Recently I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, when to my horror I spotted a familiar stock image. I recognised it as one that a very high-profile client of mine was using to represent their brand in a large portion of their marketing campaign. Only now, I saw that the very same image was now being used by another brand, one that's highly controversial. Of course the potential confusion was compromising my client's brand integrity, and it could have real consequences to their business. Unfortunately this…
Read MoreA strong social media presence is so important when you’re running a business, but that doesn’t necessarily make maintaining one easy! With so many things pulling at our time and attention, and the constantly challenge of creating fresh content, it’s very common to become overwhelmed by the whole thing and to feel like just giving up. That feeling becomes even stronger when we’re not seeing the return we hoped for in terms of increased fans and followers and growing revenue. I am inspired to…
Read More(Today’s post comes courtesy of Jennifer Reitmeyer, the owner of Firebrand Messaging, a U.S.-based copywriting and content marketing company serving clients around the world. We invited her to share her strategies to help our readers make their own blogging easier!) We’ve all been there. Sitting in front of a blank computer screen, watching the cursor blink. Knowing that we should be blogging for our business (even if we’re not sure exactly why) and yet not having a clue what to write. Sound familiar? If…
Read MoreHappy New Year! If you’ve resolved to launch your dream business in 2016, you probably want to start by selecting your business name. Your business name is your clients’ very first impression of who you are and what you do, so choosing the right one is incredibly important. The wrong name can chip away at your credibility and keep you from closing sales, while a great business name can serve as the foundation for your professional image for years, even decades, to come. But…no…
Read MoreA few years ago I was holding interviews for a new position in our studio, and an interesting thing happened. One of the candidates I spoke with was very open about wanting to set up a business in direct competition with mine, should he not get the job. I was intrigued by this notion of competition. And quickly I laughed it off and said, “There’s no such thing as competition, because I’ll never be you, and you’ll never be me. I believe, competition is…
Read MoreI have a confession to make. When I was a child, I loved to rearrange my room. That doesn’t sound so strange, does it? Believe me, though: this went well beyond just tidying up! Instead, I redesigned the entire layout of my room, including changing the colours and deciding on the placement of all of my favourite things. It used to drive my parents crazy when they’d hear me dragging furniture across the floor and toppling over bookshelves! Now, as an adult, I realise…
Read MoreA few years ago, before I owned a business, I thought the concept of meditation was a little woo-woo/hippy. I didn’t imagine it being useful in my life. Even as I recommended meditation to an old boss as a way to calm some of the stress he was going through, I didn’t know how powerful it could be – I realise now how naively I suggested it, not truly understanding its transformative abilities! Once I became a business owner, I finally took my own…
Read MoreThe topic of values, and how they impact our lives, is a popular one today – and for good reason! Not only are our values a foundation for how we live, they also can do the same for how we work, and how we connect with customers. It’s pretty basic, really – incorporating your values into your branding, as well as the way you operate your business, will align your business with likeminded people. Likeminded people are more likely to buy from you, and…
Read MoreAnyone who knows me well knows I go on (and on and on...) about "brand consistency at every touchpoint." And for good reason: every interaction with your customer should feel familiar with the last interaction they had with you. But what do you do when you have to represent your brand to your audience through a third party’s brand? So, there’s your beautiful brand, sitting on or alongside another logo and another brand – and in most ways it doesn’t feel like it matches…
Read MoreIt was another typical scenario of a family friend saying to me “you’re a what designer?” me: "a graphic designer" them: “oh, like computer graphics?" me: “ah..yeah... kind of..” I threw around some words describing how graphic design is seen virtually everywhere: in logos, magazine layouts, posters, billboards, packaging (everywhere!) The family friend nodded, took a sip of his drink and looked around for someone else to have a conversation with. I was confused... This wasn't the first time this had happened! So what…
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