Blogging - who, what, why and when?

We are often asked for advice by people wanting to start a blog, and these are the usual questions.

Who? - Who are your articles aimed at and where can you find them, this varies for nearly everyone I know.

What? – What are you going to blog about? Make it interesting and informative, this way people will return to read every post you write.

Why? – Why do people blog? People usually write to get known in their field of expertise. They share their knowledge and help others.

When? – When you have the time but people like regular posts, so we recommend every 2 to 4 weeks as a good starting point.

Our top blogging tips

• Your title should always be a question – this will encourage others to read your post.

• Posts should be between 200-300 words – any more and people will get bored and not read the whole article. Break longer articles into part 1 and part 2.

• Always use at least 1 image per article – the web is very visual, the more visual your post the more it will appeal to readers.

• Always finish with a question – this encourages responses to your post.

• Post every 2 – 4 weeks and monitor. Too regular or too few posts may encounter unsubscribers.

• Publicise your blog - every post needs promoting, use as many online platforms as possible.

• Ask for feedback – this way you know if your articles are relevant.

• Register with bloggers forums, this is a great way to get people engaged.

• Make every post informative and useful.

Have you been inspired to starting blogging?
 

Do other people see you as you see yourself?

You will not know the answer to this question unless you ask it!

So earlier this year I did, with some surprising results. I asked two questions to a variety of friends, colleagues and clients to ensure I received a well rounded opinion. My first question was If you read an article in a publication that included me, what would the topic of the article be?

The Article Results:
The most popular first theme was ‘Getting to grips with Social media’ which was followed by a variety of general business topics including ‘Networking for business’ and ‘Marketing’.  Some of the more unusual ones included ‘How to organise yourself’ and ‘Who dares wins’.  The other suggested topics were ‘Innovative individuals’, ‘You can achieve in difficult times’ and ‘Brand identity’.

The second was Can you describe me in 5 words?
Starting with the most popular, the words that people used included ‘Creative’, ‘Reliable’, ‘Honest’, ‘Social’ and ‘Generous’. Now I must admit, I was rather please with the top five especially as being honest and reliable are two of the skills that I look for in others.

These were followed by ‘Fun’, ‘Trustworthy’, ‘Friendly’, ‘Intelligent’, ‘Focused’, ‘Determined’, ‘Organised’ and ‘Positive’.

So what did that reveal to me?
I realised that I am many different things to different people.

Nearly all of the individuals that took part realised that my passion for my work and my determination to get on in life is what motivates me on a daily basis.

Now, I wouldn’t necessarily class myself as organised, but I am more than happy for others to have that impression of me.

Have a go yourself and see if you get an insight and better understanding of how people see you.

In the Mood for Red

In the true spirit of Valentine’s Day we thought it only right to stick on some Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, light some candles, scatter petals on the floor, open a box of Dairy Milk and write a blog post?!!

On a day when many people are in the mood for love, we’re busy thinking about our brand and also about how colour can impact on your emotions. Coupled together it's inspired us to write a post specifically about how the colour red makes you feel and what mood it can put you in.

The tradition of sending flowers on Valentine’s Day, most notably red roses, gained popularity in the 1600s. The red rose as a symbol of love dates back much further and can be attributed to the Romans as it was believed to be the favourite flower of Venus, the Goddess of Love. But why red?

Red is the colour of fire and blood, so it’s associated with energy, anger, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, respect and love. It certainly is a very emotionally intense colour which is why it’s commonly used on Valentine’s cards, confectionery and is the favoured colour of flowers today.

Red brings text and images to the foreground and when used as an accent colour it can stimulate people to make quick decisions, which is why it’s often used in call to action buttons or in discounts and promotions.

It has very high visibility, which is why it is used on items such as signage and emergency equipment. Red is also commonly associated with energy, so you can use it when promoting energy drinks, games, cars, items related to sports and high physical activity.

So if you use the colour red in your logo and/or marketing material, think about the impact it’s having on your prospects and clients – is it making the right one?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

What does your brand say about you?

An effective brand can give you the edge in increasingly competitive markets. It is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.

Branding is so much more than applying a logo in a consistent manner and using the right Pantone colours. Every form of communication should be pulling in the same direction, whether visual or tangible. Your communications should look and feel very similar, a bit like a uniform. Without the similarity you run the risk of losing your prospects and customers trust and loyalty because they can’t recognise, and then pinpoint communications back to you.

How can you develop your branding? A starting point.

Your logo should appear in a similar way on all marketing material and you should utilise the same typeface in all written communications (even email). It's a good idea to choose a small selection of colour ranges for your marketing material and you should always try and apply design styles consistently. Reinforce key messages in the same voice – the tone of your copy, put more of an emphasis on your key terms and the benefits of your services / products through repetition, but make it appealing (what do your prospects want to hear? We can save you time / money, etc).

Essentially, your material should present itself like a family – supporting and looking similar to each other.

But don't forget about other key areas:

If your staff need uniforms, make sure they match your company colours and have your logo printed on them. Branded promotional items should also reflect upon your services / products and your customer base, for example, it would be more beneficial and suitable for a web designer to giveaway branded mouse mats rather than umbrellas! Is the quality of your print up to scratch and does it look as good as your products / reflect the standard of your services?

Think long-term

With branding you need to think about the bigger picture and see it as being a long-term necessity, but start as you mean to go on. The core message of all successful brands never really changes and the leading brands are usually leaders because they have years of consistency under their belts.

The key is to have in place a very clear idea of what your brand is and how you will consistently communicate it. Why not start by writing the core proposition of your brand on a piece of paper and then put it in a prominent place where you will see it daily, next to a tick list of your achievable branding goals?

What does a logo say?

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Your logo is often the first thing that a potential client will see of your company. First impressions count!

Logos can say many things, traditional, modern, classic, stylish, kitsch, cheap, feminine and masculine and so on.

Traditional may be seen as old fashioned, classic is a longer lasting style that will not date over time. No style will appeal to everyone. You need to think about your target audience, their age range, gender and location will all give you an insight into what style you need to portray.

Companies often develop their ideas over many years. For example Nike didn’t start off as a swoosh. The word Nike was included in the logo for many years. It was only once the brand was very well established that they dropped the wording.

If you look at Sony, they have changes the thickness and spacing of their logo over time too. You don’t always need to redesign you can update.

If you have a complete redesign you may alienate your existing customers, an update will often work better. Branding development indicates that you are a forward thinking company, not sticking with the old just because you have it. Move with the times and appeal to the maximum audience that is possible. 

The hidden meaning of colour

Visual experiences
Visual experiences are all about colour and pleasing the eye. Colour can make something boring or chaotic if not used correctly.

It is important to know the emotions and meanings that colours represent, particulary when choosing colours for a brand or advertising. This will represent you and your company and you do not want to alienate your target audience. Beware of fashions and trends as these have a limited lifespan.

Harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it’s either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject understimulating information.

At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can’t stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it can not organize, what it can not understand. The visual task requires that we present a logical structure. Colour harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order.

Complementary colours
Complementary colours are any two colours which are directly opposite each other, such as red and green. These opposing colors create maximum contrast and maximum stability.

Harmonious colours
Harmonious colours are any three colors which are side by side on a colour wheel, such as yellow-green, and yellow-orange. Usually one of the three colors predominates.

Colour associations
Colours have meanings that go beyond ink (usually postives and negatives) and it is helpful to keep this in mind. Also remember that different cultures associate different things with differnt colours.

Red Passion, love, exciting, strength, power, sexuality and action but also represents stop, hot, impulsiveness, anger, impatience and violence.

Orange Courage, friendliness, energy, cheerfulness and warmth along with deceit, distrust and ignorance.

Blue Trust, tranquility, patience, loyalty, acceptance, understanding, cooperation and comfort along side fear, coldness and depression.

Purple Historically this colour is related to royalty and religion but also with foreboding and gloom.

Green Cool, environment, go, balance, harmony, hope, growth, freshness and soothing but also represents envy, illness and greed.

White  Associated with pure, safety, power, elegance, cleanliness and fresh along with cold, distant, guilt and greed.

Yellow Happiness, intelligence, caution, brightness, joy, and sunshine but also laziness and cowardice.

Black Cold, serious, strength and elegance but also with fear, evil, death and grief.

At the end of the day colour is a personal preference but this information is very useful when considering your target audience and brand.