Branding Archives

Whether you want traditionally-styled landing pages, or you want to show off the creativity capabilities of your business, cutting-edge website design trends are always being developed. It’s important for your business to adopt these trends as consumers prefer websites with current and modern appeal to them.

Here are a few modern website design trends ranging from website functions and features, to their elements of aesthetic appeal.

Mobile Compatibility

Having landing pages that can operate well on a mobile platform is a must for all new web designs. 2014 marked the year that smartphone and tablet web searches exceeded desktop searches. In 2016, mobile searches accounted for 60% of all internet searches. It is expected that this shift from stationary to mobile internet use will only continue to grow for 2018.

Animation

The inclusion of engaging video backgrounds is one of the most effective and current website design trends today. Moving background elements are stylish, attract more attention from the user, and are a great way to incorporate the visualization trend.

Illustration and Hand-drawn Fonts

Injecting custom illustrations into your website is a great way to show a bit of personality. Illustrations can be tailored to your brands voice. Featuring this creative web element adds a fun and energetic appeal to the website, making brands feel more approachable. Illustrations can also work to maintain a feeling of simplicity. The exact type of illustration is entirely up to you, depending on the design and feel you want your brand to have.

Gradients

This trend involves fading two or more colors into each other. The use of gradients in background design is an older trend that has been revamped in the past few years with vibrant and updated colors by many web designers. Gradients create a depth effect that has been growing in popularity and is expected to continue growing in 2018. This effect has been very successful for many businesses, one of the most popular examples is the latest Instagram logo.

AI Assistants

Having this feature as part of your web design is an easy way for customers to reach out and receive a prompt response. As opposed to calling or sending an email, AI is a great way for your business to interact with and help customers who may only have small inquiries. AI assistants have become increasingly common over the past few years and are expected to continue to grow as consumers seek expedient responses.

Minimalism

While minimalism would hardly be described as a new trend, it’s continued growth and popularity is worth mentioning here. By excluding everything except for the bare necessities on a website, the audience’s attention is shifted towards what is important. This “less is more” mentality works especially well for retail sites, where excessive visuals can distract from products, features, pricing, and more.

What is important to keep in mind is that minimalism doesn’t always mean removing features from a website. Simply tucking options into smaller “hamburger” menus is an excellent example of how websites incorporate all of their features into a minimalistic design, as well as ensure mobile compatibility.

Layering

Layering involves placing colors, shapes, or images over each other. Like gradients, layering creates a depth effect. Creating depth through layering is an excellent method for creating an engaging visual experience with a fresh and modern appeal.

Asymmetry

While many websites have been designed on symmetrical grids in previous years, asymmetry offers a more creative appeal that many brands are beginning to incorporate into their landing pages. This trend is ideal for any brand looking to show off their creative side.

Keeping current when it comes to web presence is an important part of maintaining brand relevancy and a competitive edge on the internet. If you feel that your business could benefit from a new and modern web design, contact Jessica Chabot, Vice President, Client Services of Millennium Agency at www.mill.agency.

About Millennium Agency

Millennium Agency is a nationally recognized, top woman led B2B branding, positioning, and digital marketing firm who knows how to create value that emotionally influences your customer’s buying decision, giving you the competitive advantage. As your trusted partner in B2B software technology and manufacturing, we provide the branding and positioning framework that make an impact – so you can focus on what you do best – run your business successfully. With offices in Boston and New Hampshire, and a worldwide presence, the professionals at Millennium Agency would like to learn more about your business.  Visit www.mill.agency or book time here.  

Have you ever seen a flash out of the corner of your eye only to look and realize it was just light bouncing off a window or water body? That head-spinning effect is essentially the goal of all logos, to jump out and catch the attention of passersby. When a logo is fresh and new, it has the highest chance of attracting consumer attention. Over time however, logo trends can become outdated, losing the flare that they used to have. This is why it is important to update your logo from time to time based on the newest eye-catching trends.

Regardless of whether you are updating your logo or creating an entirely new one from scratch, here are 3 new logo trends that will be making a splash for this year:

Simplicity

Keeping it simple is an effective logo trend that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. While this is not necessarily a new trend, simplicity can be considered the backbone of successful logo design and should serve as a jumping off point. Simplicity in a logo’s design can be divided into two categories: text and design.

Simple text: If your logo is too wordy, you may be losing the interest of passing glances that just don’t have the time to stop and take everything in. Reducing unnecessary text is an important and successful trend that many businesses will be utilizing this year.

One effective method of simplifying text that is storming this year is letter stacking. By shifting a lengthy logo from the horizontal plane to the vertical plane, a consolidated effect is created and the logo becomes easier to digest. If your business simply can’t reduce a single letter from your logo, perhaps stacking is the proper direction to head in.

Simple design: If there is too much action going on in your logo (i.e., multiple shapes or overly detailed pictures), this can be distracting and, in fact, less memorable. Over the past few years many successful businesses have simplified their logo designs to create the memorable ones that we all know today.

Retro-Style Design

Logos that have a retro feel to them are becoming more and more popular for 2018. Trends such as coats of arms are making a popular comeback. Retro-style logos invoke feelings of nostalgia and are associated with heritage, longevity, and tradition. This is important because these three notions establish trust with consumers. When your logo feels like you are a brand that has been around for a significant period of time, customers are more willing to trust your product or service.

Another alluring factor of retro-style logos is that they appeal to a wide variety of target audiences. This is a valuable feature for businesses that offer products/services to a diverse target market.

Color Transitioning

This is a very popular trend. There are two major ways in which color transitioning is being used for this year: gradation and overlapping.

Gradation: When a logo features this color transitioning effect, a feeling of depth is created. Depth is an important effect because it helps the design stand out to consumers. When done properly, color gradation in a logo will create the jump out effect that grabs the attention of passersby.

Overlapping: This is another form of color transition that allows for the use of at least two colors in a logo while still maintaining simplicity. The Venn diagram-esque method of overlapping two shapes with different colors creates a pleasing color shifting effect that is both eye-catching and memorable.

As many businesses know, staying current is important when it comes to being relevant to consumers. If you feel that an updated or new logo design could assist in elevating your brand’s appeal, contact Jessica Chabot, Vice President, Client Services of Millennium Agency at www.mill.agency.

About Millennium Agency

Every industry is in a constant state of change, as new and more efficient methods of providing products and services are developed, old methods are phased out. The field of marketing is no exception, in fact it is one of the fastest industries to adopt new campaign methods.

Here are four marketing campaigns that are losing their ability to effectively target consumers.

Non-Personalized Content and Emails

Personalization is becoming a marketing must. Market research has shown that many consumers will overlook or skim past emails that are not specific to them, even if they feature a product or service that would be useful to them. Hello User is just simply not as enticing as Hello Jane Doe.

Targeted emails and ads that feature information relevant to a consumer’s values are slowly usurping the throne that non-personalized content used to hold. With so many ways to gather information on your target audience, personalized content is both an easy and efficient method for getting through to customers.

Purely Textual Advertisements and Emails

People crave excitement in their media. Plain text just doesn’t have the same effect in marketing campaigns that it used to, unless done very strategically.

Advertisements that are finding the most success are ones that feature visual elements such as pictures or videos. Using quality imagery helps your target market visualize your business model far more vividly than if they only had a few words or sentences to go off of.

Excessive Content in Advertisements

With so many forms of media vying for their attention, consumers don’t have time to take in and digest extensive content like they used to. Emails that feature multiple paragraphs or advertisements that feature excessive content and visuals are often too much for a passing glance to take in.

Content that is concise and to the point is the most effective when it comes to consumer action. The goal of an internet advertisement is purely to encourage a user to click on the link to learn more. These short and provoking messages can then link to content that features more substance. Once they have already clicked to learn more, it is much more likely that a user will be willing to read what you have to say in depth.

Websites and Social Media Without Updated Content

A good website and a solid social media outreach are the cornerstone to a successful internet presence for a business but, just like watering plants, it is important to constantly maintain these mediums. If your platforms have not been updated with new and interesting content, it is likely that you are missing out on traffic that could lead to sales.

Websites that experience the most success when it comes to consumer visits and sales are ones that frequently update both their business’ webpages and social media. Updated, interesting content about your business and industry keeps your brand relevant in the eyes of a user, meaning they will be much more likely to come to you when they need the product or service you offer.

When it comes to marketing, the classic saying “out with the old, in with the new,” really is true. Keeping your campaign efforts current is paramount to your marketing success. If you feel that a new marketing strategy could be advantageous for your business, contact Linda Fanaras, President/Strategist of Millennium Agency www.mill.agency.

About Millennium Agency

Music and jingles have been a part of advertising since the very early stages of mass communication. This is because advertisers know that consumers form an emotional connection to music, much more so than regular text-based advertising. So how exactly does this process work?

Here are a few ways lyrics and songs can be used to advertise your business:

Emotional Persuasion

It is well known that a “feel-good” song can be used to advertise to listeners and associate feeling “happy” with your brand. From a scientific perspective, this is because musical communication creates a deep empathic and neurologic connection in a potential buyer. Due to this, music can be used to evoke an emotional connection in a few different ways.

How to Create Emotional Connections With Music

Use songs to create an emotional connection with your target audience through positive associations with your brand. Although positive music is not required to create a successful advertisement, the basic rule of thumb is to use music that reflects the emotion you would like your customer base to associate with your brand. From there you can alter your music to achieve specific goals in many different ways, such as:

Adding lyrics to specifically mention your brand and build awareness.
Using well known public domain music to grab the attention of listeners who are familiar with it.
Creating unique and catchy compositions that separate your brand from the crowd.
Utilizing tempo to focus on your specific customer base. For example, a fast-paced song may be ideal for an upbeat coffee commercial. In contrast, a relaxing rhythm may work better for a travel agency offering vacation getaway packages.

Instrumental vs Lyrical Content

Both the lyrical and instrumental aspects of music play distinct and powerful roles in the persuasive effect of an advertisement. While both lyrical and instrumental content use music as an advertising tool to make meaningful impressions, there are some key differences between them.

Lyrical Content

Lyrical content can help achieve the “song-stuck-in-head” syndrome that helps engrain a brand within a consumer’s memory. People are far better at remembering things when they can place a beat or rhythm to them. Musically wording a certain message assists brand recall and recognition. Listen briefly to the lyrics in the following advertisement, created by Honda for the 2017 holiday season, to see this effect in action:

Honda Holiday Commercial

This advertisement featured lyrics that were relatable to the customer base Honda was trying to reach, those who needed a family friendly vehicle for traveling and running errands. The catchy beat and the fact that it is rehash of a well-known song make for a memorable advertisement.

Instrumental Content

Instrumental content, on the other hand, is more impactful when it comes to reaching a customer’s emotional side. Note the following two contrasting, yet similarly designed advertisements:

U.S. Army Commercial

Animal Shelter PSA Commercial

Both use plain-spoken language and an instrumental backdrop. The Army commercial features instrumentation that instills feelings of greatness, empowerment, and strength while the animal shelter commercial uses melancholy instrumentation that invokes sympathy. Both instrumentals work towards the advertiser’s goals of instilling an emotion that encourages action. The actions and messages in these particular cases are joining the military to be part of a greater cause and donating to help animals because of empathy for their condition.

Length

Length is an important factor when it comes to how songs can be used to advertise. Consumers are often faced with multiple forms of media competing for their attention throughout their day. As a result, consumers have very short attention spans when it comes to advertising. Short and to the point is the most successful form of musical content in advertising, so leave your power ballads at home for this one.

Remember, there are many ways to get in touch with your customer base. Using an optimal advertising strategy, specific to your target market, is key to growing your brand and achieving your business goals. If your business is in need of a new marketing plan to promote your brand, contact Jessica Chabot, Vice President, Client Services of Millennium Agency at www.mill.agency.

About Millennium Agency

With so many ways to market your business, it’s important to have the right consumer data. You may have heard the term “big data,” but are not sure how to take advantage of this data to learn about your potential consumers. Here are three proven strategies for gathering viable consumer data:

Email Segmentation

Your customer base is diverse, and it is important for your email marketing efforts to reflect this. Utilizing email segmentation helps your content resonate with consumers. For example, suppose that your business sells LED light products with a variety of industrial, household, and automotive applications. Segmenting your email content by audience will help you reach your customer base with relevant information.

Believe it or not, even subtle segmentation can be very effective. For example, “How XYZ lights keep the road ahead visible for you and your family” may resonate better with family-oriented customers than simply, “How XYZ lights keep the road ahead visible.”

Moreover, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to email segmentation:

Monitoring your segmented email success rate will give you actionable data on your customers. Much like A/B testing, small tweaks and changes will help you connect your message with the values of your customers.
There is no such thing as too much segmentation! The more personal the email, the better the chance of connecting with your audience.

Keyword Research

Keywords are “key” when it comes to reaching the right customers. Roughly 50% of search queries are under four words, which makes it important to identify which keywords work and which ones aren’t as effective.

Thus, enhancing your keywords is central to the cause of improving your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and increasing sales. Consumers rely almost entirely on the internet for information on where to buy what they are looking for.

Additionally, by monitoring data on your keyword conversion rates, you can enhance your business’ SEO and reach a larger population of potential customers.

Closed Loop Marketing

Closed loop marketing is another strategy for gathering customer data and learning more about what converts users to leads. Today, there are four steps to closed loop marketing that provide highly useful data on consumer behavior:

Visitor arrives on your site: Can be used to determined how users find your website. Perhaps they entered through a search engine, by clicking on an email link, or through links from content/social media. Whatever the source, you can learn more about how people are hearing about you from this step.
Visitor browses your site: Provides data on where the user travels on your website before they become a lead. This data demonstrates what works on your website for visitor conversion and what elements could be improved.
Visitor becomes a lead: A visitor can become a lead by filling out a submission form, creating an account, or signing up to receive emails. Regardless of how they become a lead, this step will provide you with valuable data on who your customers are.
Visitor becomes a customer: Monitoring data on visitors who become customers is critical to learning about their buying journey. Follows buyers from their first point of contact with your brand up until their purchase of your product or service.

Utilizing and researching email segmentation, keyword research, and closed loop marketing can provide valuable consumer data that can help you expand your customer-base and achieve your business goals. If you feel that your business could use assistance gathering actionable consumer data, contact Jessica Chabot, Vice President, Client Services of Millennium Agency at www.mill.agency.

About Millennium Agency

Blogging is easily one of the biggest marketing trends of the decade. It is well known in the marketing world that there are a variety of benefits blogging creates for business. Just a few of the benefits of starting your own blog include:

Establishment of a business as a thought leader in their industry
Higher credibility with customers/readers
Increased brand awareness through a variety of mediums such as social media
Increased Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

If you interested in starting your own blog to take advantage of some of these benefits, here are a few tips to help you begin:

Style and Format

One of the first steps to starting your own blog is to choose a style and format. Consistency is important when it comes to the display of your blogs because you will be using the same style and format for all future blogs further down the line. It is also important that this display lines up with your overall brand image. If your brand and logo incorporate the colors green and blue, then your blog design should reflect this.

It may sound like a lot at first, but don’t sweat this step too much. The most important part of your blogs is the content, so a simple design that doesn’t distract your readers with too many visuals will do just fine.

Tagging and Links

If you are serious about starting your own blog, be sure to set up a tagging system. Tags allow readers to quickly find relevant content, and a few solid tags relating to your blog topic will go a long way. It can be easy to go tag-crazy if you write about a large variety of topics but only a few are necessary per blog. Sweeping tags that encompass the basic premise of your blogs will do just fine when it comes to searchability. Remember, tags can always be added if you do feel that you missed something, but tags are difficult to remove because this could affect the tagging on content created prior.

Links within your blogs are also important because they will help direct the reader to other useful content either on your webpage or on another site. For example, if you are reading this blog now and would like to learn more about Millennium Agency or perhaps other useful marketing information, these links will help you easily get through to useful content. Another major benefit of having links on your blogs is that your SEO gets a big boost.

Authorship and Comment Sections

Setting up author profiles and comment sections are an important part of starting your own blog. Author profiles encourage recognition of the author of each blog for their work and help the readers form a more personal connection with each blog. In addition to this, there is an added benefit of increased SEO for blogs with author profiles. These profiles don’t have to be very long or extensively detailed, a few descriptive words as well as links to personal social media pages work just fine.

Comment sections also allow readers to form a deeper connection to the blogs by posting their reactions. These reactions can be a great source of feedback for future blogs as well as an opportunity to learn more about your customers. Comment sections are very flexible in how they can be displayed and managed. If you decide to add a comment section on your blogs, you can decide things such as whether you want to screen comments or not, how many comments are allowed, and how many levels of comments there are so that you can address each post individually.

Sharing Options for Social Media

This tip is short and sweet. Social media is the one of the most used platforms for sharing news between consumers. In fact, 72% of adult internet users use Facebook. With over one billion active users per day on Facebook alone, that’s a lot of sharing.

Including social media sharing options when starting your own blog is exponentially helpful when it comes to brand awareness. By including these links, readers can share with friends and help provide free promotion for your content as well as your overall brand.

Subscribe Options and Calls-To-Action

Including options that encourage consumers to subscribe is beneficial when it comes to creating regular blog readers. This can open the door to email marketing efforts as well. When a reader decides they would like to subscribe, you can present them with options detailing how often they would like to be notified as well as what type of promotional emails they would like to receive from you.

The final tip we have to offer you on blogging is to include at least one call to action (CTA). CTAs can be considered any type of writing or blurb at the end of your blog that encourages your reader to either read on or utilize your business’ products or services. Of all the people who read your blogs, it is very likely that a portion of them would be interested in learning more or perhaps doing business with you, which is why it is important to include the option for them to do these things. If you’re not entirely sure about how to create a CTA for your blogs, check out ours below:

Not every business may realize it but featuring a blogging initiative on their website is extremely beneficial for a variety of reasons. Utilizing these tips and creating powerful, unique, and enticing content will help you design blogs with maximum impact. If a new blogging strategy is something that you think would be advantageous for your business, contact Linda Fanaras, President/Strategist of Millennium Agency www.mill.agency.

About Millennium Agency

Native advertising. It is truly the future of advertising. For those of you who aren’t familiar with native ads, they are a form of advertising that “blends in” with a webpage environment to create a seamless transition between the page content and sponsored content. Native advertising can come in many different forms online; it can be in the form of a sponsored article or a video link on the side of a webpage promoting similar content to the topic of the page. This type of advertising has seen exponentially increasing popularity in recent years due to the booming internet era and the way it aligns with the interests of many members of the internet community.

Not to be confused with programmatic advertising, native advertising has seen some immensely successful campaigns in the past few years. Millennium would like to share with you some of the native ad trends that seem to work better than others. Here are four ways your business can gain the best visibility with your native ads:

Provide Entertainment

Catching the attention of potential customers with your native ads is important. Providing entertainment for consumers creates a positive experience for them and, as a result, they are more likely to associate your business with that positivity. Just because the content is sponsored doesn’t mean that it can’t have elements of excitement or intrigue. Tell a story or maybe provide a list of interesting and unusual facts. Creating unique content that contains captivating entertainment is a large part of getting through to your audience.

Know your Customers’ Interests

Knowing your customers and what they are interested in is an important factor when it comes to native ads. If you are publishing a native ad in the form of an article, be sure that the article’s subject is pertinent to the interests of your customer base. Market research is key here, learning about your customers’ values will truly help in the creation of content that hits home with them and builds your brand with your customer-base.

Be Relevant to the Page

Relevance to the page that your ad is located on is important. For example, if your ad is linked to a webpage that provides easy-to-make holiday recipes, then your ad should relate to either the holiday or to home cooking in some way. Doing this creates seamlessness which is the foundation of successful native ads. Relevance to the page is also important in capturing the reader’s attention. If a person is interested in the page your ad is linked to, it is likely they will be interested in your ad as well if it contains a similar subject.

Be Straightforward

Let your readers know that they are reading an advertisement. Transparency is an important trend these days and, more often than not, consumers appreciate businesses that are direct in their advertising methods. This layer of honesty can really help your business connect with your customers. An advertisement that shoots straight with a consumer and also provides interesting/useful content has the best chance of getting through to potential customers.

Native advertising is a field that will only continue to grow. Each year, much like the internet as a whole, native ads are changing in order to enhance the user experience. If native advertising is something that you are interested in for your business, contact Jessica Chabot, Vice President, Client Services of Millennium Agency at www.mill.agency.

About Millennium Agency

We’ve all seen videos being shared on social media to promote certain businesses. In fact, it’s almost more common to see videos on social media than any other form of post these days. But it doesn’t end there; many websites also feature videos on their landing pages to give visitors a better idea of who they are. This trend is referred to as visualization, and it isn’t unintentional. Businesses are learning that people respond well to and are more engaged by videos.

Visualization in the marketing world refers to a trend in which videos help a consumer “visualize” their lives if they were to buy your product or utilize your services. Videos tell a story to your customers, heightening the likelihood that they will take action. This action could be a purchase, or it could be something simpler such as “liking” or sharing the video with their peers. If your website doesn’t include many videos or if your social media efforts don’t include elements of visualization, here is why you should take steps to change this:

Tell Your Story

Watching a video captivates an audience in a way that images and content don’t. Whether it’s be a movie, a television show, or even a short clip, people identify with videos and form a connection with the characters and events. Creating a story for your business encourages this connection for consumers. After all, what better way to show a potential customer your value to them than by creating a visual story outlining your business model or demonstrating relatability to their needs. By including video in your website, you are telling a story that encourages viewers to form a positive impression of who you are as a business, visualize how their life would/could be better if they were to utilize your business, and tell their friends about you.

Build Your Social Media Presence

When done right, a successful story encourages the viewer to share the video with their friends, which in turn promotes your brand. Brand awareness through social media is an invaluable thing to have these days. Most consumers will choose to purchase a service or product from a familiar source as opposed to an unknown one. Social media works as a great medium for sharing videos because of its casual nature. A video being shared by a friend is far more welcoming than an obtrusive commercial, therefore the chances of connecting with users and building familiarity with them are better. Social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram have been increasingly incorporating video elements into their platforms because they know that users form a deeper attachment to engaging videos.

Experience a Higher Click-Through-Rate

As stated before, visualization encourages customers to form an immersive connection with your business, even if just for a brief moment. When a person envisions what their life could be like with your product or service, they are no longer arbitrarily comparing numbers and slogans, they can see first hand what will happen if they choose your business. Once a customer has this connection, it is far more likely that they will click on your call to action to learn more. A more enticing visual element encourages a higher CTR (or click-through-rate), and a higher CTR can increase lead generation.

Visualization in marketing is becoming more and more important each year. Social media sites and apps have been catching on to this trend and are supporting more visual elements into their platforms. If you feel that your business could benefit from a better visualization strategy, then contact Linda Fanaras, President/Strategist of Millennium Agency www.mill.agency.

About Millennium Agency

Positioning is all about establishing the identity of your business. Positioning of service refers to the impression a customer forms when they come in contact with your business. Put simply, positioning of service poses the question: “Who do people think you are as a business?” The days of simply providing a service or product and then ‘calling it a day’ are over. With so many different businesses out there and such easy access to goods and services via the internet, customers need to know that their values are being upheld by whomever they’re buying from. So how do you improve your positioning of service in order to maintain a competitive edge? Here are a few ways in which your business can improve its positioning of service.

Develop a mission statement

A mission statement clearly conveys what it is you stand for as a business. It is important to know what your values are before you try to position your business. Even more important than this is knowing your customers’ values. Your business values and mission statement should stem from the wants and needs of your customers and what you can help them with. The market is determined by what the consumer believes the producer stands for, and no one wants to do business with a company whose identity they conflict with. Once you have a solid idea of the values you want to uphold for your positioning of service, you should put them in a clear and concise statement that outlines them for your customers and employees to see.

Know what is already out there

Be sure to study your competitors’ positioning of service. It is important that your positioning is different from the competition. Generic or copycat businesses usually go unnoticed or ignored. Make sure your positioning shows that you are unique and that you stand out from the crowd. Another reason to study the competition is to find out what works and what doesn’t. While you want to be unique when it comes to the details of your business, it is important to know what hits home with consumers to ensure they resonate with your brand.

Ensure that your positioning of service is uniform throughout your business

Consistency in a customer’s experience encourages repeat business. It is crucial that you maintain the same standards throughout all facets of your service. You want to ensure that your customers take away the same engaging experience from your website, your emails, and in-person encounters. If your positioning of service is inconsistent, your customers may not recognize the identity you are trying to convey and are less likely to do business with you in the future.

Test before implementing, then listen

A trial-run may be necessary before you roll out anything new. Many successful businesses often host consumer think tanks to test new ideas. This process of testing before implementing will help you determine if your message is achieving your positioning goals with your customers. It is important to note that even when new positioning strategies are implemented, they can always be revised to increase your competitive edge. Listening to your customers is a crucial step that many successful businesses take to measure customer satisfaction and ensure that their new positioning strategies are working to achieve the best results.

Remember, consumers these days are becoming more and more aware of who they are buying from and what their values are. Your positioning of service tells your customer exactly who you are and why they should do business with you. If you don’t feel that your service is conveying the right values to your customer base, contact Linda Fanaras, President/Strategist of Millennium Agency www.mill.agency.

About Millennium Agency

Logos. They are the first point of contact between your business and a prospective customer. Some logos are stylish and extravagant while others are simple and subtle, but they all serve the same basic functions. A successful logo will catch the eye of a consumer, inform them in the most basic way about who you are, and instill recognition and familiarity in their memory so as to encourage repeat business. If your business is in need of a logo, or your current logo needs a refresh, here are five principles to help you design your logo:

Color and Shape

Certain colors can incite certain human emotional reactions: red is considered an inciteful color while blue is often considered soothing. Knowing your colors and the psychological effects they may have on consumers is a great starting point for logo construction. Shape also has an effect on human emotions as well. Did you know that the strongest shape found in nature is the triangle? For this reason, many people subconsciously associate this shape with strength and sturdiness. Small details like this can lead to the creation of an effective logo. Make sure you study the effects of colors and shapes on consumers before you roll out your logo.

Know What’s Already Out There

When designing your logo, be cautious of copying an existing one. Try to avoid similar traits to other logos. You don’t want customers to mistake you for, or associate you with, a completely different business, especially if they’ve had a negative experience with that business.

Don’t Limit Yourself

Many businesses utilize acronyms or a full spelling of their business name and then call it a day, but it doesn’t have to stop there. It’s important to be creative and think about things from a different angle than the competition when designing your logo. For example, the arrow under the Amazon logo not only forms a smile but it also points from A to Z, reflecting the nature of their business. These small features differentiate Amazon’s logo from the logos of their competitors and offer a creative way of connecting with their customer base.

Keep it Simple

An overly extravagant or eccentric logo can be a lot to take in for today’s society. People think fast, talk fast, and most importantly look fast. You don’t want your logo to be overlooked because it was too much for a passing glance to take in. Many people are bombarded by symbols and signs on a daily basis. You want to make sure that your logo stands out but is also easy to understand. It is this philosophy that drove Millennium Agency to shorten its title with our Short is Sexy campaign.

Know Your Customers

The jagged bright green letter M tearing through a black Monster can is quite reflective of the energetic nature of the product and its customer base. On the other hand, Teavana’s logo features a zen pose that reflects the calm nature of their product as well as tea culture in general. Make sure you know who your customer base is and what their values are, then try to align your logo’s design with these values.

Remember, a well-designed logo can increase lead generation to your business while a poorly designed one may actually drive away customers who are in need of your products or services. If a new and exciting logo is something you are interested in for your business, contact Linda Fanaras, President/Strategist of Millennium Agency www.mill.agency.