Monthly Archives: July 2015

8 Steps In Creating Your Visual Brand

Our industry, point of purchase display, is archaic. If you look through various websites within the industry, you will find sites that look old fashioned and are all very similar. There are no real differentiators or “wow factors” between the sites, other than the logos.

For the past four months, we have been redesigning our website to stand out amongst the competition while creating a more visual brand.

The one component we have always liked is the color scheme in our logo. We made the bright colors the foundation of our new site (which just launched) to show the visual impact of our services.

The foundation of our 2015 marketing efforts and our new site design is to make our brand visual. Below, we have outlined 8 steps to help you get more people to recognize your brand.

1. Tie Colors Together

The color associated with your logo should play an integral part in your overall marketing efforts and the feel of your brand.

If you think of Target, there is a reason why they continuously associate the color red into their commercials. Lo and behold, when you go into a Target store, they have red shopping carts and red aisle displays.

Your color scheme should stay consistent not only throughout your website, but also in all other visual components of your brand. This will make it easier for the consumer to identify with you.

2. Slogan

Everyone is talking about Arby’s “We have the Meat” tagline at the end of their commercial spots. The voice is as memorable as the slogan.

When a slogan ties back to your brand in an unforgettable fashion, it will help make your company become more visually memorable.

The slogan should end up tying back to the logo, which will trigger a memory of the color scheme. It is easy to see how the different components of marketing all intertwine.

3. Crisp Graphics

“Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent.”

The aforementioned quote, by Joe Sparano, a well-known designer, continues to gain relevance, as there are more and more outlets where you can share marketing messages.

Graphics play a crucial role in the perception of your brand. From your website, to social channels, to television spots, to your storefront location, your graphics determine how consumers will view your brand.

You had better make sure they are stunning; otherwise, people will view your company as less than stellar.

4. Reviews

Your client can give an awesome review to your customer service manager over the phone, but the fact of the matter is that reviews need to be posted online in order to draw the masses.

If you have amazing reviews across Google+, Yelp and other online rating outlets, your brand will visually come across as reputable and great in customer service.

According to Search Engine Land, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

The only way for people to see the reviews visually is implementing an online reputation strategy.

5. Video Content

There is an old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. If that is the case, videos are worth well over a million.

There is nothing more visual than seeing the personality of your brand shine through video.

It is well worth the investment to hire a professional to write out a script and film with high quality HD footage to tell your company’s story. This will instantly differentiate you amongst your rivals.

To take it a step further, if your customers or clients agree to record video testimonials, this can provide an amazing visual representation of what your customers think of your brand.

Forrester Research found that your content is 50 times more likely to make it to the first page of Google results if it includes video.

6. Simplicity

In 2015, you will notice that a popular trend amongst websites is simplicity.

Just look at ESPN.com. They completely redesigned their site to add more white throughout the background of the site. This allows for their content, imagery and videos to shine.

ESPN.com stated in a press release regarding the redesign, “Our goal is simple: Make what matters most to you easily accessible the moment you want it, wherever you are.”

The responsive and simple design is the wave of the future. Your brand needs to ask the hard but important question: “Is there too much clutter?” If the answer is yes, it is time to go back to the drawing board.

7. Creative Content

Earlier in the article, we referenced how there are so many marketing outlets through which to share your messaging. Consistency is important to aligning your overall message.

One of the best ways to make your brand more visual is by creating clever content. If you make a post on Facebook and boost it for $5.00, your company can reach its target audience, garner amazing interaction while increasing brand awareness, and drive traffic back to your site.

In order to generate amazing interaction, you need to come up with creative content. This can easily be shared across your social channels and keep your brand top of mind.

Conduct A vs. B testing to see which message resonates best with your audience.

8. Have Fun

There is too much stuffiness in the corporate world. Consumers tend to favor brands that portray a humorous personality.

David Ogilvy was famously quoted saying, “The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.”

Think outside of the box and make your brand visually stunning with a marketing message that will make your consumers smile.

 

Barry Eisenman, Creative Director at Nutis, contributed content to this article.

By |2015-07-24T20:09:34-04:00July 24th, 2015|blog|

Visual Merchandising Influences the Sale

The reason why visual messaging has such impact is because it is the most direct line of communication from the product to the person. It establishes the relationship with the consumer and ultimately drives the sale. That’s why external and internal merchandising strategies should be part of every product promotion.

Visual merchandising (or visual communication merchandising) can include point-of-purchase displays, signage, window displays, aisle displays, light boxes and similar promotional materials. Using this merchandising strategy creates a way to convey a positive image of your product and capture the attention and interest of the consumer – beginning well before the consumer enters the store. That is why it’s essential for retailers to pay attention to their exterior environment. What are you displaying that will grab the attention of and motivate the consumer to be a buyer, not just a window shopper?

What does your exterior say? Window displays, banners, posters and other exterior merchandising materials also have a dramatic effect on consumers – especially impulse buyers. It’s an opportunity to engage consumers by promoting a specific product, targeting drive-by or walking traffic who otherwise would not be aware of the product’s availability.

This is effective throughout the year, but can be used for added impact during special promotions and for holiday displays. Nutis can offer you ideas that will work in conjunction with your other promotional efforts to create a complete merchandising system.

By |2015-07-20T12:53:05-04:00July 20th, 2015|blog|