Branding Your Small Business on Social Media

Do you find it challenging to stand out from other businesses on social media? With nearly 30.2 million small businesses in the U.S. we understand it is no small task to stand out; however, here are 6 tips to  point your business’ social media accounts in the right direction. 

1. Develop a color palette

Color may seem unimportant compared to other factors of your business, but it is one small

detail that will make your life much easier. Colors represent brand personality and meaning,

which relates to target consumers. For instance, we associate the color pink to femininity or

being sweet in comparison to red signifying courage or excitement. Take a look at the differet

meanings in the logo below just by changing the color. Based on these two images, which

bank would you entrust your money with?  

 https://www.newdesigngroup.ca/graphic-design/psychology-colour-advertising/

2. Create a logo
If you do not have a business logo already break out your sketchpad! Logos are crucial in brand
awareness and personality. It should include your color scheme, insight on what your business does, and your business name in a legible font. It is also important to keep your design simplistic due to size variations. If you find yourself struggling with design reach out to designers, students, or colleges for assistance. Once your logo is created it needs to be your profile image on all of its social media platforms for branding purposes. Establish your brand’s voice

3. Maintain a Brand Voice

A challenging step is building and maintaining your brand’s voice. A useful tool is to think

of your business as a person and how that person can connect to different audiences. Social media expert Stephanie Schwab’s helpful guide on finding a brand voice lays out several factors, including:

Tone. Be clear to followers about what and how the brand will communicate online. Is your brand cheeky and irreverent or serious and formal?

Language. What type of language will the brand use online? A young hip brand might get awaywith more slang or a niche brand may use more acronyms and industry-specific language

Purpose. Identify the main reason the brand is on social media? Is your goal to educate or entertain? 

https://damolade.com/how-to-create-a-social-media-style-guide/

4. Be consistent across platformsWhether you are posting on Facebook or Instagram, your business posts should be consistent.

If you want to feature a community event your business participated in you can post about it on whichever platforms you please; however, make sure the content is not identical. The reason your content needs to vary is you are talking to different audiences. Facebook tends to have older active users compared to Instagram and to gain their attention you have to appeal to them in different ways. 

5. Know your audienceAn essential part of your business’ success is knowing your audience. As mentioned above we want to relate to different audiences and make them aware of your brand. Ask yourself questions like the ones listed below to gain greater insight:

- What is going to make someone buy your product rather than the competitions? - What are consumers saying about me and my competitors? - Who is purchasing your products?- Who is in your area?- Who is currently following my social media accounts? 

https://www.hueandtonecreative.com/blog/tag/Buyer+persona

6. Build relationships The most important tip of all is to build relationships! If viewers post comments or ask questions, try to respond within 24 hours. This demonstrates the passion and care you have for your business. A simple thank you for liking a post or responding to a negative comment in an appropriate way will show viewers that you are a professional and deserve their business. Mistakes do happen in business, but remain transparent and display appreciation to those communicating with you. 

Now it is your turn to implement these steps into your small business! We hope you found this information helpful and utilize it in your social accounts. Social media is a powerful tool for brand awareness, but remember to use it to communicate and engage with your audiences too.

Written by: Logan Sellers, Rebecca Adele PR & Events InternSources:https://www.canva.com/learn/introduction-brand-building-social-media/

Activities to Replace Summer 2020 Cancelled Events

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When life gives you Covid-19, you make many adjustments in your life to help flatten the curve. Many of these adjustments include our upcoming summer 2020 plans including concerts, sports games, vacations, festivals, parades, and more. So how can you make the most out of summer, while the stay at home order and CDC guidelines are still in place? Here are some of my favorite at home activities that you can do just about anywhere, while maintaining a safe distance.

 

First, I am pretty sure we have all been doing this already, but streaming devices have been my life. When the weather is less than appealing, I hunker down in my comfy chair and blankets, and I watch shows and movies until I get hungry or tired. When this gets tiring or old, I grab a good book. Many authors have been releasing books, or when in doubt read an old classic. Stephanie Meyer is releasing a new book from Edward's perspective for all the millennials out there. 

Concerts have been cancelled or rescheduled due to the virus, but do not fret. Some artists have been performing on Instagram Live or through Zoom meetings with their band. Taylor Swift's Live from Paris concert will be uploaded to Hulu and Disney+ for our at home concert series. 

When the weather cooperates, sunbathing outside or taking a nap in my hammock are my go tos. Hey, why not watch one of those concerts while outside? It may not be the festival atmosphere you're use to, but it's still a good way to unwind!

Our favorite sports teams are starting their seasons back up, and although we cannot be in the stands, we can cheer from our family rooms while eating the same junk food snacks that cost an arm and a leg at a ballpark. No one will give you looks for cheering too loudly or giving your opinion to the referee who doesn't seem to listen to you.

A few more activities might include painting, coloring, puzzling, organizing everything, four-wheeling, socially distant hikes or picnics with friends, or playing Animal Crossing on the Nintendo Switch. 

Whichever you choose to do, this summer might not be as we planned, but we can still make the best of it in the current situation. Hopefully some of these ideas inspire you to try something new or start something old. 

Written by: LEANN FRANK, REBECCA ADELE PR AND EVENTS INTERN 

Throwing the Perfect Graduation Party!

Summer isn’t just the season for going to the beach and vacations; it’s the party season! With the school year finishing up, many graduations will commence and with graduations come graduation parties. Instead of just throwing the same old graduation parties with a box for cards and a picture board outlining the significant events in the grad’s life, why not throw a graduation that’s truly memorable and unique? Don't know where to start? Here are some great ideas you can include in your bash!

Memory jars are a great way to get your guests involved and excited about the party. Set up a simple glass jar and a small sign instructing the guests to write down their favorite memory with the grad on a small slip of paper. It will get your guests talking and create a meaningful keepsake for the graduate to hold onto for years to come.

To avoid the typical picture boards that you see at every graduation party, try a picture wreath instead – or even a few of them! Just take a simple pool noodle and tape the ends together using duct tape. A piece of drop cloth can be wrapped around the noodle to disguise its color. From there, cut a piece of cardstock into the shape of a graduation cap and attach a button to the center to hold the grad’s actual tassel. Then add the graduate’s name and graduation year on top of the cap. Depending on the size of your wreath, you can choose between eight and 12 photos to place however you’d like. Once you gather your pictures, attach them to cardstock that matches the color of your cap and you can easily glue them to the wreath and wa-la! Your picture wreath is complete and creates not only a nice gift for the grad but also a more interesting display for your guests to enjoy.

Instead of having a large cake with only one or two flavors for your guests to choose from, try serving cupcakes! Cupcakes allow for you to decide how many are needed for the number of guests you intend on having as well as picking a variety of flavors to please everyone. This alternative also creates an opportunity to place the cupcakes in the shape of the graduate’s graduation year! It will be eye catching and much more appealing than a plain cake. 

Place your wreath or wreaths above the cupcake display with the memory jar on a nearby table and you already have yourself a memorable and creative graduation party sure to leave your guests and the grad talking about it for years!

Written by Shaylee Dillen of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Snapchat Announces Custom Geofilters!

It’s safe to say most Snapchat users all get a little bummed out when visiting somewhere that doesn’t have a geofilter. With the app’s new feature, this won’t be a problem for much longer!

Snapchat has officially introduced on-demand geofilters, which allows users to create their own custom filters, which will temporarily appear within the app. 

The idea for this feature is to give users the opportunity to create a custom geofilter for any event, from a house party to graduation to a wedding! Though a similar feature has been available for quite some time, the on-demand feature is much more cost efficient and customizable, starting at just $5. Who wouldn’t want to create their own geofilter for their next event?  

The process is pretty simple, too. Users can submit their custom filter on their new online portal in three simple steps: 

1. Design – Users can create their custom filter on their preferred image editor. Snapchat has also provided users with templates compatible with Photoshop and Illustrator to aid in the creative process. 

2.  Map – In this step, users pick a date and time they want the geofilter to be available. 

3. Buy – Finally, users submit their final geofilter and checkout. Once submitted, the Snapchat team will quickly review the design and get it up and running.

Users can choose spaces that are a minimum of 20,000 square feet to a maximum of 5,000,000 square feet – to put into perspective, that’s roughly the size of a business’ office to a few blocks around a city. As far as the run time, the custom filters can stay live from an hour to thirty days. 

On-demand filters are now available to users across the U.S., UK and Canada, and will be available in more countries soon. Be sure to create a geofilter for your next event! 

 Written by Samantha Velotta of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Kiss Me, I'm Irish! Okay, not really, but for one day I am!

Most people know St. Patrick’s Day as the weekend of green clothes and dark brews, but it is actually a religious celebration of the death of St. Valentine that has been celebrated for over 1,000 years. Even though this Christian holiday falls during Lent, restrictions on diet were lifted in celebration. People would dance, drink, and eat the day away.

St. Patrick’s Day weekend is home to countless parades and pub-crawls all over the world. For most the drinking starts early in the morning and the green beer and Guinness are free flowing throughout the day. We all know the dangers of drinking and driving, but what about those who don’t have a cool bar within walking distance? Do they have to miss out on all of the fun? The answer is NO! Invite over your friends and throw yourself an Irish celebration with a few of these easy ideas. 

Food

Other than traditional party favorites like wings, pizza, and burgers, the key ingredient to fun and festive food for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration is green food coloring. The next time you are at the grocery store, stop by the baking aisle and pick up some food coloring. Food coloring can be added to just about any recipe to at a little whimsy to your meals. 

To prepare for a long day of celebrating, it is important to have a good breakfast. Try adding food coloring to pancake batter for some green half dollar stacks! This is a big hit for both kids and adults.

You can continue the theme all day, adding in a little bit of your green food coloring to snacks like cookies, Rice Krispy treats, cupcakes, and chocolate covered pretzels.  

For a healthier option, consider slicing up some kiwi and celery for the food table.  You can also set out a bowl of green grapes for people to munch on.

Decorations

Decorations are a really simple way to set a theme for your party. In the case of St. Patrick’s Day, a great resource for decorations is your local dollar store. It is often overlooked for more expensive places like Party City, but for a one day per year event, your local dollar store is a great place to go!

Green party streamers, metallic shamrocks, St. Patrick’s Day bunting, and flags are all easy to hang around your living room. The dollar store is also a great place to find St. Patrick’s Day party favors to hand out to your guests!

Activities

One of the best parties I ever went to had a photo booth with silly costumes you could dress up in and get your picture taken. Professional photo booths cost hundreds of dollars to rent for a party, but you can create your own at your house for a fraction of the cost!

First, decorate one of your walls with green streamers, tinsel, or confetti. Next you can place fun glasses and hats you found at the dollar store on a table outside of the shot for people to dress up. You can set up your camera on a tripod, or designate someone as the photographer for a few hours. You can then upload the photos on a slideshow and email them to all of your party attendees a few days later!

One other fun idea for a party would be to set up a mixed drinks station with green themed mixers. Whether it’s mint liqueur, lime juice, or Sour Apple Schnapps, creating your own drinks can be really fun! It’s also a good alternative for your guests who aren’t fond of beer.