Since the dawn of mainstream internet use, the most important tool for any business has been the company website. Unfortunately, people who are good at business are not always people who are good at web design. Because of this, it is advisable to consult with a local website design company to make sure the website is ready for launch.

For many companies, the number one priority is promoting their brand. A company's brand is important to connect with consumers and differentiates their products from competitors' offerings. Unfortunately, many companies are unsure of how they can make their branding work for them, or even how to build a brand. By following these few branding tips, a company can take their brand from boring to brilliant.

We've had a number of calls lately from companies in the marijuana industry now blossoming in the Colorado, Washington and California areas.  One thing that strikes me are many of these people just opening their doors and expecting customers.  That may be true to start, but what's going to make them come back OR even be aware of you in the first place? Competition will grow as happens with every business and few will establish a brand that dominates, a brand value coveted by all.

For many companies, the number one priority is building their brand impression.

A company's brand needs to establish a lasting connection with consumers and differentiate their products from competitors' offerings. Unfortunately, many companies don't realize the value of branding and are unsure of how they can make their branding work for them, or even how to build a brand. By following these few branding tips, a you can take your brand from boring to brilliant.

Visual consistency is key to building and maintaining a strong brand. Coca Cola has used the same red and script logo for decades. All it takes is seeing a small portion of one letter against a field of red to bring the brand to mind. Having that level of recognition takes a consistant effort over a long period of time. When done correctly customers will associate your logo with the impression you have consistantly pushed out through all marketing efforts.

On April 21st Google published it's latest program which will penalize web pages that are not optimized for mobile viewing -- and with good reason. Mobile Internet use (i.e., viewing and interacting with pages on smart phones, tablets, etc.) is now more common than going on the Internet on a desktop PC. What's more, the consensus among Google officials, online advertising professionals, and inbound marketing experts is that the update will be a pretty big deal. It is projected to affect many more people than other major updates, such as Panda and Penguin.

What do you need to know before the update? Businesses and web pages are expected to be negatively impacted -- and not for the reasons you think. Sites are not necessarily being penalized because they lack mobile optimization or mobile Web design altogether. Instead, businesses are making small mistakes on mobile pages that can make a big difference and ultimately hurt your search rankings. Here are a few to look out for:

Creative packaging design is a surefire way to successfully market a brand in brick-and-mortar stores and online. In order to keep brand imaging fresh and compelling, marketers would do well to incorporate new, custom packaging design trends whenever possible. Here are a few new packaging types and trends that produce promising results:

New toys made from recycled waste products drive home an extremely important point: creative packaging design can make all the difference. Netherland Developer Maurizio Bricola is working on several different prototypes for new children's toys, all made from objects that may otherwise be considered trash -- things like discarded bottles, bottle caps, and peanut butter jars. One product in the works features several short bottles with colorful and attractive labels; these short bottles can easily be stacked one on top of the other, just like blocks. Another utilizes custom packaging design that transforms a bottle and four bottle caps into a convincing toy fire truck. The recycled toys are designed to help build skills like color, shape, and animal recognition as well as teach kids how to count and recite the alphabet. The materials are, of course, thoroughly sanitized and 100% safe to use.