brand

Here are the Top Colors for Spring 2017!

Published October 4, 2016 | By Elaine Fogel

Every time Pantone comes out with their top color choices, I like to share them with you. Even though the colors are more indicative of what we’ll see in fashion and home decor next spring, it’s always good to keep on top of what’s trending for graphic design purposes.

If your business or organization has an existing brand color scheme, you’re obviously not going to rush out and change it. But, if you’re considering brand identity revisions, you may want to take a look to see what’s “in.” Continue reading →

Posted in Branding, Graphic Design, Marketing | Tagged brand, brand color scheme, brand identity, colors, graphic design, logo colors, Pantone

5 Tips for Successful Social Media Marketing

Published September 22, 2016 | By Guest Blogger

Guest post by Debbie Laskey, MBA

With brands both big and small diving into social media, how do you define successful social media marketing?

First of all, a social media plan must be written. Second, the social media plan must align with the overall annual marketing and communications plan. Despite what some CEOs believe, social media cannot be performed in a silo.

Third, a social media policy must be written and enforced. While it’s great when employees throughout an organization want to post about a brand, there should be some guidance as to the content and voice – which is why employees of many large brands include “Tweets are my own” in their bios.

To get you started on the road to successful social media marketing, here are my five favorite tips:

Continue reading →

Posted in Marketing, Social Media | Tagged brand, marketing and communications plan, Social Media, Social media marketing, social media plan | Leave a comment

The Top Customer Experience Lesson from Hawaii

Published September 20, 2016 | By Elaine Fogel

If you’ve ever been to Hawaii, you’ll totally “get” this post. And, even if you haven’t, read on to discover the top customer experience strategy they use in the Hawaiian islands.

I just returned from my first trip to Hawaii (Maui), and aside from the consecutive rainy days everyone there told us was “unusual,” it was a lovely getaway. My hubby and I attended a luau where we learned more about Hawaiian culture and history than we read in our pre-trip online research.

Ka’anapali Beach sunset

Along the road to Hana

What I discovered about Hawaiians is their collective commitment to aloha, which is much more than a simple hello and goodbye greeting. Continue reading →

Posted in Customer Experience, Customer Service, Marketing | Tagged aloha, brand, calls-to-action, customer experience, customer experience strategy, customer service | Leave a comment

How Easy to Understand is Your Marketing Content?

Published April 28, 2016 | By Elaine Fogel

Do you sometimes get bogged down when writing your business’ or organization’s marketing content? Is it filled with jargon or technical information?

There’s an answer for you… Cut it out!

When your marketing language is difficult to understand, and only “insiders” know what you’re talking about, you have a big problem.

“Language is how customers get to know you. If what you’re saying as a brand strikes the wrong tone, is inconsistent or difficult to understand, it’s going to affect how they feel about you. Worst case scenario, they might just give up and go elsewhere,” said Anelia Varela, U.S. director of The Writer consultancy.

The Writer consultancy recently released key findings from a new study of Fortune 1000 companies in the U.S. revealing that more than 80% of the businesses surveyed have no formal tone of voice (or what some call “verbal identity”), and 94% of these have no intention of creating one. And yet, 80% of early adopters of tone of voice say it’s just as – or more – important than their brand’s visual identity. Continue reading →