Best Business Practices when using Twitter

Best Business Practices when using Twitter 

By Sarah Gaither

With over 200 million users generating well over 200 million tweets a day, keeping your company’s message in front of your audience is easier than you think.  We have complied a list of guidelines to help business' get the most out of their corporate twitter account.

1. Know What Twitter Is: Twitter is a real-time information network. What does that mean?  It means that as soon as you post something to Twitter the people online at that time are going to be the people most likely to see it. 

2. Clearly Define Your Objectives:  It is important to have clearly defined objectives.  Do you want to highlight content, spark action, or encourage awareness of an issue?  Clearly defined objectives will help your company use Twitter to meet your larger communication goals. 

3. One Voice: Many companies have two or three people in charge of attempting to run their social media platforms.  We recommend having one profile manager to be your voice.  One person in charge means that your company will have:

Regular content: This keeps your followers engaged in what you have to say.  We encourage companies to consider posting at least once a week.

A Consistent Voice: It’s hard for three people to have one consistent voice.  

Accountability: When Tweeting for a company it’s good to know who had made the comment when issues arise.

4. Engage: As with any communication from your company, engaging with your audience(s) is important. It allows you to develop relationships and communicate messages that prompt them to take action.

This means following people that have similar interest in the community, other businesses that would have interest in your product, or businesses that you have an interest in their product. 

It also means actively re-tweeting things that your followers have tweeted that you think your followers would have an interest in. 

Consider holding twitter events.  Twitter events encourage followers to participate in conversations about your priority topics. 

5. Keep Your Content Short and Simple: Even though you have 140 characters to get your message across, we recommend only using 120 of them.  This allows room for your followers to re-tweet and, quote the tweet without having to edit it! 

6. Conduct Promotion Activities: Ongoing promotion of your Twitter profile is strongly recommended.  Promotion Tips Include: 

Cross-Promote on other social media and web channels.  For example, use your Twitter page to promote your Facebook page and vice versa.

Consider Twitter advertising to increase the number of Twitter followers. Before committing to any advertising consider your budget, target audience, and objective before beginning a Twitter advertising initiative.

7. Don’t Forget The Goal: The step that even the best social networking companies forget, is to set a goal and then evaluate your process and progress every few months.  Having that goal allows you to see if the efforts that you are making are proving to be fruitful.  If they are, that’s great.  If not, you can adjust.

Updating Logo is a Good Way to Create Company Buzz

Updating Logo is a Good Way to Create Company Buzz 

By Yetta Blair 

Think about the last time you updated a room in your house.  Maybe you replaced the carpeting with hardwood floors or you replaced the outdated pink ceramic tile in your bathroom.  Remember the feeling of excitement and joy it brought when you invited friends over to show off the new changes.  You created a buzz and a feeling that is lasting.  You can do the same for your company by updating an out of date logo.  

Taking your logo out of the vault, and dusting it off every five years is a good way to keep things fresh and create a buzz about your company.  And, updating your logo doesn’t have to be a daunting task.  Here are a few tips to simplify the process.

1. Keep your company’s message and personality in mind when updating your logo.  Changes should always strengthen and reflect core values.
 
2. You do not have to throw out the old to bring in the new.  Sometimes, you just want to tweak what you already have. Maybe updating some elements and colors is all you need to do to give it a fresh updated look.  This will insure you do not lose the brand awareness that you have built over the years with the current version of your logo.
 
3. Keep social media in mind. Does the old size work well with social media?   If not, be sure to include a version of your updated logo that works with Facebook, Twitter, linked-in, etc. 
 
4. People remember shape first, color second and content third.  We have a built-in memory connection to the meaning of shapes and color. Skilled designers can update your logo in a way that reflects your company’s message and personality while keeping these elements in mind.

Your company logo is a symbol that represents the company, and its service or products.  And remember, you do not have to throw it out completely and start over to give it a fresh, up to date look.

Choosing The Right Graphic Design Firm: 5 Factors to Consider

Choosing The Right Graphic Design Firm: 5 Factors to Consider 

By Amber Hyde

Working with the right design firm is a key element in helping a company achieve their advertising, branding and marketing goals. But when it comes time to select the design firm, what elements should you consider to insure you choose the right design firm for you?  Cost may be the top criteria, but there are other, equally as important, factors to take into consideration. Here are five factors to keep top of mind when choosing the design team best for you. 

1. Expertise- There are many different types of creative firms, many specializing in one particular field, while others offer a wide range of services. Because of this you need to carefully consider all of the current and future design needs of your company.  Do you need just a logo design or do you want complete branding, print, and marketing material? You need to look for the firm that has the resources to solve all your design needs.  You don’t want a web design firm handling a print project; that is not their expertise. It is important to maintain a consistency with your projects because it is vital to business success and recognition. So be sure to find the firm that can handle your entire project needs.
 
2. Portfolio- The expertise of a firm can be seen through their portfolio. You want to look for qualities such as variety, originality, and creativity. Mainly deciding whether you consider their style of design effective and suitable for your business. You want a firm that is going to work with you to create the vision that you have for the project. It is important to also get an understanding of their creative process and see if they will be people you can work alongside, bouncing ideas back and forth. Look at the quality of their work and how they present it. This will give you an understanding of what you should expect to receive. 
 
3. Rate- Every Firm is unique, having their own skills, expertise, and price. If price is a concern, be upfront but be aware that the lower rates mean that less time will be devoted to research and concept development, less time translates into a less creative and unique piece. Design is an investment for your business. You want to compare the price offers and the quality of the work they present.  But in the long run I believe that good design doesn’t cost money, it makes money. 
 
4. Time- Time plays a very important factor. You will have some sort of deadline for the project and you want quality work done. First, look for quick responses to your initial inquiry. If it is taking awhile to hear back from them they are either too busy, unprofessional in their work manner, or simply not interested. You want to know that your business and project are important to them. Every firm will obviously have other projects they are working on, but they should make you feel that your project is important and at the top of their list. After seeing their portfolio and understanding their creative process you need to know that they will be able to handle the project in a timely manner. 
 
5. Location- Location may or may not be as important to you, but it is a factor that needs to be considered. One of the big benefits of using someone local is that it provides an opportunity to discuss the project in a focused manner with face-to-face contact.  If you have found a non-local firm you want to work with, be sure that they will take the time for phone calls or video chats so that nothing can get lost in translation when working on the project. 

Take your time and do the research to find the right firm for you and your business. Interview several design firms before making a decision. If you're happy with the solutions they've provided other clients, comfortable with the way they present themselves, and think you'd enjoy working with them...hire them. Clients who understand the value of good design realize that a talented design firm has the ability to influence their current and potential market.

The Ins and Outs of the New Facebook page layout

The Ins and Outs of the New Facebook page layout Change: COMING YOUR WAY!

Ever notice how technology can be your best friend and the friend that drains all of your energy, and all at the same time?

Technology, including Facebook, is constantly changing. Staying on top of these changes is the key to keeping technology working at it's best for you and your organization, instead of being a drain.  Here is an "infographic" that Ink Publishing & Design created to help you understand and adapt to the latest round of changes by Facebook.  As you can see, the changes are all about the sizing of your page layout.  Seems like a small change, but in reality it can be significant if you do not adjust your layout accouringly.  Afterall, no one wants to be caught with the equivalent of a Facebook wardrobe malfunction. 

The importance of correct sizing of your facebook page layout can not be understated. When your business does not keep a consistant professional looking presence on it's social media platforms, it can send a message you do not care.  If you need assistance with a new design change, we can help.