In today’s busy online market, good branding is vital. Having a logo that is clean, eye-catching, and compelling can mean the difference between good business and no business. After all, when it comes to online marketing, your logo is the face of your business. Choosing the right logo, however, can prove difficult. A recent article by Matt Silverman on Mashable.com provides four things that should be considered when considering a new logo.

One thing to remember is that your logo is a first impression. Before consumers know anything about your company, the first thing they notice is your identity. Instantly, consumers know if they want to continue or click away. As Silverman states, “Like the clothes you’d wear to a business meeting, your logo has to say, “I’m smart, I’m savvy, and I can compete,” at first glance.”

This is especially important for small businesses because they have to compete with large, multi-national corporations. This is a great opportunity, however, for small business owners because they can adapt to an ever-changing online market much easier than a large corporation. That’s why it is so important for small businesses to stay up-to-date on current market trends.

Another thing to know when it comes to your logo is what makes a logo “sticky.”  This means that your logo will “stick” in the consumers’ minds. When they see your logo they automatically associate with your brand. Making your logo memorable can be tricky, but thinking outside of the box can help. Try to be unique. Avoid what has been done countless times, and try to create something that is specific to your business.

Read the full article for more tips on creating the perfect logo for your company.

In a recent article by Todd Defren, he discusses a very real and common problem among social media specialists: exhaustion. Defren explains that not too long ago the mark of a successful marketer was “getting ink.” While this may have been an exaggeration, Defren is not too far off. The advent of social media has not only opened doors for a wealth of new marketing strategies, but it has also increased the work load of marketers tenfold. A social media specialist’s job today includes engaging with consumers, identifying problems in online avenues, dealing with these problems, writing new and interesting content for blogs, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and several other social sites, keeping track of what the competition is doing, and doing all of this before lunch so that they can repeat the entire process after.

So what do you do to cope with this ever-increasing list of to-dos? Defren offers five steps that might make your work day a bit less stressful: decide on your goals, ask for help, set a reasonable pace, “under-promise and over-deliver,” and measure. These steps may not make your day easier, but it will make it more manageable. Read the full article for more on how to change your workday from a sprint into a marathon.

No matter what you do, there will always be someone who finds a way to criticize it. This applies to both personal life and business alike. So in this information age where millions of people are brought together by sites such as Facebook and Twitter, it’s no surprise that you may encounter a few critics.

When it comes to business, online criticism can have a major impact on your company. Whether this impact is positive or negative is determined by how you handle it.  Taken one way, criticism lets you know what you are doing to make your customers happy or unhappy. Taken too seriously, and criticism can damage your image and drive business away.

A recent article on Hubspot provides 4 tips on how to successfully take criticism and turn it into something positive.  When dealing with people, criticism is bound to happen. How it affects your company, however, is entirely up to you.

eNewsletters are becoming a fairly common thing these days; so it’s not surprising that many companies seem to be forgetting their purpose. In a recent article, author Dylan Boyd complains that more and more newsletters are becoming nothing more than “Sunday Newspaper ad circulars.” For those unfamiliar with what an eNewsletter is for, Boyd explains what should and shouldn’t be included. Stories, articles, ideas and information that keep your subscribers connected with the company are welcome. Save your ads and sales pitches for another day. Remember, eNewsletters are supposed to build relationships with your subscribers, not bombard them with discounts and sponsor ads.

One of the easiest and best ways to promote optimization on your webpage is have good page title for it. Check out this easy-to-understand basic do’s and don’ts for page titles.

Back in April, Google announced they were changing their Local Business Center to Google Places. The tool enables business owners to manage their presence on Google. Google is making the push to become the de facto directory for local businesses on the web. The launch introduced a whole bunch of new features including local search and map listings, real-time updates, custom quick response (QR) codes and coupons, and even photo shoots for businesses. While Geo startup Foursquare (and even Twitter) is taking a social approach to local business listings, coupons, and offers, Google is approaching this from the search side. It is powerful as a search tool a far as that goes, but it is clear the location war is just beginning.

Thanks to everyone who attended the UCSD Extension’s Tech America online marketing seminar last week. I hope the presentation inspired to learn more about social media and how you can apply it to your business.

You can download a copy of my presentation here, check it out on Slide Share, or contact me via my LinkedIn profile if you have any additional questions.
Cheers,
Steve

LinkedIn has over 65 million professionals in their network, it is amazing they don’t really get the buzz that both Twitter and Facebook command.  Last month, they introduced a new tool which might give them a boost in the buzz department. Similar to a Facebook Fan Page, you can now follow companies. Being a company follower on LinkedIn will get you status updates such as promotions, recent hires, and company profile updates. The initial launch interaction opportunities are fairly basic, but as the feature matures more opportunities will be released to improve communication between companies and individuals. 

It is extremely simple to follow a company.  For instance, you can follow Parallel Interactive Communications by going to our LinkedIn profile and click on the “Follow Company” link in the upper right hand corner.

LinkedIn also recently launched eight new features related to link sharing, status updates and posting articles similar to Facebook. What do you think? Can LinkedIn compete with Twitter and Facebook?  Read More

Most small-business sites are works in progress – constantly being revised, improved, and updated. So invariably, something is always missing. But some pages are so important that not having them could hurt your bottom line, cost you clients, and even turn away business. A few of the essential pages for a website are: contact us, about us, “gimme” or sign up for more information, site map, and privacy policy/terms and conditions page. 

A website privacy policy, (also know as – terms and conditions or disclosure statement) is often forgotten, but is essential, since it servers a multitude of functions. It is meant to inform the website visitor about what information might be collected on a website, how it will be used, to whom it will be disclosed and other privacy-related issues. Posting a website privacy policy is a sign to the visiting population that you understand privacy concerns and have built your website with this and them in mind. It shows you value open communication about privacy and are willing to articulate and stand by your privacy practices.

This type of statement can help make visitors to your website feel more comfortable and secure. Not only that, but many companies now require a privacy policy before they do business with you. So it might be time to post one.  The Better Business Bureau has a good sample privacy notice on its site for reference. A privacy policy doesn’t have to be prominent in your web design, but should be visible on all pages. Most people look for a link to it from the bottom footer of websites along with your site map.

Celebrate Earth Day by taking some simple steps towards going green and observe others who are making an impact. Check out these website ~ Earth Day Network, Earth Day edition of Digg Dialog,  the Daily Green, or Development in Gardening  to learn more about how you can do your part to help the community, the environment, and the planet.