What it takes to be human

When people feel passion for what they do, organizations thrive. HSX leverages human behavior knowledge with a unique analytical approach to deliver world-class human resources products for small businesses.

One of the significant differences between large branding agencies and agencies that cater to small businesses is that smaller agencies often treat branding as a visual endeavor where as large agencies put the emphasis on strategy.

One of the reasons for this is budget. It’s a lot less expensive to design a logo than create a comprehensive brand strategy.

Another reason is it’s a lot easier to “explain” what a logo is than explain what a landscape analysis, value proposition or customer persona are and why they are important.

Unfortunately for small businesses even a “great” logo is not a great driver of revenue. Where as a great value proposition can increase sales exponentially.

So what should startups like The HSX Group do? Good branding costs money and you need good branding to make money. It’s the old “it takes money to make money” paradox.

Never fear, there is a solution. Evolution, not revolution.

Evolutionary Branding is a term we use to describe the evolution of a brand over time as resources permit, starting with the least expensive items that will make the most impact, and of course the most money.

The way we approach this is we have 7 steps that build on each other. Some steps are optional and the order is flexible. We prefer to choose the steps that are the least expensive to execute and which will have the most impact on revenue to do first.

1) Do a Competitive Analysis. Carefully research your target market, see who your competitors are. Then list what they do well and what they do poorly.

2) Define your Value Proposition. What you do differently and BETTER than your competition.

3) Re-evaluate the name of your organization. If you already have a great deal of name recognition you may want to stick with what you have for practical reasons, but if it is forgettable, you might want to think about finding something better.

4) Come up with a Slogan/Tagline. Your slogan is a one-sentence encapsulation of your Value Proposition. The purpose of your name is so people remember you. The purpose of your slogan is to SELL.

5) Now it the time for that great logo.  It’s not enough to have a recognizable name, you also need a recognizable logo. A good logo builds trust and will help to pull your brand together.

6) Work on the “look” of your Brand. Compelling brands have a unique look about them that is relevant to their market and evokes emotion.

7) Now that the foundation is in place, shout it to the world. Quality design should be a part of every one of your marketing materials. Your website, brochures, stationery, content posted to social networks, emails, etc. should all be designed for maximum aesthetic appeal.

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