Here’s how:

• It is a great way to solidify your online presence – something which is all too important in this age of technology. Current and potential customers can access your video/s anywhere and anytime! Whether a customer is in store or shopping online at home, no matter if it is 10am or 10pm, they can find a video about your company or product. Most importantly YouTube is the second most used search engine. Something to keep in mind!
• Similar to marketing via podcasting, some of your customers will naturally prefer to see and listen rather than read about a product – either they learn better this way or simply don’t have the time to sit down and read. Video marketing will grant you access to this group of current and potential customers.
• Video can be used to explain the features of a complicated/technical product or service. Packaging or written user guides can only convey so much information, so having a video explanation online can help a customer!

Video marketing is an engaging and fun way to explain your company and its products. It can be easily placed on your website and shared across your social media platforms for maximum exposure. If you have an Instagram account you will easily be able to make short 10 second videos to share. Or set up a professional camera and make longer videos – the possibilities are endless! And, saving the best for last, video marketing is free (unless of course you choose to employ a production house)! Remember your audience, what they want to know and what you want them to know. Keep it short as the consumer’s attention span is short! Lights, Camera, Action!

What makes a great logo? A logo is used to identify. It must be immediately recognisable, and must inspire trust and loyalty with the company.  And most importantly, it must set you apart from your competition!

A logo should be:

• Simple in design and unique without being overdrawn. Simple!
• Memorable. This is achieved by having a distinctive logo design. Make it easy for your customers to recognise and remember your brand.
• Timeless. It is all too easy to choose a trendy logo that is cutting edge and right on the money… for now. But what happens in 3 years’ time? What about in 10 years’ time when your so-called cutting edge design looks dated and irrelevant? While some logos may need a small revamp after a decade, you want to avoid having to go through a complete rebrand down the track. It’s better to stick with a design that is unique, classic and appropriate, rather than jumping on the latest logo bandwagon.
• Versatile. Can your logo be used across a variety of mediums? Can it be resized? Will it work in both horizontal and vertical formats? No? Well it’s time to look at how this can be achieved.
• Appropriate for your business and industry.  It is important to make your logo appropriate to your industry as it can act as the reputation that precedes you in the marketplace. If you have a daggy logo, your company could be perceived as daggy (not great!).

Your company or brand should have a strategy to determine how you wish to be positioned in the market; your logo is an important element of this brand strategy. It is the starting point of your brand image and it’s what makes your company’s image unique. It all comes down to having a great concept and being able to provide great execution. If you can’t or don’t want to design your own logo, hire a graphic designer who understands your brand and how you would like to be positioned, as well as what you want to achieve in the future.

Remember that you want to be remembered… but for the right reasons, not for your poor choice in logo design!

Your competitors hold the answers to what will push your business ahead of the game. Through analysis and comparison of your business competitors, you will gain knowledge and insight into what will give you an advantage; what the do well, what they do badly, how your business can differentiate itself from them and what you customers are looking for. Some more examples include:

• Who are the key players in your competitor’s business and whom are they targeting?
• What are your competitors doing within your industry as well as online?
• When are they engaging the most clients?
• Where are they engaging these clients – what platform are they using?
• How are they engaging their clients and how do their clients perceive them?

There are several locations and tools online where it is possible to find information about your competitors. Google searches, Google Alerts, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube (really any social media platform they are active on), Geo Location networks (e.g. Foursquare), review sites (e.g. Yelp), forums and bulletin boards, company annual reports and company websites are all points of reference for comparing your what you are doing with what you competitors are doing.

By understanding your competitors, you can identify their strengths and weakness. You will see what works and what doesn’t, subsequently using this information to arm your business with a strategy that will give you the means to differentiate and stay ahead of the game.

Make sure understanding competitors is part of your ongoing plan and analysis is carried out every 6 months. Your competitors are most likely analysing your business and their other competitors, so their strategies will be constantly be changing as well.