Building a Brand or a New Business? Heres Some Free Help.

Creating an effective brand for your business is not easy. Here are some tips on what is important in advertising and building a strong brand. A strong design and personal touch can go a long way.

East Lansing, MI -- November 5, 2002 -- Jeff Miller, Owner and Creative Director of ArtTech Designs (www.arttechdesigns.net), is offering some advice for fellow entrepreneurs and others looking to build a brand for their company. ArtTech Designs is a graphic design firm specializing in corporate identity and branding, and they know what it takes to build a reputable brand. Jeff has worked with companies of all sizes, including Hewlett-Packard and PeoplePC, to help build their brands and create a memorable company image.

Jeff says, One of the biggest things people overlook in their budget is their identity. Many entrepreneurs and CEOs know what they want and hand the project to a friend who is a computer guru or their IT department to figure it out. This can save you money over hiring a designer to help you, but in the long run will probably end up costing you clients. Imagine what happens when a potential customer receives your mail. Say you are a furniture manufacturer; you send a retailer a business card and letter explaining why they should carry your product. Most times, you have less than five seconds to get their interest. Your letterhead and envelope dont stand out from anything else in the mail, so you now need an unbelievable offer in the first paragraph of the letter just to keep their attention. On the other hand, your competitor sends the retailer a proposal on the same day, except theirs has an amazing looking logo on a handcrafted style paper and a business card in the shape of a custom stool they make. Guess whos got their attention within the five seconds and who ends up in the trash."

A lot of people, though, are trying to start a business from their home or just dont have much of a budget to work with. If this is the case for you, you may be thinking, "I cant afford to have all of my branding material done by a professional designer, so what is the most important piece?" According to Jeff, The biggest thing, in my eye, is a nice looking business card. Business cards are something that people actually keep with them in case the need arises to contact a certain business. I know many people who have several books full of business cards, just in case they need them for some reason. Plus, a lot of smaller local companies are willing to put your cards out on their counter to help out, so you want the cards to be professionally designed so they stick out from the rest."

Now that you have a strong identity, how do you get your name out? Jeff tells us, Well, one of the best ideas is to get out and introduce yourself. Study up on some companies you believe are good candidates for your service or product and actually go in and try to talk to someone. This strategy seems to work better than calls or letters, because it is harder to say 'buzz off to someone who is standing there, than to someone on the phone. Another good way to publicize your company is by introducing special offers. We are constantly running some kind of special to put on our website or offer to the public. For example, right now we are running a contest to give away 10 free logo designs. This type of offer generates buzz, because everybody loves free stuff, especially when it has a high value. A website is also a very good tool, if you use it and promote it right. Simply slapping a site together and submitting it to some search engines doesnt work anymore. You need to use the site as a tool to offer more information to people, in both your online and offline advertising. Finally, find some local organizations for your trade. Networking with other professionals in your industry can be an indispensable source of information and possibly even customers. I could write a book on this subject, but this will at least get you started."

A final piece of advice...dont get distraught. People like to know that a company is going to be around for a while and may not show interest until they have seen your name around for some time. If you are working from home or dont have a large budget, you may want to take a part-time job or even do the business on the side for a while. But once you get a few customers, you will start getting the best kind of advertising through word-of-mouth.

The ArtTech Designs website is an informative tool providing you with updates, a tricks and tips section, and the ability to join their newsletter to get even more help. For more information on the company or the free logo offer visit http://www.arttechdesigns.net or call them at (866) 279-4973.