BusinessMarketing
Make the Most of Your Business Logo
Leverage your logo and use these marketing strategies to attract customers, boost sales and drive profits.
Photo Credit: ATA
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Author: Cassie Gasaway
A good business logo can tell your story, represent your mission, attract new customers and open the door to everything your business offers — but only if used properly.
Mark Watson, director of graphic design for RubLine Marketing LLC, said logos have a lot of power and the potential to make or break a company or product’s success. But they’re often overlooked as a tool for generating income.
“I think businesses neglect their logo because it doesn’t have a hard ROI,” he said. “They don’t see it as a profit, but that’s because they don’t understand its subtleness and how it sets the tone for their business’s future.”
Customers often take a first impression of a business after judging its logo. A professional logo portrays a professional brand with knowledgeable employees and should be the basis of the brand’s identity. Watson said a brand or product logo should be simple and clean and clearly depict what it represents. It should also show consumers what to expect and how the company differs from its competitors.
Watson said marketing logos is easier for corporations with multiple brands, products and logos than it is for an individual retailer who is selling hundreds of products from an array of companies. Still, both can use a business logo to their marketing benefit.
6 Ways to Use Your Logo
1. Photo Opportunities
Create “instaworthy” photo opportunities and incorporate your logo into something cool, like an outdoor themed mural on the side of your building or alongside a record buck mount, Bigfoot target or something else that might get your customers’ attention. “Passionate people like to show off their interests,” Watson said. “If people like something related to your brand, tap into that as a shop and cater to it for free advertising and widespread exposure.”
2. Sponsorships
Support a good cause in exchange for a hanging banner sign, team uniform, printed roster or printed schedule of events with your logo on it. Ideas include sponsoring a benefit, sports team or community event to get your logo in front of more people.
Advertise in magazines and other media. Photo Credit: Archery Business
3. Consistent Advertisements
Whether you run ads online, in the paper, on the radio or elsewhere, running similar ads over time that incorporate your logo(s) creates a constant brand presence. “It’s rare a consumer needs what you’re selling at the time of your ad, but running three or four simple but similar ads that customers can quickly read will help your brand become embedded in their mind for when they do need something,” Watson said.
4. Partner Pages
Joining forces with like-minded companies amplifies your presence; you’ll likely co-brand events and can put your logo on their website and vice versa. These happenings pair your logo with another brand’s customers, who will be quicker to trust and interact with your brand because of the partnership.
Put your logo on signs outside your building and at events. Photo Credit: RubLine
5. Signs and Window Wraps
The RubLine Marketing building has a one-way vinyl wrap on the windows with its logo, and because of the imagery, people stop in to see if they sell hunting gear. “Based on my experience, if I were a pro shop, I’d put imagery out front or on my building’s windows to draw attention,” Watson said. If your logo is intuitive and well designed, its presence alone should gain attention and pique curiosity.
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Offer branded merchandise. Photo Credit: Lancaster Archery Supply
6. Swag Items
Creating logoed swag items like hats, T-shirts, pens and decals to gift or sell is an excellent way to get your brand out there with minimal effort. Identify cost-effective options to ensure you have a decent profit margin.
Rethinking Your Brand
If your logo won’t work in these ways, it might be time for a brand redesign. Watson said trendy logos become dated quickly and generic or cliché logos don’t separate your brand from others. Creating a unique and timeless logo can boost your marketing efforts and the perception of your business. Watson reminds businesses that a brand redesign isn’t just new logo artwork; it should be an entire suite of brand assets revolving around the business’s identity.
Working with a professional can streamline the rebranding process and ensure you receive top-notch marketing materials. The ATA partners with four marketing companies through the MyATA service provider program who can help with any and all marketing needs. Contact RubLine Marketing LLC, Jackson Marketing, Shine United or Approval Payment Solutions/VIV if you need assistance. Visit www.archerytrade.org/myata-service-providers to learn more and discover other MyATA service providers.
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