April 2018 | MarketingFile

What Your Brand Says About You

A word that has existed for generations, evolving through the ages and growing in momentum. Originally referred to as a stamp mark branded as a label of identity on animals. Brands or branding has grown to represent the entirety of a business and its image.

To this day, many people will assume you’re implying your logo or name of your business when the word brand is used, but reality is your brand is and should be much more than that.

We like to think of (y)our brand as the total sum of the opinions held by your customers and prospects. Whether factual (or not), it references what these individuals think they know about your business and more importantly, how this makes them feel. It is vital therefore, that when re-inventing your brand or launching a new one, you consider all potential touch points between your users and your company.

We look at the basics to help you get the most from your brand;

Consider Your Target Audience

Appealing to your best source of income is one of the most obvious reasons to consider your market. You can find this out by asking simple questions of your business, such as;

Who would buy my products/services?
Who currently buys my products/services?
Where else do my buyers shop?
What are the interests of my customers?

You are never going to please everybody, but your brand identity should do its best to cover all bases of your target market.

Create and Identity and Stick to It

The key to success is building an identity. This won’t happen overnight and may require stricter control on your marketing than you have been used to. Having a list of values that your business considers its core will help this as will surveying your customers to generate key words they associate with your work. Just look at Apple, who rebranded from 1998 -2003.

Once you have decided these values, stick to them. Cohesion is paramount. Chopping and changing your values is a recipe for disaster so take your pick and stick to your guns.

Stamp this across your business. If you decide a core value of your business is the friendly nature you treat your customers with, then make sure all phone staff, floor staff and anyone else with customer contact exude this.

Stamping Your Logo Here, There and Everywhere Won’t Cut It

Branding is changing. Gone are the days where sticking your logo on everything passes as brand continuity. In 2018, it’s all about being smart – respect your customers intelligence. You can use this to generate intrigue and help them discover the brand on their own and provides a great base for interaction.

Utilise Your USP’s

If you’re a tech company, don’t just follow the Apple blueprint. Every business is different and you should look to carve out your own unique identity. Use your USP to build a brand unique to your business and create something new. Henry Ford once said “If I asked people what they wanted, they would have told me faster horses”.

Just because everyone else is doing it, doesn’t make it right.

Think Long Term

Don’t go in with the offers. Overloading your customers with your latest deals only cheapens your image. Instead look to build relationships with your customer base. By staying transparent you build trust. By building trust, individuals start to believe in your core values and there’s little risk of missing expectations.

Be Consistent

No, we don’t mean use the same imagery over and over again, or the same message for that matter. What we really mean is keep your tone consistent, no matter what the medium. This simple step reinforces the character of your brand and helps customers clarify what it is you’re offering and what they can expect.

Set Goals and Plan Accordingly

In the words of Winston Churchill – “He who fails to plan is planning to fail”. Make sure you have a list of all things you want to achieve, as the road to a great brand can be treacherous and being led from the path is notoriously simple.

In theory your brand strategy should fall in line with your business plan. This helps you gauge where you need to be at any given point and helps prevent deviation from the pre-approved brand image.

Keep Up and Fluid

Despite what we may have said about consistency, there is room for tweaks here and here. Branding is a process of building, not a race against time. You should expect to make constant amendments (in line with your business) to keep your message fresh and on trend. If you feel the old tactics aren’t working, don’t be afraid to change them. Fresh material can be a great way to engage your followers and there’s plenty of companies that have been there before (see Old Spice for example).

Responsive Design for Email Marketing

With PC sales plummeting and mobile traffic on the rise, responsive email-marketing is becoming a valuable asset to any business. There are a number of reasons as to why this is important and evidence to suggest that your campaign success can be solely based on it.

Read on to see our endorsement for designing emails responsively:

What is Responsive Design?

Responsive design is a simple concept, created to keep your digital products looking good on any viewing portal, no matter what its size. Ultimately, this generally pans out as multi-column layouts for landscape tablet screen sizes and larger – and single column design for anything smaller.

In general, the design stays the same but the formatting changes. We are also able to hide elements on smaller or larger screens if we feel they will be ineffective elements at that scale.

Why is Responsive Design Important?

You’re guilty of it right? Checking your emails when you’re out and about? Work, personal or other accounts, we all do it. Let’s face it, if you don’t you’re fighting a snowstorm, already buried six feet under.

This is illustrated by the fact that 60% of emails are opened on mobile phone or tablet. On top of this 38% of click troughs occur from this format also.

Ultimately, it boils down to usability. Emails that are sent un-responsive generally provide the reader with a poor experience. This not only effects your brand image, but often means your marketing budget heads straight to their trash.

When Should I Apply Responsive Design?

Now! The longer you wait, the more your wasting your time and your money. To increase response and improve brand awareness, you should be implementing these changes ASAP. You are better off sending less emails in a responsive format than lots in an unusable format.

How Will Responsive Design Help Me?

Response. 80% of marketers state that their revenue is “directly linked” to their email operations. By creating a mobile-friendly format you make it easier for prospects to click through to your site. You also make your brand more appealing and who doesn’t want that.

How Do I Make the Most of Responsive Design?

There are a number of different things you can do to make the most of responsive design. If you have some time on your hands have a play and test send emails to yourself. It’s the best way to learn what does and doesn’t work for your business. However, if you’re pushed for time you could always give the following a try;

Keep content to a minimum so the email can be scanned quickly. Readers spend an average of 17 seconds on each email.
Keep text alignment consistent throughout your message.
Favour percentage division over fixed size for tables and other elements.
Use larger imagery (more than 300px) and keep all images consistently sized.
Avoid large white spacing
Ensure your margins remain equal on all sides
Whatever you do, do not delete the <head> tag. Doing so will render your email unresponsive.
Test, test, test. There are plenty of services out there to help you view your email in multiple platforms and browsers prior to send. (Try Litmus or Email on Acid).

Who Can Help Me with Responsive Design?

We can! Here at Everything DM, we’ve been applying responsive design techniques to all of our emails for quite some time and without blowing our own trumpet too much, we’ve become quite good at it.

If you need advice, a one-off email or multiple templates set-up then we’re on hand to help. Just call us on +44 (0) 1462 437 555 or email [email protected]

How to write award-winning copy

If you’d like an accolade to add to your organisation’s strapline, emails or social profile, writing an engaging awards entry could bag you an Oscar of your industry. There’s more to it than submitting a few words though. Your entry must convince the panel of expert judges exactly why you’re worthy, which might feel like venturing into the Dragons’ Den.

In the UK, and indeed the world, there are awards ceremonies for nearly every sector, both B2B and B2C, from travel to technology and construction to catering. It’s not just established industry leaders or those with big budgets capable of winning (or being shortlisted) either… an emerging or smaller organisation that has produced outstanding work and results has just as much chance of impressing the judges.

Getting started

Google what’s out there. Sign up for details of the next relevant awards and take note of the deadline for entries. Make sure your product, organisation or campaign fits the category you’re going for and ensure eligibility in terms of project timelines, country of operation, budget etc. otherwise your entry could be void before you start.

“Awards entries should be lovingly crafted like any other creative exercise to engage the reader and excite them.”
Awards judge James Matthewson

Next, put aside enough time to actually create the entry. You’ll need to gather insight, results, testimonials, images or video and perhaps specific details from colleagues and stakeholders. You might want to consider hiring a professional copywriter and multimedia designer to make your entry as relevant, compelling and attractive for the panel of judges. We can help with this – simply get in touch.

For insider tips on creating your entry, we pinned down marketing awards judge James Matthewson who offers this advice:

Read the criteria and make sure you answer it – don’t go off on a tangent, skirt around it or completely miss the point
Just like for a newspaper or magazine, the headline should define the outcome. What was achieved? What was the success that justifies your award entry?
Overstepping the word count can work against you. Personally I am not going to count every word, especially if the content is engaging, but have honed a sense of what is too long/short and judges will check if necessary
Plain paragraphs of copy won’t cut it. Like most consumers of content these days, as judges we are looking for impact – a submission that engages the brain and makes the reader want to know more
A picture/video/infographic speaks a thousand words and effectively breaks up the copy
Having that said, even an award in the creative sector needs to demonstrate some commercial value. A common mistake I see is too much focus on the creative output and not the results
Support your claims with numbers and client testimonials – whatever assets you have. Campaign outcomes are key
Don’t assume what the judges know. Explain things clearly, put the campaign into context and avoid jargon.

Once drafted, it’s a good idea to ask someone to have a read over your entry, ideally one who doesn’t know the product well who will give an honest opinion as to whether it makes sense and is engaging, or is too boring or complicated. As a final sense check, does the entry make you think WOW? Judges read a lot of submissions, and yours needs to shine.

Just make sure you don’t miss the deadline!

About the judge

James A. Matthewson is Founder and CEO of EVRYWHERE Group, a Luxury & UHNW Advisory business based in Mayfair. James has been an Awards Judge numerous times as well as (adjunct) Professor for HULT and CREA Business Schools on their Luxury & Digital Masters.

Adcock and Everything DM embark upon two-year marketing partnership

Refrigeration and air conditioning experts Adcock have signed a two-year contract with Everything DM to create and manage their marketing strategy.

Adcock’s customers range from small businesses to large scale, multi-site organisations across hundreds of industries. From pharmaceuticals to food management, they attract facility managers requiring world-class refrigeration or air conditioning systems. Their consumer base includes high-profile personalities seeking cooling solutions for luxury residences.

The initial two-year marketing strategy includes a new website, blog content and digital brochures.

“We are proud to be in our 54th year of trading. Our family-owned cooling business has been built on foundations of excellent customer service and the dedication of the UK’s most highly trained engineers. We are now looking to position our cutting-edge products and services in front of more clients and prospects by launching a brand new website and engaging marketing content. We were impressed with the attention to detail and ideas from Everything DM.”
Paul Brant, Deputy MD, Adcock

Adcock’s new state-of-the-art website is already under way. Kieron Karue, MD at Everything DM says “We are delighted to be working with the Adcock team in a marketing capacity. Adcock is an ideal client with a great reputation for designing, installing and servicing exceptional engineering products. It’s now our job to build upon this, creating a modern, compelling ‘shop front’ for the online customer and showcasing their unrivalled knowledge and expertise.”

Adcock’s manufacturing partners include Mitsubishi Electric, Daikin and Toshiba. Based in Cambridge, they boast a network of 12 fully serviced centres across England, employing 230+ staff and specialist engineers.

Month: April 2018