Loryn on Mass Appeal! Celebrate Your Brand in 2018!

It’s a new year, full of promise & endless possibilities! It is ALSO the time of year that consumers are winding down from spending. Use this time to your fullest advantage! Sit down and focus on your brand & how you market so that you can start off the 2018 with a BANG! These items may take some time, but focusing on them NOW, at the beginning of the year, when you may have some downtime, will be to your fullest advantage! Plus, you’ll feel extra awesome for having everything together at the beginning of the year!

1. Spruce up Social Media!

If your business is not on social media by now, it is the time to start fresh! But assuming that many of us are, take the beginning of the year as a time to do some spring cleaning with your social media profiles. This can include:

- updating your business profile photo (it should absolutely be your logo, but it can have a winter theme or a secondary version of it to keep things fresh!)

- your cover photo (on Facebook: include a new photo, a new special you’re offering, or an announcement!)

- Make sure ALL your contact information is correct! Website, address, hours, location, etc.! So when people want to contact you… they can… EASILY!

Delete anything YOU’VE POSTED that isn’t AWESOME, relevant, or doesn’t reflect your biz in the best light: poor quality photos, old specials, old offerings or products that you don’t sell anymore, etc.

2. Freshen up your website!

Depending on whether it’s something you yourself can edit or not! Edit yourself or make a list for your web developer to do. DON’T WAIT if you have to pay someone to edit your website! Developers can be swamped with folks wanting the same service at this time of year! Make sure that your website’s year is current:

-the copyright sign with the year at the bottom of many pages should be 2018.. as soon as possible!

-Make sure all contact information is up to date in ALL Places on your website: contact info (phone number, address, hours, email, etc.) menu updates, services & products you offer, with detailed descriptions, prices, and tailor the content to be more direct!

- And freshen up your content! Go over all your information, descriptions, about-me page, and make sure it is 100% reflective of your voice AND accurate to what you offer! The worst is finding out someone is looking for something you don’t offer anymore!

3. Evaluate your brand identity: make it something to CELEBRATE!

You hopefully have a color palette, a logo you’re obsessed with, and graphics that match your brand. Are they being used to the fullest extent throughout ALL your marketing channels? Including your website & social media, but also your print products? Email signature? Brochure? Photography? Now is the perfect time to evaluate your brand and see if it’s hitting the mark in all these areas. If it’s not? Time to either start DIYing your brand or hiring a professional to help you sort through this. Don’t wait till you're too busy! Make sure that your brand is something you LOVE and want to celebrate! That means you’ll show it off, spread the word about what you do, and not hesitate to give your business card out to others!

A great way to start: social media templates! You should be posting a graphic with EVERY post you make, and they all should look similar! Including colors & fonts & photography. Use canva.com or create your own with a design program!

BONUS!

If you have done all of the above and are looking for something to add to your marketing strategy, some great ideas are:

1. If you don’t have one already, this is the most important! A clean, current, engaging, easy to navigate website.

2. Update your email signature! Brand it with your colors, and add your personal signature!

3. A fully developed professional, active LinkedIn Profile, especially if you are job hunting!

4. Podcast channel or Youtube Channel that features quality content from yourself and features others.

5. Email marketing campaign! Promote your services & events AND give great content to your email subscribers!

6. Give back, pay forward, selected pro-bono work to help and serve others!

Watch my segment on Mass Appeal HERE!

http://wwlp.com/2018/01/02/celebrate-your-brand-in-2018/