Taking time for reflection can help personal and professional growth. As you head into the new year, make time to pause and reflect on the past year, the lessons learned, wins achieved, and goals you'd like to continue to work towards. These prompts can help you get started.
Throughout the 24 years we've been in business as a branding and design firm, we’ve seen many organizations refresh their brands with new websites, messaging, and logos. We’re no different. We’ve tweaked and refreshed the insight180 brand several times, as a way to commemorate a shift in focus or celebrate a new chapter for the business. Each time, we’ve approached the process similarly to the way we would advise our clients if they were considering a logo refresh. If you're considering refreshing your logo, read about when and why you may want to do this sooner than later.
When was the last time you checked your social media metrics? Not just your company’s page, but your personal LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram pages? People want to engage with – and be inspired by – people, not companies. Allowing your audience to get to know you first helps them decide if they want to invest their time and money in your product or services. When done right, an active personal presence on social media can be an effective form of networking which can bring in leads and new clients for your business. So how do you know that what you are posting on your pages is resonating with those potential clients? Social media metrics. Read this blog post to learn more.
Whether you’re a small business striving for growth or a seasoned B2B company looking to stay ahead, reviewing and updating your marketing SOPs and Best Practices can make all the difference. Here are five essential steps to ensure your marketing efforts stay relevant, effective, and aligned with your business goals.
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?
Personal and professional connections can be powerful forces in promoting your business. People who know you, know what you do and believe in you can be your company’s greatest advocates. With more than two billion users across the globe, social media is one place that professionals, friends and family gather to stay in touch. If you’re not using social media for your business, you may be missing a big opportunity to connect with more people in your business community.
Yet few people remember this big thing: calls-to-action. A call-to-action (CTA) is text or image that invites, or “calls” visitors to take “action” or do something specific. The CTA can be for anything: register for a seminar, download a white paper, watch a video, donate money, learn more, etc.
At the beginning of this year, 110-year-old retailer, JCPenney began making changes to its brand in an effort to restore it’s integrity and transform the way shoppers feel about the experience of retail stores. Their aim is to get rid of the frustration and make shopping “simpler” and it is all part of a brand overhaul planned by Apple exec turned new JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson. Johnson plans to completely revamp JCPenney’s image by 2015 and his plan is to do that by taking big risks. Johnson draws his inspiration from his former boss, the late Steve Jobs. His new marketing strategy will all be about product, place, price, and promotion – the 4 P’s of marketing. But he will also add in presentation and personality to increase curiosity and interest in JCPenney.
Here is a short summary of how Johnson’s marketing strategy will work. Some of these plans have already been implemented but others are on their way.
1. Product: Same Quality, More Brands
