Posts filed under 'Personal Branding'
Last week, our friend Schmiddy breathed new life into our conference room. Mark “Schmiddy” Schmid is the CEO of Sk8ology. Sk8ology sells carabiners to maintain your skateboard and incredibly cool display systems for skate decks.
Schmiddy began skateboarding at age 6 and hasn’t stopped for 30 years. His passion for skating and the skate industry is obvious and infectious.
Schmiddy was nice enough to donate some amazingly cool, framed skate decks to Incitrio so that we could liven up our conference room. He even came and installed them for us! We have to say that our conference room is definitely the coolest on the block now.
Looking for a way to transform skate decks into wall art? Check out Sk8ology’s website.
January 26th, 2012
Google’s recent announcement that it will begin to index the rel=”author” attribute is a significant change in helping define authorship for online content. For decades, authors have had to struggle with getting the recognition they deserve for the content they create. Unless a website provides the author’s information immediately after each article, the reader has little knowledge on where the content is coming from. Search engines have had an even harder time with telling the difference between who is writing content. Search engines have simply provided results based on the content itself. It appears that with the new rel=”author” attribute, content will now be searchable by those creating it. In other words, a search for the author John Doe will likely provide search results for the author along with results for the content that the author has written. This is a major move by Google to help provide better search results and more transparency in content ownership, and is a follow through with the most recent updates to their algorithm, giving original website content the priority in search results.
When adding their name to an article, an author has the option to either link their name to their own personal page or the about the author page. By adding the rel=”author” attribute to the link, the author will be telling Google the following: Follow this link, the name of the link is the author, and the page it leads you to is the author’s page. This attribute will help give credit where credit is due, by allowing authors to create a network of links all pointing to them as the creator. Additionally, Google has begun to index based on the rel=”me” attribute which is similar to rel=”author.” The attribute rel=”me” allows authors to add value to each link on their personal site. By adding rel=”me” to all links pointing to their articles, Google can tell that the author is putting a claim on the article that the link points to. Using both attributes can help authors expand their online exposure and will improve the search results when search engines index by both content and authorship.
How To Use These Tools
Both of these useful tools should be used together, but based on the possibility of abusing the rel=”me” attribute, it is suggested that more emphasis is given to the rel=”author” attribute, because it is harder to abuse. From a search engine perspective, the website hosting the content will have more authority when it points a link to the author’s page, because this means that the website hosting the content is validating the author. In order to abuse this attribute, someone will need access to the website content. Since not anyone can access the content, it will be more secure and will have a higher value of importance. Since anybody can use the rel=”me” attribute, it is likely that it will not stand high in importance within the Google search algorithm, but will have significant weight depending on the number of articles the author is claiming and how many reciprocal links they receive back from these articles. Although you don’t need to use both of these attributes, you will get a better result by doing so. If you only have the resources to focus on one of these attributes, focus on rel=”author.”
The following is what a rel=”author” link should look like:
<a href=”http://authorswebsite.com” rel=”author”>Author Name</a>
The following is what a rel=”me” link should look like:
<a href=”http://articlelink.com” rel=”me”>Article Name</a>
Improving the Internet as a Resource
These changes may give the internet more weight as a valuable resource for various forms of research. For many years, the internet has been looked down upon as a source for citation because of its lack of transparency. With the new changes, it allows those authors who wish to be given credit the ability to no longer remain in the shadows. This will allow researchers and editors the ability to reach the author if necessary. This will depend entirely on the participation of the author in this new system, and in the amount of time it will take for third party technologies to adopt the new attributes into the way they find and publish content.
Incitrio is an integrated marketing agency focused on client success. Our specialties are in branding, graphic design, online marketing, social media integration, and email marketing. If you have a business that needs to find new and exciting avenues for growth, we encourage you to call us today at 858.202.1822.
June 10th, 2011
When one thinks of today’s hottest and most successful companies, one of the first things that come to mind is their logo. A company logo can say a lot about a company. In 3 seconds or less, it can tell you where the company was, where it is, and where it is headed. Communicating these company-specific attributes in such a short period of time is not an easy task. It takes asking the right questions, finding out who is the target audience, and it requires the study of all past branding efforts.
If done successfully, a logo can become ingrained in the minds of your market, being easily recognized no matter the size, or upon the background in which it is placed. A successful logo will set the intended tone of your company, and will communicate the most important aspects of your brand quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, many companies who have never considered the benefits of a professional logo, or who have relied on a stock image and refer to it as their “logo,” have potentially lost out on years of positive branding opportunities. These lost branding opportunities add up to a significant loss of company value when one understands this philosophy: Your brand is only as strong as your clients say it is.
This philosophy is why a unique symbol that relates to your market is important. It is suppose to represent everything about your company, and is your seal of authority. It is the face of your company when no customer representative or sales person is around. It must not only look good, but most also tell a story. For companies who have employed an unprofessional logo for many years, a logo redesign is necessary to capture the attention of new clients, while maintaining the recognition necessary to avoid confusing current clients.
A professional logo will generally share similar characteristics:
- It will be impactful
- It will be easily recognized
- It will be easy to read at any size
- It will be memorable
Logo Redesign Process
The Value of a Professional Logo
A strong brand can double the value of a business specifically because of the intrinsic value between your brand and your clients. Can you imagine if Nike stopped using their famous logo on all of their products? Stocks would plummet as high school kids and athletes around the world would abandon Nike for the next best competitor. A change in logo would lead to confusion causing many people to think twice before buying a Nike product, and would keep many from buying simply because of the fact that many people buy Nike products for the logo alone. For these people, the Nike logo is more than just a simple stroke, it is a symbol of status, of athletic prowess, and a symbol of fashion. The perception of the company is very strong not only because of their millions spent in marketing, but because their brand is also committed to constant improvement. By improving their products each season, testing, and modifying accordingly; Nike has successfully positioned itself as the premiere sports apparel company in the entire world. Customer loyalty is through the roof because they love the way Nike shoes feel and they like the way they look. Year after year, customers return because they know that the company is committed to excellence in design, in quality, and in athletic fashion. Athletes buy their shoes because they know that Nike has spent many years researching the best ways to design and manufacture athletic shoes. They trust their feet to only the best. In addition, the shoes look fast, making the athlete feel fast. It is only natural that the Nike logo would look fast too. Like a wing in flight, the ultra sleek swish looks almost weightless. Even this logo, as simple as it is, tells a story about the company and about the people wearing it.
Your Logo and Your Brand Experience
A logo cannot do the job alone. It takes a repetitive positive experience with a company and the repeated visual experience with the logo to build value. If you have been working with a logo that does not cater to your market, you have likely had to work really hard elsewhere to pass along your message to your client base. Wouldn’t it be nice to let your logo express this message for you? Companies who feel they have a great product or service have the most to gain from a logo redesign. Implementing a new logo within a framework geared around a positive customer experience will only provide positive results. In this situation, a logo that builds on your past efforts and that caters to your existing client base will prevent confusion and will help you to gain a higher level of recognition in the competitive marketplace. A new logo redesign will give you the base on which to build your marketing platform. It will give you the direction you need and will allow you to make sure you are sending the right message. You will also gain the confidence to place your logo on any surface, knowing it will look good, and that it will stand out.
Professional Logo – The Official Company Representative
When properly designed, a logo can last a lifetime. It is one of the most important and most necessary steps when creating a company or when updating your company brand. It is unfortunate that many business owners still do not recognize the importance of a professional logo, rather choosing a cheap alternative, not understanding the long term value it will add to their everyday business. In today’s economy, presentation still matters. You do not send your sales team to an important meeting wearing mis-matching clothes or outdated attire, so why shouldn’t you treat your company the same way? It’s time to ditch that old logo, only taking from it what works, and using it to create a new one. Get a great logo redesign from a creative logo design company that understands your needs and the needs of your market. Find a company who asks the right questions in order to provide you with an industry leading logo design.
If you own a website, find out whether you can benefit from a logo redesign. Contact Incitrio at 858.202.1822 for a free brand analysis. We are a San Diego marketing agency focused on short and long term client success through integrated marketing, website design, advertising, email marketing, search engine optimization, social media, and CSS programming. Visit our testimonials page to take a look at what some of our happy clients are saying about us and visit our portfolio page to check out some of our award winning logo designs.
The logo redesign process
June 6th, 2011
I’ve been told quite a bit that I’m a maven when it comes to networking. Recently, I was asked to write some tips for a magazine in California on networking. The tips were so great, that I figured I would share it with all of you. Let me know what you think and feel free to email me if you need additional tips.
The Art of Personal Branding
Successful networking is basically the same thing as personal branding, and at the end of the day…it’s all about developing a good strategy. Think of your networking strategy in terms of a two-pronged approach: 1. events where your target audience or circle of influencers are most likely to be and 2. events that match your personal interests.
Business Networking
For the business networking events, make sure to pick a time of day when you’re at your peak. For example, if you’re a morning person, only go to breakfast events. If you’re a night owl, go to evening socials and dinners. By choosing a time of day when you’re at your best, you’re guaranteed to reduce the nervousness factor and make it easier for yourself to meet new contacts.
Personal Networking
For the personal events, make sure to pick topics that are really interesting to you. If you love wine, join a wine club. If you love swimming, get on a masters swim team at your gym. When you share common interests, it’s easy to break the ice and talk about what you do from a non-threatening perspective.
Networking is Like Dating
People buy from people they: like, know and trust. Great sales, and therefore networking, is all about building long-term relationships. So, if you think about networking like dating, the rules are fairly straightforward: be a good listener, make eye contact, don’t act desperate, don’t have a triple espresso before you show up, shower, dress nice and smile.
Control the Conversation
Another tip is to strategically control the conversation. People love to talk about themselves and the more they talk, the more they feel good about you. So, start the conversation by asking them questions about themselves and be genuinely interested. Find ways to connect what they’re saying to what you do or how you can help them. Eventually, they’ll get tired of talking about themselves and ask what you do. That’s your golden opportunity to modify your elevator pitch and integrate key points that came up earlier into what you say so that it shows your actively listening and you can customize/integrate what you do into a problem they’re trying to solve or a value-added benefit to their client list.
Convert Prospects Faster
Finally, be sure to follow up! If you think about sales as having 8-10 touch points, then networking and following up each count as one. Send an email or a personal note after an event, ideally the next day. Connect with them via LinkedIn while you’re still top of mind. Follow them on Twitter or ask them to follow you. If it’s a really good potential contact, suggest a coffee or lunch meeting in 2-3 weeks so that it’s non-threatening but keeps the momentum going. If it’s a good potential referral source, connect them with someone you know that could be a good potential client for them. The more you do, the closer you get to closing the sale.
Angela Hill is the president and owner of Incitrio, a sustainably-minded branding agency located in San Diego, CA.
January 22nd, 2009
