Marketing through social networks and social media

The other night I was a member of a panel discussing "Harnessing the Power of Online Social Networks," hosted by Self-Employed Creative Professionals (SECP) in Portland. Others on the panel discussing the business advantages of social networking included writer Susan Rich of RichWriting Creative Services, Working Artists LLC founderAdrienne Fritze, and eMarketing Strategist Elgé Premeau. Christian Messer, of Whiplash Design, was the moderator for the evening.

I was asked to approach the subject of using online social sites from my perspective as the author of Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands. Panel members wanted me to showcase how I had used social networking and related media to market and promote my book. In doing so, I prepared a handout for attendees with the following examples:

MySpace - MySpace drives more traffic to my web presence and blogs than any other social networking site I've used. It allows a detailed profile, image storage, blogs - which I use to post my blog headlines with links back to my own blog sites - forums and actual social networking. MySpace is much more than simply social networking for teenagers. I have eliminated most interaction not directly related to my book and my work with the posted statement: The primary purpose of this MySpace page is to discuss and promote various aspects of graphic design.

FaceBook: Facebook is probably my favorite social networking site. For me it's actually fun, in addition to providing a great opportunity for posting a detailed profile - with links back to whatever sites you wish to post, networking, image galleries, article posting capabilities, blog auto-feeds, and much more. Again, it's very effective in driving web traffic my way. A design industry editor once asked, "Isn't Facebook just for college kids?. My response was: "Have you visited Facebook lately?" It's amazing who in the design industry is making use of the resource as a marketing and promotion tool.

LinkedIn: LinkedIn comes across as primarily a technical information resource for job seekers and those seeking specialized employees. The specialized questions and answers, along with the recent addition of "groups." does make it a bit more interactive. I wish the navigation wasn't so "clunky." Still, making use of the detailed profile has been a great self-promotion tool. The more information provided the more successful LinkedIn will be for the user.

biznik: biznik - Business networking that doesn't suck - is one of the most user-friendly social networking/media sites. It's easy to connect with other members and to create an actual dialog with them. The detailed profile, ability to post articles and other aspects make it a value resource for the independent business person. Local "real world" networking events are an added benefit. As in many of the examples, there are additional benefits with paid memberships.

naymz: I'm relatively new to this site. Months ago I was invited by someone I know and I did little to complete the profile until a discussion with my fellow panel members. Less than one hour of work and a great deal of traffic was coming my way - primarily due to the blogs feeds to my personal profile.

Flickr: Referring to this resource as social networking may not be the first thing that comes to a individual's mind when visiting the site. The storage and sharing of images is it's main attribute. However, the creation of personal communities, groups and the image feeds to other social sites all become part of the online networking experience.

JumpUp: This site, from the Intuit folks, is an example of another aspect of social networking - the corporate-sponsored networking resource. JumpUp creates an avenue for a detailed business profile, interacting with other business professionals, creating a blog and more. My participation online also resulted in my work and book being featured in a traveling exhibit for the company. An online radio program is in the works.

StartupNation: I've been a participant on this site for some time. My primary reason for joining was that a designer shouldn't be networking only with other designers - one needs to be interacting with business people who may become potential clients. StartupNation provides an opportunity to mingle with business people through forum participation, forum postings, a detailed profile, blogs, articles and podcasts.

Adholes: This online networking resource is primarily for the advertising professional. It's a great vehicle for networking through forum participation, posting blogs and articles, and scheduling local meetups through groups. Besides, I like the name of the group, and their tagline: "Ad industry schmoozing without the expensive restaurant tabs."

Fast Pitch: I initially made use of this site for the press release distribution capabilities. Fast Pitch now includes greater networking opportunities, blog feeds and more.

Fast Company: This is the social networking and social media presence of my favorite business magazine, Fast Company. You can network, join groups, post articles and more.

GOOD Magazine: I'm fairly new to GOOD. It's another publication that allows its readers and members to socially interact. My profile, with pertinent information posted, has drawn traffic to mt site and blogs.

Zoodango: This site recently went through a major update. I haven't yet checked out all of the features.

Ziki: The site allows you to network with others, post links, and revieve auto-feeds from blogs and Flickr. The blog feeds are especially effective in bring me a great deal of traffic.

Small Business Online Community: This offering, from Bank of America, is somewhat new and evolving. A forum allows for customer interaction, articles are posted by experts and more is offered on a regular basis.

This is far from a complete list of the sources available for social networking and social media. As mentioned earlier, these are just the resources I put into play in marketing and promoting my book, Identity Crisis!. As you can see, from each page example, I have taken the opportunity to establish a somewhat consistent look in the content and imagery used in each profile. The photo of me is the same in many, my logo is an identifying mark for most, the same book cover image is featured, mentions of the book are always included, and website, or blog, addresses are used with consistency.

Still, it the examples presented should give many people ideas of where they might look for added marketing opportunities.

For a look at portfolio sites check out my earlier piece Marketing logo design efforts with online resources.

© 2008 Jeff fisher LogoMotives

The high cost of saving money on your business image

Not too long ago a potential identity design client requested information about the estimated cost of creating a logo to represent a new start-up business. The business was about to be launched and the identity creation costs had not been considered in the business plan budget.

I wasn't surprised when, after receiving the information, the business owner contacted me to explain that the price range quoted was much higher than anticipated and that they would most likely consider branding the company with a logo design that was "adequate" at the present time. It was explained that they later hoped to hire me to redesign the corporate image to better reflect their desires for the public persona of the business?

Huh?

In nearly 30 years as a professional designer I often hear this justification for initially scrimping on one of the most important advertising, marketing and promotion elements for any business. Many new business owners simply do not plan for the possible costs involved in the creation of the image with which their business or product will be introduced to the target market.

In cutting corners, such business owners are seldom saving any money. In fact, much greater business identity costs over time are usually the result. When "settling" for a less than adequate logo design, the costs of stationery packages, storefront and vehicle signage, print advertising and other promotional items are still incurred. Being less than satisfied with the early graphic image of the business often means that all of those expenses will be duplicated until the owner has achieved the desired end result through a series of re-designs.

A client once came to me after having a business identity re-designed five times in five years. The owner admitted to "settling" for a new logo each year due to an impending print or advertising deadline reminding him of the lack of satisfaction with the image being used at the time. Each new identity effort was rushed;, and then required the reproduction of every piece of material used to market and promote the business. Over five years the process had become a very costly endeavor.

The business owner finally budgeted time and money for hiring a professional designer to create a logo to properly represent the firm in question. As a designer specializing in identity design, I researched the business's target market, local competition and specialized industry before even starting the design process. Several logo concepts were presented to the client and, within a few weeks, the company had a new and improved identity. In this case, the logo was used successfully for a period of 10 years - until the business was purchased by a larger industry entity.

When entering into the process of starting a new business, or revamping the identity of an existing company, the business owner needs to do their research and budget adequate time and funds for the project. This is a "must" when creating an initial business plan. The spur of the moment decisions to go with a discount online logo design resource may not provide the knowledge, expertise, and unique end result that will best suit one's business. The successful branding of a business most often requires much more than slapping a clip art image up next to a type treatment of the business name as a last-minute solution. Instead, the businessperson should research a variety of designers, or design firms, to find a good match of talent, skill and understanding of the business's very specific needs, before embarking on the process of establishing a strong business identity.

In my new book, Identity Crisis! 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands (HOW Books, October 2007), Robynne Raye, of the Modern Dog Design Company in Seattle, suggests the business owner "find a designer you can trust, and then trust them."

An identity design process that is well planned, realistically budgeted early on, researched thoroughly, and utilizes the services of a professional designer with a proven track record of collaborative efforts, may initially be a bit more expensive than originally expected. However, the realistic investment in the image, and future success, of one's business will be more than worth the cost when done right the first time.

This bLog-oMotives entry originally appeared on my "Designs on Business" blog at JumpUp.com.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Identity Crisis! travels country withQuickBooks "Just Start" campaign

This past week, while I was on vacation in Italy, Intuit, the maker of QuickBooks Simple Start 2008, held their initial "Just Start" event in Seattle's Westlake Center (above) to announce the free distribution of the product. My business, Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, and my newly released book Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, are featured in the "Just Start" Gallery of proven entrepreneurial businesses for the event (below). The product rollout, and the traveling exhibit, will also be seen in Chicago's Union Center - Great Hall (November 1-2), Grand Central Terminal - Vanderbilt Hall in New York City (November 8-9) and Boston's South Station (November 13-14).

As a QuickBooks user, I joined Intuit's JumpUp online networking community this past year. This past June JumpUp.com did a spotlight on my business efforts. I was recently asked to occasionally write a blog entry for the JumpUp site and Designs on Business was the result. This relationship with JumpUp.com resulted in being asked to participate in the "Just Start" event series.

Already trusted by more than 300,000 small business owners nationwide, QuickBooks Simple Start is full-featured accounting software. Known for its drop-dead ease of use, Simple Start focuses on the essentials of tracking "money in" and "money out," as well as keeping key business data organized for tax time. With this free accounting software, entrepreneurs can now easily establish the financial habits that will help them get their business successfully off the ground. The small business financial software, with previous versions valued at $99.95, is available for free download at www.simplestart.com.

Further supporting entrepreneurs, Intuit also announced its nationwide "Just Start" campaign with a chance to win a $50,000 business startup grant. The campaign is designed to empower the many Americans who aspire to run their own business to take the next step and "Just Start." Along with a contest for $50,000, "Just Start" offers the encouragement and guidance aspiring entrepreneurs need to get started via the events in Seattle, Chicago, New York City and Boston. Go to www.IWillJustStart.com for more information.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*:JumpUp.com spotlights Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

The design firm Jeff Fisher Logomotives is featured as a new Small Business Spotlight on the business resource website JumpUp.com. JumpUp, "the place to start a business," allows members to post a business profile, make use of a variety of site resources, and interact with other businesses owners. Jeff Fisher LogoMotives uses the web presence to promote identity design services to potential clients, as a business research source, and in networking with other companies.

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland, OR design firm, is featured in regards to the business challenge of the sense of isolation felt by many home-based business people. The spotlight includes a photo of Fisher working from the "summer office" of his garden. As noted in the feature, the Internet provided solutions to the challenge through graphic design industry networking forums such as the HOW Design Forum and the community at About.com Graphic Design. The website CreativeLatitude.com also introduced the designer to other creative professionals around the world. Fisher found an opportunity to network with other business owners through the site StartupNation. A fairly recent addition to his resource list is BoDo: Business of Design online. Designers Who Blog has provided an additional outlet for interacting with others in the design field.

JumpUp.com was created by Intuit - the maker of Turbo Tax, Quicken and QuickBooks - to help new businesses and business owners get up and running quickly and successfully. The site provides a wide variety of resources and methods for entrepreneurs to connect with other business owners. Membership and participation on JumpUp is free.

Fisher makes use of Intuit products in the operation of his own business.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 570 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in nearly 100 books on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing.

Fisher is a member of the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. His first book, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, was released by HOW Design Books in late 2004. His new volume, Identity Crisis!, will be on bookshelves in late 2007.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives