company logo on everything?

[huggytree]

I am a big believer in having a company uniform with the logo all over it. my work van has my logo almost as large as me!,

every piece of paper work has my logo, my wifes mini van has my logo, i sticker every house (in 2-3 places)i work on with my logo, i have my logo (very large) on my back so when im bent over working on a sink they see it...i look at it as almost a brand name

i designed it to be bright yellow so it cant be missed..

i think the more they see it the more they will remember....am i fooling myself?

i have many remodelers who drive around in unmarked vans,their contracts dont have a logo ontop, they wear no uniform....

does having your name and number on the side of a van get you jobs directly? no....but when you bid it makes you look professional and trustworthy....not like a handyman-sidejob contractor

any studies on whether having my logo everywhere is helping me get more jobs than the other guys? i think it helps with the high end customers more.

[cbscreative]

I think you are right...with clarification. It doesn't get you business, but it does get you recognition if done correctly. You pretty much said it yourself, but the logo needs to stand out and be memorable.

That's probably where any "scientific studies" could get skewed. If they study only the effectiveness of a logo, it is not a reliable study. If you can establish what "memorable" is and then study that, I think there is plenty to support their effectiveness.

In both my personal experience, and that of others who have memorable logos, they are very effective. It is interesting how often you hear customers telling you things like: I saw your ad, I've seen your trucks out on the road, I remember your mailing, or that logo really stands out. Those who don't believe in good logos don't have one so they don't get to experience the benefits. Those who do have one realize how effective they are.

You are very correct in using the logo on everything.

[vangogh]

I agree completely with Steve. I with both of you about placing your logo (or something that represents your brand) wherever possible. People won't see it and call instantly, but it does increase awareness of you. Of course your brand still has to connote positive associations with potential customers. If you have a reputation for shoddy work then more people seeing your logo isn't going to help. If anything there will end up being more stories spread about your shoddy work.

But assuming your brand conjures up a positive image then get it out there as much as you can.

[orion_joel]

One thing that i think is quite interesting is that i have previously worked for companies that actually don't have and branded vans, yet have had customers come in an say we saw your van out on the road. Only to see a few days later a van with a very similar logo, but a different name.

So one good point is making the logo that bit different from any other potential competitors, so if someone's logo or business has or is much more prominent your logo isn't inadvertently helping them appear bigger, when people don't take a close look.

[Steve B]

I do the same thing as you huggytree. My name and logo is on everything and I put a sticker on the transmitter that gets hung in the garage. It's very difficult to measure the effectiveness of all of this unfortunately.

I spent $3,000 on a vinyl wrap for my van. I was hoping to get several jobs a year from people telling me they saw the van and wrote down the phone number. After a full year, I don't have one job that came that way. BUT, when I pull up to give a quote, it makes me look a lot more credible and hopefully instills confidence that I'll be around for a while. I wish I could see a more direct result, but I'm still confident it has paid for itself.

[KristineS]

If nothing else, having your logo on everything makes you look cohesive and like your business has it together. We put our logos on everything we do and always will. It gives the company identity and people do remember it.

I think what a lot of people fail to remember is that a logo is about brand identity. It's probably not going to get you business directly, but a logo contributes to the perception of your business, which could lead to getting you more business.

[Blessed]

I think what a lot of people fail to remember is that a logo is about brand identity. It's probably not going to get you business directly, but a logo contributes to the perception of your business, which could lead to getting you more business.

This is exactly right - having your logo everywhere builds brand awareness and identity - that means that when someone needs a plumber your name or logo will come to mind and they will call you - they might not be able to tell you exactly where they saw or heard it but they will call!

[greenoak]

sounds right huggy....i love the idea of putting a magnet on the waterheater, etc.....it puts ou right there when they need you..
maybe you are the one who bothered to do this...and it puts you ahead of the guys who didnt make the effort....
now you might be the first name someone thinks of....and also you probaably look more established....

[Aaron Hats]

You are building a brand. It's your brand. We put our logo on everything we can. If we can't put our logo, we put our name on it. Repitition, repitition, repitition. The more they see it, the better the chance they'll pick up the phone and call you when they need something instead of going to the yellow pages or search the web. That's why I love sending out our e-newsletter. I can see how many people open it and how many orders I get from it. Whenever I see an order come from the newsletter I just smile because this person was thinking of buying a hat, they got our newsletter and bought one. If they didn't get the newsletter they would probably have gone to the web and done a search. They may or may not have found us there. If they did find us they might have clicked on an ad I would have to pay for. As far as I'm concerned, if I get two orders from every newsletter it's a success (and I get a lot more than two orders each time).

Aaron

[mr.ro]

Yeah of course its better to have your logo on everything and them some. just think of what you feel like when you do with a company and they dont have a logo just a name. after the service is done or the product is sold you will not remember them a week from then unless you can visualize a logo of some sort.

[orion_joel]

That depends on the the name and how well it is branded, especially short names can often be memorably branded with no more then the name standing as the logo. Take for example Sony, that is their brand and their name and it is branded well as an almost untouched word standing as their logo.

[vangogh]

Putting your logo on everything is about extending the reach of your brand. Reach is only one component of brand though. The part I personally think much more important is the associations your brand conveys.

In another thread Starbucks has come up. You probably have feelings about Starbucks one way or another. Those feelings are there brand to you. I don't like their coffee so I can see their logo all day long and I'm still not buying a cup of coffee from them. Another person might like their coffee and a single sighting of the logo may be enough to get them to come in for a cup.

People often confuse the reach part with all of brand. Reach is about getting those associations with your company to as many people as possible. But you still need to build those associations with people. If your logo is out there enough it may get someone curious and they may try what you have to offer, but unless they either have or form positive associations with your brand it won't matter how many times they see your logo.

[Business Attorney]

Great point, vangogh. That will really help when I think about branding.

[cbscreative]

I also recall that you wrote an excellent article, vangogh, about branding and reach. It was probably at least a year ago, but maybe you should post a link since it would add a lot of value and additional details to your points made above.

Oh. on second thought, why don't I just post it for you so you can stay humble by not being asked to toot your own horn.

Branding For Small Business And Bloggers (http://www.vanseodesign.com/blog/branding/branding-for-small-business-and-bloggers/)

[vangogh]

Thanks Steve. I hope you don't mind, but I changed the link to point to the article on my site as opposed to the version on Small Business Newz. I figure since I wrote it deserve the link.

That's one of the articles I'm most proud of writing. I put a lot into it, though I didn't expect some of the attention it got. I do think it's important to separate the reach component out of branding, especially for small businesses. Most of us don't have the budget to be buying Super Bowl commercials, but we can do every thing else on a smaller scale.

Every member here has built a brand within this community. You all have instant associations that will come to mind when you hear someone's username. The reach may not be large, but the brand can be built within this community and then pushed out to other communities to slowly expand.

[cbscreative]

Your welcome, vangogh. I don't mind you changing the link at all. In fact, I anticipated that you might want to do that.

[Evan]

A single sighting of the logo may be enough to get them to come in for a cup.

And there goes recognition with your name to a product. People know Starbuck's sells coffee.

[vangogh]

Though you do have to build positive associations between your name and the product before a logo sighting will lead to something.

[KristineS]

It's really about having a complete marketing package. Having a logo is just one piece. If you have a logo and don't attend to getting the proper message out, providing good products and services, taking care of your customers and responding in a timely fashion, it isn't going to matter if you plaster your logo on every available flat surface. A logo is simply a visual representation of your brand.

[vangogh]

Agreed. A logo is a graphical symbol that represents your brand and should easily call to mind your brand. When you see a swoosh you're supposed to think Nike. But the swoosh doesn't sell anything. It's the Nike brand that sells. Seeing the swoosh is simply a quick way to remind people of all the messages you're sending to them and all the associations they have with you.

[rocketman]

Just remember that building a brand is all about consistency. Frequent changes don't help, even if it is everywhere... also your brand is more than just a logo. Its how your business conducts business, and what key value you provide. any time you change your something in regards to your product, you should think how that may effect the brand you have built!

[vangogh]

remember that building a brand is all about consistency

Absolutely. An easy example:

If you want people to associate quality with your brand you can't send out home made business cards. You can't go cheap on your website or any of your marketing materials. If you want people to associate quality with your brand then everything you do needs to be quality. Your home made business card with a message about quality is inconsistent and sends a mixed message hurting your brand. The first thing you need to do when building your brand is to live up to it.

[huggytree]

im a big believer in looking like you've been in business for 20 years on day 1.

website, new van w/logo, company name on everything(invoices,bids), uniform

the problem is people dont save enough to cover it all...they start a business with 5k and look like it....maybe thats why most fail...poor planning, poor savings

[vangogh]

huggy I kind of agree and kind of disagree. I think it's more that you need to look professional right from the start. I'm not sure you need to look like you've been in business for 20 years or any specific length of time really. But I think we're really in agreement about this and the basic idea behind it.

To me it's more a professional thing than any specific amount of money you put in or how many years it looks like you've been in business or how big your company seems. You can do well no matter what the details, and I think businesses are better off being who they are than trying to fake being in business longer than they have or pretending there are more employees working for the company than there are.

But I do think we're in agreement about the basic concept just calling it different things more than anything else.

[Steve B]

I agree that the perception of being around a while is very important. I remember losing jobs because I was too new and they were worried I wouldn't be around next year (that was specifically said to me a few times). You can give an impression of longevity while still being 100% honest. For instance, a plumber might refer to his years of professional experience for the first several years of his business (including when he/she worked for someone else). After the business has some age, he/she could switch to referring the length of time the business has been around.

Being 100% "professional" in appearance could just mean that your rich parents bought you a business. Adding some element of longevity will help as well. Maybe you should buy a used truck :)

[huggytree]

it all goes back to the point i made several times on this blog...

when i started out people always asked 'how long have you been in business'
its now been a year since ive been asked it even once...it will never happen again because of my appearance and my sales technique...obviously i made people nervous when i started....basically it showed.

and i looked professional right from day 1...it took 6 months to break down and buy tee shirts, but everything else looked professional and matched...

[vangogh]

My thought is that if someone asks and you tell them you've been in business for 'x' years when you haven't you'll be found out and lose all trust. If you say I have 'x' years of experience it's a different situation since you're counting time you may have worked for others.

I think it's best to be honest, because being found out that you're lying about something could be the end of your business, particularly in the beginning. I'm not suggesting you were lying of course or suggesting it either. I just think there's a careful line to tread. When I started my business, naturally the business was new, but I did have experience doing the same kind of work. I wrote the copy that way and if anyone asked I was honest about where the experience came from.

[cbscreative]

Some of the comments above remind me of the fact that when you are new in business, you project that even though you are not trying to. People pick up on that, which is why they ask how long you have been in business. I agree that when you are starting out, you focus on experience.

I am now celebrating 7 years in business with my company in a couple months. When I started, I had a few years of doing web design, and over 20 years in some form of graphic design. For 7 years from 1986 to 1993, I owned my own sign company. So even though my current company was new in 2002, I focused on the experience. Now of course, I can talk about both.

Everyone is new to business when they first start. There is no shame in that. So focus on the experience and don't be afraid to be honest. But the points made about being professional are important at every stage. Yes, absolutely, let your professionalism show in all your materials. Nothing says "novice" like homemade marketing materials.

[seolman]

I think image - and the way you project it - has a lot to do with the type of business you are in. Obviously if you walk into a bank and all the employees are wearing shorts and flip-flops you may not feel good about depositing your money there. On the other hand if I went to take a surfing lesson and the guy walks up to me wearing a pair of slacks and a shirt with a pocket protector - sorry but Mr. Nerd isn't going to be teaching me the waves any time soon.

There is something to be said for outward appearance but over time I have learned outward appearance has little to do with the quality of service provided. Personally I wore suits for years and now I refuse to put on a tie unless held at gunpoint.

Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't feel good about buying a product from a person that smelled like they haven't bathed in a month and whose clothes were so unkempt so as to make you wonder about their state of mental health. Neat and clean is important. But other than that I'm looking for someone who knows what they are talking about. I want to be convinced they have the knowledge, skills and ability to do the job. The pretty exterior doesn't really mean much to me - it just tells me they like to look good.

We've had great success selling to clients who've never seen us or our offices - only our web site.

Example: we've done over $100K worth of work over the past 2 years for one of the largest banks in the US and I've never met any of the Exec's face to face - all our communication has been by phone/email. We have another client in China with a similar arrangement - never met the guy but we get along great by email. We've been able to gain their confidence through clear communication - then demonstrating we know what we're talking about by matching the words with actions.

I'm convinced that once you know your business well it comes across in your demeanor and way of communicating with customers. You gain the trust and confidence of others more quickly and business comes naturally.

[vangogh]

I'm convinced that once you know your business well it comes across in your demeanor and way of communicating with customers. You gain the trust and confidence of others more quickly and business comes naturally.

I agree. I think it's more in how you carry yourself than how long someone thinks you've been in business. If you show confidence the question of how long you've been in business isn't going to come up. If you lack the confidence it won't matter how long someone will think you've been in business.

When I first put up a site for my business I thought I needed to look bigger than I was and make it seem as if I'd been in business awhile. I used 'we' instead of 'I' and referred to myself by the company name. I gave the impression the site had been up for awhile, which is kind of silly since it's pretty easy to discover exactly when you bought your domain.

What happened was people thought I was a bigger company and when they called they expected to speak to a bigger company. That didn't lead to me closing many leads since I wasn't getting targeted leads. I was getting leads expecting something that wasn't what they'd be getting with me.

I think the situation is pretty similar when it comes to how long you've been in business. A new business doesn't mean a bad business. If you have the experience and the skill to perform a service you can easily get that across. Clients and customers want to know you can do the job they're going to pay you to do. You don't have to be in business 20 years to do the job or get across that you can.

If you did good work for my neighbor I'm likely to think you'll do good work for me, regardless of how long you've been in business.

[Steve B]

"Clients and customers want to know you can do the job they're going to pay you to do."

Yes, but they also want to know you'll be around next year to service them or be there to stand behind the guarantee. This has been specifically stated to me many times by customers and potential customers. How long someone has been in business is one of the top ways they make this judgement. Even if overall appearance is #1 - this is a significant #2.

[vangogh]

I agree it plays a part, but I think the question is more they want you to be in business next year to back what they buy as opposed to having been there for the last 20. I realize they may use the latter as proof of the former, which is why it would be important. But there are still other ways to get across that you aren't going anywhere.

The main thing I'm saying is you shouldn't fake how long you've been in business. That will most likely get you into trouble. I wouldn't advertise your company is in business for 20 years if it's only been 6 months. I think that's too easy to find out and if it is you've eroded trust and lost a customer.

The issue of will you be here next year really comes down to trust. Do your customers trust you'll be in business. Having been in business awhile is one signal of trust, but it's not the only one. I think you can get across that you can be trusted without having to lie about how long you've been in business.

That's why I both agreed and disagreed with the whole time in business thing. To me the issue is more about trust and being in business for a number of years does help establish trust, but there are other things that also establish trust like being professional and being caught lying certainly erodes trust.

[cbscreative]

I also think length of time in business is subject to the type of buisiness. Someone like SteveB, huggy, or a roofing company would be great examples of that. If I am shopping for windows, I place a high priority on how long the company has been there. If I am buying paint for my walls, I am more concerned with the reputation of the brand of paint than how long the store selling it has been open. Services like mine and vangogh's are good examples of how our abilities are more important, even though both of us have now been in business for years.

[Steve B]

I didn't think anyone was suggesting lying about how many years they have been in business. If they did - I missed it. I certainly wouldn't suggest or support lying about it.

[billbenson]

Ya, although its kind of like a resume; its not necessarily completely accurate. In my case, there are a couple of 3 month jobs that don't appear on the resume and I fudged the time frame of the jobs that surrounded them. It's not quite like saying I have been in business since 1945 though. The three jobs that were short term, I didn't fit into the corporate mold.

[vangogh]

Steve I don't believe anyone specifically mentioned lying either. I brought it up because I think there might be a temptation for someone to put something on a site saying "in business since 2001" if they think it's important to appear as having been in business longer than they have. I wanted to make the point that lying wouldn't be the way to establish trust.

But no one ever mentioned it as something you should do.

I think we actually agree on the whole appearing to be in business longer thing. The sticky point to me is not putting a specific year on it, because I think you then do cross the line about lying. huggy originally mentioned things like making sure your company name is on the side of your van and things like that. I completely agree with doing those things, but to me that's just being professional. No mention of a date business started needs to be included in those things.

[Steve B]

I wouldn't support that either.

[vangogh]

I didn't think you would. Sorry if I confused things. I didn't mean to imply that anyone was suggesting lying, but I can see how I might have. My bad.