3 reasons why branding your vehicle is great for your business

If you run a business and you don’t have your branding on your vehicle or vehicles, you’re missing out on a valuable and cost-effective way of promoting your company. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why vehicle branding is a no-brainer.

1. Potential customers will see it every day on the road

Recent research stated that in high-traffic areas like London, your vehicle will be seen by 3000 potential customers every hour! If you are a tradesperson like a plumber, electrician, builder, or another business that works with domestic customers, how valuable could that be to you? Eye-catching design on your van, with a prominent telephone number or email address to make it easy for someone to write down on the move, makes you stand out from the ‘white van men’, and shows you as a professional who cares about your business. Here’s a quick tip though – keep it clean, and use a ‘proper’ email address – info@pipesandplumbing.co.uk for example, looks much more professional than pipesandplumbing@hotmail.co.uk – and we can help you with that.

2. It looks good outside your premises, or a customer’s home

Carrying on from the last reason, if you’re working on someone’s home and doing a great job, parking your van outside every day is a large and visible advertisement – and you’re getting paid to have it there! It also looks great outside your premises or office, proudly advertising your company and showing customers you mean business.

3. It’s can be a cost-effective way to reach customers

Establishing a return on investment from print ads or radio ads is extremely difficult. For one they’re expensive, and secondly you never really know how many of the listeners or readers are your target market. Depending on the designs you choose, adding vinyl graphics to your vehicle can be a much cheaper way to reach your customers. A recent article in The Telegraph stated ‘The stats suggest that the cost per 100 impressions for van branding can be as low as just 4p. By comparison, a radio advertising slot is likely to set you back £1.20 per 100 impressions’ – and that’s a massive difference!

If you’ve been thinking about branding your car or van, we can help. We are Absolute Creative, an innovative, award winning design agency based in Hertfordshire. We work with businesses like yours all over the UK, creating strikingly effective vinyl graphics and vehicle wraps to help those businesses become more visible to their customers. We also provide a range of other print services, as well as website design SEO, and a whole lot more. If you’re still driving a white van or a car with no branding, you’re missing a trick. Don’t delay any longer, call us today on 01707 386 107, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and we’ll make sure you get noticed.

February 21, 2019 / No Comments / 

3 huge reasons why you must have a responsive website

A responsive website is a must if you’re in business. Below we’ll explain why, and tell you how you can get one too.

1. Mobile Browsing is the norm

The days of desktop computers may not be completely over, but in today’s busy world most people access the internet on their phones and other mobile devices. With over 4 billion people online, and more than half of all website traffic being viewed on mobile devices, if your website isn’t responsive you probably won’t be taken too seriously. A responsive website is one that changes so it looks good on any device, and in any browser. It ‘responds’ to whichever device your customer is using, and resizes to fit and still look great.

2. Google will like you more

Everyone uses Google, right? OK so maybe not everyone, but more people use Google than any other search engine – more than 70%, so it’s super important to listen to what Google are saying. A responsive site has one URL, and one content source, so is easier for Googlebot to crawl the site. Google will rank a responsive website above any that are not – and that’s reason alone to make sure yours is responsive.

3. Faster page loading times

Attention spans seem to be getting shorter, and with high speed internet we’re getting used to websites loading quickly. Customers will soon click off your site if the loading time is slow, and the Googlebot may well leave too – meaning your site won’t get indexed correctly. A responsive site will load faster than a non-responsive site, and faster load times mean a better user experience, more visitors, and ultimately more sales.

If you’ve been thinking about having a responsive website built for your business, we are Absolute Creative, an innovative, award winning web design agency based in Hertfordshire. We work with businesses like yours all over the UK, designing beautiful responsive websites and doing a whole lot of other stuff to help those businesses become successful. You can read all about our award winning design on this page, and see some of our work in our portfolio – then call us today on 01707 386 107, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and tell us what you need.

February 14, 2019 / No Comments / 

These are the top 4 reasons a blog is great for your business

Why on earth would you start a blog for your business? I mean, you’re already busy enough, right? So why would you want to spend another hour or five every week writing and promoting blog posts? Well the truth is, no matter what you’ve heard elsewhere, blogs aren’t dead. They’re still very worthwhile, and in this post, we’re going to tell you some of the reasons why that is.

1. You can use your blog to attract the right audience

I’m going to take a wild guess and say you didn’t start your business just to make money. Am I right? Yeah, I thought so. All businesses have a need to make money of course, but we don’t meet many entrepreneurs who had money as their motivation when they started up in business. I’m guessing that like them, you started your business because you had a great idea and you knew your product or service would be of benefit to others. You were passionate about it, and had an inkling that others would be too. So, a blog is a great way to tell your story and connect with those who share the same ethics and values as you. These people are your target market – your tribe – and blogging keeps you in touch with them.

2. People will perceive you as an expert in your field

If you’re regularly blogging interesting, informative, and relevant information to your audience, it will establish you as an expert. People will see you as an authority when it comes to your subject. This can lead to other opportunities such as TV and radio, or guest blog posts to reach a larger audience – and it can give you the credibility to perhaps get a book published, or to get booked for speaking events.

3. You’ll become a better writer

We could all improve our writing skills I’m sure – and writing regular blog posts will definitely help you with that. You need to discipline yourself so you book out the time to write regularly – and you’ll have to learn to research things thoroughly, and organise your thoughts. A regular blog gives you the opportunity to practice your writing skills, and that’s so important if you have a business that’s online or you want to write that book in the future to establish your credibility as an ‘expert’.

4. It’s possible to monetise it

Although money may not be our motivation, we could all benefit from some extra income – and passive income is even better. Once you’ve built a strong following that know, like, and trust you, you could promote products and services to that audience, as long as they are relevant and good value for money. Depending on your business you could write an e-book, write and sell courses, promote other entrepreneur’s products. However, do it right. Don’t be a snake oil salesman – only promote things that let you sleep at night and you’ll keep your reputation.

So, blogging, if you do it right is still a valuable way to build an audience, establish credibility, and make money too. If you’d like to start a blog, you’ll need a great website that people can find. At Absolute Creative we work with people like you, designing beautiful and functional responsive websites, increasing their brand visibility, producing their marketing materials, and much more too. Why don’t you call us for a chat on 01707 386 107 today, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and we’ll get back to you right away?

February 5, 2019 / No Comments / 

Do you have the right branding for your business?

A Brand. What is it exactly? Well first off don’t make the mistake of thinking your product and your brand are the same thing. Lots of companies may offer the same or similar products, but people will buy it from one of those companies over and over because of a sense of loyalty to the brand – think Coke and Pepsi, Chevrolet and Ford, iPhone and Galaxy.

 

It’s all about the feeling…

 

So if ‘branding’ might start with the company colours, uniforms, and logo etc, the brand includes the feeling people develop towards the company and its products. It’s an image, an idea, an emotional attachment – the whole experience of the customer to the full package – logo, products, website, social media engagement, advertising – everything. Their experience means buying and wearing or using a certain brand makes them feel a certain way. Maybe it’s the sense of style and fashion, or maybe it’s the ethics and values… or maybe it’s both. Whatever it is, there’s no denying that if you develop a strong brand your business can experience huge success, and the brand name itself can be worth a fortune.

 

Where do you start?

 

You know those pub quiz questions where they pass around a sheet of A4 with a load of logos printed on it, and you have to name as many as you can? It’s not so difficult in most cases is it? There’s the instantly recognisable Golden Arches of MacDonalds, the Nike swoosh, and of course the Apple with a bite out of it. There will be others too, but in each case, they have strong, memorable branding. We know the logo, we know the company, we know the product, and we know exactly what to expect from each of them. But these are big companies and they’ve been around a while. For the rest of us… we’d all love to have great branding like that because strong branding is key to being recognised – but where do we start?

 

It starts with the logo…

 

When it comes to customer service, telephone answering, engaging on social media platforms, advertising, and winning the loyalty of your target market, that’ll be down to you to put systems in place that build your brand the right way. When it comes to design and your branding, the best place to start is with your logo. If you can come up with a logo that represents your business well, you can then use it as a starting point to create consistent branding across your clothing, vehicle graphics, advertising, and your marketing materials –  website, social media – the lot. Of course, we’d recommend you use a professional design company to make your ideas come to life, and to assist you with the creation of your logo and other tools and materials. Getting it right from the start gets you off on the right foot and saves you money in the future. If you’re starting your business and you have loads of ideas in your head, or you’re already established but feel your business branding needs a ‘freshen up’, why not let Absolute Creative help?

 

We are an innovative design agency based in Hertfordshire, and we work with businesses all over the UK designing company branding, marketing materials, and websites. You can read all about our award winning design on this page, and see some of our work in our portfolio.

 

To chat to us just call us on 01707 386 107 or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and we’ll get back to you asap.

January 7, 2019 / No Comments / 

Why a Graphic Designer is Important for Your New Business

For business owners, especially new sole traders, there’s always the urge to do everything yourself. Some of this could be because you’re excited and want to crack on with your ideas… and some is because you want to save money. However, there are some things you should be spending your budget on right from the start – and professional graphic design is one of those things.

Branding

Getting your branding right early on is going to be worth the cost. In actual fact you should be looking at graphic design as an investment, not an expense. It gets you off to the best possible start, and will no doubt save money further down the road. Otherwise you’ll end up looking at your original ‘home-made’ designs and realising you need to get serious if your business is going to grow – and that can potentially mean a complete re-brand.

Marketing Materials

A good Graphic Designer will work with you – taking the time to get to know your business and understand your target market. They can then start by designing you a strong company logo that is unique, recognisable, and makes you stand out from your competition. After that they can use it to create consistent designs across your entire range of marketing materials – that could be business cards, brochures and flyers, pop-up banners, vehicle livery, clothing, digital images, and anything else you need to promote your products and brand.

A Trusted Advisor

Before too long your graphic designer will know your business inside out, and even become a trusted advisor – someone you can rely on to advise you when you need it, much like like your accountant or IFA. They’ll also have such an understanding of your design requirements they’ll usually grasp the designs you want before you do. That makes creating or tweaking things when you need them really easy – and that’s the opposite of most people’s experiences on some well-known outsourcing websites.

Get in Touch

If you’re starting your business and you’d like to learn more about graphic design and how it could help you achieve your business goals, we’d like to hear from you. Absolute Creative is an innovative design agency based in Hertfordshire, and we work with businesses like yours all over the UK. You can read all about our award winning design on this page, and if you’d like to chat to us just call us on 01707 386 107 or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk .

November 28, 2018 / No Comments / 

Be Responsive – or it’ll cost you!

Is your website working for you?

In this digital age, a strong online presence is vital for any business – and a great website is crucial. But in recent years it’s not enough to have a great-looking site with good content, it must be responsive. That means that whether your customers are looking at it on their desktop computer, a smartphone or a tablet, the website will provide an optimal viewing and interaction experience. In simple terms – it’ll work brilliantly no matter how they access it. Here at Absolute Creative, we build responsive websites day in, day out – and here’s why.

 

Everyone is mobile

Thanks to smartphones, social media and the breakneck speed of technological innovation, over half of all web traffic, comes from mobile devices. So if your website doesn’t function well on a mobile, you’re risking losing a lot of customers. There’s so much choice out there that buyers don’t have time to waste logging onto their desktops to make a purchase or an enquiry. They’ll likely move straight along to your competitors, who’ve already got a responsive website.

 

Google it

Like it or not, Google and their page rankings are incredibly important to businesses in the UK. So you’ve got to play by their rules. Google loves responsive sites and they released an algorithm update in 2015 which penalises sites that aren’t mobile-friendly. So if you want your business to rank high in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERP), you’ll need to get with their programme and ensure your website is responsive.

 

Fast, not furious

Everyone’s had the miserable experience of waiting what seems like a lifetime for a website to load. It’s the main reason you get cross, give up and look elsewhere. Responsive websites are designed to load faster, after all, they are made using the latest programming tools and techniques. So customers are likely to stick around and use the site, instead of leaving within a few seconds and pushing your bounce rate up.

 

One URL to rule them all

A responsive website has one URL so your customer will be able to access it from any device using the same web address. That means I could find your website while I’m browsing on my iPhone at work, check out your product in the evening on my tablet while watching telly and then buy the next morning when I’m back at my desktop PC. If your site isn’t responsive, it’ll have at least two URLs for mobile and desktop. Customers don’t want to search for a different URL after using one – they’ll simply go elsewhere.

 

Back to the Future

Finally, there’s one further reason to get mobile responsive now – the future. We’ve all witnessed the speed of innovation in technology, and this pace shows no sign of slowing down. A responsive website isn’t just ready to present your business in the best way now, it’s also ready to adapt to the changing face of technology. So in the long run, paying for a responsive website now will save you money as times change.

 

If you’d like to discuss your website, or need some advice about getting responsive now, then give the Absolute Creative team a call on 01707 386107.

January 5, 2017 / No Comments / 

Absolute Creative Media take home the gold!

We are delighted to announce that Absolute Creative Media won gold at the Hertfordshire Digital Awards.

Competing in the category for best website for a school, education or charity, our team arrived at venue alongside Trevor and Francine Luker of the London Hairdressing Apprenticeship Academy. We were nominated for our work on the LHAA new website, which is designed to give current and potential hairdressing and barbering apprentices a comprehensive guide to the academy and their courses.

It was a real treat to be invited to such a glitzy evening, which included a delicious two-course dinner and plenty of wine to wash it down. Although there were nerves, the team looked on the evening as a chance to celebrate the successful collaboration between Absolute Creative and LHAA and the honour of being nominated.

So imagine our amazement when our name was called out as the gold winner of the category! Absolute Creative Director Matthew Hussey took to the stage and made a short speech of thanks, which was a miracle in itself as he described himself as ‘speechless’ after hearing our name read out.

When explaining their decision to award gold to the LHAA website, the judges said, “This is a site which tidily and successfully explains a wide range of subjects, another hit for its creators and a worthy winner of our Gold award.”

Following the ceremony and many congratulations, Absolute Creative director Matthew Hussey said: “I’m completely overwhelmed. This was one of the hardest fought categories tonight and there were six other incredible nominees. So it means the world to us that the judges for the Hertfordshire Digital Awards considered our work on the LHAA website to be gold standard. It was a challenging and deeply satisfying project. I’d like to thank the team, as well as Trevor and Francine from the LHAA for their part in our win.”

If you’d like to know more about working with Absolute Creative on your web design needs then please get in touch. Take a look at our portfolio if you’d like to see more examples of our work.

September 24, 2015 / No Comments /