Why do we think that these types of businesses make such a good match for what we cook up in our creative kitchen? Finding the right marketing for these groups often comes down to a few distinct skills:

Creating the right look.

Colors and styles are always important to the design process, but they are especially important when you are marketing food, beverages, and hospitality. That’s because we aren’t just looking to “market a product,” but to ignite the senses. Any good chef will tell you that we taste with our eyes first, and that’s also true when it comes to things like logos, menus, and other collateral materials.

Forming an instant impression.

At a deeper level, food and hospitality is all about comfort, and that first impression you get when you examine a menu, label, or check-in counter. For a good example of what we’re talking about, visit a Panera location sometime soon. We’re sorry to say that we haven’t had the opportunity to work with them yet, but they have somehow managed to put a finger on a welcoming design scheme without our help. We love giving other companies that same kind of immediately-identifiable look and feel.

Making guests feel comfortable.

It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting down for a quick meal or turning into bed after a long day on the road – a small sense of comfort can go a very long way. Once again, this all starts with having the right look, but it also goes deeper, especially when you have a sense of continuity from one experience to the next. Some of those experiences are going to be with your restaurant, hotel, or company directly… but a lot of them are going to be with your marketing and promotional materials, too.

While it’s true that a lot of what we’re talking about comes down to basic branding, the reality is that companies who sell food, beverages, and hospitality have to take branding even more seriously than business to business organizations do, if only because the experiences they offer are so personal. And so, if you’re looking for a creative and design partner who takes your brand as seriously as you do – and one that loves the taste of a winning campaign – choose your deign and marketing team wisely.

At Envision, we think all of those details are important, but they don’t go nearly far enough.

That’s because, when it comes down to it, branding isn’t really about looks and images, but feelings and associations. (read a recent article about the difference between logo and brand) We were reminded of this firsthand recently when we started concepting some different ideas for a hotel client of ours. The hotel is committed to service on every level so as we began creating the logo, we examined how it would play into their brand. One of the elements that really jumped out to our team was the ampersand in the logo mark we created. It’s almost like that new Dr. Pepper commercial where the guys keeps saying “and…” and get’s more stuff, (though that commercial had not yet come out when we had our brilliant idea). Suddenly, we started seeing other places the & could be used: peace & quiet, rest & relaxation, and so on.

In that way, something that could have been a minor detail became a striking focal point for our design and messaging – not just something to play off of, but an interesting way to separate our clients from their competitors. Best of all, it’s something that our client’s customers can identify instantly, a piece that’s likely to remain memorable in their minds. In other words, it not just something we’re putting on their materials, but an element that can add significantly to all of their marketing communications.

Because you should be looking for those same benefits in your branding efforts, here are a few quick pieces of advice to help you get started:

• You’re not looking for just any brand identity, but the one that works for your company. In the example we gave, the “&” turned out being a great visual element. For a different client, however, it might not have worked. That’s important to remember, because all brands – like all companies – need to be different. As tempting as it is to simply go with something that’s catchy, you really need something that reflects your values, and your place in the market.
• Good brands sometimes take a bit of creative time and effort. This matters more than you might think. On the one hand, it can be tough for clients to understand why good branding and identity pieces are disproportionately expensive and time-consuming, but that’s because you aren’t paying for the simple image, but all the work that comes with finding the right fit. And on the other hand, you should be very wary of any creative team who claims they don’t need much time to develop a new logo or branding piece, since that might be a sign that they aren’t ready to put forth the effort you need to get the identity pieces you deserve.
• It’s the details that make all the difference. The difference between a good logo or idea and a great one is slight, but it’s something that everyone can see and feel. Knowing your customers, not to mention your employees and competitors see that you have taken the time to establish a strong brand, it sends a message of quality, stability, and reassurance. Those are subtle benefits, but they affect your bottom line in so many ways.

The biggest shortcoming of most branding and identity efforts isn’t that they aren’t good, but that they don’t go far enough – either in terms of the concept being used, or taking it to a level that’s deep enough to really resonate with buyers. If you think your current branding isn’t doing for you what it could, then call us today to set up a free consultation… or tell us what you’ve done to create your own great brand.

As a web design client, there are a lot of things you can bring to the process that can make it easier for us to do our best creative work. Here are five ways you can help us do our jobs faster and create a better finished product…and a more successful website for you:

1. Come into the process with a vision for your website. Most clients do this already, of course, but what we’re talking about isn’t necessarily a vision for the way your new website should look, but what it should actually do. Presumably, you want a new website because you’re looking for a new way to grow your company or make it more efficient. Let us know from the beginning how your website fits into your overall business plans, as well as how you plan to communicate with your prospects and clients, and we’ll be more prepared to ensure you get something that does just that.
2. Be upfront with your preferences, feedback, and expectations. Providing initial preferences and expectations to your web design team can feel a little like your providing too much detail. However, the more we know about your thoughts and ideas, the more effective we’ll be. We will always provide you with our expert opinion and make our recommendations for success but we can’t read your mind. If you make everything clear from the beginning, the project will likely be a great success.
3. Designate decision-makers. One of the things that never fails to slow down the web design process is having too many opinions, or none at all. Decide internally (before you initiate the project) whose opinions really matter, and who will make the final call. Collect all of your feedback before you communicate with your creative team so that you can avoid extra rounds of revisions. Having this kind of clear chain of command is a great way to get a consistent vision for your new website, and to avoid lost days and weeks going back and forth waiting for approval at every phase of the website. It can also ensure that you stay on budget.
4. Have a content strategy. It’s not at all unusual for the design of a website to be complete, only for everyone involved to collectively look at each other with a blank expression once it’s time to fill in the content. Decide from the very beginning who will be responsible for writing the text, where it’s going to come from, and when you expect it to be ready. Waiting on copy can delay your business website’s launch by weeks or longer – and having the right message can make a big difference in your online profitability – so don’t overlook this important detail.
5. Trust us. Just as it’s important that you be upfront with your opinions, remember that you hired your web design team because they know a thing or two about designing and building websites. What we’re really getting at is that you have to trust us a little bit from time to time, especially when we show you a something that may not be exactly the way you envisioned it. If you have an objection, say so, but be open to a conversation and let us show you what we can do by thinking out of the box a bit.

Of course, having the right web design team makes every step in the process easier and faster. I think I have one I can recommend. ☺

Do you have any suggestions for how speed up a successful web design project?

Simply put, there isn’t any middle ground with brochure design because the window of opportunity is generally so small. Brochures can be an extraordinarily powerful sales tool, warming up potential customers to the best benefits of your products and services before you’ve even met them, or keeping them nice and interested after your sales team has already given their presentation. For any of that to happen, however, it has to have a design that engages them and makes them want to learn more immediately. Otherwise, it’s just another piece of clutter that they can’t wait to clear away fast enough.

With that in mind, here are four things to remember about brochure design:

Learn to love simple designs. The more white space there is on a page, the less of a hassle it seems like to read. You want your brochure to seem like it will take only a short time to read and digest, which favors simple, clean designs. One of the biggest and most common mistakes with brochure design is trying to cram too much in too small of a space, so be very aware of how much you are asking your design team to integrate into a small page or two.

Remember your real goal. The job of your brochure probably isn’t to actually sell anything, but to create interest in the potential customer’s mind. That might seem like a small distinction, but it can reduce the amount of information and graphics you need by half. Remember what your real goal is with producing the brochure, and tell people just enough of what they need to know to take the next step in the sales process.

Think of different formats. Brochures should always be print-friendly, of course, but they may need to be e-mailed from time to time as well. It’s also possible that your brochure could be turned into a web page. So, as you examine different designs and concepts, ask yourself: Will this layout look as good on paper as it does on a screen, or vice versa?

Don’t forget about the text. Although design is almost always going to be the most important element of your brochure when it comes to catching attention, you have to have a message that compels people to take action, too. Otherwise, you’ve just got an interesting-looking document that isn’t going to help you meet your business goals whatsoever. The golden rule of brochure copywriting is this: Think less about what you want to say, and more about what you want your customers to know. That philosophy will almost always guide you to a more compelling finished version.

When it comes to brochure design, there really is no middle ground. Luckily, if you can follow these guidelines, you won’t need one because your brochure will be a powerful sales tool that customers will keep, read, and act upon.

Because the wrong logo can do big damage to your business, and its image, not to mention be with you for a very long time, here are seven things to look out for:

1. Logos that aren’t a good match for your company’s personality. An artistic, attention-grabbing design is wonderful, but without any tie-in to your company’s culture, products, or mission, it’s just an interesting picture. Look for a logo that gives people some sense of what your organization is about.
    
2. Logos that won’t age well. Some logos, like potential mates, look a lot better now than they will in a few years. Having strange color combinations, bizarre fonts, or other novelties is a good way to make your logo more interesting in the short term… but worse for the wear when styles change.
    
3. Logo designs that feel generic. Just as you don’t want to go too far off the deep end with the “artistic vision” for your logo, neither do you want it to feel so plain that no one can tell it from all the other millions of logos that are out there. We know it’s a fine line between “classic” and “boring,” but it’s one that your graphic design team can help you find.
    
4. Logo designs that look too much like someone else’s. It should go without saying that your logo needs to reflect your business, not someone else’s. It can be tempting to borrow inspiration from a Fortune 500 company, but the last thing you want is doubt, ambiguity, or a lawsuit. Keep that in mind and choose a design that’s just as original as your team is.
    
5. Logo designs that are radically different than what you have used in the past. There are times to completely re-brand your organization of course, but you shouldn’t do it on a whim. Dramatically changing your logo or other brand-identity pieces is a good way to confuse your customers, not inspire confidence in the marketplace.
    
6. Logos that are too complicated. There are a lot of really interesting logos out there that probably fall into the category of “creative nonsense.” They’re cutting-edge, in a way, but they’re also so complicated or bizarre that they are literally difficult to look at. As we hope you understand by now, a clean, classic look is best, so avoid having your creative team go off the deep end.
    
7. Logos that you don’t like. Your logo isn’t coming to you via arranged marriage, so don’t think that you have to like something just because everyone else does, even if it’s your design team. While they can give you great input and guidance, you’re the one who has to live and grow old with your logo for a long time coming, so don’t let anyone talk you into something you don’t fall in love with yourself.

Does your logo fall into any of these pitfalls?

Ready to take the plunge with your next logo? Give us a call and we’ll set you up with one that will make you feel warm and fuzzy for many years to come and establish your desired perception of value at the same time.

That’s a catch 22 that isn’t always easy to solve, but a little bit of creativity can usually lead to the kind of compromise that’s good for your business.

On the other hand, there are a number of tactics that people try – especially when they are first getting involved in search engine optimization – that don’t work at all because search engines and customers both hate them.

Here are five that you should stay away from:

1. Poorly thought out domain names. It’s getting harder than ever to find available URLs, but going with five keywords crammed together into a nonsensical “.com” name isn’t doing you any favors.
2. Confusing site structures. When search engines spiders crawl your site, they want to see a clear path and navigation structure. And if researchers can find what they’re looking for quickly, they will almost always click elsewhere.
3. Spammy articles and pages. Google, Yahoo, and Bing have all caught on to the trick of articles and pages “written” by computer software and will ignore them completely. It goes without saying that these aren’t exactly appealing to potential buyers, either.
4. Too much flash and animation. While the major search engines have gotten better at reading flash and animated pages, they still aren’t an ideal layout choice for the business that wants to achieve a higher rank on Google. Searchers, for their part, tend to look for a site that loads quickly and ranks highly in usability, rather than one that looks like a motion picture trailer.
5. Links that don’t make sense. With Google’s “Panda” update, you could actually be penalized in the search engine rankings for having the wrong kinds of links in and out of your site. Random linking is also a sign to customers that you don’t pay attention to the quality or content on your pages.

Don’t let your desire for a better search engine position overwhelm common sense. Not only are these tactics a sign that you aren’t serious about growing your business online, but they’re likely to annoy search engines and the customers you want to reach at the same time.

But in the rush to persuade others to send links in your direction, it’s easy to lose sight of one important side-benefit: Getting good links from the right websites can and should bring you high-quality traffic on its own, regardless of what the search engines do.

In other words, having a site with a high page rank link to you is great for SEO, but that shouldn’t necessarily be your first or only concern. Play your cards right, and that link could give your online marketing plan an immediate boost. Here are a handful of quick tips to turn new inbound links into customers:

Pay attention to your landing pages. Wherever the link leads, don’t just optimize it for search engine spiders, but also for visitors who might click through. This is good advice for all your pages, but especially one that could attract lots of focused traffic soon.

Give visitors a reason to return. In addition, post teasers about future products, articles, or updates. You might just entice a first-time visitor to come back again later.

Look for links in permanent places. Will your link be in a part of the site that’s seen again and again, or a section that’s likely to be viewed only for short period of time? See if you can find a way to get a link in a more permanent position, and you could see an increase in traffic for months or years to come.

Link building is an important part of the search engine optimization process, but don’t get so wrapped up in SEO considerations that you forget the buyers you’re ultimately trying to reach. High-quality links are a great way to find more of them, so make the most of each opportunity.

Have you found success with link building?

That’s obviously unfortunate for the Colts and their fans, but it also serves as an important reminder to anyone who’s interested in online marketing. That’s because if your business website is too dependent on any single source of income, sales, leads, or revenue, then there is the chance that conditions could change quickly and pull the rug out from under you.

How could something like that happen to your online marketing plan? Here are just a few simple examples:

A major search engine could change their algorithm – similar to the recent Google “Panda” update – drastically reducing the number of visitors to your site.

A competitor could launch a major pay-per-click campaign, making Internet advertising prohibitively expensive.

Your favorite copywriter, social media consultant, or other online marketing vendor could move into another industry, causing you to replace them in a hurry.

With a little imagination, you could probably think of dozens of other scenarios. The point, however, isn’t that you should be on the lookout for specific individual online marketing strategies, but that you shouldn’t put yourself in the position where you are relying completely on any one source of customers.

The next time you review the progress of your online marketing plan – something you should do on a regular basis anyway – look carefully at what has been working for you, and whether you have any backup options available. There’s nothing wrong with emphasizing your strengths and continuing to go with what works, but make sure you’re always trying new things so that you’re never in a position where a single change could turn your business website from a champion to an also-ran overnight.

What lessons have you learned from your online marketing strategy…or lack of one?

I recently attended a fantastic seminar, hosted by the Austin Chamber of Commerce, where two great Austin businessmen spoke about their businesses and what has enabled them to grow so successfully. Not surprisingly, they had some great information to share so I thought I would pass along a few of the nuggets I found to be particularly helpful.

Bobby Jenkins has been involved in the pest control business since his father purchased ABC in 1965. Self-admitting, he’s been crawling in peoples basements looking for bugs since he was a teenager. Shortly after graduating from A&M he took over the Austin branch and has been working diligently since then to maintain and grow the business in this region. Bobby can boast an average growth of 17% year over year and ABC is now Texas’ largest independently owned and operated pest control company. Here are a few of the key points that Bobby attributes to his success.

• Everything starts with Sales – Set clear growth goals and share them with the team. Get the team excited about your growth and momentum. Everyone should benefit from the companies successes.
• Listen to your customers and be open to opportunities – If enough customers ask for a new service, it’s probably time to add it to your offering.
• Know your areas of expertise – Make sure that if you extend your services, you can deliver on the quality you promise.
• Balance of life – Work is important but so is your family life. Make sure that you are not sacrificing yourself for your work.
• Continue to find ways to deepen your relationship with your clients
• Spend on marketing – Dedicate a certain percentage of revenue to marketing, even in (or especially in) down times. (I promise he said it, not me)
• Spend conservatively otherwise
• Love what you do!

John Garrett is a graduate from Sam Houston State University but a true Austinite, born and raised in Pflugerville, TX. After learning the publishing trade from the business journal, John noticed a gap in news coverage. He saw the journal was successfully covering large business success and growth, and the community papers were covering the local sports hero, but small businesses and community organizations were getting no love. At that ah ha moment, he decided to start Community Impact, Texas’ fastest-growing news organization and the most widely distributed news source for relevant and useful information at the community level. John shared the following details with us about his ideas for growth and success.

• Examine all of your mistakes – No matter how small, look at every flaw and commit a serious effort toward fixing it.
• Read the fine print – You may find details to take advantage of, or areas that could be a potential risk.
• Pound the Pavement – Make the calls and ask for the business, it’s the only true way to grow.
• Believe in your vision – Don’t let negative feedback or the idea of hard work hold you back.
• Ask for help and advice – Austin is a great place to do business and is full of executives who are willing to share their thoughts and advice.
• Pay for the services that matter – Accountant, Attorney, Insurance; pay for expertise.
• If you want to grow, you have to be okay with RISK – Don’t be afraid to take chances.
• Worry less about margins, and more about quality of work – The margins are important so don’t ignore them but if you focus more on quality and service you should have plenty of business to support your margins.
• Always deliver!

These two gentlemen are smart, witty, and incredibly humble and approachable. It’s no wonder they have found great success. Please visit their websites to learn more about their businesses.

ABC Home & Commercial Services

Community Impact Newspaper

Do you have any tips for growing a business?

The good news is that you don’t have to build a crazy expensive site to allow for engagement. The bad news, if you want to think of it that way, is that you have to give quite a bit more time and thought to your user base and what form(s) of engagement they would benefit from. While you’re at it, don’t forget to think about what forms of engagement your business would benefit from.

Here are a few standard elements that you can add to your site to make it a little more engaging.

Share/Follow

Most businesses that are active on social media are aware that they should have a link to their own facebook/twitter page which allows for easy access to follow them from their website but most don’t think about (or are unaware of) also including a “share” feature. This sharing tool can be valuable to any business, regardless of their level of activity in social media. It will allow viewers to share a link from your site on their own social media feed, or easily pass your page along to someone they feel would benefit from seeing it. It’s viral marketing at it’s best!

Forms

I’m not talking about your old school contact form that has way too many required fields and is the only way to get in contact with anyone at your company. I’m referring to a form that would be more beneficial for your prospects/partners and fulfills a specific need. Some examples might be Request a Quote, Ask a question, Give some Feedback, Say Hello…the possibilities are endless. The key is to think about the needs and wants of the viewer on each individual page and finding ways to keep them engaged with you.

Blogs

We’ve been talking about blogs for years but they have become more and more important as the competition online continues to increase. Not only can they establish your expertise but they can also be a key component in your SEO strategy and provide a valuable place to have conversations with your prospects, clients and partners.

Newsletter

Newsletters are old school too but are a great way to stay in front of your viewers. Just make sure that it’s easy for people to subscribe. Don’t require an extensive amount of fields to be entered just to subscribe to your newsletter. Reduce the barrier to entry as much as possible. It’s also important to strategically place sign up forms throughout your entire site, and possibly even list a few topics that may be covered in your newsletters as well.

 
Videos

 Get a YouTube channel and start making videos. It’s great for SEO and it’s an easy way to get viewers to hang out on your site for a few minutes. If you don’t think videos make sense for your business, get creative. Take a tour of your office to introduce your staff, show a tutorial of your service or product, or highlight some customer successes.

Trails

Ever fallen down the great rabbit hole of the Internet? I think we all have at some point. The trick is to create that rabbit hole on your own site so that you are continually directing your viewer to another page. All you need is relevant and interesting content, a clear idea of what your viewer might want to see next, and an intuitive navigation path to get there.

Comments

Comments are no longer just for blogs…and if you have a blog, you absolutely want to allow your readers to comment. Give your viewers a voice. If you allow your audience to make comments on relevant pages you will end up providing more valuable information, which will get you more valuable leads. It also shows that you listen and value feedback. No matter what type of business you have, all clients value a good listener.

The goal of every website should be to attract, inform and engage. The key to achieving all three pieces of that goal is to think about all of the potential visitors to your site that will be most valuable to each one of them. Most companies have been attracting and informing customers with their web sites for years. Now it’s time to engage with those clients through more strategic web design (and that’s our job).

Do you have some additional ideas or techniques for engaging users on a website that have worked for you? Post ‘em here and we just may do a follow up blog article about you!