Weekly Blog Roundup

7/27/2019 Weekly Blog Roundup

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Digital Matters Blogblog.activatemedia.com /post /56510749611/weekly-blog- roundup-f riday-26th- july-2013

How to Build a Brand Bible & Visual Style Guide

htt p://designshack.net/articles/graphics/how-to -b uild-a- brand- bible-visual-st yle-guide/

The main focus of this article is how a companys branding guidelines affect its design. These guidelines shouldestablish a set of rules for creating a uniform and identifiable brand presence. These rules dictate everything brandrelated including the design of the logo, how it can be used, letterhead, the website design and personalcommunications.

This not only acts as a guide for employees on how to properly use and communicate the message of the brand butalso serves as a guide for designers. For designers this will inform them of what typefaces they can use, styles,colour palettes, images, text, tone and the emotion that should be portrayed by the brand.

4 steps to improve your Customer Experience

http://www.smartinsights.com/user-experience/customer-experience-management-cxm/4-steps-to-

improve-your-customer-experience/

This article was about the 4 steps that can be taken towards a better customer ex perience in multichannelcommerce . In a nutshell these four steps were as follows

Plan for change. A successful project has frameworks and procedures in place to manage the key performancefactors (scope, quality, time and cost) should there be changes in the project. The agile approach was alsomentioned as a way of planning for change.

Redefine the rules of engagement. It is becoming increasingly difficult for retailers to compete based on pricingarchitecture s trategy as a result of search behaviour. Retailers must now focus on their standard o f service in order to differentiate from competitors.

Brand personality is key. Apply the multichannel p rism framework. In the search for consistent personality acrosschannels multichannel brands are putting their values at the centre of everything. Questions like how the brandshould behave in terms of products, price, supply chain and services are defining the agile market leaders of today.
http://blog.activatemedia.com/post/56510749611/weekly-blog-roundup-friday-26th-july-2013http://www.smartinsights.com/user-experience/customer-experience-management-cxm/4-steps-to-improve-your-customer-experience/http://designshack.net/articles/graphics/how-to-build-a-brand-bible-visual-style-guide/http://blog.activatemedia.com/post/56510749611/weekly-blog-roundup-friday-26th-july-2013


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The final step to be taken towards a better customer experience in a multichannel commerce is to move away fromsilos. Decide your business case and design the se rvice.

Consistency: Online Branding Matters

http://vbbadirect.com/consistency-online-branding-matters/

This article focused on businesses online presence and how there should be continuity across all online platforms.The three areas this posts talks about is ensuring that branding appears uniform on each social networking site in

terms of design. Where possible, keeping account names on these social networking sites the same allowingpeople to access them with ease. Finally this post summarises with making the point that to build a successful onlinebrand campaign it take time or money.

T he Negative Impact of Inconsistent Branding

http://socialmediatoday.com/ubersocialmedia/1574646/negative-impact-inconsistent-branding

This article focuses on the negative impact branding inconsistency can have on a business. If branding doesntappear consistently it makes it harder for people to verify the authenticity of the b rand. A lack of consistency alsoappears careless and unprofessional creating a very negative perception of the brand from the consumers point of view.

The article then goes on to lists the positive impact consistency of a brand can have. These were as follows.

Helps differentiate the business, standing out in the customers mind

It gives the business personality and an identity

Effectively delivers and reinforces the businesses message

Creates a sense of trust in the brand from the customers point of view

Drives customer loyalty

Tabletop Matters Minute: Branding Consistency

http://www.table topjournal.com/2/post/2013/06/table top- matters- minute-branding- consistency.html

This short video drives the message of consistent branding and how this consistency creates a strong brand. Thisconsistency should be present across all platforms including website, catalogues, business cards and even as far as the people you hire to work for the brand.

Focus on Brand Consistency to Improve Brand Recognition

http://www.business2community.com/branding/focus-on-brand-consistency-to-improve-brand-recognition-0542368

This a rticle focuses on improving brand recognition through social media. It states that there a re three key brandingelements that should be focused on. These are as follows.

Voice and tone. The style in which a brand communicates with its customers can evoke emotion. Through doing thisa strong relationship can be built between brand and customer. This voice and tone should be reflective of the targetmarket and their culture.

Logo. Again like the voice and tone a brand conveys itself in, visually the brand logo should be a visualrepresentation of your brand.

Colours. There is a lot of psychology behind colour and the chosen colours for your brand should speak to your audience, evoking moods and emotions.

Business Branding: Why Consistency is Key

http://www.entrepreneurmomnow.com/calgary/2013/business-branding-why-consistency-is-key/

The message to be taken away from this article is that you should be consistent in everything you do becauseevery ac tion you make sends a message . The article goes on to make an example o f how Hitler created apersonal brand for himself through his actions and agendas. Looking at photographs of Hitler they convey him a way
http://www.entrepreneurmomnow.com/calgary/2013/business-branding-why-consistency-is-key/http://www.business2community.com/branding/focus-on-brand-consistency-to-improve-brand-recognition-0542368http://www.tabletopjournal.com/2/post/2013/06/tabletop-matters-minute-branding-consistency.htmlhttp://socialmediatoday.com/ubersocialmedia/1574646/negative-impact-inconsistent-brandinghttp://vbbadirect.com/consistency-online-branding-matters/


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that made him look powerful and in control. Had a picture of Hitler snuggling puppies been publicised, this would bevery inconsistent with his actions and agendas in turn would create confusion in his audience. This point justreiterates the fact that for a brand to be successful and get the recognition it needs for success, it can achieve thisthrough consistently marketing itself.

Branding creates trust and consistency creates loyalty

http://ganaderiamexico.blogspot.mx/2012/08/branding-creates-trust-and-consistency.html

This article focuses on the economic crises retailers and growers are facing and how they can attract consumersback to the fresh produce section. The post highlights the issue of consumers seeing the potato as a simpleprocess whereas growers see it as very complex. This is a consumer habit which needs to be broken. Rick Bourne(Category Director for Asda UK) believes this can be done through branding to establish trust and consistency in thisbranding to crea te loya lty with the consumers.

Make More Sales By Teaching Customers Brand Consistency

http://www.business2community.com/branding/make-more-sales-by-teaching-customers-brand-consistency-0416463

This article again drives the messages that brand consistency is key for success. It also explains how teaching

brand consistency to clients can ultimately turn one job worth a couple of thousand pounds into multiple job wouldcould be worth up to tens of thousands of pounds. This can be done as it is inarguable that brand consistency isideal for companies that make it an easy sell for graphic designers.

8 Businesses T hat Nail Social Media Brand Consistency

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/34231/8-Businesses-That-Nail-Social-Media-Brand-Consistency.aspx

This article provides an insight to 8 businesses that have hit the nail on the head when it comes to brandconsistency across various social media networks. It mentions how the experience from one social network toanother can feel disjointed and how despite this how these 8 businesses have managed to create consistency.

The case studies look at Google, Target, Etsy, Coca Cola, Disney, Amazon, The New Yorker and SEOmoz. Their various social networking profiles are analyzed all with a similar conclusion. Although restricted to how personalisedeach account can be, they all still manage to maintain a consistency through the use of colour, fonts, icon styles andlogos.

Brands f ace up to key mobile op timisation decisions

http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/62986-brands- face- up-to- key- mobile- optimisation-decisions

This article highlights the importance of having a mobile strategy in your brands business plan and the decision thatneeds to be made in terms of whether an app or mobile optimised site best serves your customers requirements. Itstates that a successful mobile strategy should aim to eliminate the issues that cause customer struggles on mobiledevices.

There are three key objectives brands need to work with in order to make the most of mobile. These are as follows.

1. Start with the consumer: get insight into your mobile consumers.

Mobile customer is still some what of a grey area. Research by IBM, Tealeaf and Econsultancy in 2012 found 41% of businesses rated their understanding of online customer experience as good while just 15% said the same of mobile user experience.

The resolution to this is that mobile use should be intent-based or task oriented. Essentially working out the path youwant the customer to take and ensuring this is a clear and simple one.

2. Decide up front which works best for the customers, an app or mobile optimised site?

There is still uncertainty a round this area, whichever app roach businesses chose it must be the right fit for the targetaudience.
http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/62986-brands-face-up-to-key-mobile-optimisation-decisionshttp://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/34231/8-Businesses-That-Nail-Social-Media-Brand-Consistency.aspxhttp://www.business2community.com/branding/make-more-sales-by-teaching-customers-brand-consistency-0416463http://ganaderiamexico.blogspot.mx/2012/08/branding-creates-trust-and-consistency.html


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3. Optimise your mobile site presence: identify mobile adoption struggles.

Poor mobile site optimisation means cart abandonment rates are still high. Keep customers on the mobile site relieson stripping the complexity from the site and therefore making it mobile optimised.

Retailers Find Solace in Solid Brands

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/07/17/retailers-find-solace-in-solid-brands/

This article highlights the benefit of brand consistency and how even in todays economic climate the businessesthat are achieving this are still seeing an increase in sales. The consistency brands such as Gap and Costco areconveying is comforting to consumers amongst economic confusion, this shows branding has never been asvaluable as it is at present.

Whats the language of your brand ?

http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/trends/whats- the- language- of-your-brand/4007277.article

This article again is about being consistent across all channels but focuses on the tone of voice and languageused. For brands trying to reach out to new and existing customers, verbal and written language is becoming asimportant as visual identity in marketing communications. 02 describe the right tone of voice as a weapon for brand

building.

Five Ways Marketing Can Manage Its Digita l Content Asset s

http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11206/five-ways-marketing-can-manage-its-digital-content-assets

This article provides 5 ways in which businesses can manage the various digital assets (image, audio, video,documents) they have in an effective manner. These are as follows.

1. Centralise your media library

Doing this avoids any confusion that may be caused by having digital assets spread out across more thanone location.

2. Get a handle on your re purpos ing processes.

This point highlights the importance of being represented consistently across all p latforms. In this example thisis being made a point of in terms of print, web or video and how the size, colour and other relevantspecifications should be as uniform as they can be.

3. Collaborate around your library.

Having collaboration tools integrated with your system of managing assets ensures users dont struggle withnew learning curves and eliminates danger of conflicting versions of assets.

4. Know the numbers

Ensuring web traffic, ad conversions and view count figures are being tracked will allow a greater understanding of your digital assets and the effectiveness of you DAM system.

5. Get people excited

Without taking this steps the efforts prior to this will have been for nothing!

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http://www.activatemedia.co.uk/services.htmlhttp://www.activatemedia.co.uk/contact.html?utm_source=Marketing&utm_medium=Misc&utm_campaign=Marketing+projecthttp://www.activatemedia.co.uk/landing-page.html?utm_source=Internal+blog&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Activate+bloghttp://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11206/five-ways-marketing-can-manage-its-digital-content-assetshttp://www.marketingweek.co.uk/trends/whats-the-language-of-your-brand/4007277.articlehttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/07/17/retailers-find-solace-in-solid-brands/

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Weekly Blog Roundup