Guest post by Ben Johnson

Have you created a logo design for your business? If not, then you have got to get one. Why? Well, because your logo design gives your business a face. If you create a good looking logo, then your business will look really good. If you create a low quality design, then you will mess up the image of your company. So, it’s your logo design that can either mess up your business image completely or give it a dazzling identity.

To give a good-looking face to your business, you need to create an attractive logo. Once you create a dazzling identity, you will be able to win the trust of your market. How? Remember, your market won’t be able to meet you personally or see you physically – They will only see your logo and try to determine how reliable you are.

So, if your business has a pretty face (logo), you will create a pretty good impression.

Now…To give your business a dazzling identity with a top quality logo design, there are several elements you need to take into consideration to make it a success. Let’s discuss them: Continue reading

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At a first and quick glance, Prova.fm does not seem to offer much more than other crowdsourced design sites. You basically are promised agency level designs for your logo, website, ads and more which also fit in your budget. The procedure is not new. You create a design contest for which you fill out a brief, set the amount you want to pay and wait for designers to submit their work. Just like in other cases of design contest sites following a similar pattern, you get more proposals than with any other agencies, you can interact with the designers and ask them to make the changes you need to pick the perfect fit.

Designers on the other hand get to showcase their work and if they are the lucky winners, they also get paid for their work. If they don’t win the contest, they can still submit their templates to a dedicated section of Prova.fm and get paid if someone else than the original company requesting the design work purchases them.

Pretty much a basic model, even if done perfectly, up to here. After spending some more time on the Prova.fm website and reading more about them on the Internet, I finally got to pinpoint what sets them apart. All contests can be promoted on various social media websites and combined with the voting system for submitted designes, companies looking for brands that work get to test them against their target audiences. Continue reading

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People have the habit of complaining about products and services online. When the complaints are relevant and an apology is needed, company representatives often post them on the blog where the initial problem was revealed. While some are great and solve the problem while both gaining the support and admiration of the blogger in question, others fail. After looking into a few of these apologies and trying to understand where people most commonly go wrong, I have rediscovered the art of writing effective replies to people’s problems.

But before I start, if you’re wondering why you should apologize in the first place, it’s because news travels fast online, if the problem is significant, there are great chances more people will complain and all that negativity will pop up when potential customers look you up online. You shouldn’t apologize for nonsense and give credibility to shady bloggers and nonexistant issues, but when the problem is real, you need to solve it, apologize for the inconvenience and let people know it has all been taken care of.

Here are a few tips for writing apologies that will help your company and not worsen the situation instead:

1. Recognize the problem and give it due consideration

Some apologies fail because while they say the “I’m sorry”, they fail to focus on the problem and the discomfort experienced by the customer. Instead, they rush through the apology and the unpleasant situation and focus on what the customer should have done, the proper channels to report the problem and how they can solve future problems. This is all wrong because if you’re replying, it’s clear the online piece of posting has reached its goal of making the issue known. Writing an apology that says this is not the right way and you won’t do much about it makes you look bad! Continue reading

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Guest post by Ben Johnson

When internet became popular, we heard people made millions online. When social media become popular, we heard it’s a new way of meeting people, establishing your credibility and increasing your sales. Just as people earlier wanted to make millions online after reading the success stories of others, the same way people now also want to utilize the power of online social networking to give a significant push to their business and enjoy financial freedom.

Why is Online Social Networking Popular?

Well, because it allows you to meet new people from around the world without even leaving your chair. You can talk to your potential clients, stay in touch with your existing customers, interact with new people, build your business image, create awareness about your products and you can do tons of other things as well.

One Important Thing to Remember:

However, this can’t be done overnight. You need to be patient and grow your business gradually and in a realistic way. Remember, businesses that succeeded via online social networking didn’t become successful in a day or two. Consequently, do not rush and ensure that you don’t ruin your reputation on social media by getting labeled as ‘spammer’.

Now, let’s discuss the top 5 ways to prosper in online social networking: Continue reading

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