Only 20% of Businesses Succeed…80% Fail. It’s Time to Change.
Only 20% of businesses succeed after the first 18 months, and only 2% make it to 7-figures. The stats say that 80% of businesses fail and most are making less than 6-figures. That is way too many failures and WAY too little money. And I know why. Spot-On...
The Psychology of Color: Big Brand Color Strategies
This popular post was first published April 17th, 2012. Newly updated 11/15/16 to bring you more great info about the psychology of color in branding and marketing!
Color is powerful. Color is dangerous. Used correctly, color digs at emotions we have deep inside of us, urging us to act, pouncing on our instincts, and releasing our emotions into the wild. Most of us experience raw reactions to color, even if we’re not conscious of color as that catalyst. Many of these reactions are illogical, stemming from passionate or painful memories long past. In other words, our life experiences change our opinions on color.
![Your Brand: What You Don’t Know You Don’t Know [Psychology of Branding 101]](https://spot-onbranding.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/psych-382x250.png)
Your Brand: What You Don’t Know You Don’t Know [Psychology of Branding 101]
Newly updated 10/19/16! This post originally appeared 6/18/2013. Due to popular demand, we’ve updated What You Don’t Know About You, Your Brain and Your Branding with new information, new research, new images and videos, and more. Stay up-to-date with more news on branding and rebranding, the psychology of branding and color, branding strategy, and much more!
Here’s WHY Your Brain is Preventing You from Reaching Your Customers
Time for a rebrand? Let’s find out…
Draw a bicycle.
Right now. I’ll wait.
How did it turn out? Are you confident that you drew your bicycle correctly? HOW confident?
Wearable Tech & the Changing Narrative of your Brand
Wearable tech is here and it’s not going anywhere. From Apple’s recently announced iWatch, to wearable fitness bands like Garmin’s vívofit® and UP by Jawbone™ to “reality enhancing” eyewear like Google Glass—the world (and the way we see and experience it) are changing quite rapidly.
…and we’re about to experience a huge culture shift in how we engage with brands, inspired by this disruptive technology.
From Staged to Sincere
Just as royalty used to pose for hours so an artist could capture their essence in paint, the same frame of reference carried forward in our shift to photography. From paint to film to print to digital and everything in between, we’ve been capturing everything from personal to professional moments in a “say cheese” manner.
That is to say, we’re big on staging the scene.
SELFIES. Need we say more?
But our most beautiful, honest moments as humans aren’t staged at all. That’s why we gaze in awe at the candid brilliance of a professionally taken photograph. The average person isn’t able to capture that kind of intimacy.
6 Great Ideas for Branded Content
Your brand should be unique enough to be memorable to your target audience. But to get even that first glint of brand recognition, you need to get your brand out in front of people. Creating great branded content, as part of your overall content marketing plan, is a fantastic way to expand your brand reach. Here are some ideas to get you started…
1. Brand your Infographics
We already know visual content marketing gets a lot of attention and people just love, love, love infographics these days. These beautified bits of information get read, shared, saved and referenced all over social media and the web. Be sure your logo is stamped in a clear, readable place and use your brand colors to really showcase your branding throughout.
2. Brand your Inspiration
Your brand identity manager or a skilled graphic designer (who is familiar with your branding, of course), can create cool, funny and/or inspirational quotes on a background of your brand colors, stamped with your logo. Choose quotes and themes that interest your target market. Post your placards on LinkedIn and Facebook to get more brand attention.
Get Creative NOW! 8 Great Tips to Get Your Brain in Gear
Whether you’re busy running your business, bumping up your brand reach or trying to come up with creative content marketing ideas, like many creative types, you occasionally hit the wall. Uh oh. It’s the dreaded Brain Drain! Sometimes we all need a creative boost to brighten our day. Here are some tips to get your brain back on track and moving forward to a more productive, creative workday.
1. Game On!
Playing games isn’t just a waste of time. The right kinds of games can shift your focus, allowing your higher creative functions to take a break while you cruise through some spatial or math based games. Try games that claim to boost your brain through science, like Luminosity or Fit Brains. After a 10-minute bout of brain games, I feel refreshed and ready to begin my next project. (Heck, try one of our branding quizzes—they’re fun!)
2. Step Outside
It’s the tail end of summer, so get outside and sweat a little! Physical activity is a great way to clear your head. Even a short walk can provide a lot of benefits. If your climate or schedule doesn’t allow for running out the door whenever you feel like it, be sure to schedule time at the gym several times a week to keep your brain and your body in tip-top shape. Try yoga at home to improve physical strength and flexibility, as well as mental stamina.
3. Stay Up Late
While it may sound counter-productive, night owls boast higher IQs—and that can’t hurt creativity. You can argue whether this is a causation-does-not-equal-correlation issue or even whether it’s a chicken-or-egg scenario, but regardless, there’s something to be said for staying up late!
4. …or be the Early Bird
Another study says that early risers are happier and more productive. So which one do you choose? I know there are a lot of people out there who will never be happy before 10am (and are downright murderous before their coffee!), but I also know that morning people love the air at dawn.