05.29.2010

We love referrals!!!

At TCP Image Company, we love referrals! Many of our clients come from my chapter of BNI (Notable Networkers) and the referrals that other members give me. If you know a business or organization that could benefit from the services of TCP Image Company, please let us know. We have a passion for helping small businesses with their graphic design, web design, photography, and brand development needs, so if you have a friend, cousin, or great great grandfather who needs our help, please pass along our name. We'd be glad to meet with them to discuss their company's brand and promotional materials.

04.26.2010

Building a Brand

Take a look at this article from WebsiteMagazine.com (Feb. 2010). It has a good description of developing a company's brand.
"Here are a few key steps to creating a brand for your business:
Step One: Identify the human side and personality of the brand. Discover who the brand influencers and advocates are and how they might impact the brand's image. This is an appropriate stage for a focus group.
Step Two: Find the values behind the brand and what they stand for, as well as the heritage or history of the brand, including stories and key people associated with the brand. Conducting interviews of key personnel and employees is appropriate for this stage.
Step Three: Identify the emotional benefits of the brand; e.g. the promotion of pleasure and the avoidance of failure. Surveys of former and current consumers are arguably the best way, as they have believed enough to buy the product or service.
Step Four: Establish a core belief based on the information and data collected, addressing what ultimately expresses the brand essence accurately. Create a mission statement to frame all succeeding steps.
Step Five: Reduce the mission statement into a core one-line statement. Create a slogan that translates the benefits of the core belief or mission to customers.
Step Six: Develop the appearance of the brand and its artistic elements. Use the information from the previous steps to influence the brand identity. "

03.30.2010

Today's Ask

 I'm a member in the Grand Ledge Chapter of BNI (Business Network International) and every week we're encouraged to ask for one person/business that you'd like to talk to (known as an "Ask").
 In this morning's ask, I talked about how many of us will be huddled around a television for the MSU game or just hanging out in front of the TV after Easter dinner. I'd like to ask you for a warm introduction to one of your relatives who is a business owner, and here's a script for you to follow...  

YOU (during or after a national company's commercial, such as McDonald's, Pepsi, Nike): "Isn't it amazing how a company's brand can have such a huge influence!? Imagine if they didn't have that consistency in all of their advertising. I wonder where they'd be.... (pause for comments)... Hey (insert your relative's name here), who designs your logo and promotional materials? (relative's comments)  I've got a guy who does a very professional job and really knows what he's doing. Let me get you his card. (retrieve card from left pocket and hand it to relative(s) )  He takes the time to design a personal, yet professional brand that accurately represents your company and its mission, but he's not going to drag the process out for months on end. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO HAVE HIM CALL YOU ON MONDAY?

RELATIVE: Yes!!! That would be great!!! Thanks! You're the best relative a guy (or girl) could ever ask for!

(CURTAIN--FADE TO BLACK)

Feel free to adjust the script to your situation. It's really that easy, though. This script can be used anytime (watching TV, at a business meeting at Tim Horton's, etc.)  Thanks again for your help with this ask. Have a great day!

03.17.2010

Companies with no logo make me GREEN! (sick green, not green with envy)

As I look through the newspaper and internet and watch TV, I feel nauseas when I see a business with no definable logo. You do yourself and your company a major disservice by not having a brand that people can relate to and remember. It's your logo and brand that catch the prospective customer's attention, and if your company's logo is "John's Junk" using a "big font", what is there to remember?

I'm not yelling at you if you don't have a logo. I'm just passionate about helping businesses to be the best they can be. Give TCP a call or send us an email, so we help your company capture your true image!

03.10.2010

Cheap design = Cheap-looking design

Have you ever seen the ads online for $49 logo design and "quick and easy websites"?
How well do you think a $49 logo represents you and your company? I'm always amazed at how a "design company" can provide 8-10 hrs worth of work and pay their "designers" $5-6 per hour ($49 divided by 10 hours = about $5 per hour). When you look at their logos, you can pretty much tell that adding your name is just about the only "custom" part of their design.
When you buy into a do-it-yourself website or cheap design work, you can expect a cookie-cutter design using clip art and stock photos. Is that something that will make your company's brand/logo/website stand out? NO!!!
I'm passionate about helping businesses with their brand and I implore you to invest your time and money in a truly custom brand. At TCP, we don't use clip art and we don't use website templates. Your company deserves a personal, unique brand that represents your true image.

03.01.2010

Spring is ALMOST HERE!!!

IT'S MARCH!!! I know that it's not technically spring, but seeing "March" on the calendar really gives me energy. Winter tends to bring people down, and spring seems like a fresh start to our year.
Businesses sometimes need a fresh start, too. So often, "seasoned" companies get too comfortable with their logo and their promotional materials and their brand starts to seem outdated, boring, and stale. This spring I encourage you to take some time to reevaluate your brand, your website, and your brochures to make sure that you're showing your customers a brand that represents you, your true image. Maybe your services have changed, your mission has changed, or even the management has changed. Keeping your brand up-to-date ensures that your customers see a professional, consistent image that truly represents your company.
Give us a call or email so we can meet with you to evaluate your company's brand!

03.01.2010

TCP Blog

Check out the newest addition to the TCP website! Creative Director Tom Pearson will be blogging every so often about brand development, referrals, and TCP Image Company updates.