Every business owner knows the importance of a logo because it is one of the first things they create when establishing their business. Have you ever seen a business without one? The answer is undoubtedly no, and that is because business owners realize they need a logo to attract buyers. A logo tells customers what your business is all about. It also helps differentiate your business from the competition. That is why business owners use a logo on their storefront, letterhead, and website. It is a fundamental part of branding a business.
Related: 5 Reasons Why Small Businesses Need a Solid Visual Brand Identity
What Many Small Business Owners Do
For the majority of small businesses, a logo is conceived by the owner. He or she spends a few hours going through fonts, experimenting with colors, trying out different clipart images that compliment the business’s name. Eventually the logo is created and later implemented. But why do small business owners take on this important task of designing a logo for their business? The answer is often that they are scared of the expenses of hiring a professional logo designer. So they choose to save money by doing it themselves. While designing a logo on their own is a method that gets them started quickly, what they fail to realize is that the logo plays an influential role on how the public views their business. Again, why do small business owners skimp on logo design when they know how significant it is to attract customers?
Related: The Logo Design Process
Avoid Wasting Time, Energy, and Money
Take this analogy into consideration. A real estate agent, Anita Holmes, decides to host an open house for a property she is selling. She plans to bring cupcakes to the open house to give to potential buyers and make a great first impression. In order to save money, she chooses to bake the cupcakes herself despite her lack of baking skills. Due to her very busy schedule she ends up baking the cupcakes the night before the open house. After a few hours of work, she takes a bite and realizes her cupcakes were dry and tasteless. In the end, she decided that she couldn’t risk making a bad impression with potential clients, and throws her cupcakes away. Instead she will now buy cupcakes at the local bakery. Anita not only ended up wasting time doing something she wasn’t good at, she also spent more money on cupcakes. She should have used that time productively to do something she was indeed good at, which would have saved her money.
Similarly, small business owners design a logo themselves to save money. However, unlike Anita, they fail to realize the consequences of using a poorly designed logo, and risk making bad first impressions with potential customers. They too should have invested in a professional from the beginning to save time, energy, and money. For those who search on Google for “cheap logo design” consider this, the quality of what they get is like buying cheap cupcakes at a gas station instead of fresh gourmet cupcakes from a bakery. A strong logo will pay for itself in the long run as it will help your business establish a solid brand identity, differentiate your business, and make great first impressions.
Related: How to Create Better Logos
A Strong Logo Makes A Big Difference
In life, you get only one chance to make a good first impression. For small businesses, branding is that opportunity, and more often than not it is a missed opportunity. Good logo design will give your business a professional, established, and reputable appearance, which encourages customers to engage your brand. It is also likely to persuade and convert them into paying customers, but more importantly turn them into loyal customers. Without a strong logo however, you may never get a chance to attract and retain your ideal customers. Don’t risk making bad impressions with a weak logo that could potentially be turning off customers and sending them to the competition. When it comes to starting or growing a business, owners must efficiently utilize their limited resources. Therefore, when deciding how to invest your time, energy, and money, just remember that you cannot afford to neglect your branding. It is one of the most critical decisions you will make.
Related: What Makes a Logo Great?
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