What is the face of your company? The logo.

Take a look in any store or pick up any brochure and you’ll find that all of the most successful products and services have a logo design that identifies the company and the brand and sets it apart from all the rest.

Your products themselves, your office door, your brochures, your business cards, and of course your checks too - everything pertaining to your company bears your logo on it, and it’s very likely that your company’s name and logo will be your first introduction to a potential client. This is why professional custom logo design is crucial for success.

But… what exactly makes a good logo, and why?

1.  The best logos are simple. If you confuse your audience, they won’t understand what it is that you do, or what you’re about. If your logo is too cluttered and tries to pack in too much, it loses impact. Stick to a simple colour palette, clean, bold lines and though it’s not necessary to create an image directly linked to your line of work, something that says something about your company ethos or attitude is great for creating a reputation.
2. Your logo needs to be remembered. We are bombarded with images, advertisements and logos all the time, and yet a good logo will be fixed in our minds along with a link to what that logo, or rather its associated product, will do for us.
3. Logos need to stand the test of time. Some of the most successful and popular brands have been around for many, many years – while the logo may have been given a facelift or two along the way to move with the times, the essence of the logo and the product’s image will remain the same. Folks don’t like too much change, so comfort them with consistency.
4. Your logo needs to work in multiple media. Once upon a time, a logo was a flat, 2D piece of art that served on packaging, billboards and storefronts. In this day and age however, you might be expected to have a website, to translate your logo into 3D or into animation. In addition, it’s a good idea to make sure your logo still works in black and white. The possibilities for marketing your brand are endless, but you need to make sure your logo works all ways.

In other terms, it is crucial to not underestimate the impact of logo design when starting up a company, and to call upon reliable, professional design companies.

LogoBee is a logo and web design company that has specialised in creating simple, memorable, classic and versatile branding for over 10 years. LogoBee’s logo design gallery will give you an idea of the work the company has done in the past. LogoBee also has a vast catalogue of off-the-shelf logo templates to choose from, and custom logo design service will ensure that you have a unique logo for your needs.

As your business grows, you might want to open offices in several cities. This could make it easier for you to meet client demands without experiencing delays in shipping that often lead to complaints.

You can’t be everywhere all the time, though, so you need remote office management tools that allow you to maintain control of your business so that you know you are heading in the right direction.

Remote Office Management Tools

You won’t have any problems finding a remote office management tool (there are tons of them), but you might run into some difficulty trying to decide which option is best for your business. The best option will depend on several variables that differ from business to business. There isn’t one option that works best for every company.

Some of the questions that you might ask while choosing remote office management tools include:

• Do I plan to use a wide area or local area network?
• Do I want to access my employees’ computers to control the quality of their output?
• Do I want to use a low bandwidth network?
• Would I prefer a remote office management tool that allows me to transfer files from computer to computer?
• Do I need remote control over the mouse and keyboard of my computer?

Once you have answered these questions, you will have a much better idea of what to look for in your remote office management software.

Enhanced Features for Remote Office Management

The typical remote office management software will allow you to use computers even when they are not physically present. Advanced tools can offer additional features that might appeal to you. For instance, some of the software will allow you to capture sound from the microphone of a computer. You don’t even have to be in the same state to drop in on your employees. Instead, you just use this eavesdropping feature to listen to your office. If everyone is hard at work, then you know your business is headed towards success.

You will also want to look for security features that will protect sensitive information from your competitors. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that no one would ever think to access your files. Competition is stiff out there, and someone is bound to try eventually.

Your remote office management should include features that prevent unauthorized individuals from access computers remotely. That way, you know that only you and your trusted managers have the ability to access important files, monitor employees, and transfer information between computers.

Making the Choice

A good remote office management system can really help you run a business efficiently and effectively. Take your time and learn about several systems before making a final choice. As long as you choose a reliable option that offers the tools and security features that fit the needs of your business, you should see that these helpful systems make it possible for you to stay informed about where your business is heading now and in the future.

The following is a guest article contributed by Small Business Research Analyst Bill Post.

The Learning Channel’s television show “What Not to Wear” features intensive makeovers for fashion-challenged folks, such as a real estate agent who wears mini-skirts and belly-revealing tank tops to work, a stay-at-home mom who wears pajama pants to the grocery store, and an accountant who wears all black and combat boots.

Almost always these fashion transgressors explain themselves by claiming they don’t care what other people think—they like what they wear. And if somebody doesn’t like it, well that’s their problem. There’s nothing wrong with that live-and-let-live argument, but as the hosts Stacy and Clinton ask their subjects week in and week out: what message are your clothes and appearance sending to other people? To clients? To potential employers?

What message is your blog sending?

If you’re blogging just for fun and you truly don’t care whether anyone reads it or not, then by all means let it all hang out in any fashion you like. But if you are interested in interacting with readers, impressing clients, attracting new customers, and increasing your reputation and brand recognition, you may need to take a look in the “dreaded 360-degree mirror” and look out for these fashion faux pas.

Drowning in Neutrals

When people wear only beige, light beige, and dark beige without any bright colors or accessories they send the message to the world that they are just trying to blend in and go unnoticed in the sea of people. There are so many blogs out there that you’d better stand out and give your readers something to focus on, a visible, unique, and eye-catching message that makes your blog stand out from the crowd. Quickly and clearly tell your readers who you are, why you are, and what you have to offer them. Introduce yourself by choosing a name for your blog that speaks to your purpose, giving your posts clever titles that are relevant to that purpose, and coming up with an attention-grabbing tagline that states your purpose as an abbreviated mission statement. Place that tagline in a visible location. If you are still in a web identity crisis, and you’re not entirely sure why you are starting a site or a blog, do some soul-searching BEFORE you build your site. No one has time fo
r plain vanilla.

Too Much Black

You know the attitude. Don’t mess with me. A blog without an interactive component sends a message that you have plenty to say and you don’t care who doesn’t agree, that you have no desire to listen, change, adjust, or interact with anyone. To soften your look and make yourself more approachable include platforms for interaction between you and your readers: social media and links, the ability for readers to make comments, links to other people’s blogs and sites, and a way to contact you. Make yourself available and approachable. Give helpful information. Share.

Too Many Accessories

Bangle bracelets, animal print scarf, multiple strands of beads, huge earrings, and hair styled six-inches off her head. With so much going on there is no one thing to focus on, and people would rather avert their eyes. Less can be more, but that “less” better be good. Think little black dress plus some knock-out diamond earrings. Everyone is focused on the one shiny thing. Let your blog offer one really great thing, whatever that message or product is. Let it be the over-riding guiding force at all times and present it in a non-cluttered elegant way so that no one is distracted by irrelevant accessories. Focus on your best asset and message and let it shine.

Ill-Fitting Clothes

Clothes that are too tight, too short, or that hang on a person like a trash bag do not inspire confidence. People wonder if the person knows their clothes don’t fit, if they ever look in the mirror, or if they even know themselves enough to know what their own bodies look like. It’s a sad thing to watch someone who’s uncomfortable in his or her own skin. Be yourself—your best self. If you and your business are lighthearted, use plenty of humor and conversational language. If your identity is hard-nosed and all-business, present a professional and direct tone that fits. Design your blog with your identity in mind. Choose fonts, colors, and graphics that fit the real you and your message.

Use the opportunity to make a great first impression right from the start with a best-dressed blog and your visitors will stick around to hear what you have to say. Don’t just throw on what’s easy or what you’ve always done. Think hard about your message and present it in the most flattering way. Show the world your best self and share what you have to offer. You may be surprised by how much positive attention you attract when you put a little fashion sense into your blog.

About the Author:

Bill Post, Small Business Research Analyst, has been providing research on issues of concern to small businesses for 123Print.com Business Cards for three years. Prior to his involvement with 123Print, Bill was a small business owner himself, providing marketing and branding services to other small businesses in the Washington, DC metro area. Before working with 123Print on Business Card Templates, Bill spent several years in the fast-paced corporate world.

Image Credit: Funki Sock Munki

This is a guest post by Marc Brown, a financial writer. He manages his own personal finance blog and has helped a lot of people with free counseling on debt settlement.

The reason behind rising settlement companies are the recent economic melt down that has been a cause for people losing their jobs and huge slash in the salary.

People are defaulting on their accounts as they fail to repay on their unsecured debts. But the scam companies are taking advantage of these vulnerable people and it is shrouding like a black cloud over the debt relief market.

If you are intimidated by this fact and thinking how to distinguish a fraud from a reliable company then read this points below.

The fraud companies can package their service well to attract more people that will enable them to earn some easy cash. The advertising hoardings might read that they can eliminate half of your debt and get you back in your financial track within few years. If you believe in this claim then half of their job of deceiving you is done.

Here are few steps that will help you to distinguish between an authentic debt settlement firm from fraud companies:

1. When you enroll with a company ensure that you have a written document of your dealings with it. Read the agreement paper properly before signing it. See if they have mentioned about the fee structure in the clause paper. Ask them about the monthly fees they will charge for their services along with the initial fee. If you see that the company, you are dealing with is not transparent in their dealing then avoid enrolling with such company.

2. Acquire more information before you enroll with a particular company. The website of the company can give you information on its legitimacy. If the company is Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited then the logo will be there in the company website. Association with BBB states its credibility and authenticity therefore you can enroll with such companies. You can check whether the company is trustworthy or not by reviewing the details from the Attorney General and Federal Trade Commission’s Office. Even the video testimonial and client feedback forms can be checked to verify their treatment towards the clients.

3. Your personal information might not be required by the debt settlement company. If any company asks you to provide information regarding your social security number or account information then you might have been trapped by a fraudulent one. A genuine company will only ask you to give name of your creditors, the total amount you owe to each of the creditors along with the interest rate on it.

4. Look for someone who has recently enrolled with a debt settlement program and got an effective result. Then take the contact information and enlist with their service immediately. Your friends and family can suggest you reputable and trustworthy companies that will help to prevent you from getting into the maze of a fraud company.

If there is one social medial tool that has great value for any sort of business – it’s the blog.

While you may find it hard to connect with Twitter, or just can’t get a decent following on Facebook – there is always value in writing a blog for your small business.

The challenge is getting people to read that blog and driving traffic to it.   Sometimes it seems like no matter how compelling your content is – you’re only talking to a well. If there were echoes on the Internet – you would be hearing them.

You need to do a little blogging public relations and get your name out there in what’s become known as the blogosphere. That word is so cool and fresh – my spellchecker doesn’t like it.

Have no fear – the folks at Blograters.com are here to help you out.

Blograter has been doing just what it’s name says since 2005. That’s back when blogging was still an out-of-the-box concept – but today it’s practically become the norm.

To get your blog rated by the site – you simply need to send off an email with a link to the blog you want reviewed.

The service is free – as long as you promise to post a link back to Blograters.com in return for their review.

The big benefit of getting reviewed on Blograters.com is of course a little exposure. The review will include links back to your blog which can drive traffic as well as increase your rankings in search engines like Google. That’s what we call search engine optimization or SEO.

You can read more about SEO and the benefits of blogging in our posts How Much is a #1 Google Ranking Worth? as well as Why Should I Blog for Business? – both posts were written by our resident SEOI expert BrockO.

Need proof he knows what he’s talking about? Try typing custom folders or presentation folders into Google and see where The Folder Store is sitting in the organic search rankings. Go ahead — I’ll wait…

Pretty nice huh?

This blog definitely played a role in helping our site get noticed by more people.

You can start working toward the same thing by writing a blog for your small business and getting it reviewed over at Blograters.com.

Image credit – vilen001

Using the right words when you write copy, blog posts, sales letters or any sort of marketing material for your small business is the most direct way to communicate with customers and clients.

Words are probably the most powerful weapon in your marketing arsenal.

We’ve already covered how storytelling is one of the most effective ways to use words in your strategy.

But how do you choose the most powerful words? How do you find the right style or voice with which to write?

The Two Most Important Words

Copyblogger founder Brian Clark has a very interesting article on his very popular blog about what could very well be the two most crucial words you’ll ever use to win over potential costumers.

The first of those two words is YOU.

You may have heard about how important it is to write conversationally – but who that conversation is about is just as important.

Let’s be honest – we all find things more compelling when they are about us and not just someone in general.

Which of these sentences do you think is more effective?
People can save as much as 75% when they order with us! OR The average customer saves as much as 75% when they order with us. OR You could save as much as 75% when you order with us! Come on – it’s not even a competition.

People want to know that your company is going to meet their needs and fulfill their desires. They don’t care too much about the details of the company they might buy from (no matter how interesting it seems to you).  People want to know what that company can do for them.

Think about some of the most popular ad slogans – “You’re in a Good Hands with Allstate.” “Are You Ready for Some Football?” What’s in Your Wallet?” “What Can Brown Do For You?”

Don’t get hung up on using the specific word “you.”  Sometimes the word you can be implied. Other times we advertising is designed to put words in our own mouths like McDonald’s current slogan “I’m Lovin’ It.”

The point is your writing should be focused on your audience – not your company.

Keep that in mind when you create the words you’ll use when you order custom folders. Is there a way to make the words you print on those folders customer-centric instead of company-centric?

The other most important word you can use is BECAUSE.

To understand the reason why, you need to know the difference between a product or service’s feature and its benefit. It sounds like the two could by synonyms – but they’re actually very different.

Here’s the best way to explain it:

A feature is something your product or service does or contains. For instance This snow-blower can send snow flying 50 feet!

A benefit is how a product or service and their features affect the customer. It’s how they can change their lives for the better. For instance – You need this snow-blower because you’ll clear your driveway twice as fast so you can get out of the cold and on with your busy day!

When you add the word because when writing about benefits, you’re adding credibility to the statements you make. You’re telling someone WHY they need what you have to offer – not just what it does.

When you want someone to take action – make sure you give them a reason why!

We’ll wrap up things in the next post with a look at hard sells, soft sells and the all-important call-to-action!

Image: luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but the pen is mightier than the sword.

In reality – a solid marketing strategy is going to make good use of both the images and the words associated with your small business.

How you blend the colors and pictures along with the words and stories you use in your marketing makes  a big difference.

Let’s take a look at what is the most powerful way to use words to promote you business and sell what you have to offer.

When you order presentation folders from The Folder Store – you’ll have plenty of opportunities to use words to communicate a message, generate interest, establish credibility, and create a recognizable image for your company.

Of course, folders aren’t the only tool where the words you choose can make a difference. There are many other mediums and marketing materials that can benefit from strategic use of words.

But if you can tell a story – you’re already way ahead of the game.

Storytelling

As humans, we’ve been telling stories for thousands of years. Stories are how we relate to each other and the world around us. There is truly no better way to communicate a message.

One of the best ways to use storytelling in marketing is with a blog. Your small business can tell all sorts of stories online because just about anything can be turned into a story. The history of your business, positive customer service experiences, challenges your company has overcome, awards your business has won, a look behind the scenes – the list goes on and on.

When you write a blog (or tell any type of story) the trick is to keep it conversational. The best way to do this is throw out everything you learned in school about good grammar and even punctuation and JUST WRITE. Write like you are talking to your best friend, like you’re explaining something to your nephew, like you’re having a beer with a bunch of buddies.

Now – you’ll probably want to go back and clean things up a little bit. But with blogging – it’s okay to write the way we talk to each other.

Storytelling can also be an effective way to write sales letters and copy like product descriptions. Any time you can weave a real story into your marketing you have a much better chance of capturing the attention and imagination of potential clients and customers.

So how do you use custom folders to tell a story? Is it possible to tell a story on plain old marketing folders? At The Folder Store – we say “heck yeah!” Here’s a made-up example:

A few months ago we wrote about how Subway restaurants went from being a small sandwich shop to the biggest food franchise in the world.

If Subway were to order presentation folders they might print text like this…

From a Single Sandwich Shop to 33,000 locations in 90 countries. Our subs are just that good!

Maybe not the most genius marketing there – but you get the picture. You can tell a story in just a couple short sentences (or a fragment in this case).

When you look at the folder designer
tool on our website, you’ll that you can print text on the front back and inside of your custom presentation folders. Think about how you can use the different parts of folders creatively to tell a story.

We’ll continue to look at the power of words in upcoming posts with topics including the hard sell vs. soft sell, using social media – and much more!

For some great tips on storytelling”

Read Story by Robert McKee

For some of the best advice on improving your writing check out Copyblogger.

Image: graur codrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How much emphasis do you put on the colors you choose for your marketing materials?

Do you leave it up to the designers? Do you pick the colors you like best?

The effect colors have on our mind and more specifically the decision-making process should be a crucial part of your strategy.

When it comes to your customers – research shows 85% of them say color is the most important reason for why they buy a particular product.  94% of consumers say visual appearance is a bigger factor than any other sensory dynamic.

But it’s about much more than just selecting colors that match. The hues you choose can give you an advantage when you want to influence a customer or client’s decision.

That’s why picking the right color for your custom folders, website design, company logo or anything else that requires such a decision is something that deserves a good deal of consideration.

Here are what kinds of thoughts and emotions various colors evoke:

YELLOW

Yellow is an optimistic and youthful color. It is also the color the human eye is drawn to most, which is probably why we use yellow highlighters. A lot of big-name companies put yellow in their logos. Think about McDonald’s golden arches. You’ll start noticing a lot of yellow used strategically in advertising and marketing.

ORANGE

Orange is another attention-grabbing color. But it’s more aggressive than yellow. It can create a call to action that is your final push for the sale. You’ll often see “Buy Now” or “Subscribe” buttons on websites that use orange and yellow.

RED

Red is a color of energy. It increases your heart rate and can create a sense of urgency and excitement. Think twice about using too much red in your marketing materials as it can be somewhat unnerving. However, using it as an accent or to direct the consumer’s eyes is a good idea.

BLACK

Black is a color of power and is often used to market luxury items. Think about TV advertisements for the newest Lexus. It’s always a black car used in the commercial. Black can be associated with authority, style and intelligence – but it’s also related to evil and doom. It’s another color to use strategically but somewhat sparingly.

PINK

Pink is a feminine color and it’s obviously used to market products like makeup and other girly-stuff to young girls and women.. Take a walk down the Barbie aisle in the toy section of any department store – that’s a lot of pink.

BLUE

Trust, loyalty and security are the emotions that we sense upon seeing the color blue. That’s why many financial institutions, insurance companies and law firms use the color blue prominently in their marketing materials. It can also be a very calming color.

GREEN

It’s no surprise that the color of money is often associated with wealth. But green is another calming color, and also the easiest for the human eye to process. Maybe because of how we feel when we see a green traffic light versus a red stoplight. Green is also connected to nature, and can be considered an eco-friendly color thanks to all the “Go Green” marketing campaigns.

One other thing to keep in mind as you design websites, marketing folders and other items – white space is important too! Make sure you give your customer’s eyes a chance to rest. Information overload and visual anarchy will only hurt your chances of converting potential buyers.

You’ll have a nice selection of color options when you choose to order folders from The Folder Store. Read our article on Paper Options to learn more about choosing the right paper for your folders.

Not only will the folders themselves need to be a specific color you’ll also be able to decide on the color of foil you want to use if you plan to have graphics and text embossed on your presentation folders. If you’re not using foil on your folders than you need to choose the right color of ink.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON COLOR

Before you can come to your final decision on color choices, you need to consider the type of business you’re in, the kind of customers you are trying to reach, and how you want them to react to your marketing efforts.

Not only can color influence decisions, it also plays a part in brand recognition and credibility.  Studies show that 42% of online shoppers base their decision to buy solely on overall website design.  Keep that in mind when you design folders as well!

To learn more about the psychology of color – watch the video below.

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Small Business Administration leader Karen Mills is sounding off on the proposed Small Business Jobs Act being considered in the U. S. senate.

Mills fired back at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-Kentucky) who described the legislation to ABC News as “a little itty-bitty small business bill that no one thinks will have much of an impact on the economy.”

Mills used The White House Blog to post a response to that comment.

She feels the proposal will have a major impact on the economy…

The current legislation would set up a $30 billion lending fund to help local banks offer loans to small businesses. It also increases the maximum SBA-backed loan amount from $2 million to $5 million.

The SBA says it backed around 70,000 loans thanks to the February 2009 Recovery Act. But the administration ran out of funds to support those loans in May because of high demand. Now Mills claims there are more than 1,000 small businesses waiting for the bill to pass.

McConnell is more concerned about getting small businesses to actually spend money. He says the Obama administration has done too much to move things in the wrong direction.

“But the larger question is that business is sitting there, hoarding cash because they are concerned of the health care taxes, the health care mandates, the tax increases that are coming in September potentially,” McConnell told the ABC News/Washington Post webcast Topline. “This administration has done a lot to discourage business from growing and hiring, and that’s the problem.”

But Mills takes issue with the fact that McConnell doesn’t believe the Small Business Jobs Act can make a difference.

She used the real-life example of a frozen yogurt shop in upstate New York that saw major success and hired a dozen workers after receiving a $175,000 SBA Recovery loan earlier this year. The shop is now looking to add a second location.

Mills also points out that both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Businesses are backing the Small Business Jobs Bill. That, she claims, is an indication that the legislation is strong.

“It has broad support. It will give taxpayers a big bang for their buck. And, it will benefit thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners across the country,” said Mills.

We at The Folder Store want to know what small business owners like you think. Are you hoping the Small Business Jobs Bill will pass? Or are you too concerned about issues like health care, tax increases and the economy in general? Is it too risky to make a move right now?

Let us know what you think!

This week, President Barack Obama announced tax cuts for small businesses like yours.

The plan is to allow small business owners to deduct 100% of their qualified capital investments.

The goal is once again to help jump-start the U.S. economy by encouraging smaller companies to invest in new equipment and hopefully hire new workers.

But a chief economist at the National Federation of Independent Businesses doesn’t think tax relief is what small business owners need right now.

NFIB’s William Dunkelberg says what’s needed more so than tax relief is consumer demand.

“If you give a small business guy $20,000, he’ll say ‘I could buy a new delivery truck but I have nobody to deliver to,’” Dunkelberg explained, adding that what should be done is to “finally address the most important person in the economy – the consumer.”

On the other hand – small businesses themselves could be viewed as consumers in a down economy. Tax breaks on capital investments could make them feel comfortable enough to spend money.

For instance if your small business had money to invest in marketing folders, it would become a consumer of The Folder Store. If The Folder Store gets enough business selling presentation folders, it could turn around and buy new equipment for printing high quality folders.

Dunkelberg thinks that sort of scenario is unlikely. He’s betting most small business will hang on to their money until the economy becomes more stable. He also believes a better idea is to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for all Americans – that includes those making more than $250,000 a year.

One thing the Obama administration is considering is continuing the Bush tax cuts for all those except people making more than $250,000. That’s an idea most Republicans disagree with.

Some feel the moves are timed to coincide with elections in November. The Obama administration claims it’s plan, which also includes asking congress for $50-billion to repair highways, railways and airport runways, is not intended to sway voter opinion.

In any case, it will likely be tough to pass anything through congress right now as GOP candidates are wary to support measures backed by the Obama administration during election season.

Watch the Associated Press video below for more on the latest economic recovery plans from the White House.