As a professional, growth often comes with experience in the field, mentor feedback, and educational opportunities. And, while we may experience bouts of discomfort along the way, most of what we do remains familiar and comfortable to our skill sets. It’s when we take a chance and step out of our comfort zone that the opportunity to grow and learn presents itself.
In honor of National Book Lover’s Day, we created a summer reading roundup of the books that are keeping us sane and happy this summer. Read on for our suggestions of great beach reads this summer and enjoy a little mental health vacation (even if you can only squeeze it in after a long day at the office).
The practice of "unplugging" may seem like checking out, but the truth it can be the best way to make yourself more productive. Learn the benefits of unplugging and tips on how to do it in this blog post from team insight180.
Social media can be a valuable marketing tool for a brand, but only if you have a strong social media strategy in place. Read on for the social media guidelines we recommend to all of our clients.
Think about an engaging character from a television show or movie. What about them is memorable for you? Is it the way they hold their own during a conflict or how they talk (and laugh) just like you do when you’re hanging with your best friends? Is their sarcastic wit comforting and familiar or does it trigger a response of unease? When we immerse ourselves in entertainment, we come to feel like we know the characters as if they were real people in our lives. The same can be true of the brands we love.
I was recently asked why defining core values is important to an organization, and more specifically, how they influence a brand. I would counter, what’s the purpose in existing as an organization if core values aren’t driving it? While profitability and stakeholder responsibilities are what keep the lights on for any company, core values are what support the vision, define company culture and help align an organization and the people who work there.
I recently had the opportunity to lead a branding discussion at the Maryland Innovation Center and, amongst all of the great questions, one in particular stood out to me and my team, “What’s the story behind your name, insight180?” Honestly, I love it when people ask about our name. It gives us an opportunity to elaborate on who we are, how we’ve evolved, and who we’re becoming. It helps us tell our unique story, something we really appreciate in a good brand name. A good name can do many things: evoke an emotion (like trust or confidence); relay a purpose; create some fun and elicit curiosity. Still, other brand names may be less than inspiring but too established to change (like GEICO – what the heck does that even mean?).
Building a successful brand – like the business it represents – is not unlike training for a race. It’s more of a marathon than a sprint. You’re not going to break out of the gate at top speed. Instead, you’ll build a steady, sustainable pace that gets you closer and closer to that finish line so that when the time comes, you can finish strong.
The time had come! Our QuickBooks Desktop version was expiring and we needed to decide whether to stay with the desktop version or move to QuickBooks Online. I was really excited about making the switch to online! This would mean being able to access insight180 work remotely, also allowing our accountant to access remotely and giving us the capability to offer direct deposit to our employees. Gone would be the days of having to be physically “with” the computer designated as the QB computer. OK, maybe not exciting to everyone, but I love streamlining!
Every website refresh project is a dynamic undertaking. Even when clients have a clear idea of what content they want to include and a good sense of how they want to change the look of their website, there are almost always changes that occur along the way.
You’ve decided to refresh your brand. You crafted your story, updated your logo, and are building a new website that beautifully and authentically communicates the best of who you are, what you offer, and how you help your clients. Now what?
Owned by Facebook since 2012, Instagram is the most visual social media platform. It’s quickly growing into one of the most used (and liked) platforms, with 500 million daily active users. Many business-to-consumer (B2C) companies, like Starbucks, famously use Instagram to highlight their products, values and special promotions. By creating on-brand, visually appealing posts, Starbucks has created a following based around their products.
