Those of you that know our company, Gentle Giants Clothing or know it as Gentle Giants Sportswear & Uniforms will be familiar with our recent expansion via the purchase of  Summerland Corporate Uniforms, Lismore.  This has enabled us to now offer two extensive retail showrooms with efficient service, build our client portfolio and it has kept us busy.

It is now 6 months running both businesses.  We have had to create new accounting systems and train staff etc.  All the things that are necessary to keep things running smoothly.  BUt importantly we are now looking at moving to larger premises and rebranding.  So now I need to consider company names, logos and websites. 

Our business names have in the past been what they were when we purchased them.  No changes.  Now five nearly six years on for Gentle Giants, a manufacturer of school uniforms, sports team apparel and surf club clothing we need to get creative. 

Coming up with names was not so hard, finding names and domains that were available has been tricky. I think we are nearly  there so be prepared for the surprise as we relaunch ourselves.

My considerations for name were mainly that it was memorable and directed people to what we do.  We custom manufacture uniforms. We offer unique and complete uniform solutions.  We work with organisations to make sure their staff look good and reflect well on the company.  We work with schools to design develop and deliver quality school uniforms etc etc.

The great rules we have to consider now with our logo design are:

* not to use more than 3 colours

* keep it simple, stupid

* fonts must be easy enough for Grandma to read

* logo must be recognizable

* a unique shape or layout

* ignore what your spouse says

* confirm it is appealing to more than 4 people

* make sure it is recognizable in one colour also

* make sure it is recognizable when resized

* make it look timeless

* consider the places the logo will be used

* a connection with what it represents

* a photo is not a logo

* the logo hould be solid

* the logo  should invoke feelings of confidence

* the logo should be functional

* the logo should be balanced

* avoid bright neon colours

Gosh there is a lot so perhaps to make sure I get the right logo with the best possible artwork I will need input and advice.  Anything I have missed off the list of considerations please let me know.   This logo must present well on my signs and especially on my website.  We have a whole rebuild happening there to reflect our changing business.  

Send me some comments re logo designs so I can get it right.

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Mouse and money

Running a small business in a country town isn’t really so different from doing it in the city. Sure, there’s less traffic, more cows, less pollution in the air and the free range eggs are a lot fresher. Apart from the lifestyle changes, the way that business operates is pretty much the same whether it’s out of a home office on a farm or the north-facing office in a CBD high rise….especially when the internet is involved.

One of the greatest things about the internet is that it doesn’t matter where you come from or who you are – if you have the right tools you can flourish online. Internet marketing is important as a great resource for customers to locate your business, and for you to build a reputation around your brand. As part of the community of a small town, show that you are involved in local events.

1.)    Directories

The digital descendant of the phone book, directories are banks of contact information listed by location and/or category online. There are directories on the web for every interest, hobby and obsession you can think of. The Nationwide Business Association of Australia is a good place to start, located at http://www.nationwide.com.au/.
TIP: While you are at a directory, take a nosy look at the websites of your competitors to see what their sites are like. If you are in a very small rural area, it’s possible you have no competitors, but it’s worth looking at the sites of people in the same industry regardless of location to see what their methods are for making sales online.

2.)    Tourist Sites

Most towns and cities have a government ‘official’ website. These sites have information for tourists about the area, including activities and local attractions, and also local businesses and services. Gentle Giants is based in Ballina, NSW, and our tourist site is www.discoverballina.com in NSW. Whether your local tourist site is government sponsored or locally funded, the website will be a great resource for you as it’s a sure-fire way of putting your business in front of tourists. If you don’t know what your local ‘official’ tourist site is, you should be able to find it through Google or by contacting your local information centre.

3.)    Build Your Social Network

On the internet that is, not just down at the local pub – though who knows what business opportunities can arise over spending a little time with your neighbours. Making a Facebook page is an easy and free way to build up your brand online and get your business out into the public sphere. To get involved with potential clients, add people from the same location as you as friends (they or someone they know may be in need of your services). You could search within Facebook for people who are interested in the field your business operates in. Go to www.facebook.com for more information.

Communities online act much like that of small towns. It may take a little while to break in, but once you are welcomed in to the community they won’t be able to imagine what life was like without you. Search online for communities that share the same interests as you or who work in the same industry. Participate in discissions in online communities and over time you’ll build up relationships that could lead to business in the future.

4.) Get Your Site Ranked Higher On Google

Google and the other search engines are the online shopping mall of the 21st Century. Everyone comes here to find what they are looking for. The beautiful thing about search engines is that any business – big or small, multinational or operating out of a garage – can potentially appear in the best position for their customers to find them.  Being listed on page ten means not many people will find your business. Appearing on page 1, in the top ten listings for the best phrase to describe your products, can fill your online store with eager customers specifically looking for your stock.

Keywords are one of the keys to getting better visibility on the internet. These are the words and phrases your potential customers are typing into Google when looking for someone who sells your products. Brainstorm some keywords by thinking of terms that describe your business, and identify relevant keywords by trialling some you think would be relevant in search engines. Remember that many people misspell, so give room for common mistake versions of your keywords. Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to slip in a typo every now and then…

For a website that sells floral bouquets via delivery in Western Australia, people would search for ‘flowers WA’. Throughout the text on your website, use the words that describe what your business does. The more you can subtly incorporate these keywords in to your website copy the higher you will rank on search engines. The higher you appear, the more of your customers will see you. Having the keywords as part of the URL of your pages affects how search engines read your site, too.

5.)    Start An Email Newsletter

An email newsletter that gets sent out weekly or monthly can reach thousands of customers with one click. Invite visitors to your site to subscribe by highlighting that the newsletter offers more for free. A strong newsletter can keep your customers coming back again and again.

Living in a small town makes the community environment more important to people’s lifestyle than in the city. In your newsletter, you could include local news and events as well as updates about your business activities, new products and services and special deals. To encourage people to stay on your mailing list, offer special discounts to subscribers like a voucher they can print out or a promotion code that is only available to subscribers.

Online business is about content and relationships. By producing content people want to read, you can build relationships with a wide customer base, wherever they live. Gentle Giants isn’t confined to a small town. We are open to the entire global village and that does me just fine.

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