I've just discovered this guy, Philip VanDusen! What a fantastic tutorial video :) Here are some of the key points I took from it, but it's totally worth watching in full - particularly for the examples at the end that crystalise it all nicely. - Brand design is a lot more than a logo. - You have a full Brand Ecosystem - where your visual aspect will show up in Brand Touchpoints - You need to be consistent across all Brand Touchpoints e.g. across all social media platforms, websites, ads etc.
Logo should be simple, with just one or two colours
Fonts have personalities, so choose carefully. [I'm going to have to look into that more, and understand what different fonts portray.]
Brand colour palette should have maybe 3 or 4 colours in it. Think about what your end consumer would like.
Some brands use patterns and textures really effectively - think of Louis Vuitton
Photography and animation styles can also be very distinctive. Try to find a style that gels with your brand, and stick to it to keep consistency.
Illustration and iconography - these also have many different styles, so do the same here
Sound - some brands use sounds that are instantly recognisable. The example he gave was of the 'Intel inside' "ding, ding, ding, diinnng' :)
Layout - again, keeping the layout of your pages consistent really adds to the overall immediate recognition that we'd love to have...
Tone of Voice in your copy. Think about what your brand voice is, and keep this consistent - is it formal, jokey, serious...
All of this should be brought into your brand guidelines, and Philip provides us with a one-page template where we can put all our examples, to make sure they work together. It's also an ideal brief to give to anyone we're outsourcing to, to make sure we don't lose our consistency. Here are some screen shots taken from this video, that I found really useful:
5 Kick-Ass Steps To Swiftly Supercharge Your Writing
Original article by F-bombmarketing
You might have heard what the legendary copywriter David Ogilvy said about having superb writing…
“When I write an advertisement, I don’t want
you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’ I want you to find it so
interesting that you buy the product.” – David Ogilvy”
Now, even though Ogilvy is talking about ads, the same applies to blog posts.
Why?
Because regardless of whether you’re writing a sales page, a blog
post, or an email. Your aim is to get the reader to take action. That
action might be to buy your product, share your post, or even just reply
to you.
But for your reader to take action, they have to read your post, and for them to finish reading your post…
They have to have enough interest and desire to continue reading your post.
Let’s do a little role play…
Let’s say you run a blog for medium sized eCommerce businesses.
Imagine you’ve discovered a new sales strategy for eCommerce sites
that could explode your blog readers income by an amazing 70% within the
next 3 months, have customers salivating for their product, and get
them free endorsements.
You craft a post on your blog revealing this business booming strategy and how to implement it…
After racking your brain and writing your heart out for what
feels like forever. You relish in satisfaction as you hit the publish
button.
You're buzzing with excitement when you think of all the supportive
emails, shares, comments, likes, and links you’ll get that will send in
droves of traffic to your site and propel your subscriber count soaring
through the roof.
But something's up…
Two agonisingly slow days have passed.
You’ve got over 500 views, but no likes, shares and links whatsoever.
Followed by two spammy comments from some guy, touting his ”
secret trading system” that made him a “bucket load” of money online by
working only 2.5 hours a year.
( Yeah, right.)
Basically…
Your post is as interesting as a picture of a lost buffalo eating grass in a field.
“Hey… I heard that”
You know what the problem is, don't you?
Your writing.
The content you wrote might have been a life changing treasure, but it failed when it came to one crucial thing.
Keeping your reader interested and engaged whilst making your posts
(or any type of content) feel like a slippery fun slide vs a brain
numbing block of text. You now have two options when it comes to keeping your reader engaged;
hire a professional writer to help you craft powerful content that gets results,
or use the actionable steps below to supercharge your writing.
So let’s dive into 5 actionable steps you can take to create straight for the jugular writing that jumps out of the screen and grabs
your readers by the collar, dragging them into your posts. 1. Use the Active Voice
You ever wondered how some sentences have a punchy, fast-paced feeling that keeps you hooked?
Well, one ingredient to creating that pace in your writing is the powerful active voice.
Writing in the active voice is writing sentences in which the subject
of the sentence “acts”. (The subject is doing something)
Which is completely opposite to writing in the passive voice.
(The subject has
something done to it)
The passive voice adds horrible bloat to your sentences and lacks the vigour and strength of active sentences.
Below are some examples of lucky passive sentences that will be given a sexy linguistic makeover:
Before (Passive)
The bat was swung by John
The fire was extinguished by Dave
The documents were searched by Fred
After (Active)
John swung the bat
Dave extinguished the fire
Fred searched the documents
See the difference here?
After their linguistic makeover (ooh la la) these passive sentences
became shorter, stronger, and clearer. Making them more entertaining and
easy to read.
For more information on the active and Passive voice check out “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White. 2. Use “Slap-You-in-the-Mouth” verbs
Writing is a form of communication, and, in order for our writing to
communicate effectively, it must be easy to understand. Writing is
easier to understand (and more memorable) when it is simple, strong and
swift.
Your choice of verbs has a huge impact on how strong and enjoyable
your writing is. The right verbs give your post a muscular,
grab-you-by-the-throat effect that sucks your reader in like a
raging tornado.
And according to legendary copywriter John Carlton:
Good copy goes light on adjectives, and heavy on action verbs
The strongest verbs have just one or two syllables, with stress on
the second syllable to drive the rhythm of the sentence forward.
For Example: lash,reject,unleash,stomp,destroy,hail,smash.
Check out this example below to see first-hand how the right verbs beef up your sentences.
(Before)
The toddlers had taken control of the mansion.
He quickly became very angry
(After)
The toddlers seized the mansion.
He exploded with anger.
Fascinating how three words can be condensed into one isn’t?
Consistently using powerful verbs throughout your posts will make
them more enjoyable, accurate and inject more “ummphh!” into them.
Onward... 3. Make Your Writing Easy for Monkeys to Process
"Write to the Chimpanzee Brain.Simply. Directly" - Eugene Schwartz
That means making your writing itself, and its presentation, easy to understand and view.
In his book The Art Of Plain Talk, Dr.Rudolph Flesch
analyses what makes writing easy or difficult to read.
He advocates
that 70-80 percent of your writing should be made up of one or two
syllable words which will make it easier to mentally digest.
Now, speaking of mental digestion…
Longer sentences mean longer thoughts. Longer thoughts mean more mental effort is needed to process the information.
The sentences stretch too far across the screen putting excess stress on the eyes.
The color is inconsistent and wild looking
The background looks like it was edited by a 4 year old who just learned how to use Photoshop.
It’s just... BLUERGH.
Using short sentences, and action verbs, creates hard-hitting,
butter-smooth copy that readers can’t resist.
Combine that with short
paragraphs (3-4 sentences max) and you’re giving readers a tasty
looking, engaging post that feels warm and welcoming, when compared to
an intimidating chunk of text that makes them hurriedly click on the big
red X button. 4. Dump Corporate Language in the Bin
Everyone who is reading your writing wants something out of it. They
don’t care about how intelligent or well-educated you are.
They want to
talk to someone who understands them. Someone who they can relate to
and feel a human connection with.
And according to a survey by the National Center for Educational Statisics “40
to 44 million adults have literacy competency skills at the lowest
level.”
They can understand only the simplest written instructions.
So, over-complicated corporate speak kills the relatability of your
writing, and makes it harder for readers to bond with you through your
words.
Corporate speak can be spotted by its:
“Fluff” words with no solid meaning
Unnecessary adjectives
Sleep-inducing bloated sentences
Large chunks of text that are hard on the eye.
Over-complicated words
Remember all these things murder your readers' attention.
They are to be terminated on site.
Take a peek at the paragraphs below:
NO. 1
Would you like to make an extra $10,000 a month importing
almost any product of your choice?
(Well I’ve been doing so for almost
a decade now and have taught my wife Amy how to aswell)
Then keep
reading.
By the time you finish this special report you’ll be well on
your way to creating your own importing empire!
Now read this....
NO. 2
If you have an extremely strong desire to obtain an extra of $10,000 a month through importing a vast array of products of your own choice, pay careful attention to this special report providing privileged unprecedented information that is unavailable elsewhere to you.
You see the difference?
Regardless of your reader's educational background, simple words and shorter sentences make reading smoother for everybody.
Dr. Flesch also advocates using definite words. This means using
nouns, pronouns, verbs and names to make your writing as specific as
possible.
The more specific you are, the less processing your reader
has to do to understand your message.
For example, instead of:
Want to acquire an aesthetically appealing physique?
Say:
Do you want to pack on up to 10-30 pounds of rock hard, rippling muscle within a year?
Got it? Good.
Next up… 5. Inject Emotion by Arousing Your Readers' Senses
Which of these sentences is more exciting and interesting to you?
1: You get a delicious smooth Heaven’s chocolate bar that you’ll never forget.
2: You’ll lose yourself once the luscious, mouth-watering taste of
Heaven’s smooth and rich chocolate seductively melts in your mouth; caressing your taste buds and lifting your body and soul into “heavenly”
indulgence.
Answer's obvious, isn’t it? The second paragraph is bursting with powerful sensory adjectives. These adjectives create bright, clear, impactful images and feelings.
They allow your reader to picture and feel what you say in their minds, which creates something amazing.
It creates an experience.
When reading the first example above, you just saw words across a
screen that you processed. It kinda sounded like a marketing claim too,
however…
The second sentence arouses feelings and emotion. The words
purposefully push visual and kinaesthetic buttons in your brain, making
you picture chocolate slowly melting in your mouth, making you feel the
rich, sweet texture gliding along your tongue.
It grabs you by the
hand and takes you on a sensory journey.
This makes your writing more “tangible” and more of an emotional experience.
Emotional experiences are created by using the following senses:
Visual ( sight)
Auditory (sound)
Kinaesthetic (feeling or touch)
Olfactory ( smell)
Gustatory (taste)
These senses are the “ingredients” of any experience.
In fact, that’s what memory is - a collection of sensory experiences in your brain.
Think about your first kiss. Maybe you remember the feeling (kinaesthetic), or maybe you remember how the person looked (visual), or
maybe you remember the smell of their clothes (olfactory).
Either way, there is a main sensory ingredient that hooks that experience into your brain and makes it a memory.
The secret to skyrocketing the power of your writing lies in
activating the sensory elements in your reader's brain through your
words.
Turning up the intensity of these sensory elements is what causes
a powerful internal experience, that stirs your reader's emotional
cauldron to the point where they are bubbling with emotion and happily
take the action you desire them to take.
The 4 Ps Of Marketing - And How The Digital Aspect Comes Into Play
We know that marketing isn’t easy - online or otherwise - and without a proper marketing plan in place, your company may suffer.
The main ingredients for a successful marketing campaign are the fourPs.
These essential marketing items are product, price, placement, and promotion.
To provide a positive experience for your customers, it is in your best interest to ensure that each P works with all the others.
It takes a lot of work and effort to determine what customers want and need, as well as identifying their shopping habits.
Once these steps are taken, you will then need to produce your product, find the right price point, and promote it.
All of these actions must be taken together to avoid problems.
Let’s explore the four Ps of marketing, determine what they are, and how they work together.
Product
Your product is the heart of your business.
It is near and dear to your heart, and if you’ve done your homework, it’s something that is unique to the market, allowing it to stand out from the rest of the competition.
The challenge with any product, however, is remaining distinct and unique.
From a product perspective, it is best if you have a solid understanding of what customers are looking for in regards to benefits and features.
It’s also imperative that you learn how they will use your product, that way you can make sure the product you’re offering fits their wants and needs.
If the product doesn’t fulfill a need, it won’t be likely that customers will purchase it.
Perform market research to have a good idea of ways your product will be used.
Price
Of course, your product is only going to sell if you set the appropriate price point.
Your business will want to use production costs, projected fulfillment, and other key metrics to determine the proper price for your product.
Make sure you are conveying the quality of your product to customers when considering the initial amount of your product.
At the same time, do what you can to keep in mind how the price you select, along with costs of manufacturing and production, will have an impact on your product in the long-term.
Placement
In today’s market, placement is no longer simply about identifying the appropriate retailers or best locations.
There are now many other channels and outlets to give consideration when thinking about your product placement.
Where is the area with the highest foot traffic?
Which retailer is showing growth and expansion?
What businesses does it make the most sense to establish a partnership with?
These are all questions you will want to consider when it comes to product placement, but you’ll also need to think about the digital aspect of marketing.
Will you want to have a social media campaign? I would say yes, definitely!
Ensuring your product is in a spot which will gain traction and attention in the market is the key to successful product placement.
Promotion
With the continued growth and immersion of our lives into social media, it is crucial to promote and market your product online.
This means that your product marketing needs to be multi-pronged, something that did not require as much attention in the past.
Nowadays, customers want to see the product first-hand.
They want to interact with it, ask questions about it, get answers about it and learn more about the brand, all from the comfort of their home.
Provide high-quality videos and content to your potential customers, and they will reward you with their loyalty.
Take time to understand each of the four Ps and how they can make or break your marketing campaign. Have a strategy for each ingredient, and focus on trouble spots that may disrupt a successful product.
Mel Robbins gives us such great insight into why we stop ourselves from making changes, even when we know those changes are the best thing for us!
It's called the 5 Second Rule... and it's incredibly simple. In fact, it's just too simple for me to summarise here - as it would just get dismissed straight away.
I absolutely recommend you watch her explanation of how our brains work, and how we can work with them to keep moving forward towards our goals :)
Gary from 3Bug Media takes us through his email nurturing sequence. We definitely start to see patterns here as it's very similar to the others we've seen, but it's good to see his personal take on it. So, he explains that if someone has wanted our initial offer enough to give them our email address it means they're interested in our business, but not ready to buy yet... The lead nurturing sequence is designed to move them along the path to becoming a paying customer. This sequence involves the following: - welcome email: thank them, set expectations - educate: with tips, videos, blogs etc - inform: tell them about new services and other products that you provide - send offers: discounts, promotions, encourage them to buy - personalise your business and your brand: give pictures or videos of 'behind the scenes' etc Key Tips: - Keep the message clear - just one, or two topics per email, tops - Just one clear CTA (call to action) per email - Try to use visuals in your emails, particularly if you're in 'e-commerce' - If you're using text at all, and have their first name, then use the auto-fill option so that you're sending the email to them personally - Get people to engage with your emails - e.g. end the first email with a question, such as 'what challenges are you dealing with at the moment'. - If they respond, then future emails are more likely to go into their main inbox folder, instead of spam etc. Recommended sequence of emails is below - and set up a different sequence for each lead capture offer you have, so that the emails are related to the problem you're trying to solve: 1 - welcome email, sent immediately after sign-up. Set expectations of what you'll be sending, end it with a question 2 - education email - FAQs, use cases of how to use the product, data, research stats etc 3 - another education email 4 - offer, encourage to buy 5 - education 6 - inform them of other products and services you provide 7 - personalise, tell them your story, how you got started, highlight some team members, or show how you do you research etc 8 - offer 9 - education This sequence will take approx 3 weeks. Then move them over to your main email list, for all the general broadcasts / emails that to send to all.
