There’s no doubt about it, it’s been another unusual year. In this time for missives, musings, reflections… whatever you call them, I’ve been thinking a lot about pausing, purpose, awareness, and intentionality. So pardon me while I ramble.
Fun Finds
So much has changed in the past year. New things are catching our eye. The insight180 team has once again gathered a few design-inspired items that capture some of the movements and moments of today. From Disney World and the Olympic logos to generational aging trends and post-pandemic design trends, we hope these creative “finds” bring you some enjoyment and inspiration. What’s something you’ve been noticing?
Content block? 5 ideas to help you to create social posts when you’re feeling stuck
As a business-to-business (B2B) company, it can be challenging to create fresh, purposeful social media content when selling a product. It can be even more difficult when your organization is “selling the invisible” (services, training, consulting, project management, fundraising, membership, and more). At insight180, we create, plan, post, and engage on social media for ourselves and our clients. Over 12 months, with three-plus posts to a variety of platforms each week and multiple companies to plan for each day, keeping content fresh and consistent requires discipline, creativity, and strategy. We know from experience that content block can happen to even the most seasoned social media content creators.
7 TIPS TO HELP CLARIFY YOUR BRAND (AND WHY IT MATTERS)
As a business owner, you already know that to serve your clients best, you must first understand them. Chances are, you do. You’ve crunched the numbers, analyzed the data, and modified your products or services time and time again to get them exactly where you need them to be. Or, rather, you’ve refined your services to specifically meet the needs of your clients.
Spring Cleaning Your Marketing
The last 12 months have made many of us masters of remote working. Our marketing materials should reflect mastery, as well. Most of us are relying a bit more on PowerPoints and electronic presentations. How do yours stack up? With the promise of spring (and vaccinations well underway), now is the perfect time to make a fresh start. To do a little spring cleaning on your marketing or your website look and feel, perhaps? Here are four areas that you might want to clean up or refresh now, so you’re ready to roll when we’re all meeting in person again.
Spread the love! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Every year, we like to celebrate Valentine’s Day by creating our own fun, design-inspired digital cards. It’s our way of virtually sharing the love! Here are some of our favorites that you can post. Share a card or two on your Facebook page to spread some love of your own. Simply click on the card image in our blog to share directly to Facebook, tagging the one(s) you love. Tag us, too, so we can see how you’re celebrating this year! Be sure to check out our cards from 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017, too! Happy Valentine’s Day!
How to Avoid Buyer’s Remorse with Your Brand Refresh
Years ago, I bought a new-to-me car. When we arrived at the dealer to pick it up, they were ready. The car was spotless. Workers gave balloons to our young sons and shook hands with my husband and me. A few days later, we received a “Welcome to the Family” card in the mail, congratulating us on our auto selection and inviting us to join the fan club – complete with a tin of cookies! Surely, there could be no doubt that we made a smart purchasing decision.
20 Things We Celebrate About 2020
Back in January, the insight180 team was excited for the promise of 2020. No, really! We were busier than ever, exhilarated by the work we were doing, and making plans to celebrate our 20th anniversary in business this year! Woo hoo! In late February, I personally experienced the trip of a lifetime traveling to Costa Rica for what was truly an epic business/connection retreat. I returned home on March 3rd and by March 13th, Maryland was in lockdown. My team, our clients, and basically everybody we know were thrust into new territory, making huge adjustments to the way we lived and worked. Fear and uncertainty became part of the daily narrative.
Fun Finds
Often, it’s the little things, the ordinary, the unexpected encounters that spark our imaginations. A surprise find can lift us and elevate whatever comes next (especially this year with its many unexpected challenges). That’s certainly true for our insight180 team. We’re delighted to share just a few of our Fun Finds with you here. Enjoy exploring what caught our attention. We’re hoping some of our discoveries will inspire you, too.
Sales Fear? Six Tips to Help You Get Out of Your Own Way
Your website looks great. You’ve spent a lot of time, energy, and resources to develop a wonderful, purpose-driven business that is making a positive impact in the world. You have a track record of helping those that you serve. You’ve developed a beautiful product. You’re ready to go. But when it comes to reaching out to your network, you freeze. What’s happening here?
How to Know When It’s Time to Update Your WordPress Website
You’ve had that inkling that it’s time for a refresh. Your brand consultant tells you that your site is more than six years old. You just learned that the most recent version of WordPress has caused a compatibility issue with your theme or plugins. Your plugin updates are starting to send errors to you. Or it just looks outdated and unappealing. Any one of these is good reason to pay close attention.
First Impressions: Is Your Company Looking its Best?
A stylish dress. A classy suit. A trendy pair of shoes. What you wear and how you look carries a lot of weight when it comes to what others think about you. We all do it. Within a few seconds of meeting someone, we’ve already formed opinions that have nothing to do with the facts we know about a person. Most of us, for example, believe that attractive people are smarter and friendlier than less attractive folk. Or that people who are skilled in one area are naturally capable in others. It’s human nature. And first impressions matter.
