Small Business Marketing Guide - DIY (do-it-yourself) BRAND MARKETING STRATEGIES to HELP YOU GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Your logo isn’t the most important thing about your business. But if you think it doesn’t matter, think again. A good logo communicates that you are a professional who pays attention to detail.

I’m not a professional designer, but I am a customer. I’m the person you’re trying to win over. And I’m going to do the thing that customers rarely do: I’m going to tell you how to make a good impression on me. A logo is just one of the many ways.

Let’s start with an example of a great logo we’re all familiar with: the Nike Swoosh.

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It’s no secret that consumers today are increasingly embracing all things green–green products, green services, anything that promises to be more environmentally sustainable than the options of days gone by. In fact, recent data shows that even during these tough economic times, 82 percent of consumers are still buying green products, despite the fact that they may cost more.

While an “eco” focus may not be part of every company’s mission–at least not yet!–it’s also a mistake to ignore the trend altogether, especially when you’re creating paper-heavy marketing materials. All other things being equal, the competitor with a greener image will likely win the sale.

So how can you create a greener image?

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For many businesses, direct marketing involves mail campaigns, phone calls, e-mails, and landing pages aplenty. While these tried-and-true tactics are still met with success, direct marketing campaigns that use Web 2.0 tools like social media have quickly gained ground. In this post, you’ll read about Twitter, one of the major players in the social media universe, and how you can leverage a Twitter account to direct marketing success.

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A good brand is not simply a great logo, or a beautiful brochure, or a cool website. The essence of a good brand is a great customer experience.

My favorite example of a company with a great customer experience—aside from Apple—is Threadless, an online T-shirt store. The T-shirts are fashionable and well-made. But more importantly, the customer experience is memorable, enjoyable, and delightful.

Fostering great customer experiences is much harder to do than creating beautifully-designed marketing materials. Here’s what you can learn from Threadless:

1. Show customers you actually listen
Instead of an after-thought, customer feedback is the backbone of Threadless.

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Brands often feel like that best friend you had in kindergarten that you kept in touch with through college and beyond… you’ve grown up with them… remember the awesome adventures you had together, trouble you got in together… and those things they did that you thought you’d never forgive. Even if it was something as silly as taking the last red lollipop, knowing it was your favorite. But you made it through… until they made friends with your mortal enemy… but sure, after a week of not talking, somehow you worked things out and are friends again.

Silly isn’t it? But i often see brands and my relationships with them like friendships or acquaintances. Each one has a personality of it own… is constantly evolving… and sometimes totally rubs me the wrong way. But the most important thing is ~ there is no real constant. If the brand is too stagnant, i may outgrow it or get bored and move in. If it moves to fast, i may hate it for one phase, but love it again as it comes closer to my tastes.

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