Tag Archives: branding

Branding Your Blog Using Instagram Photos

Leave a reply

There are many ways of creating a specific brand for your blog which you can call your own. More than the name of the blog, there will be other features in your blog that will help differentiate it from the rest. There are just some reminders in going about it.

Choose Photos that Truly Represent Your Blog

instagram5

 

Image Source

When it comes to branding a blog, it would be of paramount importance to use images that will help you project yourself through your blog or project your blog as you want it to. Can readers expect carefree posts from you? Will you be touching on nature?  A single image can project in an instant what it would normally take many words to describe suitably.

Choose Images Close to the Heart

instagram6a

Image Source

Can readers expect your posts to be very personal and close to home? Will your writing be realistic? Will they be something readers will be able to relate to?

Choose Images that Call Attention

instagram7

 Image Source

Choose images that calls attention to itself first and then to your blog the next. There is a reason why it s a common marketing effort to associate a symbol, a word, a phrase, or an image to a product and that reason is called the recall factor. This is to ensure the automatic association of these representations with a product or company.

There are so many things you can do with your blog through Instagram, check out insta challenges for ideas.

 

Originally posted on December 23, 2014 @ 10:48 pm

The Role of Colors in Online and Offline Marketing

Leave a reply

Whether you’re marketing a product or service online or even offline, it helps to pay attention to the colors you use. There’s a psychology behind colors and choosing the right one spells the difference in your business success.

Colors in online marketing

Colors normally provoke specific emotions in people. KissMetrics, an analytics company, revealed that consumers often consider colors when making purchases. Below are specific colors and how they’re used when marketing physical products.

Red represents energy and increased heart rate associated with urgency. As such, it is often used in clearance sales.

Blue is often used by banks and businesses as it helps promote trust and security.

Yellow is for optimism and youth. It is often used to attract attention of window shoppers.

Black is associated with power and often used in marketing luxury products. Continue reading →

Originally posted on May 27, 2013 @ 3:35 am

Look to the Past in 2012: How to Put Referrals Back on the Table

Leave a reply

Many companies are focusing on the 2012 trends and new developments in business, but some should be thinking more along the lines of a New Year’s resolution. In other words, the New Year is a great time to improve upon what your company is already doing (or should already be doing). Many of those old marketing tricks still work just as well, but companies have slowly been pushing them to the wayside. While methods like social media and QR Codes are great, my advice is this: Make improving your older marketing methods your New Year’s resolution.

One of my favorite “classic” marketing tricks is the referral. Getting a referral is so important to a company because it has a very good chance of actually bringing in a profit. This is the case for because a referral means that your company is being talked about on a level of trust. The person getting the referral trusts the person giving the referral. This yields better results than if someone was just looking at a website.

If you think your company could benefit from more referrals, it’s time to start making this a priority. Consider a few of the ways your company can increase its number of referrals in the New Year:

Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Number of Referrals in 2012

1. Co-Marketing – Part of a co-marketing strategy is giving referrals. For those who are unfamiliar, many companies create partnerships with other, complementary companies for marketing purposes. For example, if you work at a day care center you may want to have a partnership with a pediatrician. If you refer customers to his/her practice and they refer their patients to your business, you will have an entirely new audience very quickly.

2. Social Media – You don’t need to resort back to traditional phone systems if you’re hoping for a referral. Contrary to what some may believe, old marketing tactics can coincide with new age methods. If you love social media, be sure that you have sharing buttons for all of your readers. This makes it easy for customers and clients to send an online referral to all of their friends and family.

3. Compensation – Even though giving a referral is very easy, people will be more likely to do so if there is an incentive. If you can give someone five dollars off their next visit or a free consultation just for bringing in a friend, your referrals will skyrocket. This is probably the easiest way to bring in new customers and clients (while making your existing clients happy).

4. Simply Ask – It’s never a bad idea to remind existing customers and clients that referrals are appreciated. This can be as easy as reminding them when they leave—just put it into your “goodbye” spiel. If you have a good relationship with a specific customer, ask them directly if they know anyone who may be interested. You might be surprised how something so little can go such a long way.

5. Testimonials – Gathering testimonials is great because it allows those who want to help to do their part. Many customers will tell you they simply do not know anyone in the area or anyone who would need your products or services. The solution to this is to ask for a testimonial for your website or brochure. Have them sign a document saying you can use their words on your website, and you’re good to go. This is an indirect way to give a referral, but a referral nonetheless.

In the end, people will not blame your company for trying to step up its referral statistics. It’s an inexpensive and successful way to grow a brand. In other words, looking to the past may benefit your company more than looking to the future in 2012.

Photo Credit: servicebusinessreinvention.com, mylot.com, blog.marketamerica.com

Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to telemarketing. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including customer referrals to small businesses and entrepreneurs for Resource Nation.

Originally posted on December 14, 2011 @ 11:13 am