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Logo Types and How to use them

mykartdesigns@mail.com (Cayla Jade) — Fri, 27 May 2022 15:35:56 GMT

What are the most recognizable Logo types and

How can you use them?

A logo can take form of almost infinite variety of shapes and personalities - from literal through symbolic, from word-driven to image-driven.

They’re all a combination of typography and images, and each type of logo gives your brand a different look & feel.

And since your logo is the first thing your audience will see - you want to get it right.

Which type of logo is best for a particular company?

Each type of logo design has its advantages and disadvantages.

Branding is full of different types of logo, but did you know there are actually a few broad categories to consider? This is a great place to start when deciding on your next logo design project as it immediately focuses your mind on exactly what style your design is going to be.

The three basic categories of logo styles are:

"Brandmarks, Wordmarks and Lettermarks, know as "Combined"" (to name a few).

This post is going to explain how each category is defined, give you some famous examples and explain when and why they should be used.

It's worth noting that not all logos fit neatly and cleanly into these categories, which isn't a problem. You should see them less as a rigid system and more as a way to get you thinking.

For more advice on logo design, see our Logo Checklist , which lays out the golden points when designing a logo.

Brandmark

Also known as a pictorial mark, a brandmark contains no text but is an image, icon or symbol that represents the company or brand. Famous examples include the Apple silhouette, the Target bullseye, the Nike ‘Swoosh’, the Red Cross symbol and the WWF panda.

A brandmark can be a great way for audiences to form a psychological connection to your brand, as the brain responds on a deeper, more instinctive level to an image than written text, which needs to be interpreted.

This principle can be seen, for example, in social media, where a symbol like the Twitter bird, the Snapchat ghost or the Instagram camera icon encourages people to share content they’ve encountered on a website almost unthinkingly.

Using only a symbol to explain your brand also has obvious advantages when it comes to serving a global market, as it can (in theory) be instantly understood everywhere in the world. The success of a brandmark, however, does rely on audiences knowing what the symbol means, so it’s a tricky thing to pull off for all but the best-known brands.

Creating an effective brand mark requires creativity, deliberate decisions, and attention to detail. Sometimes, it can be difficult for marketing teams to improve a brand mark to make the image meaningful, recognizable, and easy to understand.

Companies that seek to update or change their brand mark should follow several steps to do it correctly.

Choose a brand mark that represents you the best. Refining your entire company down into one image can be challenging. However, if you use all the benefits of graphic design correctly, it can work wonders. An appropriate image can quickly change the way customers perceive your brand.
Make it easy to understand. Customers who will encounter your brand come from different backgrounds and age groups. That's why your brand mark should be easy to recognize and perceive. Your clients shouldn't struggle to figure out the message you were trying to communicate. Keep in mind that nowadays people are overwhelmed with the excessive amount of companies and their marketing efforts. It's crucial to convey your brand idea fast to get the customers' attention and increase brand engagement .
Create a brand mark that is easy to memorize. One of the goals of creating a powerful mark is to make customers remember your company and choose you over the competitors' alternatives. Developing a suitable and straightforward design ensures that you convey your brand's message clearly and effectively. As a result, customers will easily memorize your company.
Ensure that it conveys your identity. In the long run, it's advisable to select an image that represents your brand's purpose and mission rather than an image that showcases your goods. You can't exclude the fact that your priorities and your main product might change, or you would like to expand to other types of products in the near future.
Be consistent. Anything can inspire you to create a great brand mark, from the brand name to depicting what the company does. Let's take John Deere, for example. The brand name inspired the team to create a deer-shaped icon. When you decide on the brand mark, you should ensure that your team uses it consistently when communicating with leads and customers.
Think timeless. As you know, some things can go out of style quickly. The word "timeless" is used here not to tell about something old or stodgy, it's rather about creating a brand mark that is classic and will never be old-fashioned. For this purpose, avoid using trendy fonts or today's influential design trends. Search for ways to create a brand mark that will be fresh even in 10 years.

Following these several steps enables you to create a brand mark that will stand out and attract customers. Now let's proceed to some examples of brand marks that have succeeded.

Wordmark

Also known as “logotypes”, wordmarks are purely letter-based and only feature the name of a business. We’re talking no images, icons, or even emblems; wordmark logos are stripped down, sometimes even reduced to initials with 1-3 letters.

However, stripped down doesn’t mean boring! Instead, these logos help to increase brand recognition , and they usually don’t go out of style because they’re timeless and versatile.

In fact, some of the world’s most famous brands use wordmarks. Think Google, Coca-Cola, FedEx.

What’s cool about wordmarks is that they don’t need a million design elements to make them stand out. They’re memorable for their simplicity, and, if designed right, they can be legible on any medium and in any size.

Because of the lack of icons or images, many people worry that wordmarks make for boring logos. We’ll show you why that’s not the case below, but in the meantime, here are a few scenarios in which you should think about using a wordmark to represent your business:

If your business is new. When just introducing yourself to the world, it’s not a bad idea to just tell it like it is with your logo. Starting with a wordmark allows you to build brand recognition, as your audience will come to associate your business with the fonts and colors of your logo. As you become more well-known, you can consider shortening the wordmark to a monogram logo with the same colors and typeface.

If you have a short business name, ideally limited to one word. Once a wordmark gets too lengthy, the design looks cluttered, and it’ll be hard to use your logo on smaller surfaces or screens. In other words, long business names can impact the versatile advantage of a wordmark.

If your business name is distinct . Logos emphasize why your business is unique, but this can prove harder to do without any imagery to reinforce the message. However, a distinct business name will set you apart from competitors, and a wordmark will help it stick in people’s minds.

If you’re not color-shy. While typeface is key with wordmark logos, colors shouldn’t be overlooked. A splash of color can be the difference between a forgettable wordmark and one that people remember. Consider using a classic typeface with a color twist, or go with a contrasting palette to emphasize the name of your business.

Lettermark

Think abbreviations. Lettermarks, or monogram logos , are typography-based logos that take the abbreviated initials of a company and spruce up their design a bit. Boom! You have a no-fuss, no-frills logo.

Advantages of Lettermark logos:

Likely more than ever before, the world loves abbreviations (maybe we have the current technological era to thank for that?).

From our interpersonal communication style – LOL, BTW, OMG – to name a few – to our luxury car companies (BMW), acronyms are throwing themselves all over the modern era.

Also, they’re to the point: Lettermarks turn your lengthy business name into an identifiable brand identity

When to use a Lettermark logo:

It’s relatively easy to get this logo up and running – after all, there’s not much detail to think about – so monograms could be a great option if you’re a new/small business who needs to get their name out there.

Lettermarks are also a good choice for you if you have a long business name – like the New York Yankees – which is difficult to print on small objects or read at a small scale. Finally, because monograms are often associated with personalization and wealth, they can be a good option for brands that are trying to appeal to a high-end crowd or offer homemade/handcrafted items.

What to consider before using a Lettermark logo:

Know your fonts. The simplicity of the logo should work to your advantage, but make sure you’re not stuck with a boring, forgettable logo design; the appeal lies in the details.

Also, you may want to consider embossing your business’s full name under your logo on branding materials (like business cards or a landing page) so that people can build an association between your monogram logo and your company name.

Inspiration: HP, LG, Louis Vuitton, New York Yankees, IBM

Why should you comment and share?

mykartdesigns@mail.com (Cayla Jade) — Sat, 21 May 2022 10:52:07 GMT

So, if you are or aren’t a business owner, why should you comment on a business post?

How Your Social Media Feed is Determined

Andy Foote, LinkedIn Brand and Content Coach, contends that content that generates discussion is preferred, and subsequently rewarded, by the professional social network platforms like Facebook and Instagram to name a few.

This is why commenting is going to propel your post further and faster than a like or a share.

The most very basic way that I can explain how your Social Media feed is determined is this: They want to show content to its users that is high-quality and applicable to their interests. Likes, shares, and comments act as signals to algorithms that content is good.

Let's examine what likes, shares, and comments look like, how they're similar, and how they behave differently in your news feeds.

Let's take a quick dive into what happens when you like or share — and how these actions signal to the LinkedIn algorithm that there’s something interesting to see, extending the reach of a post. We'll also take a quick look at the new emoji reactions introduced.

Likes and Shares

One of the biggest differences between a like and a share is that with a like, you are passing along your approval without comment. With a share, you have the ability to give your own comment and to even @mention people you want to see the post.

Example of a Like

When content is only liked, you don't have the ability to pass along any comments.

A big advantage when liking, especially for the original post, is that a liked post will pass along the social activity of the original post. Your connections who like the post that you liked will be adding a like to the original content.

Example of a Share

A share and like appear similar. But in the share, a comment is passed along with the post. This allows the person sharing to @mention someone, such as in the example above, in which the author of the piece receives a shout-out. It also lets you add your thoughts on the article that you're sharing: why someone should read the article, your general opinion on the piece, why you found it helpful, etc.

Social media is all about engagement and interacting with your audience .

This means that when your followers and customers actually leave social media comments on your posts, you need to be responding – even if they’re not necessarily the nicest comments.

You mentioned News Feed Algorithm?

Each major social media platform has its own version of a "news feed" style algorithm. Below we’ll dive into the specifics of feed algorithms for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but here’s an overview of what the algorithms for these platforms factor in when prioritizing content.

Engagement

When you first create an account on a social media platform, you’re more likely to see a mix of random content that may not align with your interests. But over time, you’ll see the content will be more in line with your interests. How does that happen?

Social media platforms begin learning your interests and preferences very quickly based on what kind of content you engage with. Once a platform has a good idea of what a user is likely to engage with, they are going to prioritize that type of content in the user’s feed.

Time on Platform

Why does what you engage with matter so much? Well because the more time you spend engaging, the more time you’re likely to spend on a platform. When you spend more time on a platform, you’re susceptible to see (and buy from) advertising that is shown to you. And the more time you spend engaging on a social media platform, the more insight that platform has into your preferences, purchases, and habits.

Now let’s get into the details of how the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram algorithms work.

Facebook's News Feed Algorithm

Since the inception of the largest social media platform to date, Facebook's news feed has been focused on personalizing the social media app's user experience. According to eMarketer , we spend about 34 minutes each day using the platform.

To give users the best experience possible, Facebook's team of engineers are constantly studying user behavior and picking up signals that show what kind of content each user is most interested in.

How It Works

The Like button has always been the epicenter of Facebook's user experience — not only because we see it on everyone's posts, but because it allows us to personalize our experience (and influence everyone else's). Since it was first introduced in November 2007 , it's helped Facebook's engineers figure out which posts were delighting users, boring them, offending them, and so on.

Nowadays, the algorithm that governs Facebook's News Feed has become much more sophisticated. It isn't just about the Like button anymore — and not just because reaction buttons are now in the mix . In fact, Facebook's algorithm is by far the most complicated of the three social networks covered in this post.

Here's a quick rundown of the most important things Facebook's algorithm takes into account.

Relevancy Score

When picking posts for each person who logs on to Facebook, the News Feed algorithm takes into account hundreds of variables — and can predict whether a given user will Like, click, comment, share, hide, or even mark a post as spam.

More specifically, the algorithm predicts each of these outcomes with a certain degree of confidence. This prediction is quantified into a single number called a "relevancy score" that's specific both to you and to that post.

Once every post that could potentially show up in your feed has been assigned a relevancy score, Facebook's sorting algorithm ranks them and puts them in the order they end up appearing in your feed. This means that every time you log in, the post you see at the top of your News Feed was chosen over thousands of others as the one most likely to make you react and engage.

Ads are given relevancy scores, too, so that Facebook can show users the ads that could matter most to them. Again, this is supposed to give users a better experience — but it's also helpful for the businesses that are paying for the ads. It's calculated based on the positive feedback (video views, conversions, etc.) and negative feedback Facebook expects an ad to receive from its target audience. (Learn more about relevancy score for Facebook ads here .)

Prioritizing Friends

Before 2015, Facebook was predicting what users want to see on the News Feed based on more indirect signals, like Likes, comments, and shares of others. Eventually, it added options for users to filter out posts they don't want to see . But what about helping boost the posts users do want to see?

Through studies and surveys, Facebook found that many users were concerned about missing important updates from friends they cared about the most. In response to these concerns, the social media platform began changing the News Feed algorithm to give more control to the users themselves.

It started in April 2015 , when the company began giving priority (in the form of higher relevancy scores) to posts from friends over the Pages they follow and promotional posts. Later that year, in July, Facebook introduced the "See First" feature , which lets you actually hand-pick which accounts — whether friends or followed Pages — you want to see first at the top of your News Feed.

It can seem a little daunting to know the best way to interact with customers as your brand, so we will cover the different types of social media comments you’ll face and how to respond to them here *insert link*

How to use Google My Business to get more customers

mykartdesigns@mail.com (Cayla Jade) — Fri, 20 May 2022 13:33:38 GMT

What is Google My Business?

In short, Google My Business is like a virtual phonebook. Not only does Google My Business make your business easier to find on Google, but online directories such as Google My Business help you to reach potential customers that would otherwise not know how to find you.

Google My Business is a free tool that allows your business listing to show up alongside other related local businesses whenever someone looks up your business name or a related term. Your business information like your phone number, website, address, review ratings, hours, and more will all be available on one easy screen for potential customers.

Why you need a Google My Business listing

When it comes to anything tech-related in the rapidly advancing digital world, you might think Google My Business is old news and wonder “Is Google My Business relevant in 2021?” Well, we’ll let the statistics speak for themselves!

97% of people learn more about a local company online than anywhere else.
More specifically, 91% of adults use search engines to find information.
Drill down further, you’ll find Google has over 90% of the search engine market share.
Google has reported that a staggering 46% of all searches have local intent.
56% of actions on Google My Business listings are website visits. 24% of actions are calls to the business. And 20% of actions are direct searches.
64% of consumers have used Google My Business to find contact details for a local business.
16% of businesses receive more than 100 calls each month just from Google My Business alone.

Whether you’re considering creating a listing for your business or looking for the best ways to boost your local presence , Google My Business is well worth your time.

Google My Business benefits

Despite those amazing statistics, many businesses are still missing out on the beauty of Google My Business. So, let’s dive deeper into the specifics of how a Google My Business strategy can benefit your small business. Check out these 10 Google My Business benefits:

1. Show up in Google Maps searches to boost sales

While a quick Google search is effective for narrowing down options—especially for consumers on a mobile device — 86% of people use Google Maps to locate businesses nearby. When it’s more convenient for customers to come to your business if they find you close by, you’re more likely to make that sale.

Plus, customers who find a brand through their Google My Business listing are up to 50% more likely to make a purchase. By simply creating a Google My Business listing and completing the verification steps , your store location will start to pop up for local searches in Maps as well.

If, for example, you’re a pest control business, having a Google My Business account set up will allow your business to show up for searches in the Google Maps view like the one below!

2. You can become a part of Google’s 3-pack with Google My Business

If you’ve used Google’s local search results over the past few years, you’ve probably noticed that the only local listings to show above organic results in a first-page preview are in a limited 3-pack format. What most brands don’t know is that just by creating a free Google My Business listing, you boost your local rankings and odds of being included in Google’s local 3-pack .

The best part about being in the local 3-pack? Not only do these listings show users where your business is located on Google Maps , but they also show up high on the search results page—offering a major benefit to your impression share . To better demonstrate just how important this is from a business perspective, brands that show up on Google’s local 3-pack get a whopping 700% boost in clicks over brands that don’t.

3. Google My Business helps you build trust with customers

One of the biggest hurdles consumers face today is building enough trust with a business to confidently make a purchase. As a business owner, one of the simplest steps you can take to help with that is to provide them your location on Google My Business.

In fact, brands that show up on Google are almost 3 times more likely to be considered reputable by consumers.

This is due largely in part to the known legitimacy of the Google My Business verification process. Since it’s known businesses need to go through specific steps in order to show for a local search, Google is a trustworthy environment that users can rely on.

4. Google My Business ratings boost your appeal

90% of people read reviews before making a purchasing decision. With a Google My Business listing, customers will be able to review your business and leave feedback for others to see.

In doing this, not only will you get honest evaluations about what you’re doing right (or what you could be doing better) but you’ll also get that star rating system next to your business on Google.

Over time, you’ll start to collect more reviews and a higher overall rating ( responding to reviews helps with this as well). This is especially helpful when you need to gain a competitive edge .

5. Google My Business can increase your traffic

A common challenge local businesses face is that of getting an increase in quality website traffic as well as in-store visits . While there’s no way to completely avoid the ups and downs throughout the year, having a Google My Business listing can greatly help boost your numbers across the board.

Just by having a listing and showing up in local searches, businesses on Google My Business are 70% more likely to attract potential customers for in-store location visits. Plus, your Google My Business listing can pull in up to 35% more clicks to your website. So, your local listing will grow your traffic in more ways than one—both on the web and on foot!

6. Google My Business can teach you more about your customers

It’s no secret that the more you know about your customers, the better you’ll be able to appeal to them. From your Google My Business page, navigating to the Insights section will give you a wealth of valuable analytics that breaks down how visible your brand is , who your target customers are, and how they’re engaging with your business.

This is a powerful way to gauge how your business is performing so you can zero in on what’s working. By learning more about the kinds of customers your business is attracting, you’ll also be able to modify and improve your marketing strategy performance.

7. A Google My Business profile helps you to rank higher in results

Just like all of us, Google has a job to do. While sometimes it may feel like it’s working against you, Google wants to tell customers about your business because it needs to provide searchers with valuable information. The more Google knows about your business, the higher it will rank you on the search engine and Maps results.

How do you get Google to favor your business more? By supplying quality, consistent, and accurate information. Your Google My Business profile is the best way to feed Google this information so that it can successfully meet your consumers’ search needs.

8. Google My Business can increase engagement with your brand

Google My Business profiles provide ample opportunities for engagement. Potential customers can access your website or call you with one tap or click. Even more beneficial is the ability to reserve a table or book an appointment directly through your listing.

9. Google My Business is essentially free advertising

Running a Google Ads campaign is a great way to get to the top of Google , but it can feel easier said than done once it comes time to maximize your Google Ads budget . The alternative is improving your SEO. But this method takes time and resources to build up your authority and ranking.

A Google My Business listing, on the other hand, offers a form of fast and free advertising on Google . Google My Business gives you targeted exposure on the world’s most trusted search engine–and it costs nothing. It takes less time to optimize your profile than to get a solid paid search campaign up and running. Plus, an accurate and updated listing is an essential component of successful local SEO.

This is not to say that you should not run Google Ads or build your SEO through your website—these are marketing strategies that are well worth your time and money . However, Google My Business is an additional marketing strategy that is cheaper than paid search advertising and faster than SEO—not to mention simpler than both.

10. Get ahead of your competition with Google My Business

Through a small snippet of content, your Google My Business description gives you an opportunity to stand out from your competitors in a consumer’s initial scan through search results. It displays a brief description to help users quickly identify if your business is what they’re looking for. An effective Google My Business description offers a snapshot of your business, includes relevant keywords, and depicts something unique or authentic to help you show your value.

Get started with Google My Business today

Setting up a Google My Business account is painless and requires minimal maintenance once it’s running. If you’re short on time, you could also find a marketing partner to help you with Google My Business . Either way, we know Google My Business isn’t a want-to-have, but a need-to-have asset to your marketing plan .

Google’s search results are becoming more and more robust, with answer boxes, related questions, and even results appearing in the suggestion drop-down menu. The benefits Google My Business plants for local businesses are only growing. Get your profile set up today!

Tips for writing great posts that increase your site traffic

mykartdesigns@mail.com (Cayla Jade) — Fri, 20 May 2022 13:22:56 GMT

Write about something you know. If you don’t know much about a specific topic that will interest your readers, invite an expert to write about it.

Speak to your audience

You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about

Take a few moments to plan your post

Once you have a great idea for a post, write the first draft. Some people like to start with the title and then work on the paragraphs. Other people like to start with subtitles and go from there. Choose the method that works for you.

Don’t forget to add images

Be sure to include a few high-quality images in your blog. Images break up the text and make it more readable. They can also convey emotions or ideas that are hard to put into words.

Edit carefully before posting

Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add, and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.