branding 101

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In: Branding, Digital Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

Branding is something you’re likely familiar with. Most people think of logos and color schemes when it comes to branding, but it’s much more than that. Branding is really what people think of when they see your logo or hear your name. Who Owns Your Brand? The truth is, you don’t own your brand – your brand lives in the minds of everyone else. I’ll give you an example. If I said the name Trump to you five years ago, you probably would have thought “real estate, hair, The Apprentice, New York.” But if I say the word Trump to you today, your response willRead More →

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In: Branding, Digital Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

Oh, Pepsi. What did you do? Why did you do it? This is the type of marketing that ruins marketing for the rest of us. I hate this kind of marketing – the hijacking of a movement for the sake of making a few bucks. This type of marketing puts profits over people, and this ad in particular made that fact even worse by using today’s hot-button topics to sell a soft drink – a soft drink – in an ad that didn’t even address anything, just took several serious matters and threw so much pixie dust on them they were barely recognizable. Friends, this blog post addresses politicalRead More →

Blog - Using Colors to Enhance Design and Usability

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In: Branding, Digital Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

Color choice is an important part of your website and marketing materials. I believe that design and usability go hand-in-hand. It is so frustrating to me when when something is so poorly designed that’s it’s hard to use. It’s also very frustrating to see something that’s designed to be pretty but not very functional. This is true when it comes to marketing, especially with websites. There are many aspects to design, but I want to talk to you about color today, because color choice can make or break a website or marketing piece for one reason: contrast. Contrast Isn’t Sexy I realize that talking aboutRead More →

Who Is Your Target Audience?

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In: Branding, Digital Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

Your target audience is the group of people who are your customers and clients – or who you want to be your customers and clients. When you’re talking about your target audience, most people are familiar with demographics. Demographics Demographics are the stats about your target audience, such as gender, age, race, location, education, marital status, and income. These are traits that many people share, but otherwise, those people could be very different. While demographics are important, there’s another set of data that helps determine your target audience. Psychographics Psychographics are much more specific to a person. They include a person’s set of values andRead More →

3 Hidden Ways to Improve Your Facebook Page

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In: Digital Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

Facebook is a staple in a marketing strategy, and it’s an easy and inexpensive way to reach your audience. Pew Research Center shows that 71% of adults who are online use Facebook and 70% of those use Facebook daily. People spend 20% of mobile device time using Facebook, which equals 46 minutes a day. Bottom line: there’s a lot of people using Facebook and they check it a lot. The challenge here, of course, is that where there are people, there are businesses trying to vie for their attention, and much of what is seen in a person’s newsfeed depends on Facebook algorithm. That makes itRead More →

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In: Customer Service, Digital Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

Every business, no matter how small, can benefit from smart marketing. A friend of mine from high school (OK, kindergarten – we go waaay back) recently started a business providing face painting services – Facepaint Fun by Cara. While I know she’s talented – she’s always been a great artist – Saturday night was the first time I have seen her in action. And let me tell you, she did not disappoint. Over the last few days I’ve been thinking about ways Cara can market her business and help it grow, and with her permission, I’m sharing them with you here. While I’ve used examplesRead More →

11 Websites for Great, Free Photos

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In: Branding, Digital Marketing, Social Media

We all know the typical stock photos – a group of business people sitting at a table and smiling at a document. Yup, totally realistic. But you need images to use in your marketing. Check out this list of 11 websites where you can get great photos for free, even for commercial use. But first… NEVER use images without permission. You cannot Google an image and use it on your website without getting permission from the owner. You can be SUED for doing this. I have seen this happen. It’s usually because people don’t understand the laws around using images, but that’s not an excuse. UsingRead More →

Groundhog's Day Marketing

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In: Digital Marketing, Social Media

Today is Groundhog’s Day, which may not be a big deal everywhere, but in Western Pennsylvania, it’s a Thing. I think most people associate Groundhog’s Day with the movie rather than Punxsutawney Phil. You know the one – where Bill Murray repeats Groundhog’s Day over and over and over again. There’s a marketing lesson here. Repetition is key to good marketing. A customer needs to be exposed to your message over and over and over again. This can be frustrating when you’re spending time and money on a marketing campaign and you’re just not seeing results, but stick with it. Results don’t happen overnight, justRead More →

Authenticity isn't just a buzzword

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In: Branding, Digital Marketing, Social Media

Authenticity. It’s been the buzzword in social media marketing as of late, and it’s something that I take very seriously. However, you can’t make yourself “more authentic.” If you do a Google search on how to be authentic on social media, you won’t run out of articles to read. However, you can’t strategize how to be more authentic. You just are. I started thinking about authenticity this week when I was listening to the UnPodcast (which is a must-listen). The hosts, Scott Stratten and Allison Kramer, were talking about how radio shows’ Facebook Pages are The Worst and I realized that I am really lucky toRead More →

Local Marketing for Local Businesses

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In: Customer Service, Digital Marketing, Social Media

What do you do when you need something new? Chances are, you reach for your smartphone, and you’re not alone. More people than ever are using their mobile devices to shop and access information. According to an article in Time: Almost 70% of Amazon shoppers access their site on a smartphone or tablet, More 50,000 billion of Google’s 100,000 monthly searches come from a mobile device More than 70% of Wal-Mart’s website visits are from a smartphone Almost half of Wal-Marts online orders over Thanksgiving weekend were made on a mobile device It’s not news that our shopping habits have changed. As people find it easier, and oftenRead More →