You must have brand clarity and a defined purpose, ensuring your message is heard in the noise of social media. And understand the “rules” of the social platform you are using.

How do you ensure your message is heard in today’s rapidly changing noisy environment of social media? You are not only competing against other brands but also other content creators and each social platform’s algorithm. To be heard above the noise, you must have brand clarity and a defined purpose for being in that social sphere.

You also need to understand the “rules” of the social platforms you are using to best leverage the content you post to that platform.

Start by Asking Yourself a two Questions

1.      What do I want to accomplish on social media?
Do I want:

•       Social engagement
•       Employee engagement
•       Lead generation
•       Community engagement
•       Feedback from potential customers
•       Name recognition

Make your goal(s) the center of everything you do on social.

2.       Who is going to monitor and engage the community on my chosen social channel?

The reason people are on social media because they want to engage with family, friends, influencers, and brands. So if you think you will just put content out there and that will satisfy the masses, you’re wrong. It will come off as insincere.

While you may not think you need someone to babysit your social media full-time (especially if you are only using one preferred platform), you will want someone who will pay attention to it and respond in a way that your audience will appreciate. It isn’t a crockpot that you can set and forget. And, if your social media campaign does happen to go viral, it will be well worth the cost of hiring a full-time social media expert.

Content

You must go deep if you want to get the most out of the content you create. The benefit of this is that you can create one in-depth blog and use it from several angles across your social media channels.

Imagine you write a post about dog grooming during the pandemic.

•       You have amazing pictures for Instagram of coifed dogs.
•       Highlight the changes in the grooming industry for a LinkedIn post.
•       On Facebook, talk about the top 3 essential oils you can use to calm your dog down before they go to the groomer. Then, ask other people for their tips.
•       Make a great video montage in fast motion for TikTok.

Whatever you choose to do, link back to the original post and stay part of the conversation.

Community

When your audience and your content collide, and a conversation starts, the content you create is amplified. It becomes alive! And that’s the best publicity of all.

Recently I came across a Tic-Tok video of a 56 year-old-woman who struggled with bags under her eyes after weight loss surgery. She applied Thomas Peter Roth Instant Firmx Eye Temporary Eye Tightener to one eye in real-time and showed the difference it made. It was remarkable! Peter Thomas Roth sold out of this product everywhere—including on their e-comm site.

Why did this work? Because it was genuine! Many people who saw the video shared it, and Peter Thomas Roth benefited from the community. Engage!

Consistency

Reverse engineer social media. Stop selling to people and begin engaging with them. When you educate people in inspiring and entertaining ways, they will comment on and share your content. Respond to their comments! This is your brand’s opportunity to be a part of the conversation. Don’t let those opportunities pass you by.

This engagement brings organic traffic to your site and will increase your authority in Google’s eyes.

Tic-Tok and Instagram are currently the best platforms to create snack-able content that your audience will engage with and share. But the platform(s) you choose will depend on where your ideal audience is.

Engaging a Professional

Do you need help defining your Brand Clarity for social media engagement? Does your content need a facelift? Iceberg Web Design has content writers and branding specialists who can help. Best of all, we are easy to reach. We are web developers who answer the phone. Call us at 763-350-8762 or contact us today to take your business to the next level.

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If you can’t get prospects to convert, you have a brand-pitch issue, not a sales pitch issue. Your core messaging is either unclear or off-brand. The way to solve this problem is to quickly get to the bottom line by encapsulating your brand, what it is, and what it isn’t. Upgrade your elevator pitch to provoke and engage your audience by telling them three things:

•       This is what I do
•       This is how I solve your problem
•       This is how I’m different from the rest of the pack

Rather than shouting at your audience or telling them things without allowing them to respond, provoke a conversation. Your tagline should cause your audience to ask (either verbally or mentally), “Tell me more,” or “What’s in it for me?”

Your Tagline

•       Answers the question, “What do you do?”
•       Short, provocative.
•       Hopefully, this will cause your audience to say, “Interesting. Tell me more.”

Your Value Proposition Statement

•       Articulates how you will solve someone’s problem.
•       Phrase your VPS as “You do [this], so you get [that].”
•       A you-focused call-to-action statement—should start with “You,” not “We.”
•       The human brain will naturally want to make a comparison to make sense of what you have just told your audience. That’s good! It sets you up for the 3rd step.

Your Differentiator Statements

•       Outlines what you are and what you aren’t in a set of 4-5 sentences.
•       What makes you different from your competition
•       Provokes your audience to want to know more about you

Example of an Upgraded Elevator Pitch

Tagline

Instead of saying, “I’m an accountant,” your provocative tagline could say, “I am a tax liability reduction specialist.”

Value Proposition Statement

“Bring me your taxes, and I guarantee your tax liability will be less than if you were to bring them anywhere else for preparation.”

Differentiator Statements

•       I can find itemized deductions other tax preparers will miss.
•       I’m an expert at shifting income to the most beneficial accounts-legally.
•       I know how to utilize tax exemptions that are often overlooked.
•       I will document everything clearly and defend my accounting work in the case of an audit for free.

Now They’re Ready to Hear About Your Products or Services

The point at which conversion happens is when they ask the how/what question: “How does that work?” “What do you do?” Speak to their pain points.

When they click on the button, you have them!

Your Brand, Clarified

Once you have clarified your brand, you can implement it across your:

•       Website
•       Social Media Platforms
•       Pitch Decks
•       Proposals
•       Printed Materials (One-Pagers)
•       Digital Marketing
•       Advertising
•       “Elevator Pitch”
•       Bios

Do You Have a Family of Companies?

When you have a parent brand and supporting brands, it’s essential to review the parent company’s mission statement, vision, and values. Are they on point? Fine-tune—or rewrite them if necessary.

Next, write the mission statement, vision, and values for the company offshoot. Ensure these are in line with those of the parent company.

You can now work on the tagline, value proposition statement, and differentiator statements for the sister or child company. Their tagline may be the same, but their value proposition statement and differentiator statements should be unique while still harmonizing with the parent company’s branding.

70/30

Your brand can’t serve everyone. Your brand needs to serve the customers who supply 70% of your revenue. Get good at it! Those customers are your base and should be your marketing audience. The other 30% will come to you in their own way. At that time, you can serve them, too.

At Iceberg Web Design, we are branding experts. Call 763-350-8762 or contact us today to meet with a marketing specialist who can help you define and refine your brand by creating a Brand Book for you.

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Most brands don’t have a famous narrator to keep audiences waiting in anticipation for their next ad campaign. But they should all have a voice—even if it is an imagined one.

Are you branding your company for the first time, rebranding, or just defining a brand that has never been clearly communicated before? One of the first things you need to do is to find your brand voice.

What is a Brand Voice?

If you want a literal example, there is none better than Ving Rhames. He has had an impressive career as both an actor and a voice actor. Since 2014, Ving has been the voice of the Arby’s commercials which tout “We have the meats!” Enjoy this “Try Not to Laugh” compilation of his ads.

Most brands don’t have a famous narrator to keep audiences waiting in anticipation for their next ad campaign. But they should all have a voice—even if it is an imagined one.

How Do You Find a Silent Voice?

A lot of imagination is a great place to start. But first, you have to know your audience. Who is your ideal customer? How do you speak to them in a way that is relatable and genuine? What kinds of language would you use or avoid using?

If Your Brand was a Person

What would your brand say? How would your brand move, dress, act? This is where imagination comes in. It can also be helpful to see how others within your company see your brand.

We recently did a simple exercise where everyone was asked to privately message me five words they would use to describe Iceberg Web Design and our services. It was interesting to see how many people had in common. And nearly everyone included the word “Responsive” as one of their answers. Other common themes were: reliable, friendly, and authoritative.

What are Your Brand Differentiators?

You don’t want to be just like all the other guys in your industry. But you also don’t want to be different just to say you are. So, what makes you different, and why does it matter? What are the things that you are—and are NOT?

Have One Person Write

As you are defining your brand voice, have one person do the writing until it becomes solidified. After that, anyone marketing or joining the writing team should get very familiar with that voice. Otherwise, you will be putting out marketing material and blog posts that don’t sound “on-brand.” Don’t worry. It won’t take long for the entire team to be able to emulate your brand voice.

Do You Need Help Finding Your Brand Voice?

From websites to branding, Iceberg Web Design knows how to market your business online. We have solutions to your business problems and can help you grow! We are just a phone call away, 763-350-8762.

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The Halo Effect

A well-established, positive brand identity will give your company a competitive advantage over companies that are inconsistent with their image and reputation. This is referred to in marketing as the “halo effect.” In addition, the halo effect increases your mindshare. “Mindshare” is another marketing term used to describe the brand awareness and popularity of a product, service, or company. It is when people know that something will be high quality because a particular brand makes it.

The Horn Effect

The horn effect is the opposite of the halo effect. When a company does a poor job of managing customer expectations, social media, or public image, people will have a negative impression of the brand rather than a positive one. For example, what do you think of when you hear Monsanto, the NFL, Sprint, or the Trump Organization? These companies once had glowing reputations eventually tarnished by scandal, poor public relations, or lousy customer service.

Can You Overcome a Negative Brand Identity?

Yes! But whether you are trying to establish a brand identity for the first time or overcome a negative one due to a public image disaster, you must be intentional. Remember, your brand image isn’t what you say it is. Instead, it’s what others perceive it to be. Shaping it or reshaping it takes time and diligence.

Amazon recently began a campaign to improve its image as an employer. Whether or not it will work remains to be seen. However, the fact that they are concerned about this despite thriving economically shows they know how fickle the public can be and that even they could be toppled if they don’t repair their image quickly.

But brand identity is just as important for smaller companies as it is for gigantic ones. So how do you go about establishing a positive brand identity?

Make the Core of Your Business Brand Known

First, you must establish what the core of your business brand is. What’s your:

•       Purpose: Why do you get up and do what you do every day as a company? What is the Goal you are all working toward if you had to boil it down to one main thing?
•       Values: What are the guidelines that you work within? Do you value family? That means valuing your customers’ families and your employees’ families, as well. Values are a big responsibility because people know whether you are living up to them or just talking.
•       Vision: What is your vision for the future? What steps are you taking to make that vision a reality? You can’t say you want to lower pollution without actively changing how your company uses energy and deals with waste. Walk out your vision with precision!
•       Mission: Write a mission statement that encompasses your purpose and your values to show how you will make your vision for the future a reality.

Consistency

Then you must consistently deliver on your promises to your customers. Go above and beyond. Your reputation is your most valuable asset, so hang on to it tightly.

At Iceberg Web Design, we’ve built a reputation for excellence and accessibility. We are web developers who answer the phone. We’d love to help you with your business and website needs! So give us a call at 763-350-8762. Contact us today!

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Although Kandinsky may have been speaking about fine art, his wise words are true for those of us creating a branding masterpiece for our business. One of the most important elements of your brand is color. Not just any color, however, but color that directly influences your target audience.

Why Color Is Important to Your Brand

Take a second to consider some of the most well-known brands out there. When you think Coca-Cola, what color comes to mind? Red. What about Home Depot? Orange. These brands have mastered the art of brand color and it has greatly impacted their business.

Why? Because color inflicts emotion. And that emotion is what drives the connection between you and your audience. For example, warm colors such as orange and red often result in feelings of happiness and warmth. Cool colors such as blue and purple often result in feelings of health or relaxation.

How To Choose the Perfect Brand Colors

How do you want your audience to feel when they visit your website or see your logo? That emotion will help you decide which brand colors are best for your business.

• Define your brand’s personality: If you could define your business with three to four adjectives, what would they be? Lighthearted? Determined? How would your target audience define your business? Once you define your brand’s personality, you can use color psychology to pick a great base color.
• Check out the competition: Check out your competition to see what colors they use in their branding. Don’t copy. Instead, note how you feel when you see their branding. Notice what you like and what you don’t.
• Try and try again: Don’t be afraid to experiment with your brand color scheme. For example, try out one base color for a while and see how your audience responds. Then, try another color and note any changes, positive or negative.

When you’re just getting started, you’ll want to choose a main base color, an accent color and a nice neutral. This is especially helpful when designing your website. For example, your neutral is best for background color while your main base color is great for drawing attention to headlines and call-outs.

How To Use Your Brand Colors

You should use your brand colors anywhere your brand is represented. This includes incorporating your brand colors into your:

• Website
• Logo
• Marketing materials
• Social media channels
• Advertising

The goal is for your target audience to be able to recognize your business as they scroll through Facebook, read your blog, sift through their email, etc. Only proper branding can make that happen.

Your Website Should Communicate Your Brand

Your website is the most important part of your online presence. If your website isn’t communicating your brand correctly, you won’t truly connect with your audience. We can help. To learn more about branding your website, send us a message.

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