Can Small Business Owners Really Afford A Great Logo?

Written by Debbie LaChusa


Continued from page 1

Why? I couldn't. They were simply too expensive for my small business budget. So what did I do? I found a great alternative that's inexpensive, fast and good.

You can get a great logo for between $300 and $500 from a company called LogoWorks. And, you'll get a variety of logo designs to choose from and you'll have them within just a few days. Plus you'll get several rounds of revisions to make sure you are completely happy with your final mark.

What I like most about Logoworks is they require you to complete a creative direction worksheet that ensures their designs are strategically on target with your brand. This is KEY if you want your logo to be a good representation of your business. If anyone offers to design a logo for you without some form of creative brief or direction worksheet, don't do it!

If you don't have a logo, or if yours is in need of an overhaul, check out LogoWorks. You can learn more at http://www.10stepmarketing.com/valuabletips.htm

(C) 2005 Debbie LaChusa

20-year marketing veteran Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing System to help small business owners and solo-preneurs successfully market their business, themselves without spending a fortune on marketing. To learn more about this simple, step-by-step program and to sign up for her FREE audio class and FREE weekly ezine featuring how-to articles, tips and advice, visit http://www.10stepmarketing.com


Dramatically Improve Your Marketing Results With These 6 Simple Steps

Written by Debbie LaChusa


Continued from page 1

You could do a survey that includes a number of customer satisfaction questions, but also includes a question to determine how they found out about you.

If you have a handful of clients that you work closely with and you really don’t know how they found you, pick uprepparttar phone and ask them.

Atrepparttar 146912 end of this exercise, you will have a list of all of your marketing activities, andrepparttar 146913 results connected to each one.

(4) Separate those activities that resulted in business from those that did not

Are there any activities on your list that did not result in new or additional business? If you gave these activities a good opportunity to bring you business, then maybe it's time to consider dropping these activities and trying some new ones. After all, there is no sense continuing to spend money on marketing that has not proven to be effective for your business. Even if it has worked for someone else, it may not be a good marketing activity for you and your business.

(5) Use this information to plan your marketing for next year

Plan to spend more time, energy and/or money on those activities that brought you business and sales. These activities have proven themselves to be effective for your business, product or service. So odds are if you commit more to them, they will result in even more sales. And, if you really don’t have any way to track your sales or new clients, don’t beat yourself up. You are not alone. In fact, one of my biggest challenges as a marketing consultant has been to get my clients to trackrepparttar 146914 effectiveness of their various marketing activities. Just make sure to remedy this now, once and for all. Commit to never implementing a marketing activity again without some way to track how effective it is.

(6) Set up a way to track all future marketing activities

Recognizerepparttar 146915 importance of tracking and make sure that you have a plan in place to track all of your future marketing activities. The simplest way to track is to simply ask each new customer where or how they found out about you. You may also want to consider including a code on any flyers or brochures that you distribute, and providing a reason forrepparttar 146916 customer to bring that flyer in when they come to make a purchase. Reasons to returnrepparttar 146917 flyer could be to take advantage of a special offer, or to get a discount or free bonus gift.

You can also do this by phone or onrepparttar 146918 Internet if that is how your customers make purchases. Simply ask them to provide you withrepparttar 146919 code onrepparttar 146920 brochure or flyer that they are calling or ordering from. Make surerepparttar 146921 code is specific torepparttar 146922 location or group of people that you distributedrepparttar 146923 flyer to. If you are networking or speaking to a group and someone gives you their business card and agrees to receive your free report or e-newsletter, make sure you include a reference in your contact database ofrepparttar 146924 event where you met them. For every marketing activity you do put a plan in place to help you track all them. Effective tracking is by far one ofrepparttar 146925 easiest ways to improve your marketing effectiveness. And when you zero-in on what marketing activities are most effective for your business, you will be able to focus your efforts on only those activities, and will be able to spend less and get more as a result.

(C) 2005 Debbie LaChusa

20-year marketing veteran Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing System to help small business owners and solo-preneurs successfully market their business, themselves without spending a fortune on marketing. To learn more about this simple, step-by-step program and to sign up for her FREE audio class and FREE weekly ezine featuring how-to articles, tips and advice, visit http://www.10stepmarketing.com


    <Back to Page 1
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use