Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about Logo Design
Can I just use a generic logo?
While you can download cheap generic logos from the internet. I recommend against using any such logo because it will not look professional and will not be effective to communicate your brand to your target demographic.
What is the difference between a Brand and a Logo?
A Logo is a visual representation of your company; however, a Brand is much more than a Logo. The Brand of your company includes the name of your company, a logo, a unique selling proposition (what sets your business apart from your competitors). This can include a product or service that you offer or it can be a unique business process that your company has. In summary, a Brand is the overall look and feel of your company and it involve the experiences that you customers have interacting with your company.
How can having a Brand affect my company?
A Brand should effectively communicate your marketing message with current customers, potential customers, and the general public. A Brand builds trust and customer loyalty for your company.
How much does a logo cost?
While many logo design companies offer logo design packages with a few design concepts for a minimal cost. Using this method can often lead to less-than-acceptable results. Since every logo is unique and every company has different needs. The best option is to contact me directly and get a custom quote for logo design. I can assure you that I will be able to work within your budget making a new logo design an affordable addition to your business.
Questions about Website Design
Do I need a web developer or a web designer?
The main difference between a designer and a developer is that a website designer is responsible for the layout and graphics which are the look and feel of the website. A website developer writes the computer code that enables the website to show up properly when people visit the website. A designer and developer are equally important, and often, you will be able to find a company that can handle both the design and development of your website.
Who is qualified to design websites?
Unfortunately, the web design industry is over-saturated with under-qualified individuals that claim to be able to build a website to suit your needs. However, companies that have extensive experience with website design and development are some of the best options. Another important factor to consider relates to how your website visitors react on your website. Online marketing professionals have more experience with user analytics and psychological factors that influence the decisions of your website visitors.
How do I go about picking the right one for me?
I recommend that you look for a company (like Shout! Creative) that has solid experience with design, development, AND online marketing.
How much does a web site cost?
That’s like saying, how much does a car cost? Just like automobiles, websites have different purposes that suit the needs of different businesses. Are you interested in collecting leads from a website? Do you want to sell products online? There is a bundle of questions to discover your website needs. I assure you that I will be able to work within your budget to create a unique, stylish, highly-effective, and purposeful website for your company.
Do I need to hire a “local” web site designer?
With many options for communication through the internet, typically a face-to-face meeting is never necessary. Shout! Creative uses phone, email, instant chat, Skype, and a project management tool to communicate and collaborate with my clients.
How long does it take to have a web site designed?
It can take as little as a week or as long as three months to design and create a website. It depends on how much information needs to be added to the website. Since websites vary in size, please contact me to get an accurate assessment of your project time frame. In my experiences, occasionally, I have been waiting on my clients to provide the content (text and images) for the website. There are often delays on the client’s side that may not be factored into the project time frame estimate.
What is a domain name?
The domain name of the website is the address of your website. Often called a URL, the domain name can be the same as your business name to help strengthen your company brand but it doesn’t have to be. It can be related to your industry and your location. For example, www . saltlakecitydentist . com. There are a couple of reasons for this. If you are a local business and want to target customers from a local geographic area, this can give you an advantage in the search engines.
What is web site hosting?
Website hosting is necessary for all websites online. There are many reliable web hosting companies that charge between $5 – $15 per month to store your website files on their servers so your website visitors can view your home page, etc. Shout! Creative recommends Bluehost.com as their preferred hosting company.
What is a CMS and what advantage does it have over an HTML website?
CMS stands for content management system. A website that runs on a content management system can be easily updated by a website owner that may not have knowledge of HTML and other web design code. Shout! Creative loves WordPress and prefers it to other content management systems. Let me help you setup a WordPress-powered website so you can edit and update the website yourself.
What is a blog? Why do I need one?
A blog is a section of a website that delivers content in the form of helpful information to your website visitors. A blog can include general news articles, company newsletters, announcements, press releases, and videos. A blog is often closely related to a CMS because the website owner can easily update the blog at any time without needing additional HTML and website coding knowledge.
Can’t I just use a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) web design service?
That is certainly a possibility. There are many DIY web design services out there. While they seem very appealing on the company budget. It is best to, at the very least, consult a professional web designer regarding this option. My opinion about DIY web design services is that they aren’t able to accomplish the objective of having a website to begin with.
Online Marketing
Isn’t just having a website enough?
A website designed to accomplish its objectives can be the most powerful marketing tool for any business. However, a website that doesn’t get any visitors will never do a company any good. I recommend using an online marketing plan to generate new customers through social media, search engine marketing, and a viral video marketing campaign.
What is SEO, SEM, PPC, CPM?
SEO stands for search engine optimization; it is the process of making your website as relevant as possible to the search terms used to find your business. Search engines use relevancy to rank the search results. SEO can help you achieve more website traffic through Google and other search engines.
SEM is search engine marketing; similar to SEO, SEM uses the power of programs like Google Adwords and Bing/Yahoo AdCenter to get your website to the top of the search engines through paid ads.
PPC stands for pay-per-click; it is the payment method used with SEM and paid ads in Google Adwords. When using an SEM strategy, every time a website visitor clicks on your ad, you are charged a small amount for that click; hence, pay-per-click. You don’t pay anything until someone clicks on your ad.
CPM is cost-per-thousand (NOT million) impressions; this is another common method for paid ads. When you run a banner advertisement on a website, you can often choose this option rather than PPC. That means any time 1,000 pairs of eyeballs see your banner ad, you are charged a small amount (anywhere between $2.50 – $10.00 depending on the website). This option has nothing to do with clicks. You may not get any clicks or visits to your website but you may still be paying for the ad placement.
To decide how much you can spend on an advertising budget, you should know how much it costs you to get a lead, what that lead is worth, and how much it costs to turn that lead into a sale. In other words, you should know how much is costs you to gain a new client or make a sale.
What is Social Media?
Social media marketing is all about leveraging social networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumbr, etc. While social media marketing can involve getting new customers and clients, social media marketing should focus on strengthening your brand.
How can I use Social Media to help grow my business?
Social media is a great place to start if you don’t already have an online marketing strategy in place. It’s easy to get started with social media but you need to know how to do it correctly. Contact me and I’d be happy to lend you some helpful advice to get started.
What is viral video marketing?
Viral videos are an amazing way to generate interest in your business AND create brand awareness. If you currently have a personal account on Facebook, how often do you see a friend that shared a video from YouTube.com. It is great for business. Again, contact me to get started with a viral marketing campaign.
What is affiliate marketing and is it right for my business?
Affiliate marketing is the process of “hiring” affiliates or advocates for your business. If you have ever considered rewarding a referral fee to anyone that has brought in a new client then you have participated in affiliate marketing. It can be a powerful way to get new clients via a referral program.