Podcasts about website branding

 What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of website branding? It's probably your logo, colors, and fonts, but the truth is branding goes way beyond those two things! This episode will clarify what branding is and how to ensure your brand is clear and consistent.Branding is your unique identity; it makes you recognizable to your audience across all your marketing channels. When you have your branding nailed down, it elevates your professionalism and builds trust with your audience. These minor tweaks can take your branding to the next level.In this episode, I'm sharing what branding is, how to choose the best colors and fonts for your website branding, my tips for the types of images and graphics to use your website, the importance of having a consistent brand voice, and a fun way to incorporate your brand voice on your website.01:15 - The most common misconception around branding03:11 - An example of how branding can make you stand out from the crowd03:39 -  How to choose the right colors, fonts, and images for your website branding06:53 - The power of consistency with your branding across all platforms07:24 - The importance of establishing a brand voice that is authentic to youResources:Episode 86, SEO-Friendly Content: Writing for Humans, Optimizing for AlgorithmsEpisode 87, 9 Things I Wish I'd Known Before My First WebsiteFollow me on Instagram @kristendoyle.co Join my private Facebook community: Savvy Teacher SellersMore resources for growing your TPT businessRate & review The Savvy Teacher Seller on Apple PodcastsShow Notes: https://kristendoyle.co/episode88

Heute sprechen wir im Podcast über Logo & Co. UP-Lift coacht nicht nur im Mindset- und Business-Bereich. Der UP-Lift-Kosmos hat noch viel mehr auf Lager: Die UP-Lift Online GmbH als Manufaktur im Branding- und IT-Bereich sorgt auf Wunsch dafür, dass sich die fachliche Kompetenz der UP-Lifterinnen auch in einem professionellen Außenauftritt spiegelt. Es geht darum, nicht nur "irgendeine Website" zu haben, sondern eine, die verkauft. In der Profi-Sprache nennt man sie eine für das „Onlinemarketing-optimierte Website“, die alle erforderlichen Funktionalitäten schon in sich hat, so dass sich die Anbieterin nur noch um das kümmern muss, was sie wirklich gerne macht. Im Interview mit Creative Director Egbert Thomer sprechen wir darüber, warum eine Website wie ein Online-Ladenbau funktioniert und warum sie die beste Verkäuferin der Firma werden muss – und natürlich darüber, was ein professioneller Auftritt mit Deinen Preisen zu tun hat. Wir diskutieren über gute Logos, über „Grafikdesign Handwerk oder Kunst?“, Markenaufbau für Einzelunternehmerinnen, Wiedererkennbarkeit des Brandings, warum beim Website-Aufbau das gewählte Geschäftsmodell wichtig ist und was das für die Call-to-actions bedeutet. Spoiler: Entscheidend ist, ob das Branding und die Web-Technik in der Lage ist, Interessent:innen zu begeistern und zu Kund:innen zu machen. Höre auch unbedingt rein, wenn Du Dich fragst, was bei Deinem Logo entscheidend ist, Dein persönlicher Geschmack oder die Rückmeldung der Zielgruppe. Nähere Infos zu den Angeboten: https://up-lift.online/kalender/

The Sharvette Mitchell Radio Show | www.Sharvette.com | Episode 711 Your style isn't just about looking good; it's a powerful tool to drive your business forward. Whether it's your website branding, social media presence or how you present yourself at events, your style can work as a lead generator. In today's visually driven world, an eye-catching look will draw people to you (and good vibes). --- Meet our guest Salifya Akers is a passionate and talented plus-size personal stylist with over seven years of styling experience in the fashion industry. Her love for fashion led her to pursue her Bachelor's in Consumer Apparel Retail Studies from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Salifya started her career as a stylist for a popular plus-size chain retailer. She found joy in helping women cultivate their personal style and break free of limiting beliefs about plus-size fashion. Looking to be more impactful, she transitioned to corporate America, working for a major department store where she worked in one of their private label brands for special sizes. However, her heart was happiest helping people on a personal level, so she launched her own company, Styled By Sal, which empowers plus-size women through wardrobe and style mentality transformations.  www.salifya.com https://www.facebook.com/Salifya.A https://www.instagram.com/salifya.a/ ✔ Meet our host: Sharvette Mitchell, THE PLATFORM BUILDER®, exemplifies a unique blend of vision and marketing acumen. With a former 25-year corporate background and innovative marketing strategies, she's a beacon for small businesses. Her trademarked marketing approach enables small businesses to generate more revenue and grow brand recognition. As a speaker, author, and host of the Sharvette Mitchell Radio Show, her insights have resonated across various platforms.   

While social media can seem to be a new top priority of our marketing strategy, websites surely should not be forgotten and are a vital piece to our brand and booking strategy. Having a strong, well-written, cohesive, and on-brand website is what can be the difference between your client hitting that inquiry button or quickly turning away. This week, we've brought on the podcast website and graphic designer, Karima from Karima Creative to dive deep into website branding that will actually boost your bookings during this engagement season. We don't want you to make the same mistakes on your website that so many of us have once done and lost out on. It's time to level up your website branding today. Follow Karima on IG Visit Karima's Website Stay In The Know Want access to rad freebies, giveaways, wedding referrals, and so much more? Join our Facebook Group Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website Our Sponsors, Affiliate Links, and Discounts Use WGY20 to get 20% off an annual premium membership with Vidflow Shop legal contract templates at The Legal Paige Use WEGOTYOU15 for 15% off at LensRentals

This week we welcome the amazing website and brand designer, Izzy Waite, to talk about the importance of having a website and how a brand can bring in your ideal client. Using the right colours and having an easy to navigate website is just the beginning and Izzy shares some tips on making your brand stand out. • Izzy Waite on Instagram • Izzy Waite's Website • Branding and Website in a week For Your Information:• Host your podcast on Buzzsprout!• Text JOIN to 8550908-4688 for social media tips right to your phone• Join our favourite scheduling platform LaterDon't forget to come say hi to us on Instagram @thesocialsnippet, join the Weekly Snippet or follow us on any social media platform!Website . Instagram . Facebook . TikTok . Linkedin

RSJ Online Solutions (678-221-4556) can now build you a stunning, SEO-focused website complete with a range of integrated features to help your business thrive online. To read more about their newly updated toolkit, visit https://www.rsjonlinesolutions.com/marketing-services (https://www.rsjonlinesolutions.com/marketing-services)

In this episode, I share:✨  What is Website Branding?✨  Why is it so important to focus on Website Branding?✨ 5 tips to build your website with a cohesive brandingDon't forget to subscribe to my podcast and leave a review if you liked this episode! ✨Buy my book, Zero to Four Figures, here: https://www.themarketingnomad.co/books/zerotofourfiguresA bit about me:My name: Prithvi MadhukarPseudonym: The Marketing NomadI'm a marketer, business owner, entrepreneur, author of Zero to Four Figures: Lessons Learned by a Broke CEO, podcaster, youtuber, Etsy Shop Owner, Skillshare Teacher, and influencer with a zest for life, passion for marketing and an aim to travel the world while building my business empire ❤️Say Hi! to me:Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/themarketingnomadLinkedin -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/prithvimadhukar/Skillshare -  https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/themarketingnomad?gr_tch_ref=on&gr_trp=onPodcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-marketing-nomad-show/id1531854014YouTube -  https://www.youtube.com/channel/themarketingnomadMy Etsy Shop:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheMarketingNomadCoConsulting Services I offer:Social Media Marketing | Website Marketing | Content Marketing | Email Marketing: https://www.themarketingnomad.co/packages☕ Buy me a coffee if you'd like! ☕https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marketingnomadDISCLAIMER: You are absolutely not required, ever! However, if you liked this episode and you want to say thank you, then this is just me keeping that option open :) I am grateful for anything but please never feel like you have to! :)Related Episode:E29: 7 Tips to Build a Global Personal BrandDownload:1. Marketing Plan Worksheet - https://www.themarketingnomad.co/marketing-plan-worksheet2. IG Post Checklist - https://www.themarketingnomad.co/lm-start-post-checklistSupport the show

We are so excited to welcome fellow podcaster Christy Cegelski from the Captivate and Convert Podcast! Christy is a copywriter, email marketing strategist, and podcaster committed to connection-driven marketing for coaches and course creators. From her show, to her client accounts, Christy works to pack personality and true-to-customer voice in client email sequences and sales copy. After spending 20 years as a stay-at-home mom and committing to finishing her B.A. in English, Christy began using blogging as a place of reflection. Feeling a little late-to-the-online-game, Christy used writing as a way to grow her ecommerce site for her own brand of all natural margarita mixes and unknowingly build up her self-confidence in the process. Christy raised her hand to several copywriting opportunities, and her online business and title as a copywriter was born. Since 2018, Christy has successfully worked with 1:1 clients, created and sold hundreds of her signature products like the Hot Copy Intensive, along with having recorded over 80 podcast episodesChristy's contact info:@christycegelskiHer PodcastHer website: https://christycegelski.com/

Marissa talks about how to move through and exit your inventory in the most profitable way to align with your sales. GCC Partner, Marissa, is our inventory expert, store owner and proclaimed data nerd through her experience in corporate buying. Listen in for all the great tips she has on aligning your inventory!Find ‘The Complete Inventory System' here.Want more? We get it..... head to ✨ graceconsultingcompany.com ✨ to dive into our no b.s. business consulting approach. We promise, you'll love it!Follow us BTS & DM

Static Pins, video pins, idea pins…we talk a lot about what it takes to have a successful Pinterest strategy, but that is only one piece of The post #257 – Why Website Branding is Vital for Success on Pinterest appeared first on Simple Pin Media®.

Shirley Si Ahmed, School Business Leader, returns to share her advice on how to hit the ground running this September!  We talk about all the key areas of the SBL role plus what you need to get covered off quickly, the things you might forget (but won't now!) and some tips to help you feel ready for anything! The episode at a glance: [1:55] – Shirley tells us whether she's ready for September and what her summer has been like   [4:09] – Shirley talks about what it's like to forget who she is, where she's up to and what she should be doing – and how to avoid feeling the same way! [9:29] – Shirley talks about why now is a good time to take stock, make changes where they are needed, set your priorities for the upcoming year and how to make a plan for your teams too [16:51] – Shirley talks about the importance of a clean slate, how we can use it to our best advantage and how far ahead we should actually be thinking! [25:21] – We tackle the big one… finance! What do we need to do now to make sure we're ready for the new year? Shirley tells us… [32:17] – Shirley runs through some key compliance areas you might want to check / complete as the new academic year gets underway [36:47] – We talk about the key HR tasks you should prioritise at this time of year [43:14] – Shirley talks about what data we need to collect, review, update, share and/or archive [49:31] – Shirley talks about the key H&S areas you should have a look over at the start of the year Related content: - https://twitter.com/ShirleySiAhmed (Follow Shirley on Twitter) - https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk/captivate-podcast/how-to-tackle-imposter-syndrome/ (PODCAST: Episode 4 - How To Tackle Imposter Syndrome – Shirley's first episode) Other resources: - https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk/captivate-podcast/002-how-to-hit-the-ground-running-without-a-handover/ (PODCAST: Episode 2 – How To Hit The Ground Running Without A Handover) - https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk/captivate-podcast/sbl-wellbeing-top-tips/ (PODCAST: Episode 19 – SBL Wellbeing: Top Tips) - https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk/captivate-podcast/how-to-achieve-inbox-zero/ (PODCAST: Episode 21 – Inbox Zero) - https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk/captivate-podcast/website-branding-marketing-compliance/ (PODCAST: Episode 28 – Website Branding, Marketing & Compliance) Want to be a guest on the podcast? https://form.jotform.com/211131795465355 (Click here to leave me your details and I'll be in touch soon!) Subscribe: ·       If you haven't already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don't miss out on future episodes!  ·       https://school-business-leadership.captivate.fm/listen (Or click here if it's easier!) Get in touch: You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you'd like to see in the future! You can find Laura here… -       https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk/ (Website, Blog & Free Resources) -       https://twitter.com/lauraljbusiness/ (Twitter) -       https://www.instagram.com/lauraljbusiness/ (Instagram) -       https://www.facebook.com/lauraljbusiness/ (Facebook) -       https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraljbusiness/ (LinkedIn)

Becky Hall and Jeff Eden from School Business Services join me for the eighth and penultimate episode of the Summer of CPD podcast series! Becky and Jeff share their knowledge and expertise about all things to do with your school website – how can you make sure your website is attractive, user friendly, engaging and of course, compliant? We have all the answers for you in this episode…  The episode at a glance: [2:45] – Becky talks about the importance of clarity around the vision for your school and what the role of your website is to support that [8:59] – Becky talks about navigation and ease of use for visitors who aren't familiar with your site [13:41] – Becky shares some helpful tips around site safety and visibility [21:44] – Jeff digs into the detail of website compliance [27:07] – Jeff talks about areas that aren't explicitly referenced on the official checklists but are still required and may be checked by Ofsted Related content: - https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Free-Website-Compliance-Checklist.pdf (DOWNLOAD: Free SBS Website Compliance Checklist) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckyjhall/ (Contact Becky on LinkedIn) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-eden-748b281b9/ (Contact Jeff on LinkedIn) - https://www.schoolbusinessservices.co.uk (Check out the School Business Services website) Want to be a guest on the podcast? https://form.jotform.com/211131795465355 (Click here to leave me your details and I'll be in touch soon!) Subscribe: ·      If you haven't already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don't miss out on future episodes! ·      https://school-business-leadership.captivate.fm/listen (Or click here if it's easier!) Get in touch: You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you'd like to see in the future! You can find Laura here… -      https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk/ (Website, Blog & Free Resources) -      https://twitter.com/lauraljbusiness/ (Twitter) -      https://www.instagram.com/lauraljbusiness/ (Instagram)  -      https://www.facebook.com/lauraljbusiness/ (Facebook) -      https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraljbusiness/ (LinkedIn)

For episode 74, I'm sharing the second installment of my IG Live Series: Just the Tip Tuesdays. This juicy episode features my top branding tips when it comes to websites.Today's lessons include:

Ever wondered what creates a standout brand and website? I Invite my fabulous friend Rachelle, creative director and owner of the branding studio Saevil Row to talk all things creating a gorgeous, cohesive aesthetic & brand and how to marry that with an exceptional website. But most importantly why is this such an important element in business today. Why brand building is so important to build trust with your ideal client and my own personal experience learning all things brand creation with Rachelle and why i believe the most empowering thing you can learn as a creative business is how to take charge of your own brand and website.I promise you won't want to miss this episode for new insights into branding and how it can serve your business for the ultimate investment. Catch Rachelle's Masterclasses WED 28th of July 7pm AEST & Thurs 29th of July 9am AEST via the link HERE You can also see Rachelle's amazing work over on Instagram And her amazing podcast - Girl interrupted (so worth a listen!)Find Rachelle's Website HERE 

Wondering what is the best website design to help you stand out? How can your website help you attract new leads? Today on the show, website expert, Reese Spykerman, shares what you absolutely need to have on your website to stand out and turn browsers into new leads. You'll also learn the three biggest mistakes on websites that send people away and how you can fix them. Connect with Reese at www.designmyreese.com/fixes or on Instagram @reesespykerman . . Before you go, I’d love to connect with you and give you some gifts to help you grow your online presence! Instagram @allisonscholes Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/socialmediaformompreneurs/ Work with me: https://bossladyinsweatpants.com/coaching/ Free Caption Templates: https://bossladyinsweatpants.com/free-captions/ Personal Branding Workbook: https://bossladyinsweatpants.com/rock-your-personal-brand/

One of the greatest things about serving in the online space is creating whatever kind of business you want and making everything completely your own. But a hurdle many entrepreneurs face is how to stand out in an industry or niche that can sometimes feel crowded and oversaturated.In today’s episode, I chat with Karima Neghmouche about changing your mindset, standing out in the industry, and becoming the best version of yourself while doing it.Karima is a Brand & Web Designer based in Durham, NC. After leaving her role as a 9-5 Director of Marketing she took the plunge & landed as a full-time entrepreneur serving in the design space. Karima’s goal is to empower her clients to walk with confidence and feel pride when showing off their website. When she is not designing she is providing mentorship to her clients through 1:1 coaching & helping them to become the best versions of themselves! I know you’ll find Karima’s story deeply inspiring and I hope you’re encouraged by her wisdom and knowledge in this space.EnjoyInstagramWebsiteABOUT THE THRIVE SOCIETY PODCAST The Thrive Society Podcast hosted by Hannah Nieves was born out of the desire to showcase high-level entrepreneurs and brands and their unique stories and experiences in entrepreneurship. You’ll hear raw and uncut stories from these women and how they learned to Thrive. Episodes are released weekly. If you enjoy what you’re hearing feel free to leave a review on Apple Podcast!

On this episode I talk with Stephanie Taale with Flourish Online Management about website functionality and branding. We talk about how to have a converting website, and a website that drives traffic to your business. https://www.flourishonlinemanagement.com/ We also dig a little bit into branding yourself. How to keep things simple, and whether or not your should hire a professional. 01:21 >> About Stephanie 03:10 >> Is it essential for every business to have a website? 04:34 >> Can social media replace a website? 05:25 >> Website platform recommendations 07:36 >> Biggest things to focus to have a converting website 09:13 >> Key elements of a website 11:57 >> Optimizing our load time 12:54 >> Most important things to have on your navigation menu 17:34 >> What to have on your about page 19:01 >> Social proof 22:22 >> Is a blog necessary? 27:47 >> Driving traffic to your website 30:17 >> Foundations for a strong brand 45:49 >> Summary

If you're website isn't optimized, you could be losing money. Check out Website & Branding expert, Danny Peavey of Story Sells tell you why your website is still so important and how to make sure it is helping you bring in customers. You can learn more or schedule a free consultation at www.storysells.com or follow Danny on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannypeavey/  

Tune in to our Founder Breea Gillette and Erica Doherty as they discuss topics relevant to Website Branding & Design. Erica is the CEO of Erica Faith Creative Company, a design studio that assists transformational coaches who want to pivot in their passion.

Reading Time: < 1 minute On this interview we talk to Richard Matthews, a business branding coach and podcast editor. We dig deep into methods to brand your business and the psychological affects of your website appearance. We also look at how to be successful by building or joining mastermind groups, effective teaching and more. He shares with us his […]

Elizabeth Pampalone had many frustrations with “traditional” marketing methods as a small business owner. She developed Absolute Marketing™ to connect with potential small business clients while improving her time management and increasing productivity, all without breaking the bank. It was so successful she uses it with her clients, and they are thrilled with the positive outcomes. Her new school of thought can help small business owners and professionals learn to utilize 5 marketing strategies to lessen the burden of time and expense while bonding with a targeted client base on a more profound level. Learn more at : https://www.elizabethpampalone.com I'm Lorena Tomasini your host and owner of MALM Life and Health Insurance Agency where we help families and business owners with financial protection needs all done digitally over the phone or computer. To learn more about us visit us at https://www.malmins.com

Hosts Tracy Swain and JaVonne Williams are joined by Valerie Jennings and Johnna Londen.   Based in Mexico, these ladies are professionally known as the Online Business Gurus. Both Valerie & Johnna are certified online business managers / coaches and serve successful entrepreneurs transitioning from brick & mortar to a thriving online business. With over 30+ certifications in online mastery, Valerie and Johnna specialize in strategic planning of social media, sales, automation and building effective teams for business growth. In this episode, Valerie and Johnna share some of their tools on how to build & evaluate a sales funnel for your business, how to build a focused social media strategy and their 1:1 mentoring and training courses customizing to your brand. The Online Business Gurus have served over 250 solopreneurs, small business owners and online coaches. They also host the Online Sales Mastery annual giveaway and have built their business from serving 10 years as virtual assistants for executives. Other services provided by the Online Business Gurus are Social Media Ads and Audits, Speaker Management, Membership Site Building, Website/Branding, and SOP Manuals. The Online Business Gurus also provide services for Non-Profit organizations. Any Non-Profit Organization connecting with The Online Business Gurus via Two Chics in the City will receive a percentage off their services.  To learn more about Valerie Jennings & Johnna Londen and "Online Business Gurus", including their various services and products, visit their website for connecting or booking their services at https://theonlinebusinessgurus.com or find both Valerie & Johnna across the various social media platforms.

Your Messaging and Look of your Website speaks of what are your values, mission, what you believe in and what you don’t so today I look at some website branding examples to see their messaging. To get action steps, tips and resources to define your Brand and Business, go to http://homebizstartuptv.com and sign up

Subscribe to our podcast on: iTunes – Google Play – Youtube – Stitcher Radio – Spotify – Alexa/Echo– Web Player David Kaufmann shares what his 8th grade students learned in their website branding workshop recently from Josh Ochs. Next Steps for Podcast Listeners: --> Register for our new free social media safety webinar. Hire Josh Ochs to speak at your organization. Join our Smart Social Community Membership today: https://SmartSocial.com/join Join our newsletter to get access to our free guide: "How To Navigate Social Media with Your Student (A Parent Guide)" https://smartsocial.com/Newsletter Please share this episode with a friend and subscribe so we can help more parents. Thanks for all your support.

Long time friend Ed Ruff introduces us to the culture of ACS Creative after 20 years at the company. The Director of Creative Development shares his servant leadership experience through frank discussions about where you're falling short and fostering business relationships that benefit both parties.  Listen to hear not only Ruff's business expertise but to turn our regular “This One or That One” on its head.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/aserversjourney?fan_landing=true)

Most speakers are missing the key elements of what it takes to pre-qualify clients, engage them along the process and to get the deal to tip over the top and close it quickly. They are missing the power of engaging video and how it helps every single time in getting the client to say, 'Yes'! Stand alone, 15 minute fixed video shots are no longer cutting it. Speakers are trying to command five figure engagements with five hundred dollar websites and they don't understand why they are not getting hired. In this teleseminar you will learn how Kenyon Salo consistently closes deals, for some of the best speaking engagements, with video, testimonials and a properly branded website. Join this teleseminar to get the inside quick tips to success and how you can implement for success now!View upcoming and past interviews at https://www.speakermatch.com/radio

Jenna Redfield is the leader of the Twin Cities Collective, the largest resource in the Twin Cities for bloggers, small businesses, entrepreneurs & creatives. She is a well-known speaker, educator & social media strategist. You can work with her one on one with coaching or take one of the Academy classesFree Social Media Masterclass www.twincitiescollectiveacademy.com/masterclass-signupInstagram Marketing Class www.twincitiescollectiveacademy.com/instagramAcademywww.twincitiescollectivacademy.comJoin the Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/twincitiescollectiveCoaching https://www.twincitiescollectiveacademy.com/coaching-programsFind the podcast on all platforms http://www.twincitiescollective.com/podcast-linksFollow us on Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/twincitiescollective

Jenna Redfield is a digital content expert, focused on organizing, planning and creating content for marketing purposes. She runs her YouTube channel Jenna Redfield and works with people to help organize their digital lives!  Home: https://jennaredfield.com YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/jennaredfield Join the Facebook Groups https://www.facebook.com/groups/adhdandnotion https://www.facebook.com/groups/marketingandnotion/ Follow me on Social https://www.youtube.com/c/jennaredfield https://www.instagram.com/jennaredfield https://www.tiktok.com/@jennaredfield

Transcript of Interview with Joshua Adams Joshua Adams, the Head Honcho of Rock Paper Simple, lives and breathes entrepreneurship, branding, and marketing. Joshua started programming at 11 years old and began his freelance web career at 14. As a result of working with over 700 clients, he has become an expert in the fields of web development, digital marketing, and branding. Joshua founded Rock Paper Simple in 2011 with the vision of empowering businesses who are awesome at what they do by developing their brand and digital presence. He is never satisfied with the status quo and is always working hard to find the simplest, but most effective ways to create results for his clients and ventures. You will frequently hear him say “Ever Forward!”, as he believes the best option is always, always to move forward. He lives to empower talented people and dedicates his work in every endeavor to the glory of God. Amongst other accomplishments, he was named a finalist of LEAD Brevard's “4 under 40” award in 2016 and again in 2017 Rock Paper Simple http://rockpapersimple.com/hugh Hugh: Hey, it's Hugh Ballou. I have a guest who is a fairly new friend, but a couple years. We have connected, and over the couple years, we have had significant conversations. This is Joshua Adams. I've seen him and his team do amazing work. I wanted to share some information today with all our listeners about branding. We want to do a website. We've given no thought to what it looks like, what representation it is for who we are and what we stand for. Joshua, hello. Joshua: Hello, how are you? Hugh: I'm awesome. Tell people a little bit about you. What's your background that has brought you to this really good place of branding, marketing, and web design? Joshua: Absolutely. I actually got in the industry more on the web programming side of things. When I was 11 years old, my dad handed me a programming book and said, “Here, learn this.” I remember picking up the book and going, This is bigger than the Bible. At that time, the Bible was the biggest book on the planet in my mind, so this was a big deal. I dug into it, loved it, and dove into programming. My friends were playing games, and I was at home programming, clockin' away, making games and applications. As I got older, I got into web and focused on that. When I was 14, I started freelancing. When I was 18, I started my own web design company in my parents' garage. I had three desks all lined up and said, “I'm doing it.” It took off. I loved business. I loved entrepreneurism. It was natural. A couple years into doing that, I merged with a marketing agency. This is where my mindset shifted because I went from a programming mind, that engineering, tell me what to build and I'll build it—as you call them, propeller-heads—to thinking more along the lines of, How can I build it? How can I make this cool? I realized that these marketing clients don't care how cool this is. They want it to make the money. They want it to have results, to have a purpose. I learned what marketing was, what branding was, and that influenced me. A month into this new partnership, my partner decided to disappear for an extended period of time. I went, Great. Here I am, a programmer, running a marketing agency. During the day, I'd be on phone calls; they'd want printing, design, or logos. I'd go, “Absolutely, great,” and I'd hang up and go, Crap. Google is my friend. I searched online courses and had to learn this on the fly. Here we were, developing for big clients in the area, and I had to figure this out. That was trial by fire. A few years into that, I had to part ways with my partner for more reasons than just going our separate ways. I brought all that marketing and branding knowledge with me and said, I want to develop a company that takes all the complexities away, all these over-the-top things that we were doing in the previous agency. I want to simplify it and build websites that are marketing-focused. At the time, my passion was still websites. I loved branding and marketing, but I wanted to focus on websites. We launched Rock Paper Simple five years ago with the premise that we would build websites on purpose, bring all this knowledge, and build marketing-focused website platforms. That was our claim to fame. People knew us for that. You want a marketing website? Go to Rock Paper Simple. You want a technical product? Maybe go somewhere else. A marketing-focused one? That was what we did. We took off with that. The funny thing was we'd sit in those planning sessions because we were big on planning. We would be talking about the brand and logo, and I'd be advising them on brand messaging and how they should position themselves. They had never thought about the unique value proposition. Our website planning session would often become a branding planning session. People started asking, “Do you do branding?” “No, we don't.” Finally we said we ought to create a product. I'm a big believer that if you can't do it well, you really shouldn't do it. We said, “We'll offer branding when we're ready.” We set off, and about eight months later, myself and my lead designer created a brand product. It was logo and brand colors and messaging, the whole deal. We launched that and won a Gold Addy for it that year. That was about three years ago. Fast forward to now, we've added digital marketing services to our repertoire. It's no longer just me and a couple guys. It's a team of ten here in Florida. We focus on helping brands and organizations figure out who they are, their identity, build a web platform, and then get known in the world. That's a fast forward of where I've come from and what I do. Hugh: You do it really well. I call people propeller-heads because they are geeks that put up pretty pages, and they don't do any of the stuff you're talking about. There is a whole back side of a website that drives traffic. We're talking to social entrepreneurs that run a church, synagogue, or charity. The organization is a cause-based nonprofit. Why is marketing important to those organizations? Joshua: Sometimes marketing can be a bad word in some of those cases, just like profit. They're making profit. We use different words for types of organizations. I myself was a youth pastor for three years. I have been involved in ministry my entire life. I get it. There is a bad connotation to it. But in many ways, we have to be careful how we say this, but the way you run any organization is like a business. There is a balance sheet. There are margins. There is overhead. You have customers, kind of. I use that loosely. Ultimately, any organization, whether it's nonprofit or ministry, etc., you have all of those things. You have to cater to those people. In the terms of a nonprofit or a ministry, you still have to get out to your audience. You have an audience; you are trying to attract them. Whether that is because you are trying to make a profit or make an impact, it doesn't matter. What your goal is as an organization may be different, but you still have to get to people. Regardless of what it is you are trying to do, you have to reach people with your message. Sometimes that marketing is to get donors, to drive revenue, to be able to do bigger things. Sometimes for outreach, to be able to reach people who are in need. There is plenty of need for that, to reach people who need the organization, whether that be a ministry outreach or a support group or whether that may be. How you get that message out there is important. Taking that step back to what we want to focus on today is that branding. What is that message? If you don't have a clear, concise, consistent message, people don't know what it is you stand for. That's very important, even more so with these organizations. What is it that you stand for? I want to get behind something. We are very involved with that here at Rock Paper Simple. We believe in giving back to our community. I believe it's in my fate; I believe I am supposed to give back. We are supposed to be an impact and a light to our community. That is a responsibility I have even more so because of my position, where I'm at. We do have the resources to do it. When I am asked to contribute or be involved or be an emcee for this or come and lip-sync battle over here—yes, we did do that—I am looking at who is this organization, what do they stand for, what is their message, why should we be involved, why should we give. They have to have a clear message. We have sat down with organizations before and said, Hey, we just did a branding project for a nonprofit. We went through the whole process. I can admit that sometimes it can be a challenge to sit there with a board. It's a little bit easier when it's one-on-one with a stakeholder. If you have a board, it can be challenging to make sure you really break down what you stand for. Hugh: This is all a lead-up, an umbrella for this interview. All of this is setting the context, which you have done quite well. The whole context of this is about design. Underneath that design is all the stuff you're talking about and principally, for this interview, we are talking about design, how we engage the board, not that they are going to help you draw the logo. We think brand is a logo. I want to move into this umbrella of design. Also, you do work with boards. That was a really good segue. I didn't set you up for that. That was just a predestination theory. I think people misunderstand brand. If you are going to do a really good design, all that work you talked about manifests itself in a very relevant design. Let's talk about brand. We hear these words “brand image,” “brand promise.” People think a logo is a brand. Give me a short definition of brand. We need to have this brand so you can do the design, correct? Joshua: Absolutely. Understanding like you said, most people think I need a brand, so it's a logo and some colors, etc. While that is part of your brand, you have to understand that your logo is a representation of your brand. Your true brand is really the character and essence of your company, the personality of it, what it stands for. That is your brand, not necessarily that pretty logo sitting there. When you have a truly great logo, a truly great image representation of your brand, it comes from a good understanding of who you are. I was talking about this yesterday at Shannon Gronich's event. We were talking about branding and the concepts of that. What happens is people don't know themselves. We have to stop and say, “Know thyself.” I like to use that. Who are you? What are you trying to convey? I was joking about how a lot of people do their 60-second pitch, their elevator pitch. Here is who I am and what I do. A lot of people come up and go, “Hey, I'm John Smith, and I build websites,” and they walk away. Okay. But really, what makes you different? You have to convey that. Know yourself. Know the true part. A lot of businesses don't. Not only do a lot of businesses not, but a lot of organizations don't. They will say, “Yeah, we help feed the hungry.” Okay, but more than that. Who are you? Why do you do that? What sets you apart? What kind of an impact are you making on the world that is different than the other ones doing it? Why are you more trustworthy? Tell me more about you. Tug at my heartstrings. These are all things that people miss. We take a step back and say, “Okay, yeah, we want to make a logo, but let's talk about what you stand for.” We call that “brand vision” here. What is the vision of your brand? Before the mission, before the promise, all that: what is the vision? We say within ten words or fewer, what is the highest calling of the company? What is that headline in the newspaper you are so proud of? Ten years from now, a headline says, “Rock Paper Simple: Empowering people who are awesome at what they do.” Boom, there's a vision. Something we want to accomplish. What is that brand vision? What is that battle cry? That is my favorite terminology to use for that that you can rally around as an organization. That's brand vision. When you can define that, then you step from there and say, “Okay, what is my mission statement?” which is the how. How do I accomplish that vision? What is my brand promise? Who am I making that promise to, and what is that promise, that unique thing I am promising to every customer, stakeholder, donor, whatever it is? What is that unique promise I am making? The reason it's important to define this is this stuff can float up in the head of the leader(s) or even the organization's members or employees or staff or team members or clergy, whatever. When it comes out on paper and becomes real, you can live this stuff out more. Helping pull that out, I'll sit there with boards and pull this stuff out of them. Tell me more about this. Let's build this promise. Once we have a unified promise and everybody can get around what they're promising, now it's so much easier to deliver on that brand. We work on things like brand personality, how it should sound, how it should look, how it should act when you're out there. Core values and value statements. That is the essence of your brand. With all that stuff, I give you a logo that represents it. When somebody asks me to define a brand, that is 90% of your brand. Your logo is just the representation of that. Hugh: Then you build a website to manifest that brand image, right? Joshua: Exactly. Now not only are you matching color and logo and style, but now you are matching personality and belief and message. That is what is so important. Design is so much more than just some pretty pictures and colors. It's a message. True design has a purpose. Why are you doing what you're doing? I am a big believer in questioning just about anything. Why are we doing this? There is always an answer. I am a little over-the-top with it, but there has to be a purpose. The first board I ever sat on, I was sitting there at 19, 20, and I go, “I am 20 years younger than everybody else. Can somebody explain why we're here? If there is no point here, I don't want to be here.” Hugh: That's a key point, my friend. Too many people on the boards, it's a nodding board. They come home, they nod, and they go home and do nodding. Joshua: Then I nodded at you. Hugh: Everything we do, we should ask why we're doing it. Joshua: Yes. Hugh: We're not going to delve into it in this particular interview, but we have talked about a web experience versus a website. What I'm gaining here is you are getting a whole experience. There is an engagement. At the beginning of that, people have to understand why you're there, what your purpose is. Too many charities complain they don't get donations. Well, there is a reason behind that. This is that structure that is so important. Let me focus. We are looking at the design element. Let's take all those components. We are talking to the executive director of the clergy. They have an idea for this. They want to engage their board and get them on board with this. When you work with a board and define a course, the more people you have, the harder it is to make finite decisions. There is a general education level before people can make decisions. Can you give us two or three points for a nonprofit executive for clergy, how will they approach the board and get them focused on the work that needs to happen so they are supporters and understand why this work needs to happen and their role in giving input to it? How do you work with a board? Joshua: I have worked with individuals and boards. I have done 13 people. I have 13 stakeholders in a room. I got to get them all to agree. That can be challenging. What you have to rally around is core goals, a core vision. What are you trying to accomplish today? Typically, that is unity, a strong message, focusing our scattered message, nobody knows who we are. That is normally the pain we are running into. We say, “All right, let's rally around this.” For me, the easiest thing is to work on my first step, that vision. If I can get 13 people to agree on a vision, the rest of it is much easier. We can build out from there. Before that even, why is it important? I think a lot of times an executive director is that person who has to go to the board and say, “This is important to me because…” People don't know who we are. People don't know what we are. Our name doesn't represent what we do. I'm dealing with one board that I sit on—I am co-chair of it—where they are saying our name doesn't represent what we do currently. It represents what we did 20 years ago. We needed to talk about that. Is this even relevant currently? We talk about that. It's understanding that you have to make sure you are speaking the right message to the right audience, that you're differentiating yourself from the crowd, that you're making an impact with your message, and that you're being consistent. These are all things that are important to any organization with their brand. Hugh: Great. You have created a page for our listeners. Your brand is RockPaperSimple.com. There is a backslash with my name, Hugh. There is a page there with some special offers. Is there a place people can request a consultation with you? Joshua: Yes. Click on the tab “Schedule Free Consultation.” It pulls it up right there. Hugh: It would occur to me some leader listening to this says, “I have an idea I need to go in this direction. I want to brainstorm how to present to my board.” Is that a good reason for somebody to schedule a consultation? Joshua: Yes, I am working with someone now. We are more than happy to strategize how you present to a board, how you say, I'd like to explore this. You can even bring us along. We'll tag along, show up at a meeting, have a chat real quick. No pressure. We won't sell the board. If we are able to help, then great. If not, then we can move on from there, that's fine. Oftentimes, getting the board to understand why this is important, everything you do is influenced through your brand. If people don't trust your brand, they are not going to donate, they are not going to show up to your events. It's the same with a business. If you go to a website and see a product you might be interested in and the website doesn't look good and the logo looks like it was made in MS Paint, you see the Buy Now button, and you are going to think twice about clicking the Buy Now button. This is just regular business. You're afraid you don't know who they are. The same thing is true with nonprofits. If I go to your website and it looks like not great, then I am afraid to make that donation. It's just the way the world works. We are trained that if it's trustworthy, it's consistent. That's just how we are trained with our world that we are around. That's why it's important to have that brand cohesiveness. It doesn't have to be the most amazing, wondrous design on the planet, but it does need to make sense. It does need to convey the right message. It does need to be consistent. Speak to the right audience. You choose your design, style, colors, and everything else based on what your audience wants, not necessarily your stakeholders' favorite color. Hugh: That is a key point. What I am getting from this for you to approach the design piece of this at all is a whole lot of thinking that the leader with their teams, the board, the staff, whomever, need to go through so that they can give you intelligent answers for their questions. Joshua: When we work with somebody, we have a discovery session first, which is that pre-sales process so we really understand what's going on. If we decide to work together, then we have a planning session. Prior to that, we even send them a questionnaire to learn more. We review it in that planning session. Then we get to work. Before I even start working with that board or company, we have gone through three steps of gathering information, understanding who they are and what they are. Then we wipe it clean and say, All right, tell me. What makes you guys different? What's the vision? What sets you apart? We work on it right then and there. Sometimes in that first meeting, we knock out half the document. Sometimes in that first meeting, we have four or five choices for a brand vision, and we reschedule. Depends on the board honestly. Hugh: I would encourage people not to rush this part of it. We gotta have a website up next month so we are going to do something. That may do you more harm than good. There is such a thing as negative brand recognition, isn't there? Joshua: Understanding that your brand says something, what does it say? Are you controlling that? Are you purposely driving that message? Your brand is going to say something. Whether it says we knew what we're doing, we're fun, we're exciting, we do all this stuff, or it says, maybe we don't know, maybe we're not put together, maybe we're not organized. It's going to have a message. People are going to take that subconsciously without even knowing it. There are plenty of fantastic organizations out there with horrendous logos. They come across my desk. We donate to this. I look at it and push it aside. I look at this one over here. I know these guys. Later on, I find this other organization is fantastic, it just didn't look good. I wasn't writing a check to it because I didn't trust it. I'm not saying that there is somehow a correlation to how good an organization you are. But it does impact perception. Perception is so key. Regardless of the truth, perception is the truth to most people, right? How often are we misjudged? I am just talking personally as people. We misjudge or we are misjudged all the time. This is another conversation. That is perception. You can't just say, That's not who I am and get mad about it. Unfortunately, to that person, perception is their truth. Until it's corrected, that perception is what they are going to believe. The perception of your brand unfortunately is the truth to your audience until you change that. You take control of your brand and say, “I want my brand to say this.” Therefore, everything else will follow it. I want Rock Paper Simple's brand to say that we empower people who are awesome at what they do. Whether that is they do, we empower them to grow and build. The rest of our statements go into how we do that. Our core values talk about how we go about doing what we do with the character of the company. Things like integrity, growth, and teamwork. These are all things in core to our team. One of our core values is community. That is why we do so much in the community. Why do we do that? it's part of the brand essence. It's part of the message we want to speak. I was speaking the other day and somebody made the comment, “Oh yeah, Rock Paper Simple does all kinds of stuff in the community.” The brand's working. We are doing stuff. People know us as a company that does that. That's important. Is my brand going to accidentally just communicate to people that we have integrity, that we are team players, that we are fun? No. I have to decide that's what I want the brand to say and then push it out there. We are a very fun brand. One of our core values is legitimately fun. We do things that convey that. Hugh: You are a mushroom. You are a fun-gi. All right. This is helpful information. To do your design, there is a whole bunch of stuff underneath that: engaging the board in meaningful conversation around this. People can go to rockpapersimple.com/hugh and get some more information. Joshua: Absolutely. Hugh: There are some special offers. Joshua Adams, I know you have a very fine team behind you, but you are the leader and you have created this powerful vision for yourself. Thank you for helping us think about design and how we engage our board around that. Joshua: For sure. Glad to help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I interview Amber Ludwig Founder of NGNG. Amber helps you become the ‘go-to' authority in your industry by building your online presence and personal brand. She can help us app developers, entrepreneurs, authors and business owners gain an integrated online presence and get results. She also suggests a great Linkedin strategy to gaining more app projects.

Everyone is telling you, you should to get a website or update the one you have. You want to invest in your business' online presence and not be taken advantage of in the process. This show is for you. Dawn of dpk-graphicdesign.com/ will be our guest for this show. Dawn is a wife, a mother of 4 small children, a graphic designer and an artist.If you're in the market for a website, we want to help you maximize your investment. In this info-packed 1/2 hr. We will discuss:  What you should know BEFORE you hire a web designer including the purpose of your website and the different website options.  This will be time well spent.Dawn's contact info: Twitter: @PainterMommy http://www.Twitter.com/paintermommyWebsite: http://www.DPK-GraphicDesign.com May you never feel alone on this journey.Kendra Tillman, - Visit Me At The Savvy WAHM Community

Everyone is telling you, you should to get a website or update the one you have. You want to invest in your business' online presence and not be taken advantage of in the process. This show is for you. Dawn of dpk-graphicdesign.com/ will be our guest for this show. Dawn is a wife, a mother of 4 small children, a graphic designer and an artist.If you're in the market for a website, we want to help you maximize your investment. In this info-packed 1/2 hr. We will discuss:  What you should know BEFORE you hire a web designer including the purpose of your website and the different website options.  This will be time well spent.Dawn's contact info: Twitter: @PainterMommy http://www.Twitter.com/paintermommyWebsite: http://www.DPK-GraphicDesign.com May you never feel alone on this journey.Kendra Tillman, - Visit Me At The Savvy WAHM Community