Millions more people are using mobile devices to get online every day. Does your business have a mobile-friendly site? If not—or if you’re not sure—GoMo Meter can help you get your mobile site done right.

Why the GoMo Meter is great: I wanted to submit this great tool that I learned that is free to all users who are interested in mobile optimizing their website. You can type in your current website URL and test how it would look on a phone- the tool also gives great feedback on what you can do to make the experience better. It also connects you with vendors who can help!

This was a Small and Medium Business resource submitted by Alana Hall. 

Most small business owners know that the internet is the future of their marketing efforts. That doesn’t mean that they’re all internet marketers or even marketers. Small business owners often start their business based on a particular skill, passion, or expertise that fills a need. That means that many of them are still left wondering how to leverage the power of social media and online marketing to get ahead.

Check out this infographic by SEO.com Small Business to get some quick facts and stats on the topic:

Brand identity is the most vital organ a company depends on.  It lies at its innermost core, yet it should be the most easily accessible and recognizable feature of a brand.  Essentially, brand identity is the heart worn on the sleeve of a company.  It is the job of the company to develop and present your brand uniquely and effectively not only to the general public but also to your employees.  Granted this can pose many challenges, as there are many factors that go into creating a strong brand identity.  Image, time, and effect and three ways in which you can evaluate the effectiveness of your branding endeavors.

First, let us consider the brand image.  Be careful not to confuse identity with image, as people often do, for they represent opposite sides of a brand.  Identity is easy enough to define.  It is essentially what a company or brand thinks of themselves.  It is the internal representation of a brand.  Conversely, the brand image is what the consumer ultimately makes of a brand.  If a brand does not effectively and accurately define itself externally, then the image and identity become two very different definitions of a company.

It is a positive, strong brand identity that bridges the gap between the two and makes the brand image and identity one in the same.  For example, when you think of words that describe Levi’s, you will most likely come up with adjectives like jeans, quality, affordable, and American.  The Levi Strauss Jean Company has built a strong brand identity as a leading quality and fashionable provider of jeans.  This gives Levi’s an edge in their competitive and over-saturated market, as the consumer thinks what Levi’s intends them to about their product.  By consistently and effectively branding their company, the image and identity of Levi’s have become synonymous terms.

Another factor to consider when evaluating a brand is time.  Time can be a tricky component to deal with as brands that have not effectively communicated their true identity in the past have a much more difficult time in changing their brand image and consumer perception.  When a brand allows itself to be misunderstood by the consumer for too long it is natural to assume that the brand will suffer.  Like they say, first impressions take a few seconds to make, but they take years to change.

Conversely, time can positively reflect a brand as well.  Time is a trusted entity and consumers recognize that.  If a brand has maintained a positive image and continued to execute extraordinary branding techniques by correctly educating consumers on their identity, then time will prove to be a helpful commodity in assessing a brand.

By assessing a brand’s image over time, you are ultimately led to the effect.  Whether you are launching an advertising campaign to promote a new brand, re-branding a company that as fallen by the way side, or reinforcing a tried and true brand, or using a creative agency to enhance your image, it is important to assess your progress.  Have perceptions changed?  Are people excited to learn about this brand? Was this an effective campaign?  Answering these questions is important in the quest for positive brand identity.  But most importantly, you must never forget the consumer.  When all is said and done, it is their opinion of a brand that holds the most merit.

This article is a guest post by Tyler Hansen who writes for www.trafficado.com, a web marketing and design agency.