Two’s Views

It is getting more difficult to create business names that are free of trademark conflicts and also available as website domains. This is especially true for web based businesses especially in the computer and consulting industries. The problem is that everybody wants the online equivalent of beachfront property. Unfortunately it’s a little too late in the maturing internet domain market to have such high expectations for an exclusive domain. Its common to come up with the perfect domain name for a business only to find it’s taken, or worse, someone owns it but has it parked and isn’t using it.

So how are you to find a name for your business that works and is available as domain name? Branding and naming experts suggest that you worry less about your domain name and more about finding the right name for your company. After all, the domain name can be any number of variations on your company name. It can even be another string of words entirely. If your website is properly optimized for the major search engines and you’re delivering value to your customers, your business can still find success with a less than ideal domain name.

In other words, finding a good domain name is helpful but it won’t make or break your business. You need to start by choosing the best name for your business without worrying too much about the domain name. Once you’ve got the business name you’re happy with, start drawing up a list of workable domain names. These may be plurals of your business name, or the name with hyphens, numbers or words such as “pro” or “online”. Most important, your domain name should be short, memorable, not easily mistaken for another popular domain, and tough to misspell. Having the domain name “smithconsulting.com” may be ideal but “smith-consulting.com” or “consultingbysmith.com” will work as well.

Your list should include names that might represent acronyms or abbreviations of your business name. Consider domain names that use keywords relevant to your company or industry. Combining these keywords with your company name will give you an advantage when it comes to optimizing your website for search engine rankings. Put the best names at the top of your list and then visit WhoIs.com which allows you to check whether various domains are in use. Be sure to check for the availability of the .net and .biz in addition to the .com extension. They may not be beachfront property but they are certainly beach view. Once you find a name on your list that is available, register it immediately!

You’ll be surprised how quickly some names will get taken. Delaying just a day or even an hour may be too late. Be prepared to snatch up your domain by choosing a registrar before you begin your search and have your credit card information ready. Domains can be registered for less than $20.00 so it isn’t a huge investment for the return you’ll get. Some experts suggest buying the other extensions such as .net and .biz as well. This prevents others from confusing your customers by using the similar sounding names. It is this practice however that makes finding the perfect domain name such a challenge.

Once you’ve found the ideal company name and domain name, don’t forget to renew your domain name registration each year before it expires. There are individuals who make a living watching for expired domain names and then buying them the moment they are available. They then demand large fees to sell them back to you or to anyone else willing to buy them. Many of these names cost between $1,000 and $10,000 to buy back. To help protect your domain name, you can usually register them for more than a year at time. Also, make sure your registrar gives you ample notice when your domain is about to expire. Some registrars include an automatic renewal option which is always a wise choice.

Need Help? We’d be happy to assist you in finding and registering your domain name. Just contact us for details.

Even in this age of multimedia advertising, you still need compelling copy to convince consumers that your product or service provides the highest value for the money they will pay. Using the proper images will set the right mood but it’s the copy that usually seals the deal. This holds true for all mediums including print ads, websites, email marketing, direct mail and television marketing. Here are four essential tips for creating great advertising copy.

1. Use an Attention Grabbing Headline – You need a headline that will compel people to stop and read more about the product or service you’re offering. The importance of a good headline can not be over stressed. It is the key part of your ad that determines whether someone ignores your copy or reads on. It’s important to choose the right words for your headline so that it will grab the attention of your target market. Look at the most successful ads in the market today and you’ll easily see which ads have success headlines because they are the ones you’ll stop and read.

2. Craft the Copy to Your Target Audience - To be most effective, your copy needs to be tailored to the the consumers you’re trying to reach. Copy intended to sell to business executives needs to be written differently than copy intended to reach engineers or sell to retail consumers. Different advantages and features need to be stressed. Each group has a different perspective. They each will have different questions your copy needs to answer; and each have different needs even though all of them may benefit from what you’re offering.

3. Stand Out from the Competition – Stress the advantages you offer over your competition. Study both your business and that of your competition to discover the positive attributes that differentiate your business. Then turn these advantages into irresistible selling points. Look at even the smallest things you do or features your product offers. Do you use an old family recipe, provide an extended warrantee, or offer on-time delivery? Find what you do best and use it to create added value.

4. Get People to Take Action – Great copy convinces people to take action. All advertising is useless if it doesn’t get people to pick up the phone and call you, stop in to your shop, or request more information. This call to action has to be properly written to avoid the look of a hard sell. The potential client needs to feel good about taking the next step to buying what you’re offering. It is a common and often fatal mistake to forget to include a call to action or next step in your advertising.

Years of advertising research show that these are critical aspects for creating copy that sells. Try using these tips in your next ad campaign to get a better return on your ad dollars. Send me an email at jpaine@twoaz1.com and let me know how these tips have worked for you.

Are your advertising dollars getting you the return you are hoping for? If every ad you place isn’t bringing in new customers, your ads are getting overlooked. The problem isn’t where your placing your ads but that they are simply getting lost in the crowd. People are inundated with advertising everywhere they look.

Your ad needs to grab their attention and make your business memorable. Please note that I said make your business memorable not your ad. Super Bowl TV commercials leave people remembering and talking about the ads but almost never does anyone mention the company that spent all that money for that spot. These ads are often more about the awards the ad agency receives and less about selling a product. In fact historically these ads have little return on the capital spent.

So just adding more dazzle or novelty to your ad may not bring your more business. Every ad you see has hearts in February and a leprechaun or a pot of gold in March. You don’t need a new theme every month, you need to create a brand. A brand that stands for integrity and quality and service or whatever it is that sets your business apart from the competition.

Do you have a company logo that represents your business? Where did the logo come from and what was the thought process behind it?  Does it convey to the consumer the image you want them to have about your business?

If you’re using plain text or clip art for your logo, you may not be getting your point across. In fact, using clip art makes your business look amateur and using stock photos make you look like just one more uninteresting business. Neither of these types of graphics will set you apart from the competition. They won’t make your business memorable. I don’t know how many promotional items from magnets to key chains I’ve received over the years that have had no logo and were printed with the phrase “You tried the rest now try the best.” Truthfully I can’t remember the name of any of those businesses. A true waste of advertising dollars.

Your logo is the first step in creating your brand. It needs to catch the eye of the consumer and instantly tell them what you’re all about. Take a few minutes and quickly look through the newspaper or yellow pages that you advertise in. Make note of what catches your eye and makes you look twice. It may be some bold type offering you a great deal. Well-written copy can do that. Once you’re done, try to recall the name of any of the business that caught your attention. Chances are the ones you remember have an eye-catching logo.

Think of all the major successful consumer brands. I bet you can associate the name of the business with the logo whether you see the logo or the name of the business first. Read this series or names and I bet you’ll see their logo in your mind: McDonanld’s, Nike, Tide, Apple, NBC, Chevrolet. Did you see them?

So how do you make your own memorable logo? Start by making a list of words that describe your business. This list should include words that describe what your business does as well as what your business stands for. Ask your clients, your employees and even your family and friends who know you and your business to add to the list. Now read through the list and see what images come to mind. Make a list of these images.

The goal now is to marry these images with your business name in a creative and memorable way. This is where you want to get the help of a professional graphic artist. She can help you put your ideas on paper and create number of concept drawing for you to consider. Elements from these designs can be modified and combined until a single strong concept is developed. After a little refinement you will have a truly representative logo that people can easily associate with your with business and your product or service.

Now you have a one of a kind image that you can use to start creating your own unique brand. You also have the beginnings of a marketing and branding strategy that will help you get noticed and bring a return on your advertising dollars.

Driving potential clients to your website can be a job in itself. Once you get them there, you want to keep them there until they decide to hire you or buy your product. A poorly designed website will make them click away to another site and never return again. Here are some tips to make sure this doesn’t happen to you.

1. Use a Simple Eye-Catching Design - Insist on a good design, not just good coding or fancy gimmicks. The site must look appropriate to your target audience. Everyone enjoys a little eye candy but unless you’re selling to young teens and pre-teens (who aren’t likely looking to spend money), a site that is too busy will drive buyers away. This is especially true if you’re in the B2B market.

2. The Site Must Load Quickly - Although Flash sites are fun and interactive, they are often too slow to load even with today’s higher speed connection. Too many graphic elements or large file sizes can also drag your sites load time to a craw. Potential customers will click away if they have to wait more than a few seconds to begin navigating your site. And unless your site is simply intended for entertainment purposes, avoid using an introductory Flash Movie page or at least make sure to include a link to skip that is easily found. People will not want to watch your movie every time they visit your site.

3. Make the Site Easy to Navigate - Nothing is more frustrating then getting to a site that you think has the product you need and not be able to find it or find out how to buy it. Make your links easy to find and clear to understand. If people have to click more than twice to get the information they want. They will leave and search elsewhere. No one has the time to wander through a maze of obscurely titles links. Use common the common terms people are familiar with for your links.

4. Use High Quality Graphics - A picture is worth a thousand words and the quality of the graphics you use says volumes about your business. Avoid clip art, poorly scanned images or bad photographs. Hiring a freelance illustrator to create custom graphics for you is the best way to get professional images that are reproducible in multiple mediums. You can also hire a professional photographer to take pictures of your business or product but you’ll still need a graphics artist to touch them up and crop them for your site. Custom images add credibility to your website and sets your site above those that use tired old stock images.

5. Instantly Convey your Message - Your web site need to convey the message quickly if not instantly. People visiting your site won’t spend time searching it to determine if you offer what they are looking for. If they don’t get a sense right away that your site will meet their needs, they’ll quickly go back to the search engine generated list and select another site.

6. Consistency on Every Page - You website must have the same basic theme on all the pages. Your landing page may have a different layout than the sub pages but all the pages should have the same color theme, layout and menu placement. Don’t confuse visitors by moving these elements around on every page or by changing colors. This looks amateur and visitors may think you’ve directed them to a different website and that takes away from your creditability.

7. Keep it on Brand - Your website is a powerful extension of your other branding and marketing efforts. Your site should use the same logo, fonts and colors that you use for print ads, business cards and other promo materials. If you haven’t begun the process of turning your business into a brand, your website is the perfect place to start. Make sure you have the rights to use the design, images and fonts for other forms of advertising.

8. Copy is King -The layout, colors and images will convey your message instantly but like all other forms of advertising, it’s the copy that sells. Offer truthful, sincere information and advice. Your website copy needs to be both friendly and informative. Keep the writing in a personal tone. Avoid the hard sell and don’t be pushy. There are many ways to highlight the important benefits you offer without it looking like you’re shouting. Consider hiring a professional copywriter to write for your site in order to maximize the effectiveness of the copy.

9. Make Important Information Easy to Find - Your address, hours of operation, and phone number should be easy to find. Put this information on your home page and in the header or footer on every page. Include a contact page and directions to your business. Offer custom direction by including a link to an online mapping site such a Google Maps.

10. Optimize for Search Engines - Make sure your site is designed to be properly identified and categorized by the major search engines. Use key words within your site but do it in a way that doesn’t make the site hard to read. Good professional web designer and copywriters know how to improve your page ranking on search engines with out compromising your customers experience when the visit.

Your website must add value to both your business and the people who visit your site. Keep it simple, informative and easy to navigate. Be sure it is consistent with your brand and company image. Remember these 10 simple rules and your site will add huge value to your business.

It’s all about that First Impression. Do you know that people seeing your advertisement, business card, or website for the first time will decide in seconds if your business looks professional, reliable and reputable? A poor layout or amateur looking clip art sends the wrong message about your business.

You can make that good first impression with our designs and illustrations that will grab the consumer’s attention. Give your business the professional look that will get your business noticed.

Free up even more of your time by letting us write the copy for your advertising and other promotional materials. We will make sure you are sending a consistent message. Put our graphic design and copywriting experience to work today to promote the image you want for your business.

Contact us today to discuss your needs and find out just how affordable professionally designed graphics and copy writing can be.

1. It costs less than doing it yourself or hiring an additional employee.
Our hourly rate is less than the value of one hour of your time. You also avoid the additional costs associated with hiring your own full time employee to do the same work.

2. You’ll Have More Time.
Your time is limited. Use it wisely by delegating certain task to a professional. Free up more your time to focus on your customers.

3. You Benefit from Our Experience.
Graphic Design and Copywriting are two fields in business where you need to have both specialized training and experience. You’ll get the best results by putting our talents and knowledge to work for you.

4. You’ll Get Results.
Our success depends on your success. We want your business to grow and we’ll provide you with high quality and effective graphics, layouts & copy to attract more customers.