Hi Friend,
I’ve been listening to a lot of Taylor Swift lately. We were one of the lucky ones that scored tickets. It was completely by luck. (Please don’t hate me.) And no, I’m not selling the tickets.
So why do I mention this? Love her, hate her, or even if you’re indifferent there’s a lot we can learn about running a business and branding from this savvy millennial.
This SubStack article from Digital Native lays it all out —
- Great Products Expand the Market or Create It
- It’s All About Community: Be Where They Are & Talk to Your People
- Brand Building: Bring Your Personality & Values, & Evolve with the Times
- Product Velocity Wins: Smartly Expanding Your Product Line
- Reward Your Superfans: Happy Customers & Brand Evangelists
Read the entire article here. Please note you may have to subscribe to read, but it’s free and worth the read.
#1 What Makes a Great Logo?
Your logo is a visual symbol that identifies your brand. It clearly communicates who you are, and what you do, and tells the story of your brand’s values, personality, and purpose.
It can help you stand out in a crowded market space and build brand recognition and loyalty over time.
With so much on the line, you should know what to look for in a designer to get a good one. But before hiring someone, you should know a few things.
#2 Don’t Make This Mistake on Instagram
I see it again and again on Instagram, and I’ve even been guilty of it a time or two. People paste links into the copy.
The only problem is your audience can’t click on or copy them. If you have a long URL or bit.ly with lots of oddball numbers or characters your audience will just scroll by it.
Instead try one of these methods —
- Create a LinkTree
- Host a custom Instagram page on Your Website
- Try the New Instagram Feature: 5 Links in Your Bio
#3 Pepsi Logo Refresh
When the We ❤️ NYC logo came out last month designers and New Yorkers alike were in an uproar, but it appears the persnickety designers are pleased with the new Pepsi rebrand.
In this Ad Age article, one designer exclaims, “The minute I saw the logo, it brought back childhood memories of a bubbly frizzy Pepsi…in a glass bottle in the ’80s!”
#5 Tagline vs. an Elevator Pitch? What’s the Difference?
This question above came up the other day with a friend of mine. What a great question! Get the answer here.
#5 Now Hear This!
If you’ve gotten my email for a while, you’re probably tired me saying how important email is to your marketing mix. If you’re new, check out all the reasons why here.
My team and I recently helped the Ear Community set up their email marketing in Constant Contact.
We cleaned up over 20 email lists, loaded over 4,000 contacts, setup signs up forms, designed email templates, and walked my friend Melissa through how to send out her first email.
Before, she had been sending out emails through Gmail in batches of 500 and had no metrics to see who had received or opened her emails.
Now she can send them all with the click of a button.
Her first email had a phenomenal 54% open rate. 6% bounced, and an above-average click rate of 3%. She can now see—
- what content resonates with her audience.
- who’s most interested in her content.
- who’s bounced so she can clean up her list and make it even stronger.
I can’t wait to see what the next year brings for you and the Ear Community!
Do you have questions about design and marketing? Contact me and I’ll be happy to let you pick my brain.
Want these delivered to your inbox? Sign up for my emails.
Sincerely,
Sarah Spoelstra
Moonshine Design
Owner. Graphic Designer. Marketer.