You are currently viewing Making Money – Creating your companies brand – Part II

Making Money – Creating your companies brand – Part II

Creating your companies brand – Part II

We continue our series of posts on Making Money with our focus on your companies brand and why it is important. This time we look at domain names and logos.

Domain Name

Today, a company’s domain name is an essential part of its brand. Your domain is the web address that people go to learn more about your company. Typically, you want your domain name to match your company name or easily identify the company.

Your domain name is also used to get branded email. Most Web Hosting companies provide email hosting with the web site hosting which allows you to get an email address using your domain name and stop using MrBeerDrinker@aol.com for your company email.

Today, it can be difficult to find a domain name that isn’t owned by someone. They exist, but they may not be desirable for your company. However, many owned domains are not in use, they are what is called= ‘parked.’ It is fairly simple to spot a parked domain, the website usually looks very generic and some even have for sale signs on them.

Buying an already owned domain name is a common occurrence, so it can be a simple process. Prices can be reasonable or expensive if you are going after a very desirable domain name.

You can check the availability of a domain name at many sites including, GoDaddy or Blue Host. There are also name generators that checks for domain name availability like the one from Shopify.

Company Logo

A logo is a great visual way to establish your brand. It will appear on your website, business cards, marketing materials and maybe even your products. So you should think about what your logo says about your company. If you want people to treat your company seriously, it is best to have a good logo.

companies brand

There are many ways that you can get your logo created. We will examine a few:

  • Do It Yourself
  • Crowd-Sourcing
  • Hire a Designer

Do It Yourself

There are do it yourself (DIY) tools out there that help you design your own logo. You will need to have some ideas even when using these tools. So spend some time looking at the tools, then go and jot down some thoughts about what you want your logo to look like then come back and use the tools to make it happen.

Crowd Sourcing

If you do not feel comfortable creating your own logo, there are some low-cost options that bring together designers from across the planet including:

  • 99Designs –  A marketplace of designers from around the world that compete to create your
  • DesignCrowd – Similar to 99Designs
  • Upwork
  • CrowdSpring
  • Fiverr –  Not known for high quality

 

Hire a Designer

Finding a good designer is not always easy, do a web search for ‘logo designer’. Look through their portfolio, then pick several designers to interview. Remember, the designer you hire is going to be creating the icon that your company will be known for and the first thing customers will typically see. Choose wisely.

We have spent time looking at a companies brand and why it should be chosen early on in the process. We will continue this series with posts on creating the actual legal entity and creating an online presence.

Tags: , , , , ,