Archive for the ‘communications’ Category

sketched out a new logo for jonathan g. willen & associates yesterday. they advise, plan and manage events like concerts, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, upscale parties, and theatrical performances. the artwork was a quick hit. color palette and refinements to the form will come over the next two weeks, as i fit the graphic to the banner area of the website i’m also developing for the group.

clever sport llc of chicago, illinois has named eric s. townsend as marketing executive for the launch of a golf training aid called the putting answer. among responsibilities, townsend will shore up product development, branding, broad spectrum marketing, relationship-building, and advertising. the team is led by founder/inventor monroe hart, a 25-year instructor and professional golfer. the putting answer is set to lock horns with and rival a successful brand called z factor perfect putting machine — widely called “the most complete putting training system ever developed” by leading golf sources. the putting answer is poised to overtake  z factor due to greater ease of use, a more comprehensive system, improved durability, a more refined look and feel, and increased portability. click to enlarge the below and see for yourself!

my phone is blowing up with folks wanting more visitors at their websites. there are a few things to consider as the catch-all “seo” leaves your tongue. 1) everyone wants more online visitors, which makes the marketplace very competitive, which means it’s not silver bullet marketing; 2) the best in seo simply gets you “on the grid” — which means people will find you somewhere along the results returned by google but not in the top 5 positions where over 75% of traffic gravitates; 3) seo can only succeed where real research in engaged — meaning that it takes a smart, intuitive marketer to navigate google data, to separate the real opportunities from millions of searches and to leverage that knowledge for results at your website; 4) seo means search engine optimization, which is misleading — it should be “search engine minimization” since it’s the least you can do for your website to get into the game (too many think it’s ALL they need to do); 5) the real difference is made with search engine marketing (sem) where you commit a budget to an ongoing campaign of measures that raise your optimized website in the rankings. a pro can prioritize which measures bring the greatest return in the near-term.

to my small business comrades, it’s time to get real. in fact, to all business owners — listen up! there’s a mantra that i’m asking you to internalize. “saving” today can cost you tomorrow. going d.i.y. almost always costs more than paying specialized experts. there are things you do well and others that you do not. know your limits. understand the risks of under-investing. procrastinating and/or slapping a patch to a problem invites damages to mount or compound. relying on your own perspective, ideas and knowledge of the market can cause you to appear amateur and/or miss opportunities — often by a substantial margin. business leaders often struggle to fully understand consumers. it’s a common trap that prevents what’s possible from being realized. don’t fall into it!