Archives for April 2016

Branded Assets to Consider When Redesigning a Website

April 25, 2016 by Mark Mapp Leave a Comment

When business executives make a decision to redesign, or give their website an updated look, there are other important branded assets or materials that may also need redesign considerations as well. Not taking these other assets or materials into account can cause a disconnect between your brand and potential customers that may want to use your services. Therefore, before beginning your website redesign project there are some important questions that may need some answers.

Is your logo in need of an updated look or redesign?

Now that mobile accounts for over 54% of the devices used to browse the web, it is important that you understand how your logo will be displayed or viewed at these resolutions. Things such as fonts, colors, and taglines can greatly affect how your logo is displayed especially at the smaller sizes required for most mobile or responsive websites. Familiarizing yourself with up-to-date logo design trends will help you decide if it’s time for a logo design overhaul.

What about the rest of your identity package?

Yeah, what about it? Well let’s see…If you did in fact need to update or redesign your logo based on the latest design trends, then your next step in the process would also include updating or revamping your identity package. Identity package materials can range from business cards, letterheads, envelopes, pens, etc. A decision will have to be made on what design elements are going to be carried over from these materials to the new website design to retain consistency, if any at all. However, this is something that should also be addressed.

Is your brand message going to be the same?

Your brand message is definitely one of the most single important aspect of your business. What you are trying to convey to your customers and how you want them to perceive your business is dependent on how effective or strong your brand message is. Brand messages are usually what drives the design process for most businesses, and what they generally rely on to remain brand consistent. If as a business you decide to change your brand message, be prepared to address all other content being used to promote your business.

Are you going to update the design/content on your marketing materials?

Well, if your business decided it is best to change or update its brand message, then it would be a great idea to review your current promo/marketing materials design and content to see if they align with the new brand message. These materials can be anything from a company brochure, catalogs, folders and folder inserts. This may also include social media accounts as well. If the design and content doesn’t align with your new brand message you may have just added another project to your redesign list. Always remember the goal is to create brand consistency.

As you can see there are other branded assets and materials that may need some attention when a business decides to redesign their website. Taking these other assets into consideration will help your business to streamline the redesign process and prevent any issues upstream that may cause a possible disconnect between your brand and potential customers you are trying to engage with. Maintaining a consistent brand is key especially when it comes to establishing healthy, long-term business relationships.

For more information about branded assets to consider when redesigning a website, contact us or leave us a comment below!

Google AdWords Event

April 18, 2016 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

Discover the Advantages AdWords and Working With a Google Partner Agency Can Have On Your Business

DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC will hold a sponsored Google AdWords Event for businesses to discover the many benefits of Google AdWords and learn how working with a trusted Google Partner agency can help increase their leads and sales.The Google Event will be held on Wednesday, May 4th at 11:30 am at the DaBrian Marketing Group offices located at 500 Penn Street, Suite 201, Reading PA, 19602.

During this event, those attending will hear directly from Google on how to successfully grow their business online with the help of AdWords, followed by a Q&A session with the certified team at DaBrian Marketing Group. Also during this event, the team at DaBrian Marketing Group will provide a free AdWords audit on your current AdWords account, a competitive evaluation on your current competitors, and potentially provide an Adwords credit for your business. Refreshments and parking will also be provided at this FREE Google event.

DaBrian Marketing Group started utilizing Google’s services eight years ago through Google AdWords, Google Analytics, and more. DaBrian Marketing is one of the few certified Google Partners in the Greater Reading area, and as a Google Partner, we have the expertise and the resources to help businesses in the community connect with their customers online and help increase their Return on Investment.

For more information, contact DaBrian Marketing Group to find how they can help your business. RSVP for this event at https://partnersconnect.withgoogle.com/event/dabrian-marketing-group

Social Media Advice Not To Follow

April 11, 2016 by Dabrian Marketing Group 1 Comment

When it comes to social media marketing and putting together a social strategy, there is a lot of social media advice out there, which may cause your head to spin. While some advice out there is relevant and your company should follow in that direction, there is some social media advice you should not follow. Below is some advice you may come across, but beware and make sure the advice you follow takes your company down the right path.

Your company should be on every social media platform

While this piece of advice may seem smart to you, you will want to think about if having a presence on every social media platform will truly make an impact on your business. Being present on each platform will take lots of time and upkeep, and could potentially require additional staff as well. Instead take a look at the demographics and find which platform your audience is on most, so you can start to create your social media presence and begin interacting and engaging with your audience.

You need to post on a schedule

Most companies believe that they need to post on a certain schedule. While schedules are great for a lot of things when it comes to business, social media is somewhat different. Do research on the time of day your audience is responding to your posts and interacting with them. The whole point of social media is engaging with your customers and potential customers. Also posting on a schedule may make you company seem rigid and uptight.

Followers are the only way to measure success

Your company may think a large amount of followers is the only way to measure success, but you may want to reassess how your company measures your social media success. The true ways to measure your success is by the engagement rate and with Google Analytics. By definition engagement rate is something you measure by looking at likes, shares, and comments. With Google Analytics, you can see what social media platforms, posts, or ads, are driving traffic to your website and measure success by what end goal your company sees fit.

You should delete negative comments

Instead of deleting any negative comments and trying to sweep them under the rug, people will look up to your company and even begin to trust your company when they see you responding to those comments in a mature way and owning up to them.

Everything needs to be about your brand

Your audience doesn’t always want to see everything your company has to offer or even every sale or promotion you have going on. While social media is a great tool and you should put your sales and promotions on there, you will also want to give your followers and potential customer other valuable information relating to your industry and other information that they would find interesting.

For more information about Social Media Marketing and how we can help yours grow, contact us or leave us a comment below!

Five Cause Marketing Must Haves

April 4, 2016 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

Whether you’ve just begun the process of organizing your company’s cause campaign, or you’re stuck in a rut feeling overwhelmed by the many marketing tactics available – take a breath and read about these five Cause Marketing must haves.

1. Authenticity is Key

Support a cause that you truly care about and your supporters will show compassion just the same. There’s nothing worse than being asked 6 times in one day if you’d like to donate to [insert cause here] by kids being forced to ask simply to meet their job requirements. There are also plenty of cause marketing email and content templates out there that you could lean on for support, but don’t be cookie cutter, break away from the norm! Show you care! Tell your story, show your support with pictures of you and your team working towards a common goal, get creative all the while remembering why you’re donating your time.

2. Start with a Bang!

If your cause campaign is directly reflected by fundraising dollars, get a head start and donate your own personal contribution in the beginning. Ask your employees, coworkers, and those closest to you to donate right away. Later on down the road, you may formally request another donation and it may seem more feasible to donate again. Or if donations are not your apart of your cause campaign’s goals, start by generating content, branded materials, or signage for the initiative right away. No better time than right now to get started!

3. Give more than Dollars

Even if the Cause Campaign goals your company is working towards is simply to gain monetary donations, show your support by donating your time or resources. Non-profit agencies usually have a lack of support in consistent volunteers. According to a 2015 study of The Nonprofit Sector, only 25.3% of adults volunteer at least once during a year. Your time and efforts may be just what your local non-profit for your favorite cause may need.

4. Involve your team in Cause Marketing

Your coworkers or employees may not necessarily care about the local animal shelter losing funding, but just a small amount of time with a friendly dog might change anyone’s perspective! Encourage your team members to find their niche. Involve your IT department in decorating instead of troubleshooting issues for the local cause office, they might just love it! Allow your team to learn more about themselves while engaging with the cause at hand.

5. Use your Resources!

Reach out to your clients, vendors, the UPS delivery person, everyone you know. Ask for help in support of this cause by any means. You could even get your message across on Social Media! Utilizing Facebook Ads, pinned posts, check-ins at a cause’s homefront, etc. can broaden your audience to people you may not have connected with without the use of Social Media for cause marketing. Don’t forget to change your social media “Timeline” or “Background” photo while you’re logged in! Show your team spirit for this cause with a fresh themed background photo. Utilizing your company’s Email Marketing platform, you can also send out emails to your clients and contacts. You can even change your signature in your personal and professional email that notes your interest in your favorite cause and how your recipients can participate. Gather your resources and initiate a plan of attack!

Get on the Right Track for Cause Marketing

Starting down the road to raising awareness for causes you care about and even driving donations may seem insurmountable. With the help of friends, family, your coworkers, and strangers, you don’t have to feel alone. Also remember that 55% of those who engage with nonprofits via social media have been inspired to take further action. You can’t beat those statistics! Show your support and let other follow!

For more information about cause campaigns and how we can help yours grow, contact us or leave us a comment below! Also, check out our latest cause campaign initiative for our local Walk MS event!