Values is a term that we are seeing really moving in conversation at the moment. Not just with movements and governments, but in friends circles and family conversation. But how do brands add value to their customers, and why do we care?
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We are being asked a lot how Covid-19 is affecting our business. What all of this means for our little Company of One, what we are doing with all our “extra time” and are we worried about what the future holds?
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Corona Virus continues to spread across Australia and despite the changes we are all making, it doesn’t look like we will be coming out the other side for a while yet.
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Working from home can be a complete luxury and also a total buzz kill, depending on how you go about it. Unfortunately, in the current time, we are all being encouraged or dictated to work from home for a significant period of time. For some people, this conjures ideas of “staying home” all day and working in your PJ’s with Netflix on in the background. For others, it conjures ideas of complete and utter social isolation and uncomfortableness. Both can be true, but what you do really need to focus on is how to best stay sane when working from home.
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Over the past few months in Australia we have had a huge change in the way that social media operates, particularly for brands and influencers. The removing of likes by both Instagram and now Facebook has caused outrage in some corners of the social media world and rejoicing in others. The question now is what this means for business, and I am the first person to say who the heck cares if they’ve hidden the likes – that’s not the point. Outrageous, I know.
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For one reason or another, there has been plenty of talk online lately about brand guidelines – what you should include, why they’re important and what they offer your business. I’m not going to rehash that here, it doesn’t add any value to a conversation that is already happening. What I have observed though is the tendancy for brand guidelines to be a beautiful document that sits in a drawer and doesn’t get applied to all parts of your business, the way it should be. And that’s something worth tackling.
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We spoke recently about why email marketing is important and why it should be a key part of your amplification strategy. But there’s no sense in sending out a carefully crafted message that doesn’t add value to the people you are trying to target – but who are they anyway? Who are you designing your EDMs for and what are you trying to get them to do?
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A new year is a time when most of us review the year that has been and take the opportunity to adjust our habits moving into the new year. Call it new years resolutions or intentions or your focus for the year, now is the time to be considering how you want your year to look, especially within your work or business.
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I have always maintained that one of the biggest issues in small business is that you, the owner, almost shouldnt have time to work on your own business – because when you do, that means there’s not as much work coming through the door. Like the mechanic who’s car is always falling apart, or the hairdresser who hasn’t had a colour in forever. It happens to us all. While I make a really active effort to make sure that my content is being updated, my website is fresh and my socials are looking great, there’s usually something that gives in these situations. And for me, it was my branding. I had simply out grown it. But the challenge and time it was going to take to sit down and rework was daunting. Really daunting! The problem with creating your own design work is that everything you touch must be the epitome of your work. You have no client to bail up and fall back on and cry about because they chose the wrong concept or gave you too restrictive a brief. This must be the pinnacle of what you can do, the hallmark piece that represents your style, your aesthetic and your approach. I know my lovely friend Kate from Two Wild Hands struggled with the same pressure when working on her own wedding recently, although hot damn did she pull it off. The aim was to create something simple, a mark that would stand the test of time but show creativity, multiple streams of service and embody the simplicity and clean lines that I truly love in good design. There’s some cute nod’s to things like responsive design and feminism there, but ultimately I have aimed to create a logo that encapsulates where I want my design to be, and I am proud of this design. If you’re feeling daunted by the idea of doing the hard work to get your own stuff up to scratch, here’s a cheerleader in your camp saying just go and do it. You will feel 100% better than if you didn’t. If you’re ready to overhaul your logo, your brand, your marketing collateral, social media or your product, I want to help you. All you have to do is get in touch and I will help make you something that YOU love as much as I love my new logo.
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We have all been there. Looming deadlines, taking on extra projects that end up blowing out to much more time, public holidays that shorten your week and double your workload. It’s tough, really tough when sitting down to look at your list fills you with a sense of dread because you feel like it simply can’t be done. I get you, I’ve been there. Having dug my way out of this hole more times than you can count, here are my tips on getting your workload back under control without losing your mind. Take a deep breath. Call it a little woo-woo if you like but I recommend this first, as it can often head off a full-blown crisis before it has a chance to take hold. Take one deep breath, as deep into your lungs as you can and let it out with an audible ‘wooosh’. This floods your brain with oxygen which gives you a mini high and the ‘wooosh’ sound makes you feel like you’re actively releasing something. By taking a minute to relax, instead of getting caught in a tornado, starting your day off on completely the wrong foot and with a poor attitude, start your day in control and a bit calmer. You’ll be surprised and how much more achievable that list looks now. Get your priorities in order Work out what you absolutely MUST do and what you can move out. Promised something to someone? Make sure you know what that deadline is and make it – your reputation is important. Probably should write a blog or schedule your own social media posts? That one you can let slide – this time. When you’re deep in the shit, sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get back on top. Reschedule the task and come back to it when the air has cleared a little. Better to cut a few things off the list and achieve your goals than panic and not get to any of it. Make more time No, I’m not a magician, but we can all find a little more time in our day or working week, in the short term. Get to work an hour or two earlier and really dedicate that time to getting shit done. Work on a Saturday morning or stay back late. Post-pone your gym session or a long lunch with your bestie, anything to pull yourself…
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