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Author: @maria

Are you selling on social media?

Posted on by @maria

More people will shop through social commerce

In 2021, around 96.9 million US shoppers made a purchase through social media.

Consumers are now turning to Facebook and Instagram not only to stay connected with friends and family, but also to discover products, research product reviews, and make purchases. This change is primarily attributed to social commerce’s convenience and interactivity.

Core features like in-app checkout, Buy buttons, and instant messaging tools make social media not only intuitive to buy through, but fast.

Right now, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok have built-in native social commerce features.

Looking ahead to 2023 and beyond, the social commerce trend is unlikely to slow down. In fact, it is estimated that in the US, earnings from social commerce will reach almost $80 billion by 2025. Not only that, but the number of social commerce buyers in the United States is also projected to climb to over 114 million by 2025.

Make sure you are taking advantage of social commerce by optimizing your content and advertising. Ask Gerbo Designs for details.

Is your farm a real brand?

Posted on by @maria

Create an impression that supports your farm and your brand.

When we think of branding, most farmers and growers may think literally leaving marks on livestock to identify them. However, branding goes beyond just marking ownership; it’s about creating an impression that supports your farm’s or brand’s identity and showcases your unique services or products.

What is Agricultural Branding?

Branding is how others recognize you, and it can be a powerful tool for business growth. Many well-known names in the agricultural industry, Foster Farms, Nulaid, Crystal, and Fiscalini are easily recognized in supermarkets. Whether you want to expand nationally or remain regionally focused, branding can help you reach your goals.

But what exactly is agricultural branding?

It’s not just about designing a logo and choosing fonts, although those elements are important. Effective branding encapsulates who you are and portrays that image to consumers. This includes everything from your mission and vision, value proposition and messaging to your production facilities internal culture and community involvement.

Top 6 Ways to Bring Empathy Into Your Marketing

Posted on by @maria

Marketing with empathy is about remembering that your clients and customers are more than just numbers and transactions; they are human beings with feelings. 

By bringing empathy into your marketing strategy, it helps you place your customer at the center and work from there. It helps you build authentic relationships between businesses and their consumers. 

Including empathy in your marketing strategy helps to make a connection with your consumer, find their pain points, and cater to their needs as a person because you understand their problem. This will help put your business above the rest.

How to Bring Empathy Into Your Marketing Strategy

Creating meaningful relationships is important for creating a unique consumer experience.

Here are six ways that you can create empathy in your marketing.

 

  1. Understand your consumer’s pain points. Empathy is about putting yourself in your consumer’s shoes and understanding their point of view.

    Focus on how your consumer might be struggling in their life and their business. How can you help them personally and otherwise?

  2. Adapt to your customer’s needs. Now that you know their pain points, provide them with the answers to relieve them. One way you can do this is  by segmenting your audiences into separate groups based on who they are and what they need. After all, one size DOES NOT fit all. When you segment your customers, you can send more targeted messages to them in order to appeal to their wants and needs because you understand their individualized problems better.
  3. Keep it real. In order to create relationships and trust with your customers, you need them to find you relatable. By creating content with simple and relatable real-life scenarios, you will successfully tap into your customers’ empathy.
  4. Drop some knowledge. By teaching your customers valuable skills, you are building trust in your relationship and building value in your brand! You can create new educational content or update existing content. Consumers also react well to visual representations such as infographics and videos showing how your product or service is made or used.
  5. Keep your customers involved. Ask questions, take surveys, and encourage conversation. Make the experience interactive. If you can find an interactive way for people to use your product or service from their homes via video, this will be a great advantage, especially for home-bound people who can’t travel.By making your consumer a part of the creation and conversation of your product, they’ll feel cared for and, therefore, more likely to make a purchase.
  6. Take advantage of user-generated content. Tagged photos from your customers are FREE CONTENT. Of course, you’ll have to sort through for appropriate content, but it’s a great way to get authentic and fun testimonials of your product. Plus, it builds a stronger connection with your consumers. Another benefit is that when you highlight a consumer’s content, they’ll likely share it with their circle and get more eyes on your product or service.

Conclusion

Empathy in marketing is about putting yourself in your customer’s shoes and viewing your product or service from their point of view. To do this, you need to help them understand your product and get them involved by including their input. You can also include them by using their generated content as a form of testimony and help them feel included. 

How do you use empathy in your marketing?

Is Email Marketing Still Important?

Posted on by @maria

If you’re still asking, “Is email marketing still important?” – The answer is a resounding YES!!️ 

An email contact list keeps you connected to your target audience Email marketing gives your business the ability to reach customers easier than ever.

What is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is a form of direct marketing that uses email to promote or bring awareness to your brand’s product or services. It also plays an important part in your marketing strategy by bringing lead generation, brand awareness, and engaging customers. 

The best part? It has a high return on investment (ROI). A well-written and designed email newsletter can help build a community around your brand and business.

9 Reasons You Should Use Email Marketing

Email marketing has many benefits and ways to increase your sales and connect with your audience. Here are nine benefits of using email in your marketing strategy. 

Stay in contact with your audience. 

When a consumer reads and enjoys your newsletter, they’re bound to continue to read, and when it’s time to make a purchase, they will because they trust your brand. They’ve spent time getting to know your brand and building trust. 

Reach customers in real-time. 

Social media ads and marketing aren’t reliable because algorithms don’t always work in your favor, and your consumer isn’t always online. However, when you send emails directly to their email, you can catch them at their easiest convenience, and they’ll get the message no matter what. 

People engage with emails. 

It’s easy to encourage engagement with emails. With a well-written email, you can entice your audience to click through and make a purchase. 

Email marketing is easy to measure. 

There are multiple things you can track for your email marketing to make sure that it is helping your business reach it’s goal whether that’s connection or sales. You can measure these analytics with your email service provider

  • How many emails sent
  • How many emails were opened
  • How many people clicked a link in the email

It’s affordable. If you’re just starting out, then there are plenty of free options. Most email marketing platforms have a free option until your reach your first 1,000 subscribers, and after that, plans can range from $10 to $200 a month, all based on your needs. 

Everyone (almost) uses email. 

Everyone and their mom use email (or emails)! But not everyone has social media or uses it on a regular basis – not to mention the algorithm affecting what your followers see. So, when you use email marketing, you’re more likely to reach more of your subscribers to highlight your new product or service.

Allows for targeted messaging. 

Sending your audience the right information is crucial so they can make an informed purchase. With automated email marketing platforms, you can create groups of your subscribers so that they get targeted messaging for their buying stage. For example, you wouldn’t send the same message to a new customer as you would an existing repeat customer. 

Increase brand awareness. 

How will your audience remember you exist if they never see you? Just like blogs, emails are a great consistent way to remind your clients that you’re still in business. Email marketing is also fantastic for showing off your brand personality, voice, and agenda. The more your audience sees, the more they’ll trust you. 

It’s timely. 

When you have a direct line to your audience, sending them timely updates about your business is easier. You can send them relevant updates to your business, and they will reach your audience at just the right time to influence a purchase. 

Conclusion

There are so many benefits to email marketing it’s essential to your marketing strategy. But you still need to practice some key strategies to get it right. Do you need help with your email marketing? Contact us TODAY!

How to Make Your Logo and Website Work for You

Posted on by @maria

Logos and websites are the visual representations of your business, and they need your attention! 

Your logo and website are more than just graphic images. They are tools to distinguish your business from the competition in the market. They give your business professional credibility and a unique stand, which reaches out to a larger audience of potential buyers. 

In this article, we will discuss how to know if your logo and website aren’t working for you and how to fix them so they do.

How to Know If Your Logo and Website Aren’t Working

If you are receiving a lot of questions instead of praises about your business, then something is wrong. 

For example, If your customers are confused about what you are selling, your logo is sending the wrong message. 

Additionally, If people can’t find or access the information they need from your website – Or they’re not sure what your business even does once they’re on your site, then it needs a refresh! 

But there is hope!

How to Make Your Logo and Website Work For You

  • Logos and websites are visual representations of your brand and business and should be able to communicate to your consumer’s what you do and your values. Here are some ways that you can make your logo and website work for you. 
  • Make your logo match your brand. Check out Color Psychology. This method can help tie in your brand purpose to a color that matches your values and product.
  • For example, the color green may be connected with clean energy, nature, health, and wealth. So, green would be a good match for a financial institution or a clean energy electric company.
  • Consistency. Consistency is key to ensuring that your website is up to date with relevant and timely content with a clear message. You can also use consistency with how often you post educational blog post about your product, color scheme, and brand voice. This will help your business maintain a clear purpose and increase your professional credibility. 
  • Simplify your Logo. Make sure your logo is easy to understand and not overwhelming. To make a logo look clean and simple, start by using a transparent back ground and a simple color scheme with a font that is easy to read. 
  • Update Photos. Update photos on your website to appropriately match your brands, values, message, products, and voice. It is best to use fresh, original, high-quality photos. Get rid of any outdated photos that no longer represent your business. 
  • Add educational content. Add value for your customers. To do this you can add educational content such as blog post, videos, and infographics about how your product or service works or how it’s made. You can also write or film about how your brand was created.

Conclusions

Logos aren’t just pictures and websites are more than an online pamphlet for your business. Logo’s and websites should work for you to let your consumer learn about your business, product or service. Use our tips to create a clear message for your customers. 

How have you cleaned up your logo and website to create a friendly user experience?

How to Give Value to Your Clients

Posted on by @maria

Your customers and clients have many choices, but they chose you! Ensure you remind them why you’re the best choice out of your competitors by going above and beyond with your service. 

Continue reading to learn why you should add value for your clients and tips on how to do it!

Why Should You Give Value to Clients?

When you give value to your clients, you encourage loyalty, sales, and brand reputation. In addition, by providing additional value to your clients, you’re ensuring their return which means less client turnover and a steady income for you. 

A successful business needs customer loyalty and happiness because happy clients are likelier to leave positive feedback. Therefore, the more content your clients are, the better it is for your business.

Here are some tips you can use to GIVE VALUE to clients working with you!

    ● Listen and help them feel understood.
    ● Forward relevant articles.
    ● GO the extra mile.
    ● Mention clients in posts, newsletters, or articles you are writing.
    ● Give them a marketing tip they can use for their business.
    ● Write a helpful article for a post, publication, or blog.   
    ● Introduce them to a prospective alliance partner.
    ● Suggest a book – or better yet – have it delivered as a gift!
    ● Forward them a useful template – such as business planning, checklists, marketing resources, etc.
    ● Recommend directories where they can promote their business online.
    ● Give them a testimonial.
    ● Sponsor or volunteer for their organization or group.
    ● Give them promotional products – i.e., SWAG.
    ● Interact with them on Social Media.
    ● Invite them to a relevant business event.
    ● Buy their product or help make a sale. 

Doing these quick and simple things for clients adds value and can go a long way toward making a lasting positive impression. 

These things also tend to separate the doers from the talkers in the eyes of the recipient.

Conclusion

Keeping your clients happy keep them coming back for more which is good for your business! You wouldn’t want to work with someone doing the bare minimum, and I bet you’d leave a good tip for a server at a restaurant if they went above and beyond during your meal. The same goes for you as a business owner. 

What do you do to give value? Or try out some of our tips and let us know how they work for you!

Consistency: The Most Important Social Media Posting Strategy

Posted on by @maria

Consistency: The Most Important Social Media Posting Strategy

A business that either does not have social media or has yet to optimize its social media may wonder if there’s a secret to success with this media. 

You may think consistency means you develop and stick to a posting schedule. That’s part of it! but it’s also important to be consistent in voice, visual branding, and in content. 

The goal is to develop your brand online so that your audience knows what to expect from your company and is drawn to it by what you post. Over time, if done correctly, this consistent social media will result in your audience seeking you out!

Develop a Posting Schedule

With so many social media platforms available to us, it’s important to develop a posting schedule so that you know what to post and to which platform. This will help develop consistency in your social media posting.

You can use just about anything to schedule your posting strategies, such as a spreadsheet, online calendar, or a scheduling platform. You can also hire someone to manage your social media schedule and content.

Whatever you choose to use, you need to have this information on your planner: 

  • Date and time the post will be published
  • Which platform the post will live on
  • The content such as graphics, captions, and hashtags.

Consistent Branding and Voice

Branding is more than just your color scheme but also trickles down to your brand voice and who the business is. 

Being consistent with your voice is just as important as the color scheme or any other branding aspect of your business. It shapes your identity; when a consumer can trust a business identity and who it is, they are more likely to make a purchase.

A brand voice speaks to the ideal customer in a language and tone that appeals to them. Your brand voice and tone must be consistent so that the consumer knows your brand, no matter the social media outlet. 

The benefits of a brand voice are: 

    ● Showcases your brand’s personality
    ● Speaks to your consumers
    ● Helps you stand out
    ● Become more real and authentic

Posting Consistent Content

Creating brand consistency is important because it creates a “uniform” for your brand to wear in order to be recognizable. In a way, it’s about carving out a niche for your brand personality.

For example, suppose a movie theatre was running a social media account. In that case, they might post about new movies that are premiering, snacks they sell, or highlight a fun family post to encourage families to go to the movies. What you won’t see a movie theatre post is something off-topic to them, such as music, amenities they don’t provide, or food that they don’t sell.

 

You want to paint a picture of your brand and what they sell, and highlight your goals or what you want people to feel while using your product or service. 

For example, you might post 

    ● How to use your product or service 
    ● Highlight cool features
    ● Someone enjoying your product or service
    ● Special events related to your product or service

Create consistency

Creating consistency in your social media is more than just consistently posting on social media at the same time every day. It’s also about keeping your brand personality consistent by using a brand voice and making sure your content is on brand with what you want to be known for. 

If you need help with developing a more consistent social media presence, contact us for help!

Color Psychology

Posted on by @maria

We see color daily and never think twice about its possible meaning. Colors are more than just fun forms of expression. Still, they often have a powerful psychological meaning behind them, especially in business. For example, the colors you use in your advertisements and logos can impact how consumers connect with your brand.

We see color daily and never think twice about its possible meaning. Colors are more than just fun forms of expression. Still, they often have a powerful psychological meaning behind them, especially in business. For example, the colors you use in your advertisements and logos can impact how consumers connect with your brand.

What is Color Psychology?

Color psychology is the study of how color affects human behavior and opinion. Each color has different meanings, connotations, and psychological effects, which may vary depending on cultural differences or personal preferences.

Color psychology is an important factor when branding or rebranding your business.Studying color psychology can benefit your branding and marketing because certain colors can influence a consumer’s perception of goods or services and impact their brand opinion.

 

Some examples of colors and their meanings are:

Purple. Royalty, sophistication, femininity, romance, and promoting harmony in the brain.
Orange. Warm, inviting, energetic, stimulates conversation.
Blue. Corporate by calming, trust, appeals to men and women.
Green. Soothing, calming, beautiful, and can alleviate depression and anxiety.
Red. Excitement, strength, love, and energy.
Yellow. Creativity, happiness, and warmth

Color Psychology in Marketing

Choosing the right color for your branding depends on how the color fits the product or service being sold, which is called perceived appropriateness.

For example, while green may exude calmness, some may associate the color green with money, which is a match for the financial app Mint.

Additionally, picking the right colors for your brand is deciding how you want consumers to perceive your personality. While there are stereotypical color associations, such as blue for “depression,” you need to decide how the color you choose will portray your brand’s personality.

Finally, you need to consider the culture of your audience when picking your branding colors if you want to convey the right message. For example, in India, colors such as black, dark blue, dark green, and brown are perceived as having an inferior status and misfortune. Meanwhile, in Japan, the color black is masculine and shows enlightenment.

Colors Psychology That Encourages Purchases

Besides colors that help the consumers form opinions on the brand for marketing, there are also practices in place at stores that help encourage consumers to make purchases. For example, the colors of the packaging affect consumers’ willingness to buy a product.

For example, consumers look for the relationship correlation between the color and the product like the Green for the Mint app. However, there are also branding colors that exude trustworthiness. Meaning if you see a “knockoff” brand with similar colors to the brand you know and trust, you’ll more than likely pick that brand over a “knockoff” with random colors.

Meanwhile, while a brand may change the overall look of its product packaging, it may still choose the same color scheme because that’s what consumers know and trust. For example, Crayola has changed its logo and packaging many times since its creation in 1934. However, consumers still know the brand through its gold and green color scheme.

Conclusion

Finding the right color for your brand and marketing campaigns can be challenging due to color psychology, culture, and consumers’ experience with the colors. That’s why it’s best to get professional help from Gerbo Designs to help you pick the right colors for your business’s branding.