Infinite Reach Building Twitter Engagement Blog

Tips for Building Twitter Engagement

September 7, 2016/0 Comments/in Blogs, Internet Marketing, Social Media /by Kellie Meisenheimer

Twitter is an extremely popular and important social media platform. It currently has over 270 million active monthly users who send more than 500 million tweets per day.

Can you even imagine…500 million tweets a day? It is mind-boggling to say the least. (don’t worry, I am not going to advise you to send millions of tweets per day!) If you are still asking yourself whether Twitter is important or not when it comes to your social media presence- the answer is Yes!

Now that you know you need to be more involved on Twitter, here are some excellent tips for building Twitter engagement and gaining followers.

Building Twitter Engagement

Building engagement on any social media site takes time and attention, and Twitter is no different. (Check out this article on Facebook Engagement) Everywhere you look these days you see people interacting with social media. But they are not just blindly following everyone, they only follow brands that they feel offer them something of real value.

There is some confusion as to what exactly engagement means in the social media world. What engagement means on Twitter is, any time someone reacts to your posts or talks about, or to, you. That is, whenever someone likes, re-tweets, clicks on, or comments on your posts. As well as any time someone responds to you, sends you a message, or mentions you in a tweet.

Include Images in Your Tweets

Now let’s talk about how to build this engagement. One of the best ways to get attention is by using images in your tweets. Sandra Vega from Twitter reports that Tweets that include rich media like images and video’s, get an average of 313% more engagement and over 50% more re-tweets.

Images can include photos, funny memes, inspirational quotes, video’s, or infographics to name a few. Funny and inspirational posts are great for building engagement. Everyone likes to laugh and they feel more inclined to share something that makes them feel happy.

Use Hashtags in Your Tweets

This may seem like redundant advice. I mean it is Twitter, and they did invent the Hashtag! But most people either don’t use hashtags, or worse yet, don’t use them correctly. Hashtags were invented by Twitter as a way to categorize the posts.

The most important thing to remember when using hashtags is not to use too many. Nobody wants to read a post that is all hashtags. It becomes hard to read and looks more like a commercial or sales pitch than real, sincere content. Your followers can see through shallow attempts to get their attention by using a lot of hashtags. The general rule is not more than 3 to 4 hashtags per post.

Include Links in Your Tweets

Now that we have talked about images and hashtags, the third thing you should be including in your tweets is links to articles and websites. Providing something of value to your customers means searching out articles and websites that can help your followers solve a problem or issue they may be having.

Including a link to a credible and authoritative website will not only help your followers, it will help you in many ways. It will help you become more credible and authoritative. This is one of the times when being ‘guilty by association’ is a good thing. It can also help you gain followers.

When your current group shares your tweet, their friends naturally become curious about the company they are re-tweeting. Then they make their way to your page. It is a win-win. Believe it or not, it strengthens their relationship with their friend at the same time it allows them to grow a new relationship with you and your brand.

Navigating the Twittersphere can be confusing, but if you follow these three pieces of advice you will do well. As a matter of fact, Sandra Vega of Twitter says the formula for the perfect Tweet is (Image + Hashtag + link). So get out there and create an engaged following.

If you have any questions or need help with Twitter or any other Social Media Platforms, contact us today!

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Blogging for Success

August 31, 2016/0 Comments/in Blogs /by Morgan Hirschi

When you think about blogging and your business, what comes to mind? The main reason online businesses use blogging is to connect with their audience. Blogs can allow you to share more information which lets customers and fans be a part of what you are all about.

Blogs Inform

Most blog writing gives your business an opportunity to give your customer a better idea of what you do or what you can provide to them.

For instance, a blog on organizing can give potential clients a better idea of what an organizing company does and can help them see how their services can help them. When you read the tips on how to organize your garage, helpful information is passed along.

Blogs Reveal

Blogging can give your reader an inside look at what kind of business you are and what kind of client you are gearing your services toward.

A blog can help to distinguish you from another business in your industry by revealing a behind the scenes look into the specific vision you have for your company, the values you carry and the employees you have.

You can let your audience know how you stand apart and what is truly unique about the business and the service you provide. Maybe you are an up-and-coming company that really caters to their clients to give them the best possible experience. For more on client appreciation, read our blog, Client Appreciation and How To Show It!

Blogs Entertain

Blogs can offer a break from the doldrums of life by sharing another point of view. They can be used to give your reader a laugh and show them the lighter side of your business.

Blogs can convey a story to give your audience a day-in-the-life picture of how your business offers. Anything that is outside of the cookie cutter blog, like relaying the unfolding of the day’s events through the eyes of the company mascot, the boss’ dog.

Blogs Engage

Blogs connect with people emotionally and keep them interested through a story or piece of information that they can relate to. If you are supplying something they need, they can relate!

Pictures are also important in a blog, as people are visually engaged and looking for something to interest them and give your words more context. They help draw the reader in and make connections for them that only an image can make.

Blogs Connect

The truth is, blogs keep people coming back for more. Most businesses don’t constantly change the layout of their website; they want that to remain static so people remember their look, their brand, the face of the business.

But blogging keeps the information rolling out, fresh and interesting, giving customers, clients, other businesses or people who are simply browsing an inside look into you and your business.

Whether you write to inform or entertain, the goal is still the same: to connect with your audience and give them a better idea about who you are and what you can provide them. This inside look helps you to build rapport with your clients before they even set foot through your door!

Does Your Personal Brand Include Workplace Attire?

August 24, 2016/0 Comments/in Blogs, Branding /by Michael Cohen

With office dress codes becoming a thing of the past, wardrobe choices are more important than ever in showcasing your personal brand at work.

What You Wear to Work Matters

A personal brand is a microcosm of your company’s brand, just as you—a front-facing worker or owner—can be the face of the company itself. In that light, most people know it’s crucial to make a good first impression. Avoiding messy, wrinkled, or mismatched outfits is a given, but does that mean you need to wear a freshly pressed three-piece suit every day?

The short answer is: no. But of course, it depends on many factors.

For one thing, there’s your chosen industry. If you sell high-end menswear or work high up on the corporate ladder, a full three-piece suit might be the appropriate choice—if you offer landscaping services, sell your own paintings, or run a bakery, not so much.

“Even jeans and a t-shirt can have a purpose, if that’s accepted clothing in your line of work,” says Jim Joseph for entrepreneur.com in this article.

Location is another element to consider. Here in Phoenix, summer temperatures can make suiting up impractical at times. Foregoing a jacket or wearing a polo in place of a button-up is considered more acceptable in the desert than a city like New York.

And of course, we all have that friend or colleague with a signature line of Hawaiian shirts.

So Maybe I Can Ditch the Formal Wear—What Next?

While in many places it seems the days of stringent workplace dress codes are on the way out, the freedom to make every day Casual Friday doesn’t mean standards should go out the window when it comes to attire.

“No matter your occupation or personality, you should have your own personal ‘dress code,’” says Joseph.

The key is brand consistency. We have a great blog on “Why Brand Consistency is Important”, and the lessons there can easily apply to your personal brand as well.

Sticking to your self-imposed “dress code” every day can:

Become an extension of your larger brand
Define your style
Communicate your company values
Help you find a target audience of like-minded clients
Get you in the mindset for work—like a uniform or suit of armor
Signal what is acceptable to your employees (if you’re the boss)
Show you’re ready to step into other roles (if you’re not the boss, yet)
Give others a sense of reliability

The goals are brand recognition and brand loyalty. Setting expectations for appearance and then meeting them with consistent wardrobe choices is a great way to achieve these goals and avoid mixed messages.

Beware of Boring

Though consistency is a decisive factor in personal branding, you must also be wary of sameness. There’s something to be said for owning identical button-up shirts in every color, but a good personal brand goes beyond the basics for a distinct look. You want to use your wardrobe to communicate what makes you—and by proxy, your company—unique.

Consider Hillary Clinton: politics aside, many have commented on her choice of the iconic pantsuit. It is recognizable, it is versatile, and it is a garment she has turned into a statement of identity. Even Clinton herself has joked about her favored attire: her Twitter bio lists “pantsuit aficionado” among her credentials.

She has leveraged the pantsuit into a reflection of her personal brand. The pantsuit is Hillary Clinton, and vice versa. It’s a shrewd branding strategy, and one that may pay off as she appears consistently to vie for the top job in the country.

For others, a personal brand can come down to well-chosen accessories. Examples can include flashy jewelry to class up an outfit, funky socks for a bit of fun, or colorful handbags to signal youth and vivacity. The idea is to be noticed by standing out consistently. Remember our friend with the Hawaiian shirts? He knows the power of his personal brand, and how to dress for his own success.

At Infinite Reach, we know the power of branding, too. We take your brand identity into account in everything from web design to corporate photography—where the right outfit is essential! Check out our full range of services or contact us for a free consultation.

In the meantime, read our blog about “What Branding Colors Communicate to Your Clients” and start shopping for the right shades to suit your business today!

Pinterest: How to Pin for Your Business

August 17, 2016/0 Comments/in Blogs, Social Media /by Janelle Nodar

What exactly is Pinterest? For those of you unfamiliar with this amazing social network, Pinterest is “the world’s catalog of ideas.” Find and save Pins of recipes, DIY projects, parenting hacks, style inspirations and many other ideas.

Other social networks like the ever so popular Facebook are often what businesses tend to flock to, but many don’t realize how the visual aspects of a platform like Pinterest can also benefit them as a whole. Here’s everything you need to know, including tips and tools to help you get more from Pinterest.

How Does It Work?

The first step to use Pinterest is to sign up and create an account. It’s extremely important that businesses sign up specifically for a business account, which have similar features but are ultimately different than a regular account. But don’t worry… you can convert your personal account to a business account!

Business accounts have access to Pinterest Analytics, which helps you understand how people are engaging with content from your site and Pins from your profile. When you sign up as a business, you’ll also get updates on future products and services that Pinterest builds for businesses particularly. Not only is an account free, but you now have access to features that will help your business thrive on the platform.

To sign up for a business account, you’ll need to enter some personal information: your email address, a password, the name of your business and what type of business you run. After this is completed, you can start to set up your profile.

Another wonderful thing about this platform is that you can access your home feed from your laptop or mobile app. Since I’m always on my phone, I find the app to be the most convenient; I’m guilty of endless scrolling! On your home feed you will see the most recent Pins from the accounts that you follow. It’s the perfect setup for seamless browsing.

Across the top you’ll see a search bar. To the left, there’s the Pinterest logo (which takes you back to the home page when clicked), as well as menu options for Analytics and Ads. To the right there is a drop-down menu, which displays links to all of the categories you can browse through on the platform.

Go a little more to the right side and you’ll see a “+” button and a chat button.

The “+” buttons allows you to add a new Pin or create a new ad. When clicked, the chat bubble button shows a drop-down menu with three options: News, You and Messages.

News displays trending Pins and other site updates
You shows your notifications from other users that interact with your Pins
Messages are your messages with other Pinterest users

If you don’t know what Pins and Boards are, I’m here to help! In the simplest terms, Pins are the content, like articles or images, that you share on Pinterest. Boards are how you choose to organize that content. You can’t start Pinning until you create a board.

Creating Your Boards

To create your first Pinterest board, you have to go to your profile where you’ll see a red Create Board button. Once you click that, a box will pop up with the information you need to fill in about the board.

Here you can enter a name for your board, a description of what it’s about and the category it falls under. While these may be optional, I would suggest filling them out because they can help people discover your boards more often.

Another cool feature is keeping your board secret, if you’d like to be the only one to have access or share with only a few people rather than all of your followers. You can also add “Collaborators” where you can invite other Pinterest users who can contribute Pins to that specific board. These Pins will show up on both your profile and the other users’ profiles.

After you fill out all the information that you’d like, you’re all set. You can start Pinning!

Adding A Pin

To add your own content to Pinterest, such as a blog post (think a board titled Blogs), go to the board that you’d like to Pin to and click the “Add a Pin” button. You will then be asked if you’d like to ad a Pin from the Web or from a personal file on your computer. You could also use the “+” button on the top of the page.

If adding a Pin from the Web, Pinterest will prompt you to enter a link to the page you’re pinning from. From there, you’ll be taken to a page that populates images from the site that you’re pulling from, where you can select the picture you want to show as your Pin by clicking the Pin It button.

You’re going to then see a box that allows you to create a description for your Pin and choose the board. When you’re done perfecting your new Pin, click the Create button. Pinning a link from the Web will ensure that when someone views your Pin, it links back to the website it originally came from.

Interacting With Other Pinterest Users

Unlike most social networks, Pinterest isn’t centered on interacting with users. What makes Pinterest so unique is that it’s much more about sharing and saving content… but it IS still a social network, so there’s a way for users to connect with other people. You can repin someone’s Pin along with many other methods of interacting.

Likes: Liking a Pin is any easy way to connect with another Pinterest user. These likes also appear on your profile, so you’re able to view it later on if you don’t end up Pinning it right away. All you have to do is hover over the Pin that you like and click the heart button.
Comments: Like any other social network, you can comment on another user’s Pin. To do so, click on the Pin you want to comment on and then you’ll see a comment box to share your ideas/remarks/observations.
Tagging users: If there’s a Pin that you think your coworker or friend will love, tag them by using the @ symbol. Similar to Twitter, you just type the @ symbol and the username of the person you’d like to tag, and they’ll be notified of your comment.
Messages: Other Pinterest users can send and see your private messages. To send a message, click the Messages option in the little chat bubble icon at the top of the page.

Engaging with users in the community helps build your brand!

Pinterest Analytics

You’ll find your account’s analytics page by clicking on Analytics at the top of the page. You will see a drop-down menu where you can either click Overview, Profile or Audience.

When you select Overview you’ll see statistics about profile, audience and more. Here you can see data from your profile’s average daily impressions and viewers, your average monthly viewers and average monthly engagements. Pinterest analytics allows you to learn valuable things about your audience.

Tips & Tools

Pin like a pro
- Pin at least once a day so your followers get fresh content in their home feeds.
- Don’t just Pin your own stuff. You can tell a richer story by adding Pins from others. You could even partner with bloggers and lifestyle websites to Pin their content. Your followers will appreciate the Pins, and the bloggers will appreciate the referral traffic.
- Make sure your Pins link back to somewhere helpful, so that Pinners can have a better experience and so that you can get more referral traffic to the right places.
- Once you’ve make it easy to Pin from your website, you might also want to create new Pins just to share on Pinterest.
- Just like with boards, thoughtful descriptions will make your Pins more inspiring and searchable.
Engage with other Pinners
- Create group boards and invite people who love your brand to contribute.
- Make it easy for people to Pin your stuff by adding the Follow button to your website. Include a Pinterest link in emails and your social media posts to make sure people know you’re here, too.
- Consider how your Pins will look in feeds, not just on boards, since most people will find them there.
The Image
- Use high-quality images. Make sure they’re well-composed and in focus.
- Go for taller Pins. Vertically-oriented Pins look better on mobile screens.
- Pins with multiple images can work well for Pinners looking for how-to’s, but keep it to four images or fewer so it doesn’t look too crowded.
- Minimize the amount of text on an image. Make sure it’s easy to read on mobile screens.
The Description
- Every Pin should have a description that gives context. The best descriptions are positive, helping people imagine what they might do with the Pin while also providing extra information.
- Write thoughtful, timeless copy. Pins last forever, so avoid descriptions that focus on timely promotional information.
More You Can Do
- Use Rich Pins wherever possible so your brand and other useful details stay on the Pin as it gets repinned.
- Link out your Pins to places that help people. For example, a movie Pin should lead to a trailer or a review, and a product Pin should lead to where a Pinner can make the purchase.
Get Specific
- Think about what people who are looking at a certain Pin might have searched for. Was it a sweater, or was it an argyle sweater? A blue sweater or a cashmere sweater? Mention the most compelling and distinct parts of the Pin in your description, and your Pins are more likely to surface when people get specific in searches.

I wish you luck growing your business with Pinterest! Need some help managing your Pinterest and/or other social media accounts? Infinite Reach takes social media off your plate so you can focus on what your business.

We’d love to hear from you! Contact us today.

3 Ways Your Business Can Get Free PR

August 15, 2016/0 Comments/in Blogs, Marketing /by Katelyn Flores

One great way to increase brand awareness and get your name out there, is through PR or public relations. PR is often defined as “using the news or business press to carry positive stories about your company or your products”. What makes PR great for a smaller company, is the fact there are opportunities to get it for free and still gain the benefits of getting your brand out there. We talked about the importance of brand recognition and consistency a few blogs back, and PR is a great tie into the tools you can use to push that consistent brand message out.

As a small business or start-up, your budget is going to be tight. So, you have to get creative on ways to build your audience and brand while using PR. Of course, there are going to be PR services that will cost you, but there are also other tools out there that you can leverage for free. We found three great approaches to finding free PR for your business.

Reach out to Journalists

This method is going to take some time and research, but it also forces you to make some connections. You’re going to want to start by compiling a list of the journalists who cover your industry and create a target list of contacts to reach out to. You’re going to have a better chance of getting PR if the people you are reaching out to actually write about your industry.

This seems to be even more effective if you first make connections with journalists in your local community and then branch out from there. If you can make that first connection, chances are they may be able to help you reach out to journalists writing for a state publication.

Help a Reporter (HARO)

HARO is a free service that connects reporters and journalists to a database of potential sources. They do have paid options but the basic package is free and it’s a great place to start. Once you sign-up, you fill out some general information and then give them some preferences on the industry’s you are looking to be a source for. After that, they send out maybe 3-4 emails each day that have a list of the stories reporters are writing on and the type of sources they are looking for. From there you contact the reporter through HARO and provide them with the information they need.

Now, in order to get the most out of this service you have to be on top of checking those emails and responding to reporters as quick as possible. A lot of them request a fast turnaround for what they need from the source. Some of what they ask for may be as simple as a short quote on your experience with being a business owner in X industry though.

The only downside to this service is you won’t be making the same connections as the first approach we talked about, but you will receive a ton of different opportunities right to your inbox.

Panelist or Speaker at an Event

There are often organizations in your community that cater to your target audience and can offer opportunities for free PR. For example, if you are a B2B you may look at events hosted by your local chamber and request to be a speaker at those events. These organizations often promote you and your business through social media, email marketing and press releases. Just like with HARO, some of these organizations require a fee to be a speaker or presenter, because they will often allow you access to the event attendee list after the event. But there are others that will offer this opportunity for free as long as you have content and information relevant to their member audience.

These are just some of the approaches you can take to get free PR for your company. It may even take a mix of all of these before you find the process and method that works best for your business and gets the results you’re looking for.

What You Need to Know About Facebook Live Video

August 5, 2016/0 Comments/in Blogs /by Renée Johnson

When Facebook first released live video streaming options, its users didn’t really understand how it fit in with Facebook’s platform. Now, it is suddenly taking social media by storm. How did this happen? People and groups with high amounts of followers began live streaming major events. For instance, news channels have done live broadcasts through Facebook, allowing its followers to keep up with current stories such as a election speeches. Celebrities have also brought special every day moments to their fan base through live video. An example of this a prominent comedian backstage before a show giving shout outs to their fans. People spend around 3x longer watching live videos compared to videos that are no longer live, making it a great way to get attention.

Branding and Live Video

So yes, live video is working for high-profile people, but what about brands? The brands that are most successful on social media are those that understand how to play the game. By coming off as more human and approachable, users are more willing to interact with brands. Some brands, such as McDonald’s, have already started playing in this field.

Helpful Tips for Using Live Video

Be connected. Have a strong connection to a WiFi network or use 4G. Facebook will not allow the “Go Live” button to work until the connection is strong enough.
Be proactive. Let followers know when the brand plans to go live. Also encourage them to enable notifications so they can be aware of the live stream.
Be interactive. Respond to commenters and answer their questions in order to foster a relationship between the brand and its followers.
Be creative. It cannot be stressed enough that users have high expectations of videos, especially when it comes to brands. Make sure the live streaming content is interesting and entertaining.
Be timely. Stream live with regular frequency to keep up engagement. Marketing agencies such as Infinite Reach Agency can help arrange a social media plan to sync live videos with other social media content appropriately.

For some examples of live video, check out some of Facebook’s favorites.

Want to Sound More Confident at Work?

July 13, 2016/0 Comments/in Blogs, Development /by Janelle Nodar

Like in almost all areas of life, you want to convey how confident you are to those around you. In relationships, you’ll want to have healthy self-esteem because that will help improve your relationship as a whole. In business, if you have great ideas, you need to know how to communicate them and project them with confidence.

Some challenges that women specifically face in the workplace are bad speech habits that have been conditioned in us over the years. Even if we aren’t consciously aware of it, these tendencies can potentially damage our confidence levels, which can ultimately negatively impact how we’re perceived by our coworkers.

“Body language is a great way to assert control and communicate strength and power, but it can also tell the opposite story.” While far more subconscious than anything else, your body language can have a huge impact on how you’re viewed by others, particularly in a professional setting.

Next time you’re in the office, notice how you’re carrying and expressing yourself to others. Watch out for these subliminal body movements and learn how to adjust yourself so that you can convey nothing but confidence.

Crossed arms
- While crossing your arms is usually out of habit, your boss may see this as cynical, distrustful and sometimes even angry. Instead, stand with your arms straight down by your side to show openness and confidence to those around you.
Seeming disinterested
- Nonverbal communication actually speaks very loudly! The way that your body is angled toward someone tells a lot; when engaging in conversation, you want to have your whole body angled toward them to show that you’re listening and actively engaged in what they’re saying. If angled away from them, it shows disinterest.
- In order to avoid not seeming distracted, subtly mimic their gestures and nod for reassurance.
Nervous gestures
- I’m guilty of these myself and I know that it’s a habit I must break. These gestures are motions that you do when you’re bored or just nervous, including touching your hair, touching your face, biting your nails and shaking your leg/foot.
Eye contact
- Maintaining eye contact shows that you’re confident and certain. Eye contact is one of the most important nonverbal gestures to show that your respect, appreciation and interest.
Smile
- I love to smile! Smiling not only makes us feel better and more confident, but it makes those around us feel comfortable with us. If you don’t already, make a habit of smiling at the beginning and end of every conversation you have.
Handshake
- A handshake is an example of appropriate touch in the workplace. When you have a strong handshake, there’s a sense of confidence and trustworthiness.

With social media and smart phones becoming so predominant in our lives, face-to-face communication is becoming rare, so it’s crucial to make the most out of it when it does occur. Spoken communication also has the ability to be misconstrued to emit lack of authority and low confidence, so your nonverbals can help make up for that.

It’s not about “acting like a man” or being aggressive, it’s all about tapping into your inner courage and channeling it for more confident communication.

Body language is just as valuable as verbal communication and it’s important to understand that your subtle gestures and motions can impact the way others see you. Body language can make or break how you’re seen in a professional atmosphere.

Phrases to Avoid to Sound Confident

If you want to sound more confident, you’ll also have to eliminate some words from your vocabulary. Here’s a few to look out for:

“I can’t”
- This phrase sacrifices control over your own actions. “Can’t” means that you don’t have a particular skill to do something, which in most cases, isn’t true. Usually when someone says this phrase they really mean that they don’t want to do something.
- “I can’t” implies fear of failure or lack of your will to try, so it ultimately limits you and allows fear to win. In the workplace and in all areas of life, you want to try and give something your all before deciding you “cant” do it.
“Just”
- Using this word can damage your credibility. “I’m just following up on…” or “I just wanted to check in,” can be code for “Sorry for bugging you” and “Sorry for taking up your time.” To avoid feeling like we’re asking for too much we use this word. It’s not a good idea to use this word too often in the workplace.
“I’m no expert, but…”
- Because some women feel they’re treated differently than men in professional settings, we come up with qualifiers in order to avoid sounding arrogant or to cover up our fear of being wrong. Saying “I’m no expert, but…” undermines your position before you even had the chance to state your opinion.
“What if we tried…?”
- It’s a good idea to state your ideas and be straightforward instead of asking them in the form of a question. Masking your ideas as questions is a way of polling, which indicates that you don’t think your ideas are valid unless someone else thinks so.

There are so many ways to feel more confident in the workplace and convey that to those around you. Be careful of subtle language cues that can belittle people’s perceptions of you, your confidence and professionalism. By paying close attention to your body language and word choice, you can sound more confident every single day!

What to Include in your Brand Guideline

July 11, 2016/0 Comments/in Blogs, Branding /by Katelyn Flores

At Infinite Reach we call these our Marketing Standards, they are our guide for not only our brand but for each of our clients brands as well. The goal of your Brand Guideline is to create a framework that anyone in your organization can follow. It creates a guide for your brand so that everything you push out has a consistent look and message.

We went over why brand consistency is so important in my May blog post, but just to give a recap, brand consistency is what helps build rapport and brand recognition amongst your target audience. This is what eventually creates that coveted brand loyalty that every company wants to achieve with their customers and clients.

In order to keep your brand consistency on track, you need to create a brand guideline. That’s why we created the following list of items to include in your guide.

Brand’s History, Key Values and Mission

The first step in creating your brand guideline is outlining your brand’s history, key values and mission. This is the framework for what’s to follow in your guide. It gives the person looking at your standards the background knowledge they need to understand why you chose the color palette you did, what your logo represents etc.

This first piece is not only important for your graphic design and marketing team to know, but each and every employee. So, it’s really explaining what your brand is all about in a way that’s important to everyone at your company. It also gives them the background knowledge they need to continue keeping your brand consistent.

Logo, Official Color Palette and Typography

Of course you need your logo, colors and fonts. These are going to be used the most throughout your branding and marketing efforts so it’s important people get it right. You have already established your brand history, values and mission, so you have the groundwork done. Now connect that to each of these elements.

Why did we choose this color palette? Are there times when we should use one color over another? When people know the why it tends to resonate more with them. They aren’t making all the headlines on the website purple just because, they understand the reasoning behind that.

Typography is one area that may seem unimportant, but it’s definitely imperative that everyone understands which fonts they should be using and when.

The logo, this is one if not the most important aspect of your branding. When you see just the Nike Swoosh do you know what brand it is? Of course, and that’s because they make sure to keep that logo consistent no matter what they are using it for. A lot of companies have multiple variations of their logo, so ensuring your team understands when to use which logo is important e to keeping your brand consistent.

Example of a Marketing Standard Page

Letterhead and Examples of Marketing Projects

You should be using company letterhead on anything you send out. It only helps your brand recognition. The only problem is making sure everyone is using the same letterhead, so it’s another important component to include in your brand guidelines.

Examples of past marketing projects are also important. They highlight the marketing standards you’ve already established. For example, when we post about our blogs on Instagram we have a set graphic format we use each time so it’s consistent. Eventually our followers may not even need to see the logo on the image to know that Infinite Reach posted a new blog. The examples help guide your team and give them a framework for their next project.

Example of our Instagram Blog Post Images

Brand consistency is very important and a brand guideline allows you to share what that brand is to your employees. It helps create a guide for anyone in your organization to use and keep them within the brand image you’ve already created for your clients or customers.

Content Creation: A Best Practices Guide

July 8, 2016/0 Comments/in Blogs /by Renée Johnson

Think of content creation as a venn diagram. On one side, you have the audience’s needs. On the other side, you have the brand’s goals. These two sides meet with interesting, purposeful, unique content.

It should be simple to identify brand goals, however, clearly identifying its audience’s needs is more of a process. It helps to take a new point of view: instead of trying to speak to an audience, speak directly to the individuals within the audience. It’s much easier to narrow the message down to key personas when taking this perspective. One way to make sure the brand’s message is getting across to these personas is to make sure their attributes mesh well with the brand attributes. Those consuming the content respond better to content that suits their attitudes and needs. Admittedly finding the right voice for a certain persona across channels is difficult. This article discusses how to target accurately.

Great content has a voice that feels accessible. A one-way communication method between the brand and user is no longer acceptable. Instead, users need to be able to interact with a brand and know they’re being heard. In the distracting, crowed online environment, content like this is used to display why your brand deserves the user’s attention.

Content tips to keep readers happy and interested:

Keep it length appropriate for the topic and the channel through which it is delivered. It may be tempting to tell a longer story in a YouTube video where there are no length restrictions, but an ideal time for a video is about 1 minute 30 seconds because it allows viewers to stay engaged.
Educate the reader with information that is useful to them and relevant to their attitudes and needs.
Bring some entertainment to the table to keep readers interested.
Make its appearance visually appealing. Try to separate ideas into properly sized paragraphs, use lists where needed, and pieces like the infographic below to add something extra.

Don’t Forget About SEO!

Lastly, keep in mind that a brand’s content must be easily found by its target personas. SEO helps bring a brand’s pages to the top of search engine results and help readers find what they are looking for instantly. Creating content that meets a user’s needs is key, but ensuring they can find it is of utmost importance. More information on SEO can be found here.

Infinite Reach Agency Motivating Employees Feature

Motivating Employees Is Easier Than You Think

July 6, 2016/0 Comments/in Blogs /by Kellie Meisenheimer

For any business, motivating employees is important. Motivated employees are happier and more productive than unmotivated employees, and have a profound effect on your bottom line. According to a study by Dale Carnegie Training, unmotivated employees are 2 ½ times more likely to accept another job for any increase in their wages.

For years’ businesses have tried in vain to motivate their employees with raises and other monetary rewards. It has been proven time and time again that extrinsic factors such as raises and cash bonuses provide only short term motivation. Money can inspire some people to work harder for a short period of time but it takes more than a little cash to motivate your employees long term.

Motivated employees are happy employees and are driven by intrinsic factors such as interesting and rewarding work as well as a sense of ownership and accomplishment. Motivating employees is not a difficult endeavor. Most team members can be motivated by autonomy and mastery in their work.

Motivating Employees Without Money

When it comes to motivating employees, money is not the best way to go. Employees want to be good at their jobs and feel a sense of ownership in their jobs and their companies. When your team members feel like they are a part of the company they develop what is called “Psychological Ownership”.

According to Forbes Magazine, psychological ownership is defined as the extent to which an employee feels as though their organization or their job is “theirs” (i.e., “this is MY company!”) to the point that the company becomes an important part of an employee’s self-identity.

Autonomy

The best way to provide your employees with a sense of motivation is by making their jobs more interesting and rewarding. The best way to provide your team with a sense of ownership in their jobs is to give them autonomy. Giving your employees the ability to make certain decisions for themselves has been proven to give them more of a sense of pride and self-identification with their work.

Allowing your employees to make decisions about their work space and how they do their job is great way to motivate them. People are naturally inclined to be self-directing. Children do not have to be told how to play, they figure out for themselves what to play and how to do it.

It is the same way with adults. When you give them the ability to make these little decisions, it gives them a sense of self-direction. They feel like they have control of their destiny instead of being micro-managed and told what to do every second and how to do it.

Giving your employees the ability to make decisions about their work that are important to them but do not affect your bottom line is a win-win situation. You get more motivated employees and they get a feeling of satisfaction in themselves and their work environment.

Mastery

People want to be good at their jobs. When you are good at what you do it gives you a sense of confidence in yourself and your work. When employees don’t know how to do their jobs or have any doubt, they will be more reluctant to do it.

It is the same way with everything. When we are good at something, we generally enjoy doing it, and when we don’t know how to do something we either avoid doing it or do just enough to get it done; work is no different. When your employees know how to do their jobs, they will be happier at work and they will actually be excited to get up and come in every day.

The best way to ensure your employees know how to do their jobs is to provide them with the proper training. A good training program is comprehensive and on-going and can make all the difference. Training can not only help you to educate your employees, if you listen to their advice and recommendations, you may find that they are the best resource for your next training class.

Employees naturally want to be good at their jobs and to help their companies be successful. The proper training program and support can provide them with a sense of pride and ownership in their jobs and provide you with happy, motivated employees who are excited to come to work every day.

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