can publish and organize content, making it easier for anyone who needs to find access and find content.

The platform offers users more than just traditional features most CRM systems provide. On top of the usual capabilities, NetSuite CRM comes with powerful and advanced functionalities like marketing automation, sales force automation, and customer service management.

NetSuite is the only cloud solution that gives you a true 360 degree view of your contacts in your database. This will allow you to close more deals and provide better service by having all of your  data in one easily accessible place.

Key Features:

Benefits to using Netsuite CRM:

NetSuite CRM is a complete customer relationship management platform that incorporates traditional and advanced capabilities to help businesses drive revenue and growth.

It comes with a robust set of features that include automated tools for partner relationship and marketing, and even conventional CRM functionalities like customer service management and SFA.

• Integrated Contact Management
• Marketing Automation for better sales
• Track employee workflow
• Manage campaigns more effectively
• Customizable apps for your business
• Partner Relationship Management
• Sales Force Automation
• Sales Forecasting

But don't take our word for it.  Here is a video of an independent review:

For more information about NetSuite CRM, click on the link below:

https://www.netsuite.com/portal/products/crm.shtml

 

Dear blogger,