Small business PR and marketing

What is so important about having a logo? It is a visual representation of the image you want to convey. The big blue letters of IBM form a monolithic symbol that people have come to associate with quality business equipment. The bucking horse of Ferrari embodies the speed and strength of Ferrari sports cars. In order to build an effective company image, you need to take advantage of this symbolic language.
Begin by following the simple rules of visual communication. Keep these watchwords in mind:
• Originality – Your logo should be original, not imitative. The old rule still applies: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Imitating another company signifies that your company is a follower, not a leader.
• Distinction – Your logo should be memorable. It shouldn’t be distasteful or outlandish. It should, instead, build impact through a clear and functional design.
• Taste – While your logo should be memorable, it should also be aesthetically pleasing.
• Marketability – The logo should be readily adaptable for use in advertising, public relations, and sales promotions. It should serve as the symbol that consolidates the entire company.
Although you should keep these rules in mind when developing your logo, remember that any commercial symbol that doesn’t get its message across in a few seconds has failed what is was supposed to do – communicate the company’s line of business and how it regards itself in the marketplace.
Consider how you would like the public to perceive your organisation before you proceed with the design of the logo. Do you want your company perceived as conservative? Brash, with a tremendous amount of creative energy? Luxurious and quality-oriented? On the cutting-edge of the industry? These are questions you need to answer after you’ve researched the industry and the competition.
Once you know what type of impression you want to create in the market, you need to convey that in a design. Almost invariably, the simpler the design, the longer viewers will remember it. That applies to typeface, color and shape. You want an eye-catching, easily understood design.
Choose a typeface that represents the identity you want to project. There are conservative, bold, modern, and classic typefaces. Companies will often develop their own typeface and trademark it. The idea is to match a typeface with the character of the business.
Color is generally used to express a mood. Bright colors are used for companies selling fun products, dark colors are more conservative and serious, and neutrals project a warm, caring mood. Again, your use of color should be tied to the message you are trying to convey.
Many financial services companies use darker colors with a contrasting neutral color. Their intention is to convey a conservative image. On the other hand, toy companies will often use bright colors set against a neutral background in their logos.
Shape, of course, refers to the basic form of the logo. Will it be circular? Square? Rectangular? Triangular? You need to decide how your company will best be perceived through the various shapes you have to choose from.

I have seen so many small businesses develop a great business idea, do the research into their target markets etc but then fall down when it comes to their image. Many come across unprofessional because they didn’t want to put budget towards a professional logo or business card.

A business card says a great deal about a business, and it is often the first and only thing a potential customer sees. These days, you can do a lot of creative things with business cards, if you have help from a good artist and printer. They will also incorporate your special message and logo onto letterhead, pamphlets and brochures.

In general, if you want to convey the image of a “no-nonsense” operation, keep your printed materials subdued and businesslike. They don’t have to be boring, however – use a quality stock paper, make your logo prominent, and use a bold typeface.

If your business is less formal and more “fun”, then you should probably be a little more creative. Use brightly colored paper stock, or try a foil stamp to add some excitement.

Building an image takes time and careful planning. If you know who your audience is, and what they want from you, you are ahead of the game. The next step – defining what your image should be – involves taking a good look at your business, and deciding how it would best fit in the marketplace.

The final step – establishing your image – is an ongoing process. Remember that any time you distribute printed materials, appear and speak in public, or produce any visual aids or events, you are helping to project and maintain the image you desire.

To assist you to maximise your video conferencing experience, here are some tips from industry expert, Carol Daunt, on professional presentation and etiquette during virtual meetings:

Wear standard business clothes, though “busy” patterns should be avoided – as these will blur and make the picture “fuzzy” – and pastel colours are better than white. Also, avoid bright, flashy jewellery as it can reflect the light and be distracting to other meeting participants.

Consider the image to be conveyed (e.g. business suit for formality, or casual clothes for a more-relaxed atmosphere), and think about whether it is more appropriate to sit or stand for the meeting – bearing in mind that leaning back in the chair looks informal, while sitting or standing tall appears more formal.

Do not walk around during a presentation so participants remain in-shot at all times. Instead, participants should sit or stand in a comfortable position, with their support materials nearby.

Set the camera to a medium shot , with the key participant/s in the centre of the screen and some space visible around the perimeter. This will allow facial expressions and personality to be conveyed effectively, but prevent inadvertent movements out-of-shot.

Where there is an audience at the same site, participants should avoid concentrating solely on their on-site audience. Adopting the approach of regularly scanning past the screen displaying the other site/s – and speaking directly to it at times – will maximise the collaboration experience.

Use a range of graphics to support a presentation – simply being a “talking head” does not engage remote meeting participants. Leveraging a document camera to display small objects and graphics such as text, diagrams and photos, or transmitting presentations via computer, will have more of an impact.

Break down long presentations into 10-15 minute segments, with space in between for questions and comments, to prevent other participants from “drifting off” and losing concentration.

When presenting to several sites, it is a good idea to appoint a leader at each location to distribute material and organise participants to ask questions, in order to save time. (Where numerous sites are connected, a limitation of one question per site may need to be set upfront.) Each reply to a question or comment from a remote site should be made looking directly at the screen, so it appears to be a personal response to the party who posed it.

The microphone/s in the room will pick up and amplify sound so meeting participants do not need to raise their voices or shout to be heard, no matter how remotely the other participants may be located. Instead, it is important to concentrate on speaking clearly and distinctly – as mumbling does not transmit well through microphones – and to vary pitch and the pace of delivery to avoid sounding monotone.

These are from Carol Daunt from LearnTel, a leading provider of training and consultancy for the application of collaborative communications technologies. 

With many businesses having offices scattered around the globe, video conferencing is the closest thing to face-to-face as it allows you to see, hear and talk to people in another location. It can be used in media conferences, investor meetings and incorporating experts into press interviews.

You can bring together just a few people at one site or many at sites around the world. I spoke with video conferencing expert, Carol Daunt, about what it is and how to get the most out of it. Here is what she had to say:

• It’s fantastic if you need to establish rapport with a person or group as they can get a sense of who you are by seeing what you look like and through your body language. As well as seeing and hearing each other you can:

  • Use a document camera to display pictures, graphs, maps, small objects.

  • Display your PowerPoint presentation or other computer files.

  • Play a video clip so everyone can see it.

  • Record your session.

  • Collaborate on computer data with others in the session.

You use meeting technologies to save you time and money. The applications are endless from interviewing candidates, product launches or even keeping in contact with loved ones.

http://videoconference.edublogs.org/