June 14, 2017
Since our blog “Social Media Mayhem” was such a big hit, we thought we would continue the conversation. By now hopefully you are convinced that social media is something that is critical in your overall marketing strategy. Last issue we talked about what social media networks you should be on, now let’s talk about how often you should be posting to each network.
There are a number of social media management tools that can help you manage your social media engagement–planning, submitting, scheduling and sending out for you, but before we get ahead of ourselves, first things first–before you even think about how often, you need to consider WHAT you have to post. What you have to say can lead to how often you can/should be saying it . . .
Content is still the overall key. Is what you have to say informative and of most value to your readers? Depending on how much information you have to share will aid in determining how often you should be sharing the information. Is it possible to make each new posting fresh and new? There are endless posts out there on the topic of how much and how often, but I always suggest starting out simple. As a general rule, and what I have found to be a very easy rule to follow, assuming you do not have a staff person or team dedicated to your social media marketing, start simple with at minimum:
FaceBook: 1-2 posts/day for a total of 5-10 posts/week
Twitter: 3-5 posts/day for a total of 15-25 posts/week (this does include retweets)
LinkedIn: 1 post/week, with an additional repost of each post per month for a total of 8 posts /month. Also encourage that you share and comment on other’s postings off LinkedIn to get them to share your posts
Instagram: 1-2 posts/day
Let me also add, these recommendations are bare bones, at social media’s MOST basic level. You must consider who is your target audience, how often your target audience utilizes social media, what is your product or service you have to offer and what value can you offer by sharing your product/service on social media, including what visual value can you provide. All these pieces factor into your social media puzzle and plan as well.
Once you get the hang of posting and how frequently to post, you will also want to closely track your postings to analyze each network’s effectiveness. Is your target audience responding positively to your postings? That is the beauty of social media. Once you post, you can almost instantly see the response rates and make necessary changes to mix it up before the next post.
We have a number of resources at Guild Creative to help with your social media strategy. Contact Kathryn at kathryn@guildcreative.com
June 14, 2017
We would like to introduce you to Affiliated Clinical Services (ACS)’s new website. After the completion of their new building, at an easily accessible location, Affiliated Clinical Services wanted to make their online resources easy and accessible as well. With the new building, also came a new logo, fresh color scheme and overall updated look and services approach. Affiliated wanted their website to reflect their new approach and appearance. We at Guild Creative could not agree more. When your logo, signage, colors, brochures, all have a similar look and feel and your messaging is consistent in all these resources as well, it significantly adds to your overall brand identity.
Our goal in revamping their website was to enhance their new brand identity and make the information on their new website easy to find and accessible to all who may need the help and resources ACS has to offer.
One key feature of the new ACS website we designed was their Diagnosis/Treatment form and Clinician Finder. ACS has a vast number of Clinicians to choose from. The Diagnosis/Treatment forms helps users narrow the search to quickly find the best-suited counselors. Easy access to each clinician’s bios helps patients learn more about the individual doctors or therapists as well.
Check out http://affiliatedclinical.com and let us know what you think about their new website. Contact Steve for ways to help update your website. steve@guildcreative.com
June 14, 2017
Don’t underestimate the power of color. Color plays a critical role in branding, helping to create a positive image, assisting in brand recall, conveying your message, and more. Color is a key component in your overall marketing message and plays one of the largest roles to help elicit strong feels, emotions and/or desired purchase behaviors.
The color you choose should help you stand out—set you apart from your competition. It should be relevant to your business, industry or product. It also should have a connection to your audience. These all factor into helping aid in your brand/image recall.
The true meaning of any color varies greatly, but this write up says it best. According to entrepreneur.com:
Blue: Like the sky and sea is serene, also perceived as trustworthy, dependable, fiscally responsible and secure.
Red: Red is an attention-getting color of passion, but it also makes the viewer think of a Stop sign or Warning. What response are you hoping to create? Red can be aggressive, energetic, and provocative; so while attention-grabbing, it may also evoke an unfavorable response.
Green: In general, green suggests health, freshness and growth. The gamut of green shading promotes from a deep, dark and lush green, the feeling of prestige to the lighter greens with a feeling of refreshing and calming.
Yellow: Yellow is most always associated with the sun. Suggesting optimism, positivism, light and warmth. The eye sees bright yellows before any other color, making them great for point-of-purchase displays.
Purple: Purple is a color of emotions. Purple being a blend of reds and blues, passion and tranquility, is often associated with royalty and/or spirituality, along with mystery and sophistication.
Orange: Cheerful orange evokes exuberance, fun and vitality. Research indicates its lighter shades appeal to an upscale market. Peach tones work well with health care, restaurants and beauty salons.
Black: Black is serious, bold, powerful and classic. It creates drama and connotes sophistication. Black works well for expensive products, but can also make a product look too bold and heavy.
The color palette you can choose from is nearly endless. We have just provided you here with a quick snap shot of the main primary colors to consider in both your logo and branding, but there are so many more to consider.
What message is your color sending to your buyers? Keep your colors and messages true. Talk with Steve our design and color expert. steve@guildcreative.com
