We only get the chance to make a first impression once.
Site speed matters, because speed is the first experience people have with your website, your brand, your company. Site speed is a visitor's first impression, so let’s make sure it’s a good one.
Below we will cover the following: What is site speed? Who cares about site speed? What can you do to improve it? And how we at EvenVision tackle Site Speed.
We’ve been asked this question numerous times so here I will attempt to provide you some basic information regarding trademarks. It’s important to note that I am not providing legal advice. For legal advice or information about your particular situation, please reach out to a qualified attorney with experience in trademark law.
A trademark is “any word, slogan, symbol, design, or combination of these that: 1) identifies the source of your goods and services, and 2) distinguishes them from the goods and services of another party.”
Is there any real value in a trademark? Yes.
Federally Registered trademarks receive the following benefits:
Once again, we at EvenVision are not providing legal advice and so we will leave the following as direct quotes from the USPTO basics video (link found down below).
Legal presumption that owner of mark
Legal presumption of exclusive right to use mark
Puts public on notice of ownership of mark
Mark listed on USPTO database
So the benefits seem enticing, but how do you actually register a trademark? Well, it’s important to note that there is a two-tier system within the United States for registering a trademark: Federal and State. Because there is so much information about registering trademarks available, we will only be covering Federally Registered Trademarks.
The most basic reason a trademark application may be denied by the USPTO is based on the principle called “likelihood of confusion.” Defined below:
“likelihood of confusion between the mark in your application and a mark registered from another party.”
Here are some of the things which may be red flags for the USPTO with regards to the likelihood of confusion:
Not all logos or marks are created equally, this not only has to do with the quality of their design work but also with the selection of the name. Some are indeed stronger than others, and for trademark purposes, this is an important aspect to note because the strength of a mark determines how easy it is to protect.
USPTO notes these distinct levels of strength, listed from weakest to strongest: These are pulled directly from their video regarding the basics of trademarks:
Once again, filing for a trademark does not mean that you are guaranteed a trademark, nor are you able to be refunded your filing fee. Therefore, no matter what size your organization is, it’s important to spend the time in researching whether or not there is already a trademark registered that would prevent your application from being accepted.
USPTO calls this process the Trademark Clearance Search and recommends the following steps:
You are responsible for policing your trademark. If another organization infringes upon your registered trademark rights, the federal or state organizations that they are registered through will not do anything unless you initiate an action against the organization that is infringing upon your rights. That said, the USPTO will not allow a company to trademark a similar mark or logo, so there is at least some level of automated policing occurring.
Should I trademark my Logo? Totally. There are some serious benefits if your business or organization plans to exist for a long duration and expand.
But the process can be long, hard and possibly expensive. You have to be smart about what you're trying to trademark and be careful about the help you acquire. Furthermore, trademarking your logo isn’t simply a one-shot process, but requires careful diligence overtime to make sure your mark is protected.
When content includes visuals, readers are more likely to both read that content and understand it.
According to Pew Research Center, 65% of all adults use social media. Social media usage isn't just for young internet denizens anymore - everyone uses it. It's not an exaggeration to say that social media has changed the way businesses market themselves and interact with their customers. More than that, it's given businesses of all sizes a powerful marketing tool that they can use to grow a loyal online audience and attract more customers.
By the end of 2016, 60% of businesses will have appointed an executive who is directly responsible for the company’s content strategy. Additionally, "76% of B2B marketers say they plan to increase the amount of content they produce in 2016 compared to 2015". These statistics all point to the same thing: when done right, content marketing works.
Google Analytics is one of the most useful tools currently available to website owners and business owners especially. They can use Analytics to keep tabs on web traffic, customer engagement and ROI for online marketing campaigns. That's not even all. You can find many other bits of useful information all on one free platform.
In our last blog post, we walked readers through the process of setting up a Google Analytics account. Now that the account setup has been taken care of, we’ll be providing readers with a very basic introduction to the kind of info business owners can find using Analytics, and what all that information means.
Social media can be an incredibly powerful networking and marketing tool for businesses, if you know how to use it correctly. The key to unlocking social media’s potential is understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each of the major platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) and how they can be used to meet your business’ specific goals. If you’re new to social media or are having trouble understanding how the different platforms are best used, we’ve put together a basic overview of the five biggest social media sites and how they are best used.
Most Facebook “how to” guides for small business focus on the site’s effectiveness as a marketing tool. And while the site’s potential as a lead generator and marketing platform is important, it's only one part of the story. More than being just a marketing tool, Facebook is an integral part of the modern business-customer relationship.