Your Marketing Communications Identity: Names and logos and tag lines, oh my!

Every business needs an identity -- a way of presenting itself to its audience.  Here are the basic components.

NAME
Leave the discussion of “what’s in a name” to the poets and philosophers. In business a name is selected early on and usually doesn’t change much. So choose wisely IF you get to choose. The best company names are easy to read, say and remember (usually short), are descriptive of what the company does, and evoke the company’s personality.

Examples: Thrivent Financial (financial services), American FarmWorks (agricultural products), Art of Copy (copywriting).

LOGO
This is the graphic signature of a company. It may be just a stylized type treatment of the name, or it may include a symbol.

A logo is used in a lot of places – ads, brochures, signs, trucks, letterhead, web sites, packaging, forms, products and more. Before developing a new logo, think of all the places it will be used. Your design needs to be adaptable for all uses.  A good logo works in black and white, but there may be 2-color and full color versions for different uses.

How often you need to change logo design and colors depends on your market. Companies whose markets are stable don’t need to change often. Companies who serve trend-conscious audiences may need to change  their look frequently.

TAG LINE
This is a brief line of copy that runs with the logo. Not every company has one or needs one. A tag line can blow your horn. Deliver a benefit message. Or explain what the company does. A tag line is a marketing tool that belongs on ads, brochures, web sites, direct mail pieces, trade show displays, etc. Use one tag line consistently for greatest effectiveness.

CONSISTENCY and REPETITION are what make any identity program successful. Pick a name, logo, colors and tag line. Then use them in the same way on everything.

In Marketing Communications, Persistence Pays

One of the most common marketing problems I run into is companies who drop programs before they have a chance to work. An ad or two will run. One mailer is sent. Response fails to overwhelm, so the plug is pulled. And the company goes off saying something like “We tried that, and it didn’t work.

AARGH!!

TRUE STORY: A manufacturer started a new ad series. Response the first month was lackluster. (Okay, it was bad!) The next two months weren’t much better; but things started to pick up in the fourth month.

What was going on? Two things: repetition and timing. REPETITION: The audience needed to be exposed to the message several times before it sunk in. TIMING: It can be hard to predict when someone will be ready to buy, so you need to be out there consistently.

Current wisdom is that it can take up to nine (yes, 9!) repetitions of a message for your audience to “get it.” Of course, you need to be reaching the right audience with a message that means something to them.

It’s a lot to think about, but help is out there. If you don’t have marketing expertise in your company, hire a marketing communications specialist to help you. Even if you have a marketing department, an outside perspective can be invaluable.

Be persistent! Stick with it! Take a long-term perspective! Don’t give up!

Picking the right marketing communications vehicle: Shows, expos, and events

You want to get the most out of every dollar AND every hour. Trade shows and expos can cost a lot – in time, energy and money. Networking events can waste time by pulling your focus in the wrong direction. They may cost real money also,  if you exhibit.

Don’t let this scare you away from these activities, though. There are ways to make sure your investments pay off. Start with these basics:

1) Are they right for you?

A trade show or expo is like a retail environment. If your products need to be seen, touched, demonstrated or otherwise experienced, trade shows and expos can work for you. Be ready to make the most of the opportunity to meet and greet your prospects.

Networking events attract a lot of solo-preneurs. If you want to meet this kind of person, networking events may work for you.

2) Are you going to the right ones?

Each event, expo, or show attracts professionals who may or may not match your target. Before going, determine if it’s your kind of meeting.

• Check with management. They may be able to tell you who’s come in the past.
• If it’s a conference, scan seminars and workshops to see if the topics will attract your kind of people.
• Look at who’s exhibited in previous years (and who’s coming back.) If someone you know has attended, ask them what they think.
• Attend the show or event as a spectator before committing to exhibiting.

3) Do you know what you’re getting from your show/expo/event investment?

Build evaluation of results into your activities so you know what you’re getting. Leads or inquiries are a concrete measure. Lead quality is usually more important than quantity though, so arm yourself with qualifying questions.

Participation in networking events, expos, and trade shows can be spendy. Do whatever it takes up front to get the most out of your investment.

Case histories – Compelling marketing communications

Have you heard the saying that it’s better to have someone else sing your praises than to do it yourself?  It’s true.  Someone else’s word is much more believable.

One way to present this praise is in a case history.  A case history story presents a problem and how it was solved.  These real life stories are customer and prospect favorites since they offer real world advice.

You don’t have to name names if getting a customer’s permission is out of the question, but it makes for a more compelling story if you do.  Good quality photos and other visuals are a plus.

You can use case histories in public relations (as brief features) on your web site, as printed sales tools, in brochures, and even as fodder for an ad series.