Taking a Stand with Your Business©2019, Colleen Eakins Design

Taking a Stand with Your Business

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Social consciousness and responsibility is a key asset in a business operation. It allows the consumers to respect and understand the brand further, which in turn will move in to loyalty.

For example, corporate social responsibility allows the business to donate to specific nonprofits or implement environmentally-friendly policies that circle back and represent the company in the best light. The charities chosen or the policies put in place in the workplace will be greatly beneficial and provide extra support to their local and global communities.

As our product and service offerings increase in options in the market, the customer experience must also increase. This includes feeling connected to a brand that has similar views, socially and politically, as their consumers, especially when it comes to what they individually feel is important.

Brands that do a phenomenal job in incorporating social responsibility and taking a firm stand in their beliefs are:

TOMS – One the most prominent social impact companies currently. When you buy a pair of TOMS shoes, you give a pair to someone in need. More recently, due to increase political and social push for change, you can find their stance for gun violence front and center on their homepage, with opting to send a postcard to your representatives, along with apparel choices for purchase.

Warby Parker – As the internet becomes the hotbed to find items easier than in-store, they are no exception. However, when you buy a pair of glasses you give a pair to someone in need to improve their capability to learn with their new increased sense of sight.

Bumble – Is a completely different internet dating experience than anything before. Born from the founder’s own experiences, Bumble hopes to empower women involved in internet dating and to limit sexual harassment that may be found on other dating sites and mobile apps.

Bucketfeet – A shoe company that works with over 40,000 artists from more than 120 countries. When a pair of shoes is bought, that artist receives $10 – the company has given over $600,000 back to the artist community since its launch in 2011.

Airbnb – During the 2017 Superbowl the home-sharing site drew attention when it responded to the nation-specific travel ban put in place by President Trump with their #WeAccept commercial. This was directly in line with the services that Airbnb provides and was an “easy” slot to fill to align with their brand.

Why is this so important to a brand?

According to a survey done by Sprout Social (a social media management software company), two-thirds of consumers say it’s important for brands to take public stands on social and political issues.

Also, respondents believe brands are more effective when they announce donations to specific causes and encourage followers to take specific action to support causes. However, the study showed that brands will not necessarily change their consumers mind, but do have a vehicle that can prompt change to be made, especially through the social media channel.

What is also interesting to note, is that millennials and centennials, especially, show a preference for brands that stand for a specific cause or issue, specifically 61% according to research by Kantar Consulting. That number increases drastically when a company shows a positive impact from their stance on a specific issue. This can be linked to the consumer looking for experiential versus the traditional transactional relationships with companies.

However, just picking a hot topic out of the sky, will obviously not be your best option. Steering clear from trendy topics only because they are predominant in our news cycles will not be the best for your company. Credibility is part of the consumer experience and how they can directly connect with brands who take a stance. To ensure the highest of integrity for your company, when sharing a stance, you must take a deep look and consider how your company relates to the world and consumers.

  • Is this issue already embedded in to your core values and mission as a company? Can/should it be?
  • What data from your demographics, purchasing habits, feedback show what your consumers care about and will show credibility towards a specific issue or cause?
  • What is your marketing around your stance? Can this be intertwined in to an already existing campaign or does it need to be separate?

The cause must be ingrained in to your business model to have your consumers truly believe your product or service is credible and worthy of their support. And if there is a way to give consumers a chance to see the impact of their purchase (such as TOMS or Warby Parker), the rewards will be much higher.

The world is becoming smaller, faster, and ever-changing. If brands are looking to take a stand on a cause or issue that will represent their company and will help make a difference, it’s worth it to investigate on something your company can be proud of.

Let Colleen Eakins Design help you take a stand on what matters to you.

Brand Review and Digital Tune-up 2019©2019, Colleen Eakins Design

Brand Review and Digital Tune-up for 2019

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It’s time for another brand review, aka digital tune-up for 2019. Have you taken a look at and done the things in this infographic? Check out this infographic by Denese to see what you should do!

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How to make money from your website©2018, Colleen Eakins Design

How to Make Money From Your Website

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Did you know you can earn passive income from your website? It’s digital business real estate, with additional passive revenue potential!

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brand name©2018, Colleen Eakins Design

What’s in Your Brand’s Name?

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Thoughts to get a jumpstart on naming your business.

First Hurdle

Starting a new business is a fun and scary process. For one, you have decided that it’s your goal to offer goods and services that can benefit the masses and that excites you. On the other hand, the energy and work needing to be put in is overwhelming and finding the direction you need to go in can get blurry.

First, building your brand strategy from the business plan you have already developed is a great starting point. After all, the name of your business should be an extension of your brand’s goals and identity. The name chosen, will also be wrapped in how you advertise and market the company to reach the correct audience. Determining the difference between branding and marketing will be helpful in the steps to creating the perfect name.

No Name is a Bad Name

Just as they tell you all throughout school, no idea is a bad idea – you can and should absolutely use this principle when starting to compile potential names for the company.

Inspirations can come from:

Literature

Favorite stories, book titles, and even author’s names are a great place to find inspiration. These stories inspire imagination and possibilities and that does not stop at childhood (and shouldn’t).

Music

Similar to literature, music is a top muse and sparks can be found in how a song makes you feel, song titles, album cover art, and musician & group names. Even specific instruments can be a trigger source.

Names

Do you want to honor who founded the company (yes, yourself – it’s okay!)? Is there anyone in close proximity to the company that can be incorporated? People from every aspect of those connected to the company can be used to draw upon ideas.

Foreign meanings

How does the word in English translate to a different language? Does that language reflect the brand? Does the alternate language hold a special meaning to the founding members or company?

What the service or product does

Sometimes, simple is the best! This means, the intended use of the product can be used for the name of the company. If the service is unique, then possibility that is the name. Every so often not overthinking can create the best outcomes.

Experiences

Have you had an altering experience during the development of creating the item or service? Has there been a past event that could be relatable to your company?

Made up word

Pulled right out of the sky; every now and then it works out for the best! How does an apple relate to a computer?

As the list narrows on selections, there are a few ways to check to make sure that it will be best suited for your brand and company.

How to Check Your Name against the Competition

Finding out that your favorite name has already been taken or is close to a similar type of company, can be discouraging. There are ways to check against those road blocks during the naming discovery process.

Do you find it original?

Did you switch up the spelling of a word, create your own word, or play upon the product with how it’s named? Being original can be difficult and intimidating, but a must for your business. You believe your offering is needed in the market and want to differentiate yourself.

Will it be long-lasting?

Remember to think long-term about your business. Will you reach out to a different market with the product and services you offer? If so, remember not to pigeon hold the name so that you don’t need to circle back to a full rebranding of your company.

Is it consumer friendly?

Will the name be easy to roll of the tongues of your consumers when referencing the wonderful experience they had? Will it be difficult to explain the name versus the concept of the company? Is the website address difficult to type in?

The name chosen may sound fun and original, but if the logistics of presenting the name and where information can be found are too hard, consumers will start to move on.

Is the name available?

This may be the most heartbreaking step of the whole process. You find the name you love and can’t wait to incorporate it in to your brand strategy and marketing, but you start the research to see if there is any other company similar using that name and BAM! The road block has been set up and the detours begin.

There are great resources to check the availability of your URL and to see what other alternatives there are. One category of resources you can try are domain registrars like GoDaddy.

If you need to trademark the company name, this page can be used (U.S. searches only).

Is Outside Help Needed?

If your business plan and brand strategy is well developed, the creative juices are already flowing and you may not need a firm or consulting group to aide you in the naming process. However, if you feel that time may be running out or a dead-end has been reached, there will be great resources available to help locally or nationally.

One caution in bringing outside help is time and financial constraint. An immense amount of both have already been placed into building your business. Before reaching out take the following steps:

Determine Timeline and Balance Your Budget

Starting a business from the ground up is in no way inexpensive or free – make sure you are checking the funds to ensure you can afford outside help. Also, confirm that there is enough time to go through a discovery process before the volley of naming rounds.

Shop Around

The first firm you meet with does not necessarily mean it’s the right fit for your company. Make sure you have time before launching to shop around to other firms and consulting groups before an agreement is made.

Resources Have Been Tapped Out

Has everyone involved with the company been invited to help generate ideas? Those close will understand the most of what your company is and the goals needing to be reached. Utilizing their creative minds will ensure confidence in a strong team to build the strongest business possible before opening the doors.

When your name is set and design is next, contact Colleen Eakins Design to set up a consultation to learn how we can best support you.

what is the real difference between branding and marketing©2018, Colleen Eakins Design

What’s the Real Difference between Branding and Marketing?

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As a business owner, there are two important concepts that should be identified when creating your overarching plan – branding and marketing.

At first glance of the words, they seem like they could be interchangeable. But, as we take a deeper dive in to each, you may possibly need to adjust your strategic plans.

Branding: Building an Identity

Let’s think of branding as the cohesive glue that holds your marketing campaigns together. It is the core of the business and who it is, represents and values. This can encompass:

  • mission statement
  • company culture
  • reputation of business
  • loyalty of customers

Branding will also include a detailed use of your business’ design standards – such as:

Logo format

A few components are wrapped up in to this piece. Determining if the logo needs to be in color versus black white is a first step. Is it more vertical or horizontal? Do you need multiple versions to fit different types of collateral?

Logo use

Where will the logo be primarily placed? When placed with other logos, is there an order of hierarchy? Will it require specific size requirements pending placement? If this is being used within a footer of an email, what is the smallest size the logo will be allowed to be at?

Color palette

Choosing the main colors for the logo is very important, as this will need to adhere to the overall brand strategy and represent the company correctly. There also needs to be thought on what other colors can be used if the marketing material clashes too much with the main logo. How else can this be represented?

Fonts

In tandem with choosing your colors for the company and logo, the font chosen to be used in the logo will be as important. This will be the main representation of the company. Making sure it’s how the brand should be portrayed, it’s legible, and clear to the consumer is key. Also including in the brand standards similar fonts that can be used when speaking about the company will be beneficial when used on different materials.

The above items are pieces that a professional designer can help build out that supports and easily conveys your company’s mission and goals. From initial meetings for the designer to understand what the company does to deeper discussions about how the company should be portrayed – both elements fall under the building company’s brand identity.

You should be very detailed in how you express the needs of what the brand guidelines should entail. This will allow you to deepen the relationship between the different pieces of your company and why you are, who you are.

Long-term visions of the company should be included your brand identity. Without this aspect determined when building your business, you can’t fully understand what the business should accomplish and how those goals will be reached. You want to stay true to why the company was formed in the first place.

Marketing: Executing Your Brand

This is the marketing piece and how you execute the mission and vision of your brand. This will be ever changing and evolve as your products and services change, but will always refer back to core identity of the company.

Examples of marketing efforts to promote certain products or services are:

Print campaigns

This includes newspaper, brochures, postcards, catalogs, posters, banners, etc. Though digital marketing efforts are extremely effective and cost efficient, print is still a main and valuable aspect of business operations.

Radio

This will not include any visual creative, but the tone and message for a radio ad still must reflect the brand’s strategy in how it wishes to present itself to potential consumers. Note: different markets are more expensive than others and will depend on the station for the demographic you would like to reach.

Television

This form of marketing will be the most expensive. Not only will there production costs (location, actors, shooting, etc.), but there are also the costs of the actual advertising spot (differing per station and market). However, this can be very effective to reach a wide audience and to be able to use visual and emotional cues combined.

Digital Efforts

The following marketing tactics have not only become the workhorse of current marketing strategies, but also the most cost effective – they include: mobile, social media, search engine optimization (seo), email blasts, content marketing (blogs, videos, etc.).

Overall, marketing can be thought of as in what’s “in-season” and broken up in to campaigns – trends and channels that will help dictate how your message is delivered and to what audience, all while referencing and adhering to your brand standards.

Which One Comes First?

Now that the two pieces have been hashed out, which one do you start with?

The brand should always be thought of first and then incorporated in to how a certain marketing tactic can be best used to solicit and engage current and potential consumers.

Where the Two Should Meet

Branding and marketing have been broken up above, but that doesn’t mean that they do not ever work together. There are two areas on where the brand and marketing overlap: the company voice and imagery presented.

When developing your brand, you should have a specific tone to the company and target audience in which your products and services may be best suited for. Not only does this impact what you wish to offer to the market, but how your mission and culture are influenced. An ivy-league school operates and speaks differently than how a tech start-up will. There is no one way that is better than the other, but needs to be carefully determined to help structure how the organization speaks to its consumers and even their employees.

The other area where the two practices meet is when you determine what imagery, colors, etc. you will use. As mentioned earlier, this can be done with the help of a professional designer that will help guide the thought process to determine your logo and colors, but when executing different marketing campaigns, it is important that those are adhered to and any other selected images represent the company in the best light and in-line with the set brand guidelines.

When determining your brand and marketing efforts, contact Colleen Eakins Design to set up a consultation to learn how we can best support you.