What’s the Point of a Strategy Workshop?
Welcome to the wonderful world of strategy workshops! Think of it as a lively brainstorming session with a dash of creative genius and a sprinkle of strategic planning. It's where you and your team come together to uncover the good and the bad about your branding or marketing and unleash its full potential.
But wait, what's the point of a strategy workshop? Well, it's like a sports game where your business is on the field and all the noise that distracts you is in the stands. In a strategy workshop, we leave the stadium entirely and hang out in the blimp above, looking down, removed from the fray. We dedicate this time to dive deep into your brand's purpose, personality, values, and messaging to ensure they're aligned and firing on all cylinders. It's about crafting your brand's unique value proposition and setting it apart from your competitors. It is also designed to look long and hard at what is and isn’t working in your marketing and communication efforts.
Here is what makes up a typical brand strategy workshop with HAVEN:
Identifying a Brand Positioning Statement:
Your brand positioning statement should successfully convey your brand's unique value proposition and set you apart from your competitors. It clarifies your target audience, what your brand promises to deliver, and why customers should choose you. It is the foundation for your brand's messaging and positioning in the market.
Identifying Your Vision & Brand Pillars:
Brand pillars are the core attributes or qualities that define your brand. They provide a framework for consistent communication across all brand touchpoints, reinforcing your brand's identity and differentiation. Pillars represent your brand's personality, establish credibility, and build trust with customers, employees, and other stakeholders.
SWOT Analysis:
SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It's a strategic planning tool that helps you assess your brand's internal strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, it identifies external opportunities and threats in the market. This information can inform your brand strategy and help you decide on positioning and differentiating your brand in the market.
Identifying Customer Personas:
Customer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers based on research and data. They help you recognize your customers' needs, preferences, behaviors, and motivations. By understanding your customers' demographics and pain points, you can tailor your strategies to better connect with your target audience.
Conducting Competitor Analysis:
Understanding your competitors is critical to positioning your brand effectively. A brand strategy session may involve thoroughly analyzing your competitors' branding, messaging, marketing strategies, and market positioning. This analysis helps you determine your unique identifiers within the competitive landscape.
Aligning Your Brand Internally and Externally:
Alignment ensures that your brand is consistent and coherent across all internal and external touchpoints. Internally, it involves aligning your brand's messaging, values, and culture with your employees so they become brand ambassadors. Externally, it involves aligning your brand's messaging, visual identity, and customer experiences with your target audience and market positioning.
What Happens After a Strategy Workshop with HAVEN
At the end of the workshop, our team discusses what we’ve found, finishes our research and compiles a report. At the end of the report, you get a set of recommendations on how to move forward. If you’re not sure how to best achieve some of these recommendations, our team can help.
A brand strategy workshop aims to bring together your team to strategically and creatively define and align your brand's identity, positioning, messaging, and differentiation. The sessions are focused on clearly differentiating your organization from the competition. Helping you stand out in a crowded market, increasing sales, and reducing friction in your organization is the goal! Every organization can get lost in the noise of the stands. This is why it's important to step out of the day-to-day and take a deep strategic look at what is and isn't working.
If you’re interested in learning more and booking your own workshop, check out our page and contact a Maven today.
Stand Out in a Crowded Market: The Importance of Clear Branding for B2B Companies
How can you take your B2B company to the next level? Well, it's time to get serious about your branding. Let's start with a definition. Branding is more than just a tagline or a logo; it is the perception and the story around your organization. A clear brand identity can make all the difference when standing out in a crowded market.
But why does a B2B company need a clear brand identity?
The answer is simple. It makes you memorable. When your B2B branding is consistent across all platforms, customers, potential clients and talent are more likely to remember you. And if they remember you, they're more likely to do business with you.
Think about it, how often have you encountered a company with a confusing or inconsistent brand? It's frustrating, right? You're unsure what they're all about and wonder if you can trust them. A clearly defined brand, on the other hand, gives customers a solid understanding of who you are and what you do.
It's not just about being memorable
A clear brand identity also helps to establish trust with your customers. When your brand is consistent, customers feel like they know you. They know what to expect from your products and services and trust you'll deliver on your promises.
So, how do you create brand standards that are clear to the customer? You want to start by defining your brand's personality and values. What do you want your brand to stand for? What kind of tone do you want to use in your marketing materials? These are all critical questions to ask yourself and your team.
Once you've defined your brand's personality, ensure it's reflected in everything you do. Clearly defining your brand includes updating your website, social media accounts, advertising materials, and email signatures to reflect your personality and identity. Consistency is key!
Finally, don't be afraid to inject a little personality into your B2B branding. As the jester archetype, HAVEN Creative® takes pride in having fun and being playful. So, think outside the box when it comes to your marketing materials. Try a witty tagline or a humorous social media post. Just remember to stay true to your brand's personality and values.
Brand Consistency Can Help You Stand Out
A clear brand identity is essential for any B2B company that wants to stand out in today's market. Defining your brand's personality and values and maintaining consistency across all platforms will establish customer trust and make your company more memorable. Do you need help standing out from a crowded market? Reach out to a maven today.
Memorable Marketing Moments: The Top 5 Creative Commercials of the 2023 Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the holy grail of advertising. It's a chance for brands to showcase their creativity and key messaging to a global audience. Memorable commercials can leave a lasting impression, becoming ingrained in popular culture for years to come (remember Budweiser's "Wassup?"). Campaigns need thoughtful messaging, strategic branding, and compelling storytelling to succeed. Many of this year's Super Bowl commercials delivered on all fronts. We've rounded up the top five most creative and memorable ads for your enjoyment.
Top 5 Creative 2023 Super Bowl Ads
- Jeep's "Electric Boogie": Jeep hit the jackpot with this commercial, highlighting their latest line of electric vehicles. The entertaining mix of simulated off-road scenarios included a dancing ostrich (Opal, was that you?) which automatically won us over. This campaign showed Jeep's commitment to sustainability while highlighting its adventurous brand image.
- Dunkin' Featuring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez: This campaign leveraged the star power of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez to showcase Dunkin's relatable and fun brand personality. The playful back and forth between the celebrity couple was clever. We appreciated the nod to Dunkin's core product when J.Lo demanded a glazed donut. (Now we want a donut)
- Pepsi Zero with Ben Stiller and Steve Martin: This commercial was a comedic masterpiece with Ben Stiller and Steve Martin selling the idea that Pepsi Zero's new taste will change your life. The two engage in a witty back-and-forth, questioning each other's acting abilities and authenticity in selling the soda. Put Steve Martin in your ad, and you have us sold; he gets us!
- Rakuten with Alicia Silverstone and Elisa Donovan: This commercial was a nostalgic trip, as Alicia Silverstone reprised her role as Cher Horowitz and Elisa Donovan brought back Amber from Clueless. The commercial showcased the shopping platform while capitalizing on the popularity of the 1995 film. The reimagined yellow plaid outfit was clever and highlighted Rakuten's fashion credentials.
- T-Mobile with John Travolta, Donald Faison, and Zach Braff: This commercial was a further nod to nostalgia, as John Travolta, Donald Faison, and Zach Braff sang about T-Mobile's internet services to the tune of "Summer Nights" from Grease. How could you resist singing along to such a catchy beat?
Honorable Mentions:
Planter’s “The Roast of Mr. Peanut” & Mars Candies' “Ma & Ya” ads/ We love a good pun and some silly, snarky fun. These snack ads hit the spot!
Did you spot all of the QR codes this year? The Super Bowl is an excellent opportunity to understand messaging trends and tactics used by the world’s largest brands.
We hope you enjoyed this round-up of our favorite Super Bowl Commercials, but please note that we are not affiliated with any of the ads mentioned here. Are you interested in creating successful marketing campaigns for your brand? Reach out to a maven today.
You Have a Brand Book, Now What?
Now that you have your shiny new brand book, it’s time to implement it. There are plenty of ways to introduce your modern brand standards. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as handing out copies to your employees and hoping for the best. Having a successful brand implementation requires some strategy and elbow grease.
Here are a few tips to get started
Identify Your Brand Manager
This role doesn’t necessarily have to be a marketing person. Still, they should understand your new brand identity inside and out… and be a major cheerleader of the rollout and brand announcements. This brand manager should be known to all employees in the company and available to answer questions, guide others and ensure everyone in the organization is aware of the brand standards and is following them.
Ensure Everyone Reads the Brand Book
Introducing your brand book to your employees is the first step. You want to ensure everyone understands and aligns with the core values and brand pillars. Set up a meeting time company-wide or with each department individually. Make sure your team knows their role in implementing the rollout and allows space for questions. When your team members understand their part in the larger brand story, they will be more excited to put the brand standards into practice. It’s essential to ensure the brand book is accessible to everyone in your organization, like Google Drive or another shared folder system. This way, your team can always refer to the new standards in the implementation process.
Create an Action Plan
After familiarizing your team with the new brand standards, you can start pinpointing the first areas for transition. These priority areas include updating your website, creating new business cards, updating social media, and revising your email signatures. By assigning tasks to team members, you reinforce that the rebrand is a company-wide effort and that everyone plays a vital role in making it successful.
Incorporating Brand Book in Onboarding
New hires should be introduced to the brand book as a part of their onboarding process. It’s especially important for new marketing hires; as champions and messengers, they need to know your brand archetype and brand voice. Human Resources should also utilize it in employee training as well as professional development activities. You will bring the entire organization up to speed by providing training opportunities to current team members.
Lead by Example
As the leader of your organization or brand manager, it’s up to you to set the tone for the rest of your team. Ensure that you follow the brand book guidelines consistently yourself. Providing clear guidance and feedback to your team is important too.
Patience is Key
It’s important along this process to remember it will be an adjustment for everyone and will take some time. By following these tips, you will successfully implement your brand book into your organization.
If you're looking to build a brand book for your organization or want more tips on implementing your current brand standards, reach out to one of our HAVEN Mavens™ today!
How to Lose a Brand in 10 Weeks
The saying goes: “There’s no such thing as bad press.” However, this isn’t always the case when trying to maintain your brand’s reputation. Sometimes bad press is just that and can cause lasting damage to your organization and your bottom line. Twitter is the best recent example of the dangers of bad press for your organization’s reputation.
Let us bring you up to speed…
In the spring of 2022, Elon Musk made headlines when he announced his plans to purchase a significant portion of Twitter's shares, leading to an offer of approximately $44 billion to buy the platform outright. This offer was higher than Twitter's stock price at the time, making it too good for the company to turndown. In October of that year, Musk officially became the owner of Twitter. As he walked through the doors of Twitter headquarters, he proclaimed, "Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in!" signaling his arrival as the new owner of the social media platform.
Week of October 31
Massive Layoffs
After the acquisition, Musk decided to downsize the company’s workforce. Employees received a fateful email with a subject line reading, “Your Role at Twitter,” indicating whether they would keep their position or lose their job. Almost two-thirds of Twitter’s 7,500 employees lost their jobs. The mass layoffs across the company shocked many, sparking controversy and backlash.
Week of November 7
#TwitterBlue
Musk announced the rollout of Twitter Blue, a subscription service that provides users with additional features for their Twitter accounts. Besides a once sought-after blue check mark, a Twitter Blue subscription means users can schedule tweets in advance, access exclusive content and discounts, and undo tweets.
Week of November 14
Email of Commitment
Musk sent an email to the remaining employees of Twitter, demanding that they either commit to working longer hours at high intensity or receive three months of severance pay. He named this “Twitter 2.0.”
Reinstate Banned Accounts? Yay or Nay?
After much anticipation, Musk released a poll asking if former U.S. President Donald Trump should be allowed to return to Twitter. The poll received 15,085,458 votes, with 51.8% in favor of Trump's return and 48.2% against it. Other individuals reinstated on the platform included Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kathy Griffin, and Kanye West (now known as "Ye").
Week of November 21
Twitter Blue Delayed
Musk announced the delay of the paid verification program Twitter Blue as concerns over impersonation increased. Twitter Blue began to see a rise in fake accounts impersonating brands and celebrities, which led to confusion and, ultimately, a loss of advertising revenue on the platform.
Week of November 28
Apple Advertising
In a Twitter Space conversation, Musk announced that Apple had “fully resumed” advertising on the social media platform after a conversation with Tim Cook. Previously Musk claimed that Apple had suspended advertisements on Twitter for the most part and even threatened to remove the app from the App Store.
Week of December 5
#TwitterFiles
To show transparency, Musk introduced Twitter Files. These ‘files’ were meant to provide an in-depth look at the social media company's content moderation conversations and decisions. The released files covered Hunter Biden’s laptop controversy, how Twitter historically utilized tools to lower the visibility of certain accounts and the decision to remove Trump from the social media account after January 6, 2021.
Week of December 12
Suspension of Journalists
Twitter suspended several journalists' accounts due to their reporting of the account @ElonJet, which exposed the location of Elon Musk’s private jet. Run by 20-year-old Jack Sweeney, the Twitter account published the jet's location using publicly available information. Since Musk publicly pledged not to infringe on first amendment rights, controversy arose from the suspensions. Musk alleges a stalking incident led him to suspend these accounts.
New CEO? Yes or No?
Sticking to the Twitter polls' theme, Elon asked the “Twitterverse” if he should step down as CEO. When the poll closed, more than half of the 17.5 million respondents voted in favor of Musk stepping down.
Week of December 19
$1.7 Trillion Federal Spending Bill Poll
Musk posted another Twitter poll asking for users' thoughts on a $1.7 trillion spending bill that Congress was considering. The results concluded that 71.2% voted against the bill, while 28.8% voted for the bill.
Week of December 26
#TwitterOutage
Widespread reports of a global Twitter outage arose as many users could not access the platform for extended periods. Twitter received over 10,000 user reports of issues in the first hour of the reported outage.
Week of January 2
Eviction Notice?
The social media platform is facing a lawsuit due to failure to pay $136,260 in rent for its San Francisco office, according to legal documents filed in San Francisco State Court. Twitter has recently been accused of not paying rent on any of its worldwide offices.
What’s Next?
After over ten weeks of owning Twitter, Elon Musk’s actions have driven many controversies and consequences for the social media platform. Widespread layoffs, a disorganized new subscription service, and the return of previously banned accounts have ultimately caused severe backlash from employees and the public. Impersonation issues and the delay of Twitter Blue led to a loss in revenue. The suspension of journalists’ accounts has damaged the platform’s credibility in the eyes of many in the general public. These past ten weeks of headlines, and their consequences, show the potential risks and adverse effects of continued negative press. What 2023 will bring for Elon Musk and Twitter remains to be seen.
A brand is more than just a logo and tagline– a brand is based on the perceptions of your organization. When the perceptions change, the impacts on your brand can be monumental. Whatever happens next, there’s no denying that Twitter has experienced a rough three months.
Do you need help managing the stories you tell about your brand? We can help! Contact one of our HAVEN Mavens™ today.
All Problems Are Communication Problems
"All problems are communication problems," I remember the first time I heard my former mentor say this to a packed room of business leaders. He elaborated, “All problems in business, or life if you boil them down start with communication. Think about the last problem you had in business, where did the communication breakdown happen?”
As an experienced marketing and communications consultant, I’ve spoken with hundreds of business leaders about their business problems. The red thread that connected each organization was communication. These leaders explained a sales or a marketing issue but after further discussion, it was clear that the root cause was a miscommunication or a complete lack of communication.
Miscommunication, or the lack of communication, is where most problems within a business stem. It is often the reason businesses lose employees due to unclear expectations or shared understanding about their future within the company.
Businesses lose clients because of failure to clearly communicate the deliverable, timeline, or an effective solution to their problem. In turn, attracting new customers is challenging because the messaging surrounding the service is unclear. The prospect doesn’t understand what the business does, or maybe the story isn’t being shared. If the great things your brand accomplishes aren’t highlighted effectively, your company will be lost among all the noise.
Poor communication breaks down teams internally too. Inflated overhead, low billable rates or profits, and sloppy hand-offs between sales and operations can all be explained by lack of communication between teams and colleagues. Feeling overwhelmed, distracted, or too busy often leads to sending off quick emails with unclear expectations and messaging. Think about a time when you received an email without an attachment or without a defined deadline or purpose. You likely felt like your time was wasted as you emailed back and forth trying to get to the bottom of what is actually needed. That wasted time means rising overhead, lower profits, and more frustration. Instead of solving problems, time is spent deciphering problematic communications.
All problems are communication problems.
After traveling with Bill for all of those years, I was inspired to help fix these problems. I believe solving communication problems is ultimately the key to creating healthier lives.
If we can solve communication problems and people enjoy going to work, they go home feeling more energized and less frustrated. Perhaps they’ll be better family members, citizens, and community members.
Once I realized this mindset shift, I began building HAVEN around this concept. We may have started with marketing tactics and branding, but we quickly learned that we were held back by communication problems within our client organizations. We learned that helping businesses fix their complex communication problems is essential to growing their businesses.
By helping businesses, leaders, and teams communicate more effectively, they solve problems quicker and more efficiently. Along the way these companies build camaraderie and a stronger culture. When they clarify their message and market to the right audiences, they attract talent and new prospects. The result of fixing communication problems builds community inside and around the organization. This is why HAVEN exists. We are a community-focused communications company that creates innovative teams, enhanced services, thriving economic centers, and unstoppable brands.
Are you looking to fix communications problems in your company this year? Get in touch today!
Decoding Marketing Jargon: Volume I
Hey there! Just circling back to check the pulse on your SEO and engagement rate based on the brand positioning statement we put into play across your social media channels last month. Feel free to ping the team to discuss moving the needle on the NPS email template.
Yeah, we didn’t enjoy that either.
Marketing Jargon. It seems as though it has taken over as the official language of the corporate world with different dialects rising up in every industry. Step into any boutique agency, and you’ll be greeted with the latest vernacular and overused phrases that illicit cringe. Oh and we meant to mention, the translator is not included. Even Duolingo couldn’t help you decipher all of the buzzwords.
Let’s boil it down to the truth. Jargon is meant to keep the client out. It’s what makes the agency the expert and you the novice. This approach is actually quite offensive if you think about it. It’s a club where you aren’t welcome.
Take this as an official invitation to our clubhouse.
Through this blog series, we will be demystifying the bullsh-t and buzzwords around marketing. Welcome to Volume 1 of a series where we share the meaning behind these buzzwords, making you a maven of your marketing efforts.
Brand Positioning Statement
What unique value does your business offer? How can clients identify with your brand? Do you have a defined brand archetype?
If you can answer the above questions, you’ve got yourself a solid starting point for your brand positioning. The brand positioning statement highlights what differentiates you from others in your industry, gives your clients a point of relation, and aligns your brand voice. Try to identify which brand this positioning statement belongs to:
If you guessed Starbucks you just validated the power of this positioning statement.
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
If you look through your inbox you’ll likely stumble upon an email asking you to rate your experience. Maybe it’s from a doctor’s office or a restaurant you dined at last weekend. As you know the rating you give offers insight into the business on how they are performing. What you may not know is that the rating score is broken into sections based on how it may affect the brand.
The breakdown looks like this:
Of course, we like to see an influx of promoters and minimum detractors but we want to pay the most attention to the passives. The passives are the ones you will have the most influence over, they are indifferent to your brand which gives you a golden opportunity. If they don’t feel strongly or overly positive about your business, they aren’t likely to be a repeat customer. Some ideas to sway this group include sending a follow-up email to ask how you can improve your service or product or even offering them a promotion for the next time they make a purchase.
.JPG | .AI | .EPS | .PNG
You’ve probably seen all of these file formats and plenty of others. Let’s take a look at how they are used below:
.JPG is the file format seen most often. It's best used for photos with many colors, however, the amount it compresses can cause some blurriness in transition. For example, it isn’t recommended for images containing text, large blocks with a solid color, and shapes with tight edges.
.AI is formatted and used as the vector file type for Adobe Illustrator. This file format allows editing to graphics, drawings, and images with no consequence on the resolution quality. This file format is considered the most commonly used format for vector images.
.EPS is a format that allows the user to use unlimited color on top of being transparent, scalable, and editable if you’re utilizing the compatible software (hint: Adobe Illustrator). This file format is best used for print purposes.
.PNG is the file format best used online. We see it across the digital landscape since it compresses better than other formats but if you try to zoom in, it will be pixelated. PNG is typically seen as the file format for web graphics, logos, charts, and illustrations.
Conversion Rate
A conversion rate is the proportion of users that fulfill the desired interaction on a website. For example, the number of people who sign up for your newsletter when they visit your website. Most tracking tools will automatically calculate this for you but you can estimate it by taking the number of conversions and dividing that by the number of interactions that can be traced to a conversion during the same time span.
We aren’t mathematicians but our in-house ostrich has a way with numbers.
We hope you enjoyed this first round of decoding marketing jargon. We’ll be back to cover even more buzzwords soon. Before you know it, you’ll be a fluent speaker in the marketing jargon world! In the meantime, check out our fun little skit: The Jargon Jar
A Blog About Writing Blogs
If you’ve ever used the internet, chances are you have come across a blog. You may not have even known it was a blog. That recipe you found on Pinterest? Blog. That Buzzfeed article about “15 Hilarious Eyebrow Fails”? Blog. Blogs serve as a way for you to tell a story and for business, stories are how you connect with your target audience.
Blogs are more important than you might realize. B2B marketers who utilize blogs in their content marketing strategy receive 67% more leads than those who do not. Blogging is also a great way to bring traffic to your site. According to Hubspot, blogging leads to 55% more website visitors.
However, this blog is not going to be all about statistics and data. This blog is your new blog-writing best friend! Keep reading for tips on blog structure, optimization, editing, and more.
Not a big reader? We understand. Download our Blog Writing Quick Guide for tips in a flash (plus it has memes!)
Why Even Blog?
Simply put, blogs help you build relevance and authority. Google loves active websites. Posting blogs regularly helps your website rank high on search engines and increases the chances of organic traffic to your website.
Let’s use an example. Say you’re the owner of a cleaning company start-up. You have very little online presence, so you decide to utilize blog writing in your content marketing strategy. The first blog you write is titled “Cleaning Tips for Flu Season”
You might not see results as soon as you hit publish, but when flu season approaches you notice a traffic spike! This is because that blog is relevant to your target audience. Now that your audience is reading about cleaning tips, they can easily be led to your website homepage. Furthermore, your audience now views your business as an expert in the industry.
Choosing a Topic
So you’ve decided that you want to write a blog. Where do you start? The first step is choosing a topic.
When choosing a topic, remember that content should be educational. You should put yourself in the shoes of your buyer persona. To get your juices flowing, here are some questions we like to ask ourselves before we write a blog:
- Who is my target audience/buyer persona?
- What is something my buyer persona is interested in?
- What is my buyer persona searching for on Google?
To determine what your buyer persona is searching for, do research on keywords. We recommend using a keyword research tool to determine one long-tail keyword per blog post.
What is a buyer persona? Great question, we’d love to tell you. A buyer persona is a profile of an imaginary ideal customer! In the above example, that persona might be a property manager looking to create a winter cleaning plan for their building.
Long Tail Keyword: A very targeted search phrase that contains three or more words
Keyword: shoes Long Tail Keyword: comfortable running shoes
Creating a Title
The title should peak the reader's interest. After all, we want them to be engaged enough for them to want to read more.
Make sure that the value is clear in the title. What can the reader expect? What format will the blog be in? They need to know exactly what they are going to get before they click on the blog.
Don’t stress about creating the perfect title before you have written the body of your blog. It helps to start with a working title and then narrow it down when the blog is complete.
Keep in mind that longer titles can be cut off by Google. Because of this, it is a best practice to keep your keyword toward the beginning of your blog title.
Blog Structure
As you begin writing the body of your blog, keep your tone of voice in mind. Your writing tone should match the attitude of your readers and your blog’s subject matter. If your business is known for being quirky and humorous, then a serious blog will bore them and likely cause them to click the dreaded “X”. Here are some tones of voice, which category do you fall under?
Starting can be a daunting task. To save yourself from staring at a blank page, try starting with your body points and coming back to your introduction and conclusion at the end. Writing the content of your body paragraphs first will help you structure the content of your introduction paragraph.
Remember, your introduction paragraph should be captivating. We want the reader to keep reading. If the reader cannot find value in the first paragraph, they will not make it to the end of your blog. Your introduction paragraph should be a follow-up to the title of your blog. Have you ever clicked on a Pinterest recipe only to be met with the writer’s entire family history? Don’t be that guy.
Formatting
Once you’ve entered your blog into your publishing platform, take a look at how it is is formatted. In order to help Google understand what your post is about, use heading tags. The H1 tag should only be used for your blog title. Subheadings should be used with H2 or H3 tags.
Look at the overall layout of your blog. Readers are less likely to read something that is text-only, so be sure to add multimedia content wherever possible to break up the post. This content can be photos, videos, social media posts, or any other graphics.
It is also helpful to break up paragraphs into shorter sentences. This adds more white space and makes the blog easier for the reader to digest. Which paragraph are you more likely to read?
Optimization
Make sure to mention your keyword at a normal cadence throughout your blog. Yes, keywords help with SEO, but if you overuse keywords, Google will penalize you. This is called keyword stuffing.
Keyword Stuffing: The practice of inserting a large number of keywords into Web content and meta tags in an attempt to artificially increase a page's ranking in search results and drive more traffic to the site.
Including links in your blog is a great way to show readers that your blog is credible and it helps search engines figure out what your blog is about. Links are also a great way to get readers to other pages on your website. For example, a contact us page.
Calls To Action
A call to action is a marketing term for a piece of content that is intended to prompt users to perform a specific action. Blogs are a great way to get your reader to take the desired action. Include a passive CTA near the top of your blog through hyperlinked text because most readers won’t make it to the bottom of the blog.
If your reader does make it to the bottom of your blog, reward them with a helpful next step. Graphic CTA’s at the end of your post direct the reader's attention to what you want them to do. Here is an example of a graphic CTA we created for our cleaning client’s blogs:
Editing and Posting
Before you hit publish, take a moment to edit thoroughly. Here are a few quick proofreading tips:
- Utilize contractions. These help you sound more conversational and less robotic. Compare these examples:
- If you’ve been taught that you shouldn’t use contractions, give them a try – you’ll find they give your post a different tone.
- If you have been taught that you should not use contractions, give them a try – you will find they give your post a different tone.
- Big words actually make you appear less credible and confident – avoid if possible.
- Using “you” and “your” brings the reader into your writing. Imagine you're talking to a friend.
- Cut the fluff! Adverbs like really, actually, and very are unnecessary. Avoid using jargon and excessive acronyms.
Now that your blog is edited and optimized, you're ready to publish! Still not sure where to start? Let the HAVEN Mavens™ help! Get in touch with us today on our Contact page.
In 2022, We Are Grateful for…
We have always had an attitude of gratitude at HAVEN Creative®. Seriously, our HAVEN Mavens™ begin each day in a virtual team huddle, sharing what we are most grateful for on that particular day. Since gratitude takes up such a significant space in our company culture, we felt it was necessary to share some of what HAVEN Creative® is grateful for in 2022.
You can bet we have a flock to be grateful for…
We Expanded Our Flock
This year, HAVEN has seen massive growth as we welcomed three new HAVEN Mavens™! Gemma, Joanna, and Sam joined our flock and Maven Opal took on her own adventurous, fun life in 2022.
Maven Gemma comes from experience in marketing and communications, but her true joy lies in graphic design. Her favorite part about being a Maven is the community of support and knowledge-sharing that HAVEN provides. Maven Joanna, who has a background in visual art and social media marketing, is incredibly grateful for the supportive environment and shared core values at HAVEN Creative®. Maven Sam holds experience in marketing, business management, and public relations. She enjoys working with the incredibly supportive team of mavens and is excited that HAVEN has provided her with more writing opportunities.
It’s an ostrich! Maven Opal was born as HAVEN leaned into our voice & personality, AKA Ian is allowed to use a flock ton of bird puns for work. When she wasn’t fulfilling her role as the Branding Maven, Opal traveled all over. She explored Iceland, Arizona, Hawaii, Boston, Florida, Topsail Beach, NC, and Outer Banks, NC. Who said the ostrich was a flightless bird?
EOS Official
In 2022, HAVEN partnered with an EOS coach to challenge the team and help bring the process and goals to the next level. For those who may not be familiar, EOS is the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) which integrates a complete set of simple tools and a proven process to produce powerful business results. We even have a badge on our website that displays that commitment to EOS. Pretty cool if you ask us.
EOA Graduate
After four years in the EO Accelerator Program (Entrepreneurs' Organization program, the catalyst that enables first-stage entrepreneurs to catapult their business to the next level), Maven Jeni officially graduated as HAVEN surpassed the $1MM in revenue goal in June 2022.
New Clients, Who Dis?
As any company knows, maintaining your client list is incredibly important for your brand's health. We were lucky enough to expand ours this year.
In 2022, HAVEN Creative® partnered with WARN Industries as a client. WARN is an industry leader in the automotive world, manufacturing the very best winches, bumpers, and accessories. WARN’s products are designed, engineered, and tested for reliability, durability, and the love of off-roading.
One of our latest projects has been rebranding the Town of Maiden, here in North Carolina. The project scope included designing a new logo, identifying its archetype, defining its brand story, and much more. Their new brand is unveiling in December 2022 and we cannot wait to share it. Interested in learning more about brand books? Ask a Maven.
A Decade of Gratitude
This year marks ten years in business for HAVEN Creative®! A decade ago, Maven Jeni invested in a laptop to pursue marketing work on her own, and thus HAVEN Creative was created. Since then, we have been helping clients identify and implement their why, voice, and branding.
Looking towards the future, Jeni is grateful for the opportunities to come, including joining Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), which will enable her to expand her global network and pursue her passion for impacting communities worldwide. Here is to another decade of making mavens!
We Got Sh!t Done and Had Fun Doing It
See you in 2023!
