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Branded building: does your workplace match your message?

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article | Branded building: does your workplace match your message?It’s tempting to treat your company’s branding as an afterthought or, at least, largely limit your branding efforts to social media and digital media content. That would be especially understandable if your operations are largely online-focused, with few customers visiting your physical workplace.

However, preserving consistent branding throughout, not just your online presence but also your office can pay off handsomely – here’s why, plus what you can do to align your branding in this way.

It’s easy to lose track of your supposed mission

Even if you have typed out your company’s mission statement, printed it out in large text and then framed it all for prominent display, your staff’s promotional efforts could still veer off-course surprisingly easily. After all, there’s so much of which you need to keep track…

That “much” includes not only the digital content we have just mentioned but also ad campaigns and marketing materials such as posters, flyers and brochures. If you have different people working on different aspects of the branding, it can soon drift into incoherence, perhaps before you notice.

Consequently, your brand – or whatever it still comprises – could confuse customers, clients and even people inside the company, right up to the executive level. Hence, as advised in an Entrepreneur article, you should put together – and, across all of the company’s departments, distribute – a brand guide touching on subjects like the brand’s voice, tone, colors, iconography and fonts.

StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article | Branded building: does your workplace match your message?Apply subtle but clever visual flourishes in your workplace

In your office, the little things can make a surprisingly large impact. Consider the words of New York-based digital communications professional Betsy Rohtbart in a Forbes piece; she posits: “If your logo is a circle, why put it on a square door? If your logo is a square, why put it on a rectangle tag?”

Along the same lines, she asks: “If your name is long, why shrink your font to make it fit the sign on the building?” The implication is that you shouldn’t feel under pressure to decorate your workspace in the “traditional” way, as succumbing to this pressure could see you missing out.

Your company’s culture should be reflected in the workplace design – and that culture concerns the firm’s values and beliefs, not simply its logo or branding colors. Perhaps you could put up a photograph from when your team participated in a charitable endeavor?

Why is workplace branding so important, anyway?

That question could still have played on your mind if few consumers or clients visit your company’s offices or make it past the reception area. However, as indicated on the Metropolis magazine’s website, office branding can imbue your workers with a sense of identity and connection.

Therefore, it can help to ensure that those workers are all moving in the same direction – and, in this way, genuinely helping consumers or clients. You can further encourage this by investing in luxury office design to create a space that reflects a specific lifestyle and where people truly aspire to work.

Top 5 Benefits of Business Cards

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Business Cards|Top 5 Benefits of Business CardsWhether you’re a small business or large organisation, spreading awareness of your brand is crucial. The more people who know about your company, the better, so using the right marketing tools and techniques can make a big difference, helping to secure new interest from customers and clients.

While many businesses use social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram as a way to connect with their followers, using the old school approach of business cards can be just as beneficial. With that in mind, here are the top five benefits of business cards.

Affordable

If you run a small business, working with a tight budget can be tough. However, what you may not realise is how cost-effective using business cards can be. Instead of purchasing one or two cards, make sure that you buy in bulk, where you will be able to save a ton of money. You may want to consider checking out websites like https://theallinprinter.com/ who can help you design the perfect business card.

Versatile

Although business cards are small, that doesn’t mean you can’t fit a great deal of information on them. Instead of just putting your contact information on your business card, you should consider putting some advertising material on it, or offering a deal or coupon to lure new customers in. It’s important not to put too much information on your business card though, so finding the right balance is key, helping to avoid overwhelming the recipients.

Convenient

Another great benefit of using business cards is that you are in charge over how it looks. What’s more, you have discretion over the content too, as well as what marketing strategies to use to promote your brand. Business cards are small enough to fit inside a purse or wallet, meaning customers are more likely to take a card from you and keep it in their wallet or briefcase.

Networking

There are all sorts of places where you can use a business card. For example, if you’re attending a networking event, having a stall promoting your brand and equipping yourself with plenty of business cards will mean that customers can take a piece of your business away with them, helping to secure new interest. Remember, anyone you meet can be a potential customer, so handing out as many business cards as you can is crucial.

Never Stop Working

Unlike a television advertisement that only lasts for roughly 30 seconds, a business card and its message resonate and stays with the customer. Each time a customer checks out your business card, they will be reminded about what your company is all about, helping to increase the likelihood of them engaging with your brand. Unlike using email marketing where customers may not even check their inbox, having a physical record of what your business is all about can help stick in consumers minds more.

Instead of relying on social media and the internet for your marketing strategy, using business cards can be a great way to attract more customers to your brand. Not only are they convenient for the customer, they never stop working, and they’re affordable to buy too, especially if you buy in bulk. How your business presents itself is everything, so make sure that you spend time designing a business card that stands out from the crowd.

How to Successfully Rebrand Your Business Through Social Media

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Rebranding| How to Successfully Rebrand Your Business Through Social MediaYour digital brand is probably the first thing potential customers see. And the chance that the first interaction they ever have with your brand is through social media are very high, considering that nearly eighty percent of the population is said to be on at least one social media network.

You may have moved your original brand identity online, but it isn’t a fit for the new digital world. Or you simply need to update your brand to stay relevant to your target demographic. Here are a few tips on how to successfully rebrand your business through social media.

Have a Plan before You Act

Rebranding is risky, because you’re putting your online reputation at risk. You could compromise the awareness you’re trying to raise if you do it wrong or choose a totally new brand that alienates your core customers.

Know exactly what your end goal is. Decide now what message you want to promote and how it helps you accomplish your goals. Select a brand that matches your new or revised company principles. Test various profiles, taglines and marketing materials to determine what your audience loves and what they hate. Create a step-by-step plan for transitioning to the new brand. Don’t rush the process, or you’re certain to make a mistake.

Stake Your Claim

Before you announce your new brand name, make certain that the domain name and social media handles you want are available. For example, make sure the Twitter handle that matches your new brand name is available before you tell people this is what you’ll be using. The best thing you can do is seize these domains and social media profiles before you do anything else. If the handle is already taken, you can get creative as you try to find a variation that works for you.

StrategyDriven's Social Media Publication Timing Whitepaper


Prepare Your Audience

Some members of your community will love the new brand, and others will hate it. Regardless of their opinions of your vision, you need to be transparent with all of your customers. Let your customers know that you’re gearing up for rebranding as it will help minimize the potential backlash. An abrupt overnight change without audience preparation will cause engagement to plummet, and that will hurt your rankings.

A slow, planned transition that is talked about with customers can actually help your company. It may improve your new brand’s recognition, because it allows you to leverage word-of-mouth marketing. One of the ways you can achieve this is by offering sneak peaks. This will pique the interest of everyone else, causing those with privileged information to generate buzz while others will tune in to see the new brand as soon as it is revealed. This is true whether you’re changing your logo, updating your social media profiles, or totally revamping the brand.

Plan for the frequently asked questions before you go live. Don’t leave people with unanswered questions. Take the time to anticipate their needs, create a list of frequently asked questions, and then give them straightforward answers. Explain to people why you’ve decided to rebrand and what the change will mean for your customers, if anything.

It is a good idea to assign someone the job of monitoring social media profiles after launch to address community questions quickly. This can avoid confusion and ensure that correct information gets out to the community. This should be done in addition to blog posts and videos introducing and promoting the new brand.

Create a Consistent New Brand

For the sake of professionalism and consistency, update all of the social media profiles on the same day. Change your domains at the same time. Don’t announce a rebrand and then wait a long time before changing your presentation. Make certain that everything from your website to paid ads to business directory entries follow the new branding scheme.

A branding agency like BrandLume could help you set things up so that it all transforms on the same day. They offer a variety of branding services and will provide clear timelines of what to expect at every stage of the rebranding process. They will do as much or as little as you need them to do so that the project fits your budget as well as your deadlines. And they don’t lock you into long-term contracts, either, though they can handle the social media reaction to your rebranding effort for you as long as you need them to.

Have all of your employees update their biographies too, so that customers know that they’re talking to the right person when seeking help or information. Ensure that everyone is speaking in the new company’s “tone” and following your new branding guide.

Stick with It

When you’ve committed to a new brand, stick with it. Don’t revert back to old posts with the obsolete branding because they generated a lot of activity. Don’t announce a rebranding only to change your mind later.

Avoid vanity engagement at all costs. Stick to your plan, monitor engagement throughout the transition, and address problems as they arise without deviating from the overall plan. Wavering will end up eroding trust in the brand. Be aware of the negative comments and possible loss of some clients. Be consistent in your brand’s new aesthetic, voice and content so that your numbers will start to grow again.

Continue engagement with your followers, too. This increases the odds they’ll stay on board after the rebranding. Keeping up the engagement will also increase the odds newly acquired followers will remain connected to the brand. This could also be a commitment to your new brand, and a focus on building a closer interaction with your core base.

Rebranding can hurt your brand when done incorrectly. However, when done right, it will help your business succeed on social media, give your company a second life, and boost awareness and recognition. Make sure that you take all these points into consideration and also consider working with professionals if you need help.

What Does It Take To Create An Electrifying Brand?

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Brand Identity| What Does It Take To Create An Electrifying Brand?The key to succeeding in the competitive world of business is to create a brand that separates you from the competition. You’re probably selling similar products or services to your rivals, so your brand identity might be the only thing that can differentiate you from the sea of competitors. But what does it actually take to create an electrifying brand? The ideas in this article might give you some inspiration.

The right message.

The best businesses stand for something. Those businesses are fronted by powerful brands because people know the statement that the company is trying to make. For instance, most search engines can’t compete with Google, but Ecosia is starting to make a name for itself because it plants a tree for every search. It has an environmental message, and that resonates with people. If you want to create an electrifying brand then you need the right message, at the end of the day. That can really help you to distinguish yourself from your rivals. Perhaps you could take the eco-friendly route and create a sustainable business, but there’s no reason to stop there. You could give some of your profits to different charities. You could offer business classes to young people in the community. Give something back to people and those people will value your company. They’ll see that your message isn’t all talk with no substance.

A loyal customer base.

Another integral part of creating an electrifying brand is building a reputation for yourself. This all starts with a loyal customer base. Simply getting lots of sales isn’t enough if those sales are coming from one-time customers. If you’re going to start gaining recognition in the industry then you need clients that keep returning to your company on a repeat basis. That way, you’ll be able to grow steadily as you continue to acquire new customers. To encourage loyalty, you should reward customers with points every time they buy with you. If those points can be used to reduce the cost of your goods then clients will have a reason to continuously buy goods from you.

StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Brand Identity| What Does It Take To Create An Electrifying Brand?A widespread online presence.

Everybody uses the internet in the modern age, so it’s the most powerful resource at your disposal when it comes to reaching potential customers with your brand. Increasing numbers of consumers do their shopping online as opposed to shopping in physical stores, so you need a widespread online presence to maximize your chances of reaching target customers in your specific marketplace. In order to create a widespread online presence, you need to start by creating a strong website. You might have a professional company that delivers professional services, but potential customers might think that your brand is quite amateurish if your site appears that way. Get the help of an expert who specializes in professional web design if you need to improve your business’ website. Great web content will impress visitors, and you’ll see a better conversion of traffic to sales. That’s how you’ll create an electrifying online brand.

You need a strong social media strategy if you want to create a widespread online presence that permeates your potential target market. You need to use social networks as a platform to connect with both existing and potential customers. If you want to create an electrifying brand then the key is to forge meaningful relationships with people who want to buy your goods or people who are already buying your goods. We already talked about the importance of developing a loyal customer base, and social media could be the tool that instigates that. You might even want to get help from a social media influencer to increase your online presence. This could help you to directly reach a large number of potential customers through a voice that people already value.

Research.

You also need to do your research if you want to create an electrifying brand. You can’t present an image that makes an impact on the market until you know what the market actually wants. You should be collecting information on consumers all the time in order to build up a picture of your target demographic. Invite feedback on a constant basis (e.g. on your website and social media pages) in order to hear what your current and potential clients want from a company such as yours. You might be able to spot a problem that your competitors have yet to solve. If you can fill that gap in the market with a unique solution then you’ll definitely create an electrifying brand and stand out from the competition.

A great team.

As mentioned in the first point of this article, an electrifying brand needs the right message. This is what gives your business a real personality. You need substance because your target market won’t engage with a 2D brand. Of course, in order to ensure that you deliver your message in an engaging and authentic way, you need engaging and authentic employees. Your customers won’t believe that your business really cares about people if its workers seem unenthusiastic and lethargic. Worse still, it could actually damage your reputation if your members of staff are rude or unhelpful.

A great team is the key to creating an electrifying brand. We’ve really saved the best for last here. If your business’ image is going to seem real and believable to the market then it needs some personality. That personality will come directly from your engaged and dedicated members of staff. If you feel that the workplace is lacking the air of excitement necessary to drive everybody forwards then be the enigmatic leader that your employees need. You could promise a bonus to the hardest worker every month. That’ll give people an incentive to work hard. You could also make the office more pleasant. You could improve the design, and you could even get something fun such as a ping-pong table for the lunch room. That’ll give your workers a way to revitalize themselves and return to their desks with a renewed sense of purpose.

Four Ways to Overhaul Your Company Website

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article | Four Ways to Overhaul Your Company WebsiteIf your company’s been around for a while, it’s likely that your website has been, too. If that’s the case, you may well find that design trends, features and styles have moved on from the point at which you dusted off your finished site. The web design world moves fast – and consumer attention moves faster. If customers arrive on your website to the impression that you’ve not updated it for a number of years, they’ll instantly judge you for it. You’ll lose business as a result. As such, here are four ways to overhaul your website in favor of something a little more snazzy, modern and sleek.

Rebrand

While this is not necessarily a web-based overhaul, it is something you should consider if you’re in any case about to entirely change your website’s appearance. A rebrand will echo through-out your website, and as such it’s best to cover both a rebrand and a web redesign at the same time, in the same cohesive process. Get your design team on it immediately, or outsource to de-sign professionals who’ll help you achieve your vision.

Hosting Platforms

The very base – the foundation – of your website is its hosting platform. If you’re about to go through an overhaul, it’s certainly worth considering whether you ought to change hosting providers at the same time. In recent years, cloud hosting has become particularly favored in the web design world – something that you’ll not be using in your current legacy website.

Restructuring

Many companies are so used to their existing website that they fail to recognize some glaring failures in terms of its structural layout. Even if there are no failures per se, the gold standard for webpage and site map layout is always changing, which means your website is almost certainly behind the curve, confusing web users and alienating potential custom. When you overhaul your website, be sure to restructure it in such a way as to smooth all click-throughs and open up pathways for your traffic to pass easily through.

Redesigning

Now it comes to the more visual side of your site’s revamp. Here, you’ll want to go with some of the most exciting design trends to be taking place in 2019. Mini-animations, activated by the scroll function, have become something of a dominant trend for websites in the past year, and continue to dominate the ecosystem for businesses aiming to look ultra-modern and super-slick. Engage with these trends visually in order to bask in the admiration of your site’s visitors.

A Word of Warning

While website overhauls are incredibly important in order to keep your business modern and functional online, you shouldn’t erase your old web pages until you’re sure that your new and revamped website is entirely bug-free. A second word of warning: be sure to bear in mind that repeat customers may be shocked by a very different website appearing when they go to visit yours. Take steps to reassure these customers, and to keep some consistency with the old de-sign.

These four tips – and brief words of warning – should help you conduct a thorough overhaul of your company’s website, updating your appearance and functionality for the trends that are dominating 2019.