BigCommerce recently teased a number of upcoming new features, and Redhead Web Development is enjoying working with one of them already. This weekend BigCommerce software updated with a new Quick View option to allow customers to easily and quickly view products without going to the product page itself. This new element is just one of the few amazing new features created specifically for BigCommerce clients. With their users and customers in mind, BigCommerce proves again why it is the #1 Shopping Cart Software in the world.

What are the benefits of using Quick View? Your E-commerce customers can navigate products directly from your homepage or category pages easier than before. Rather than going to the individual product page, the Quick View button pops up a new window with all the important product information readily available for your customers to view.

Quick View is an optional feature that can be toggled on or off from your store settings menu. You have the ability to customize the button as well to match the color scheme of your website and even alter the text as you see fit. Want to customize your buttons even more? Contact Redhead today for unique ideas about this brand new feature!

Enter Pinterest, the little brother hoping to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Unlike its contending social media sites,  Pinterest bases its interaction on sharing content among your friends and strangers alike. Users ‘pin’ their favorite webpage, photo, auction item and more. This connects multiple users with shared interests in the hope of learning about new interests and sites.

Shoppers can quickly and easily “pin” photos of your products to a board on Pinterest.

BigCommerce developers have worked to include Pinterest ‘Pin it” buttons along the likes of Facebook’s “Like it” and Twitter’s “Tweet it” buttons commonly found all over the Internet. This new feature should be available in the next few days for use on your BigCommerce site. There’s no better way to get people talking about your products. Contact Redhead today to let people explore and interact with your website even more.

On ranchers’ livestock, a hot branding iron makes a permanent mark by burning through the hair and into the skin.  If the branding iron isn’t hot enough, it will only make a temporary mark that eventually fades.

Let’s face it, when many of us small business owners start our companies, we don’t really consider the power of a great brand name.  With all the other “stuff” going on as businesses are being hatched, we often don’t take the time or invest the resources to come up with a hot brand name that sticks.

Some of us opt for the simplest of brand names, such as Bill’s Tour Guides or K&S Hair Salon.  Some opt for mystery names, such as Industrial Solutions or Southern Sales, which tell potential clients very little about the business or products.

If you are starting a business or want to heat up your brand, then think red hot.  You need a name that will burn on the minds of your potential clients.

Your brand should define who you are and what your company does and do it in a way that is memorable.  The brand also needs to conjure up the right feelings and emotions about your business.

There are many different strategies for developing the perfect brand name for your company or product line.  Here are a few examples.

• Address Client Concerns – lets them know ahead of time that you won’t disappoint
  • One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning
  • Speedy Printing
  • FedEx
• Build Trust or Stability – make your client confident in you and your product
  • Duracell Batteries
  • Under Armor
• Be Visual – put an image in your customer’s mind
  • Blue Dot Technologies
  • Two Fat Daddy’s BBQ
  • Redhead Web Development
• Be Creative – this usually requires a larger marketing budget, but can be powerful
  • iPod
  • Kindle
  • Starbucks

Steps to Build a Brand That Burns

1. Brainstorm – throw out all of the words that describe you.  Throw out all of the words that describe your product or business.  Then throw out all the words that describe the emotions, thoughts, or feelings you want your client to have.  Write them down or enter them into your computer for later reference
2. Thesaurus – get out the thesaurus and look up catchy synonyms for any of the words generated during your brainstorming
3. Test Word Combinations – combine some of the above words as direct sum combinations, as in Blue Fin Salon.  Also combine some of the words as melded word combinations, as in Invisalign
4. Get Input – from friends, family, potential clients, business owners, or advisors.  Something that sounds really good to you might sound really bad to others
5. Domain Check – this is one of the most important parts of the process.  You need to secure a domain name www.mybrand.com that uses a majority of your brand name, if not the entire brand name.  Potential names should be checked as you are thinking about them, so you know what is available.  If your brand name isn’t available, keep thinking.  A great web tool for searching domain names on the fly can be found at www.ddwhois.com Also, check out www.makewords.com to find word combinations and domain names with one tool.
6. Trademark Search – you need to run a trademark search to see if anyone else has a registered trademark using your brand name.  Visit the US Patent & Trademark Office search site at http://tess2.uspto.gov/.  If you want to register your name, consult a qualified trademark attorney
7. Search The Internet – even if your name is not registered, someone may be using it already.  Perform a Google search of the name in “quotes.”  This will turn up any exact word combinations of others who may be using the name.  If someone is using the name already in a similar industry, it is probably best to steer clear.  When in doubt, consult an attorney

Think hot when developing your brand name.  If the brand really burns, it won’t fade.

If you want assistance with branding, new product concept development, product launch, or business start-up, contact Redhead Web Development for help.  Redhead specializes in online and offline marketing strategies that can elevate your business.  Visit www.redheadwebdevelopment.com or call (417) 272-1932.

Those kinds of flashy charts can make people look really prepared and really smart.  However, if you’ve ever tried to create one with Microsoft Word or some other standard program that we all have, you know what a pain it is.

Well, I found the answer in a little tool called Bubbl.us.  I began using this little gem several months ago, and it has saved me tons of time and has been a great resource for sharing ideas and concepts with clients.

It is an online flowchart and visual mapping engine with drag and drop features that make it super simple to use.

If you have an idea, you need to try this tool.  It can be used for:

• brainstorming
• mind mapping
• project mapping
• organizational charts
• divisional charts
• workflow concepts
• marketing concepts
• planning
• website navigation
• seo strategy planning
• and lots of other stuff…

The other nice thing…it’s entirely free.  www.bubbl.us Now we all can look smart and be smart too.  Check it out!