Deck the halls and spread holiday cheer to your business this season. Although it’s time to make your personal wish list for the holidays, it may also be a good idea to stop and think of a wish list for your business. Gift giving for friends and family is an enjoyable part of the holidays, but your business deserves some gifts as well.

1. Add Some Spice to Your Website

You may already have a website for your business, but when was the last time you improved it? How about adding photos or changing your overall theme. It’s best to maintain your original brand, but a classy update will show your clients that you are serious about your business and will give them a fresh and new outlook on your products or services.

2. Give the Gift of Blogging

A blog allows you to have an open discussion about your company and the products and services you provide. This is also another way to improve your website and attract more customer interest. Blogging is a fun way to have direct involvement with your clients. It allows you to offer advice, news, or promotions about your company on a regular basis and is open to feedback and discussions.

3. Promote your company with Promotional Items

Promotional items are great tools to help market your business and they make great gift for the holidays.
From hats, mugs, calendars, clothing and so much more, get them for yourself or others. Thank your customers with a small gift that also shows off your logo. Recognition is the key and they will remember you every time they use it.

4. Brochure

A brochure is a fantastic, printed option that will help sell your business and is something you can leave behind wherever you go. Similar to the advantages of a business card, a brochure allows you to say more and is a great offering at trade shows or an addition for envelope stuffers.

5. Email Signature

Let your clients know who you are and the company you represent. Sign all of your outgoing email messages with your name and company logo. A graphic signature will immediately be attached to all of your outgoing emails. Ditch your boring text signature, and send a visual reminder about your brand with every outgoing message.

Every business is in need of something, so why not treat your business as a member of the family and send holiday cheer in a new direction. Your company deserves some attention as well and the results from a little extra effort, will last the whole year through. Have a safe and happy holiday season from Logo Design Guru!

Five Quick Ways to Improve Your Company Identity

Fall is the time when the leaves change color and the air adapts a brisk, cooler temperature. Summer vacations have ended and businesses begin to boom once more. It’s a great time to take advantage of that by promoting your own business and adding a little spark to your company identity. Your logo is how your clients put a visual image to your company. The more you show it off, the better they will remember you. You may already have an award winning logo design, but there is always room for successful change. Consider building your brand with some quick enchantments that will help your small business appear both larger and more established. Don’t let your business fall behind.

1. Blog
Have an open discussion about your company and the products and services you provide. Blogging is a fun way to have direct involvement with your clients. It allows you to offer advice, news, or promotions about your company on a regular basis. Blogging also opens the door for feedback and discussions from those who regularly spend money with your company. Getting real comments from your clients gives you the chance to improve your business based on what your clients need or want.

2. Email Signature
Let your clients know who you are and the company you represent. Sign all of your outgoing email messages with your name and company logo. A graphic signature will immediately be attached to all of your outgoing emails. Ditch your boring text signature, and send a visual reminder about your brand with every outgoing message.

3. Email Marketing Template
Excite and thrill your current and potential customers, by sending a professionally designed email message. Display your logo right in the inbox. With a template, your email appears more professional and can draw attention with nicely designed graphics that not only look great, but also promote your business.

4. Post Card
Update current or former customers about what your business is up to. If you have a new product or service that you are promoting, no one will know about it unless you inform them of your updates. A branded post card is an excellent way show off your identity and bring in more business by making sure your clients know of your new ideas. Not only will a postcard enforce your branded identity, it can be an affordable sales and promotional tool.

5. Digital Brochure
An electronic brochure is a great way to grab a client’s attention. Most communication is paperless now and a digital brochure demonstrates that you are in tune with today’s advances. Sending your clients an electronic version of your brochure reminds them of your business’ unique services or products. It’s a great informational tool, which can also contain hyperlinks right to your webpage. This way customers will always know how to find you.

Are you a new business that is looking to create a website, brochure, or produce other forms of marketing materials? If you’re not, you should be and one important thing you will need is photos. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words and photos can add a ton of personality to your marketing materials and help your company stand out, but the question I am addressing is, “where do you get them?” There are a couple of options available that you can explore. First, you can take your own photos. That’s always fun and can be unique and personal, however this can also be risky. Most people are not professional photographers and a bad photo can really ruin a website. You can always choose to hire a photographer to take pictures for you, although not many small businesses have the budget for this. The third alternative is stock photography. There are both positives and negatives to this option, but it’s a great way to go. Here are some tips.

1. Endless Choices and Professional Quality
Amateur photos never look as nice as the professional ones. Consider red eyes on your models or problems with inconsistent focus. These are small errors that occur often, but with stock photos, you can have flawless images without the worry or the need to turn yourself into a photo editor. Stock photography offers anything you can imagine in a photograph with millions of choices. Many websites are available that offer stock photos. Photos.com, iStockphoto.com, Jupiter Images and Getty Images are just a few of the popular sites that are worth looking into. Logo Design Guru also offers free access to stock photos included in all of our web and brochure package options. It both makes the creative process easier and more convenient.

2. Image Overuse
Stock photo sites do have a ton of variety, but keep in mind; if they are available to you, then they are available to everyone else as well. When using stock photos, you often run the risk of using repeats. Standing out is important, therefore if you see the same photo all the time, the power and effectiveness of the image is lost.

3. Does Your Stock Photo Look Staged?
It’s true that people in general have very short attention spans and most of the time, plain text on a page is not going to keep someone’s interest. Photos nicely break up the space and draw more attention to the content, even if the image is something simple, such as a random, smiling person. These types of photos can work well, but beware of the obviously staged image. If an image is too generic, it is clear that it’s a stock photo. This staged look doesn’t appear natural and can give off a bad impression.

4. Avoiding Copyright Infringement
Often people think that if an image appears on the web, it’s free for the taking. This is unfortunately not true at all. Similar to pieces of music or artwork, photographs are often copyrighted and snatching them up from someone else’s site is breaking the law and can have unpleasant consequences. Images from free sites may also be copyrighted and you may be using them unknowingly. Some photo companies use search software to track their images and can tell if you are using them illegally. Stock photography eliminates this fear. Once you purchase an image, you are purchasing the rights to use it as well. It does cost money, but it is an investment that is well worth it and is law abiding.

5. Model Release Required
A great advantage of stock photo use is reducing the worry of model release. A model release is a signed form, which allows a photographer and the end user to have full permission to use a person’s likeness for marketing, advertising or artwork purposes. The law protects a person’s right to privacy, even when the person is in public eye. Most stock photo sites have taken care of this for you, so that once you purchase the photo, you have purchased that permission as well.

6. Costs for Stock Photo Options
The option of stock photography is a great way of saving on marketing costs. Although hiring a photographer will give you more control over what you want, photographers can be very costly. Stock photos can vary in prices depending on how they are sold. Some sites offer monthly or yearly subscriptions and others can charge by individual photos or photo quality or size. Depending on how often your company requires photo use, you can play around with the options and settle on something that works best for you.

There are plenty of advantages and disadvantages to using stock photography, but the images can be very useful tools that are available at your fingertips.

Today, I am weighing in on my small business and how it all began.  In April, 2000, I got started in natural spa products after leaving a micro-managed job to pursue something on my own but what that was, I didn’t have a clue. Natural bath and body products were an interest and I was curious as to how they were made. I started selling/making natural soaps for a company in Seattle that was in need for independent reps. Later, the owner was no longer interested in the business so I decided to create Cactus & Ivy. Now, here I am, 8 years later. I am still learning and taking it all in. Going into business for myself was the best move I ever made. Well, second to my marriage. I wouldn’t be in this business had it not been for the love and support of my husband.

The most enjoyable moments in my career have to be working for myself. I left a world full of management looking over my shoulder at every sales move I made. I did not go into business for myself to make a killing….just a living. I am still a consumer to others and I wanted to make sure I offered an exceptional product for a fair price. I absolutely, positively love getting up in the morning to see what the day will bring. Cactus & Ivy is a fun place to work and I have vowed from the beginning that no employee will ever feel the way I did when I was in the corporate world rat race.

The greatest challenges I face are competing with the companies that can afford to purchase nifty packaging at large volumes or has the added capital to run ads for an abundance of exposure. Consumers are starting to look to the “indie” part of the natural products industry. I look at how we all started out. The “indie” manufacturer has always been providing the hand made, natural product and is now being recognized. The larger companies are starting to realize that natural is the way to go so they’ve stepped up to the plate and are providing the added competition.

To remain competitive, I send out mailings that include a postage paid card that can be returned if a prospective wholesale client would like to receive free samples. For the retail end of the spectrum, I choose options that will allow Cactus & Ivy to get in front of the consumer for a reasonable cost.  Every business has to be conscious of the money they spend for brand awareness, however, small businesses are usually operating off a very limited budget and we need the most bang for our buck.  We are very talented in the ways of promoting our business and tooting our own horn.  You have to be when you are working with limited capital.

Cactus & Ivy has is presently participating in The Green Retailer and Pure Zing.  I am constantly seeking beauty sites that welcome product submissions to review. In addition to budget friendly advertising, Cactus & Ivy is also a member of several organizations that also promote our brand.  We are a member of PETA’s Caring Consumer, The Leaping Bunny Program and the Indie Beauty Network.

Cactus & Ivy has never tested its products on animals, nor will we ever.  In addition, we only purchase raw materials from companies that adhere to the same standard.  That was an easy decision from the inception of Cactus & Ivy and something we don’t take lightly and is non-negotiable.

After joining the Caring Consumer program, we decided to remove all animal byproducts from our ingredients. We have replaced beeswax with candelilla wax and we no longer use honey. Each opportunity brings change and Cactus & Ivy wants to change with it. In addition to Cactus & Ivy products being “cruelty free” we are now “vegan” too!! We are phasing out old packaging and gearing toward eco-friendly in all aspects that we can. Once we are depleted of our raw materials, we will be replacing them with Organic, where available.

Every decision I make is based on what Cactus & Ivy can sustain.  I’d love to have the eco-friendly packaging now, however, my bottom line cannot afford to go that route just yet.  I continue to scour the internet sourcing better pricing on raw materials and packaging.  I am constantly thinking of our customers, because without them, Cactus & Ivy wouldn’t exist.

So, now you know a little about me and my company, Cactus & Ivy.  For those interested in starting your own business, I say go for it!  If you are looking to start a bath and body products company, know the market you are wanting to target. Create products with a purpose and not just because it’s a fad. Bring your own flair to the products and continue to look for ways to make it better.  Make sure you become a member of social networks and use them to promote your business.  You’d be pleasantly surprised at the connections you make.  I have been on Twitter for several months and just joined LinkedIn.  Both arenas are proving to be very beneficial, not only for business contacts but I have made some really awesome friendships that I cherish!

As in any business, competition is healthy. It keeps you honest. I’ve been in sales most of my adult life and I have always looked at “no” is just a two letter word. There are plenty of “yeses” to go around. Be persistent and never give up!  Live your dream!

I want to end my post with a big thank you to Daniel with Logo Design Guru for allowing me to be a guest writer on Logo Talk.  For those of you that don’t know, Logo Design Guru designed my logo and I couldn’t be happier.  Having a good logo to represent your brand is a must!  You want people to automatically associate your logo with your products or services.  The Cactus & Ivy logo was one (1) of eight (8) logos that was awarded the prestigious American Graphic Design Award in the 2007 competition.  Wow….it doesn’t get any better than that!

Have a fabulous day!

Lisa M. Rodgers is the CEO of Cactus & Ivy a cruelty free and vegan manufacturer of natural spa, bath and body products.

In this increasingly paperless world, the majority of marketing collateral and business presentations consist of digital documents. From your latest PowerPoint masterpiece to a flashy interactive website, electronic media can be quick, easy, and visually stunning. There is no denying the advantages of electronic media.

However, due to these strengths it is likely your message will be forgotten. Your clients will want and need a permanent reminder of your message. Offer them the presence and physical cache of a slickly designed brochure.

1) A Brochure is Tangible

Made only of simple paper or basic card stock, a brochure is a tangible object that your clients will hold on to and keep. This is especially important if you offer a service that is abstract or industry specific. A brochure will give you a prime opportunity to explain your services and will allow your client time to absorb the finer points of your proposition.

2) A Brochure is Impressive

Traditionally the costs of designing and printing a brochure kept all but the biggest companies from producing a printed brochure. Fortunately, with the ease and efficiency of online design and printing, the cost has significantly fallen. Take advantage of this development, and present your small business as a juggernaut. Underscore to your clients that you know the value of professionally designed and printed collateral.

3) A Brochure is Simple

With the alphabet soup of file formats (PDF, DOC, PPT, HTML) the last thing you want to do is confuse a potential client. Don’t force them to take a training course in computer science just to read your pitch, give them a prepared hard copy. Not only will your client’s appreciate this, but also your message will be clearer without the noise of unwanted technical questions.

4) A Brochure is Timeless

Today’s cutting edge web presentation will be passé and outdated in a matter of months. Rapid shifts in technology can make your slick electronic collateral dated and obsolete overnight. Don’t waste time and money chasing the next big thing. Invest in a brochure, a time tested and proven medium.

A brochure with a classic design will stand the test of time. Easily portable, and simply stored, a brochure will always remain not only on someone’s desk but also in their mind.