Successful social media will generate quality leads, drive sales, and reinforce branding. But creating quality content takes a lot of planning, creativity, and time. 

Once you’ve identified your goals and audience, it’s time to start brainstorming quality content that will engage your followers. If you've already done that, but feel like your engagement is low, we've got a few tips for you to try. 

These 12 tactics should help you secure those elusive likes, shares, follows, clicks or leads: 
 

1.  Engage with your audience

Despite what the name implies, it’s actually pretty easy to get on social media and not be social. You wouldn’t ignore a current or prospective client’s call or email, so why should your social media communications be any different?

If someone leaves a comment or messages you, be sure to get back to them with an on-brand response in a timely fashion. 

 

2.  Mix up your feeds

Looking for some fresh posting ideas? We've got a whole series of blog posts on that! 

There’s nothing less effective than social media streams that regurgitate the same old stuff day after day. Content like blog posts and job vacancies are great content -- but they’re not all you should be posting day after day. Hop on trending content like current news, mix up your post formatting, and get creative!

3.  Take a multi-medium approach

Instead of trying to make all your marketing channels work in isolation, make social media a part of your print campaigns – and vise versa. If you’ve got an email or PR campaign going out, create a buzz around it on social media too. Creating a multichannel campaign can help increase your reach and direct new people over to your social channels.
 

4.  Time your posts

Figuring out when your followers are online will help you increase your reach. While Instagram gives you insight into the days and hours that your audience is online, you'll have to experiment with posting times when it comes to other platforms. Play around with posting on different days to see what works best for you and then analyze which hours get you the highest reach and engagement. 
 

5.  Post bold content

On social media getting noticed often means taking risks. People are inundated with fresh content every time they refresh their feeds – and to get results you’re going to have to think outside the box. 

This means something different for reach business -- but start by playing around with different post formats, riskier graphics, and out of the box content.
 

6.  Plan in advance

Don’t overlook big events -- or the social media exposure that comes with them. We suggest creating a social media calendar that spans several months in advance so that you can be proactive and maximize all topical opportunities. 
 

7.  Push people back to your site

Use bit.ly to shorten your links -- and track your traffic. 

If you’re not pushing people back to your website, you’re not getting the full benefits of posting on social media. Whether you’re sending people to a blog post, product page, or dedicated landing page, be sure to include links when they’re relevant. 
 

Use a content calendar to keep track of your social media posts!

8.  Blur the boundaries

Having strict brand guidelines in place is key for consistency, but if there’s one place to blur your boundaries, it’s on social media. We’re not suggesting going completely off brand – but we are suggesting that you play around with the style of your graphics and the buzz words you use. This will give you a great opportunity to see what your audience responds to – and what they really don’t like. 

 

9.  Up your video content

Facebook's algorithm has long favored video content over other mediums -- and we don't foresee that changing any time soon. Millions of videos are being watched each and every day, so make sure you incorporate them into your social media strategy. 

10.  Team up with an influencer

If you’re struggling to get the kind of reach you want, think about teaming up with a relevant influencer to give your following a boost. Just be sure you find someone that feels like a natural fit and speaks to your target demographic. 

11.  Shout about your success

Whether it’s a charity sale that went well or an award you recently won, shout about all the great things -- big and small -- that are happening with your business. It’s a fabulous and free way to promote your culture and aid your recruitment efforts.

12.  Be inventive with your images

Use a mix a graphics and pictures and don't be afraid to shake up the content. While your pictures should have a consistent style and look, feel free to branch out when it comes to subject matter. If you're posting multiple times a day, it's easy to get into a visual rut.  

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SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IN GREENSBORO, NC

Have you hit a plateau for likes and follows? We can fix that! Whether you’re looking to increase your views or simply need a break from handling your account, Hue & Tone Creative has you covered for all things social.

Web hosting. We hear those words a lot, but how many of us actually know what it is? Well if you don’t, then look no further. We’ve cut out the jargon and waved goodbye to all that techy mumbo jumbo as we take a quick look at the basics of web hosting. 
 

Web hosting vs domains

When it comes to web hosting and domains there can be a bit of confusion between the two. We like to break it down like this: 
 

Web hosting: This would be your house, because it’s the space where everything is stored.

Without web hosting there wouldn’t be any websites. It’s the physical location that your website (and everything it entails) sits, and it ensures that your site maintains a sturdy connection to the internet -- without that connection, people are unable to access any of the files on your site (which, in layman’s terms, means you have no website!).

Some examples of web hosting companies include InMotion, 1&1, HostGator, GoDaddy, Wix and Weebly.

Domain: This is the equivalent of your address, because it’s the location your host can be found.

It’s not a physical entity, it’s just the series of characters that make up your site’s unique location. So, the same way you’d enter an address and ZIP code to get to your end destination, you enter your domain name into the search bar to get to your website.

Some of the most popular domain name providers out there are GoDaddy, Hover, Dynadot, Google Domains and Namecheap.

 

Where should you buy web hosting from?

When it comes to choosing the right web host for you, there are a lot of solid contenders out there. To help you along your way, here are the top five as rated by the experts over at Techradar.

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Web host

InMotion

Voted

Best overall shared web hosting

Selling points

Wordpress hosting, business hosting, web design services, and 24/7 US-based support

1&1

Runner-up overall shared web hosting

Baremetal servers, free SSL certificate, secure hacker protection, and email marketing

HostGator

Best ‘cheap’ option on the market

Unmetered bandwidth, unmetered disk space, money back guarantee (45 days) and $150 search credit

GoDaddy

Good all-round service

SEO services, free domain, database backup/restore, and unmetered bandwidth

Bluehost

Wordpress’ #1 preferred partner

Unmetered bandwidth, WooCommerce hosting, Free domain, 24/7 US-based support

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What does all that terminology mean?

We just threw a bunch of terminology at you -- but since this is a beginner's guide to web hosting, let's go ahead and break it down: 
 

Bare metal servers: The term ‘bare metal’ refers to a hard disk, and so a bare metal server is when a computer system or network’s virtual machine is installed directly on to hardware.

SSL certificate: In its simplest form, an SSL certificate is a public-facing, digital document that tells people a site is secure. It also lets you know that the company that says they own the website you're accessing legitimately owns it. 

Bandwidth: Bandwidth is the amount of site content and visitor traffic a server can transfer in a certain amount of time.

Unmetered bandwidth: A hosting plan with unmetered traffic. The price you pay each month does not depend on the amount of traffic (data) sent to and from your server during the month

Unmetered disk space: Disk space is the amount of data you can store on a web server. The amount of disk space you need will vary depending on the size of your site. Similar to unmetered bandwidth, unmetered disk space means you are given an unlimited amount of disk space. 

If you want to learn more about SEO in general, we have a lot of resources on our blog for that.  

SEO: Search engine optimization (SEO) is the online practice of increasing the amount of traffic you get through to your website via organic search results, like Google. Some hosting companies offer services to help you improve your SEO.

Questions about what any of these terms mean? Leave them below in the comments -- we'll be happy to help clear up any questions you have! 

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Hue & Tone Creative: Web Design Services

Once you've secured your domain and hosting, let us help you bring your site alive with a great design and intuitive user experience. Get in touch today to see how we can support your website’s set-up.

Just starting up? Here's 5 questions any new business owner should answer before branding their business. 

Branding is made up of the values that guide you, the visuals that communicate who you are, and the language you use to communicate with your customers. 

If you’re a regular reader, the number one thing you’ve probably learned from our blog is how important branding is. That’s because it’s essential to attracting, converting, and keeping your customers. It builds loyalty, brand recognition, and acts as a touchstone for consumers. 

We believe branding should be flexible and fun. And, while consistency is important, that doesn’t mean all of your assets should be identical. No matter what your industry or offering, there's a few things we think you should avoid. Here’s our top six: 
 

1.  Sea of sameness

Think outside of the box and make sure your logo, values, and messaging differentiate you from what’s already out there.  

Everyone has competitors -- and chances are they sell similar or identical products/services. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to imitate what they do! Work with a designer to create a strong brand identity for yourself and then stick with it. It may take time, but you want to establish your identity separate from the competition. 

 

2. Behind the times

Don’t let your branding give off a less-than-contemporary vibe. In the customer’s eyes outdated branding translates to inferior products and subpar service. 

Just because you went through the branding process when you first started your business, that doesn’t mean you’re set for life. Your business’ branding should be periodically reviewed and tweaked to reflect the constantly evolving digital landscape.

3. Inconsistency

Consistency is key. Your market needs to be able to identify you across every channel and it’s counterproductive to have an entirely different look and feel across different mediums. Whether it’s on social media, direct mail, a billboard ad, or website banner, your brand should be instantly recognizable across everything you produce. If it’s not, you could miss out on brand awareness and the benefits of an omni-channel campaign.

4.  It’s not all about you

When you’re establishing your branding, it’s imperative to remember that what you’re aiming for isn’t about you and your personal preferences -- it’s about your potential customers or clients, so try to avoid getting too personal. 

Just because a color isn’t your favorite, doesn’t mean it won’t connect with your potential customers. If you're having trouble separating your emotions from the process, consider putting some data behind your decisions by conducting market research to gain valuable guidance.

5.  Lack of clarity

Your branding should quickly and effortlessly communicate what you do -- and it should easily grab your potential customer’s attention. In a world where time is a highly valued commodity, it’s essential you snag people’s attention quickly.

If your branding’s unclear, you run the risk of not being memorable…which may send them running to your competitors. 

6. Not following through

Never, ever make false promises. If you are a delivery company and your tagline is “always on time,” make sure you’re always on time! If you fail to deliver on your promises, your branding is irrelevant, and you leave yourself open to complaints and lost customers

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Hue & Tone: Branding for the Piedmont Triad

Branding doesn't have to be hard -- in fact, with the right people in your corner it can actually be fun! Let us turn marketing into something you enjoy doing -- not something you dread. We can help you with everything from your initial branding to your day-to-day social media needs.

Get your new business of to the best start possible with the right marketing materials!

So, you’ve decided to start a business. You know you need the basics like a logo and business cards – but what other marketing assets should you make a priority?

Marketing materials can encompass everything from websites and letterheads to social media graphics and promotional videos. If you’re just starting out in the small business world, chances are your budget is probably a little tight – but skimping when you start up can mean unnecessary spending down the road.

Think about it: you pick the first business name you think up and print up a bunch of business cards, letterheads, and pens. A few weeks later, you’re hearing from your customers that they can’t remember your business name. Now you’ve confused people, still have to pay for proper branding, and you’ve got to pay to reprint materials you could have gotten right from the start. 

The good news is that we’re here to tell you what you need it, why you need it, when you need it, and how you get it. We hope this run down of essential marketing materials helps empower you when you’re hiring a graphic designer or marketing agency.

Here’s what you need to successfully get your business off the ground:
 

1. Brand Values

Because no physical products come out of this stage of the branding process, it’s often rushed or disregarded – but this is one of the most important stages, and it will influence everything you do from here on out. Your brand values are the set of principles that will dictate every aspect of your business, including the look, messaging, and customer service approach.

Here’s what you’ll want to define:

• Values: what does your business stand for?

• Objectives: where do you want to be in 1, 5, or 10 year’s time?

• Customer personas: who are your talking to and what do they care about?

• Tone of voice: how will you talk to your customers? And why?

• Proposition: what will you do for your customers? And how will you benefit them?

• Tagline/mission statement: how can your brand’s essence be summed up into as few words as possible?

Taking the time to properly develop your brand values will allow you to properly train your workforce and will help you communicate your brand to third parties. We suggest asking your marketing team for a brand book or set of written guidelines that you could hand off to an outside team.

2. Brand Identity

Now it’s time to develop the look and feel of your brand. This is where you’ll work with a designer to create a logo and everything that goes with it. You’ll want to come out of this stage with:

• Primary logo: as well as any alternative logo formats you might need for packaging, online use, or small sizes

• Logo usage guidelines: what is the smallest size your primary logo should be printed? What do you do when you can only print your color in one logo? Make sure your designer provides you with guidelines for every situation you might encounter.

• Font palette: what fonts are you going to use on print, web, and in Microsoft Office?

• Color Palette: what primary and secondary colors will complement your look, logo ad tone?

• Graphic elements: anything needed to complete your print and web designs.

• Sample usage: make sure your designer provides examples of how all these elements will come together to create your signature look.

3. Build a winning website

We talk a lot about the importance of a well designed and properly optimized website, so we won’t waste a lot of space here talking through why you need one. Instead, we’ll run through a few key considerations when it comes to building it:

• Get to the point: you’ve got a limited time to capture visitors’ attention, so get your message across clearly and effectively on every page.

• Contemporary: outdated websites make your brand look instantly aged and untrustworthy. Take the time to get your website looking slick, and outsource it to a specialist if you need to.

• Architecture: once you start adding menus and pages, they can be a right pain to change down the line. To make sure you’ve got a great user experience from the outset, map out your site’s architecture before you start building it.

• Search engine optimization (SEO): with a reputation for being the cheapest marketing method around, it’s crucial that you build and write your website with SEO at the forefront of your mind.

• Contact: make your call to actions and contact information crystal clear.

• Host: choose a content management system that’s reliable. Personally, we would recommend Squarespace – here’s why.

• Domain: be sure to match your domain name to your business’ name.
  

4. Social media

Did you know, 70% of the US population have at least one social media profile? That’s a whole lot of potential customers to capture.

We suggest selecting just 2-3 platforms to get started on – especially if you’re handling your social media in house. To effectively leverage social media, there’s a few things you’ll need to do:

• Only use high resolution profile and background images (pixilated pictures make you look untrustworthy and out of touch)

• Write a succinct and enticing bio

• Link back to your website

• Include contact details

• Keep an eye on your inbox/direct messages

• Commit to regularly posting

• Reply to those who engage with you

• Interact with relevant people and/or profiles

Maintaining social media should be a daily job – if it’s not, you’re not doing it right. We suggest creating a content calendar to stay organized. And, make sure you have a set of templates on hand to save time when you need to create a quick Facebook graphic. 

5. Blogs

Investing in content marketing comes with endless benefits. A well maintained blog boosts your SEO efforts, helps you build backlinks and brand awareness, generates leads, adds brand value, and ups engagement.

Just remember the golden rule: the content you’re publishing must be quality. Churning out subpar articles won’t get you far -- if it even gets you anywhere. Here are a few general post types to get you going:

• Videos

• Infographics

• Webinars

• Tutorials

• Whitepapers

• Presentations

• ‘How to’ guides

• Buzzfeed-style listicles

With good content, you need good images. If you’re not in the position to fork out money for sites like iStock and Shutterstock, consider Unsplash, Pixabay and Pexels for good, free alternatives. 
 

6. Templates

Next up is templates. The extent of this list will vary depending on the nature of your business, but below is an idea of the types of templates we suggest you think about:

• Email campaigns - sales, welcome, thank you, updates, or otherwise

• Newsletters

• Direct mail

• Job descriptions

• Email signatures

• Powerpoint presentations

• Social media graphics

• Letterhead/memos

Your logo should feature on each and every one of them -- which is why it’s important to have a logo that sits well in different settings, and your brand’s look, feel and tone should be encapsulated too. Remember though, your templates don’t need to be uniform to be consistent.

7. Print collateral

We’ve been carrying on about online a lot -- and rightly so! -- but don’t forget about good old offline advertising. Depending on your industry, things like physical brochures and business cards can be an important asset.

If you’re investing in printed materials, remember to:

• Do your research: spending a bit of time selecting a quality printer.

• Don’t compromise: poor quality paper reflects badly on your business.

• Don’t rush: if there’s a proofreading mistake that’s your fault there’s no going back -- without throwing money down the drain.

• Keep it consistent: print materials still needs to mirror your online presence.

• Think of the bigger picture: think about how you can make print materials evergreen so that you don’t have to reprint regularly. Consider what really needs a date and what could go without one.

• Get the right amount of copies: you can easily order more, so don’t go print crazy and order 1000s of copies unless you’re absolutely certain they’ll be used. But, you usually get a discount the more you order, so don’t be afraid to print some extras.

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Need a little help?

Getting all your marketing assets together can feel really daunting -- I know, I’ve been there! But here at Hue & Tone Creative, there’s a lot we can help you with. From logo design and letterhead to web design and social media management, get in touch to see how we can support your business’ success.

You’ve chosen your designer, you’ve briefed them on your needs, reached an agreement on terms, and you’re eager to see what they’ve come up! Then, their name lands in your inbox along with the much anticipated attachments – but then you click to find that...they’re not quite what you were after. Now what?

If you do it right, giving feedback won’t be perceived as negative. In fact, it’s an important part of the design process – and it’s something that your designer is anticipating. But giving feedback in an unproductive way can lead to an overall unproductive relationship between you and the creative you hired. 

As designers, we’re here to let you know that we’re used to feedback – we even enjoy it because it helps us do our job better. But, it can be frustrating when clients are constantly giving you negative feedback and not giving you the information you need to do your job properly. 

It’s easy for miscommunications to happen – especially if you’ve never worked with a designer before. But with just a few small tweaks to your approach we believe you can communicate with your designer better than ever – and land on a superb final product! 
 

Step back and ask questions

Before mindlessly shooting off negative feedback, take some time to marinate on what they sent you. Let them know you received the proofs and are putting together some notes. Then, go through the examples and guidelines you provided your designer. What varies from what you asked for? What’s in line with what you asked for (even if it’s not your favorite)? 

Put together a list of questions to better understand where your designer is coming from. The answers to your questions may change your mind on a certain concept or help you distinguish the direction you want to go. 

Creating an open dialogue will go a long way in helping you both understand each other’s point of view. 

Be professional, calm and controlled

We know it can be hard to stay calm when you feel like a project isn’t going right – but like any other professional situation it’s important to stay calm. Keep your communication -- whether it’s over the phone or on email – calm and clear is key. Be sure to politely explain why what they’ve produced isn’t quite up your alley.

Just saying “I don’t like it,” “it’s not what I asked for,” or “it’s not for me” isn’t constructive, and it doesn’t give your designer a fair chance to fix it. So, be as specific as you can so that they can understand what does and doesn’t work. That way they’ll be able to take your feedback and turn it into a stronger second draft. 

If you can, show them examples of the kind of thing you dolike from other organizations, so that they have a solid idea of the kind of design they need to be working toward. 

Explaining the why

When you’re highlighting elements of a project you’re not quite keen on, explaining the why is super important. Whether it’s because it goes against the guidelines you sent them, it’s too similar to what you’ve done in the past (and found to be ineffective), or it aligns too closely with one of your major competitors, give them a bit of context to help them understand the thinking behind your rationale.

Keep in mind, your designer has probably spent a lot of time on what you’re seeing – if you don’t like it, there was clearly a miscommunication – and it’s on both of you to fix it!

Keep it in perspective

Perfection takes time. Just because they didn’t deliver exactly what you wanted the first time around, don’t hold it against them, patronize, or start micro-managing them. You hired a designer because you don’t know how to do it yourself – so stand back and let them do their work. Keep in mind they are an expert at what they do – just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean it’s not quality work. 

Their job is to bring your vision to life. Your job is to equip them with the information they need to understand your vision.

Put your personal preference to one side

When you’re critiquing their work, remember that design is often a personal preference. Be sure to separate your personal taste from your brand image. A designer might be able to see the bigger picture in a way you can’t – so just because it doesn’t connect with you doesn’t mean it won’t connect with your target demographic. The taste of your audience is probably going to be different than yours, so be sure to talk through your designer’s rationale before shooting down a concept – they might know something you don’t.
 

Balance negatives with positives

It’s the old compliment sandwich trick. And this tip isn’t just to make them feel better! As we touched on earlier, the positives will help them really get a feel for what you dolike so that they can keep developing quality concepts. 

If there really aren’t any positives, you can still be complimentary about their work, but just be clear that it’s not right for your brand or this particular project. If this is the case, be crystal clear you’d like to see a totally new direction – don’t try to sugar coat it too much or they probably won’t realize that what they showed you is a complete wash. 

Keep in mind what you agreed too 

Be conscientious of when you’re asking to go above and beyond the terms of your contract. If you agreed to three rounds of revisions, you may need to pay an additional fee to go beyond that. 

Both parties of this contract are on equal footing – it’s not an employee/employer relationship. 

You can’t expect free revisions just because you don’t like something. If they’ve met the terms of the contract and you still don’t have something you like you may need to renegotiate. Keep in mind the contract is in place to protect both parties. 

Checking in on time and expectations can go a long way in demonstrating that you respect a designer’s time. It’s a great way to show you value their work, even if you haven’t come to a final product yet. 

Remember...

Rome wasn’t built in a day -- if you want a rushed job, give a rushed timeframe. It’s important you give your designer time to go back to the drawing board and really take everything in you’ve said so that you can keep working toward a high quality final product. 

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Hue & Tone Creative: Your creative team

Let us help you get your project designed right! We're ready to communicate with you on your marketing needs -- whether they're big or small. To take a look at what we've done in the past, be sure to check out our design portfolio. Don't see the type of samples you're looking for? Get in touch, we can email you additional work samples!

Your website shouldn't leave people staring at their watch.

It’s no secret that speed is central to user experience -- and slow load times translate to a higher bounce rate and less traffic. Think about it: How long did you wait around last time a page wasn’t loading? In addition to annoying users, a delayed page speed means users will read less once the page does load.

With all that in mind, it comes as no surprise that in June 2018 page speed will officially become a ranking factor in mobile search results. The algorithm update was announced in January and has been named the ‘Speed Update’.
 

Wait a second, isn’t speed already a factor? 

Why, yes, it’s true that page speed has been a ranking factor since 2009 – but, it’s never been an official factor for mobile ranking speed. According to a blog post by Google on the topic: “Although speed has been used in ranking for some time, that signal was focused on desktop searches...Starting in July 2018, page speed will be a ranking factor for mobile searches.”

What Google has said

If you’re already in a panic, take a deep breathe, because Google has said the new algorithm will “only affect pages that deliver the slowest experience to users, and it will only affect a small percentage of queries.” (source)

Google has also repeatedly stated that the intent behind a user’s query will still be the strong ranking factor -- so if a website has a slow page, but the content of that page is relevant and high in quality, it may still rank highly regardless.

But, how fast are we talking? In a Google Webmaster video, Maile Ohye, states that “2 seconds is the threshold for e-commerce website acceptability.At Google, we aim for under a half second.”

It’s no secret that over the last two years Google has been implementing a mobile first strategy that prioritizes mobile-optimized sites. The Speed Update just takes this initiative a step further by prioritizing speed, which is key to mobile responsiveness. 

What you need to do

In preparation for the Speed Update, Google has recommended a number of resources to help gauge where your website’s performance is at.

1. Chrome User Experience Report: Chrome User Experience will give you intel on how real-world Chrome users experience popular destinations on the web, and the factors that shape and contribute to their final user experience.

2. Lighthouse: Lighthouse is an open-source, automated tool for improving the quality of web pages. You can run it against any web page, public or requiring authentication. It has audits for performance, accessibility, progressive web apps, and more.

With each audit (which only takes between 60 to 90 seconds), you’ll receive a document detailing what’s important to fix, and how you can fix it. Suggestions could range to anything from oversized and unoptimized images, to unused CSS rules and render-blocking scripts.

3. PageSpeed Insights: Another one of Google’s powerful speed tools, PageSpeed Insights will analyze your page and present you with a page speed rating, optimization score (out of 100), page load distributions, page stats and optimization suggestions. 

The recommendations might range from things like prioritizing visible content and leveraging browser cashing, to eliminating render-blocking Javascript and CSS in the above-the-fold content. 

What's next

Once you've made all the updates possible you'll need to monitor your search rankings. Keep in mind that because the update is entirely algorithmic, there’s no tool that will just simply show you which pages have been dinged – after you make all the adjustments you can to increase page speed, you’ll have to keep an eye on your mobile rankings to make sure your site isn’t taking a hit.

Looking for even more resources to get your page up to speed? We’ll leave you with this list to check out: 

• http://validator.w3.org/

• https://tools.pingdom.com/

• http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/

• http://www.cynthiasays.com/

• https://fae.disability.illinois.edu/anonymous/?Anonymous%20Report=/

• http://www.cssdrive.com/index.php/main/csscompressor/

• http://wave.webaim.org/

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Hue & Tone Creative

Do all these terms look like gibberish to you? Bring in an expert -- let us help you get your web presence up to speed (literally). We can help with everything from branding and email campaigns to social media and your web presence.

When it comes to business to business (B2B) marketing, blogging can be a valuable tool. Your blog is a great place to showcase your knowledge and dive in-depth on your products, in a way that you wouldn’t able to in a quick tweet or status update. 

The downside is that B2B marketing has a reputation for being boring – and, unfortunately, in our experience a lot of the content we see lives up to that expectation. There’s a common misconception that blogs targeted towards other businesses need to have a straightforward or corporate feel. While we don’t believe you should compromise your professionalism, we believe it’s possible to share your knowledge without putting everyone to sleep. 

If you’re looking to give your business marketing a more approachable feel, we suggest you check out these tips to keep your marketing focused, but fun, for the reader. We believe that B2B marketing done right might even be what helps set you apart from a competitor! 

 

1.  Talk like a human

No matter how interested a potential customer is in your topic, talking like a robot is going to lead to people clicking off your website. Type like you talk, keep it simple, and don’t be afraid to push the conventional boundaries -- i.e. don’t let that red squiggly line stop you from experimenting with your words!

One caveat? Just make sure your meaning and professionalism aren’t lost in too much slang. If you wouldn’t say something in the workplace, don’t type it on the blog. 

2.  Don’t forget the fun factor

Business owners, directors, and managers still have a sense of humor, so don’t sap all the fun out of your blogs. Adding fun anecdotes or playful pictures into your blogs can help them feel more relatable. 

3.  Don’t baffle them with jargon

Getting lost in the jargon of a blog is never productive. Ever. Even though you’re addressing to other experts in your field, you’ll want to talk in simple terms and only use jargon when it’s needed. You never want to assume every reader knows what you do, so be sure to explain terms on the first instance you use them.

4.  Don’t publish a wall of text

Stay away from clunky chunks of text -- they’re not enjoyable to look at or read. Use subheadings, pull quotes, and succinct paragraphs to make your text easier to browse. Even if you’re publishing a whitepaper, there’s no reason not to give your readers a pleasant and intuitive experience. 

5.  Mix up your mediums

Remember, blogs don’t always have to be written like an article. Try out creating an infographic or recording a video blog. You can also consider publishing presentations or papers – it’s content you’ve already created, and chances are if it was worth presenting about it’s a relevant topic. Don’t reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to, just share the work you’ve already done! 

6.  Use images creatively

In need of some fresh photos? We’ve complied a list of FREE stock photo sites. 

If your blog is long, add a few images in along the way so that it’s not too text heavy. Be creative with your choice of images, and try to refrain from using the same handful of stock photos repeatedly. 

7.  Keep it concise

Business owners are busy people, so the last thing they want is to have to read through three paragraphs of mumbo jumbo before actually getting to the relevant information. Get to the point early on and it’ll be a more enjoyable read all round.

8.  Use examples

Examples can be a great way to show off how you can help. Using real life scenarios are often more relatable to potential customers and give you a chance to show off your results and solutions. So, instead of explaining, start showing what you can do!

9. Sentence structures

Writing is a craft. Not everyone’s good at it -- nor are they expected to be. But when you’ve got a good writer on board, they can make even dullest topics enjoyable. Something as simple as mixing up sentence structures can quickly ramp up the readability-factor.

10.  Reader participation

Whether it’s adding a quick poll half way through a post or inviting readers to leave a comment at the end, getting your audience involved with your blog is another way to get them more invested in the content. 

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Hue & Tone: Your partner in B2B Content Creation 

Need a helping hand to elevate your blogs to the next level? Here at Hue & Tone Creative, we’ve got you covered from the right words right to the perfect picture. Contact us today to learn more about our design and marketing services.

In need of more in-depth information? Check out our articles on finding relevant keywords, discovering new keywords, and essential do’s and don’ts of SEO.

Implementing proper Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tactics isn’t a quick fix marketing solution – but when done properly it is worth the long-term investment. If you’re new to the world of SEO and are in need of a few quick tips to get your feet off the ground, then you’re in the right place -- because we’ve got 13 easy to implement tips for you.

1. Make sure the meta descriptions for your images are enticing. That way, when people do come across your image in search results they’ll be more inclined to click through – it’s a great place to use your page’s keywords too.
   

2. Keep internal linking front of mind when you’re creating new pages. Linking to your own content will help define your site’s architecture and encourage visitors to explore other pages of your site.
   

3. Don’t underestimate the power of title tags. Title tags are the HTML title element used to briefly and accurately describes the topic and theme of an online document. They’re rumored to be the most important on-page SEO element (behind the content itself), so make sure they’re reflective of the content, catchy, and inclusive of relevant keywords.
   

4. Make sure your content is fresh. Google is always crawling for new content and to avoid being left behind you need to be constantly updating your site. A blog is a simple way to do this – but can backfire if you set one up and never update it. Minimum, we suggest updating your blog a few times a month. Ideally, you’ll be updating it a few times a week.
   

5. Keep an eye out for broken links. Broken links can stop search engine spiders from crawling your site, which can impede your SEO efforts. Use an online tool like Screaming Frog to find broken links and fix them.
   

6. Optimize your page speed. In July of 2018, page speed will become a ranking factor for mobile search. To make sure your users aren’t left hanging around, let PageSpeed Insights’ report help you iron out any issues.
   

7. Stay concise to reach featured snippet status. A featured snippet is a summary of an answer to a user's query, which is displayed on top of Google search results. It's extracted from a webpage and includes the page's title and URL. Increase your odds of having a featured snippet by creating great content that answers specific questions.
   

8. Optimize your images. Make sure your file name, caption, ALT text and title text all include relevant keywords. While you’re at it, make sure the file size isn’t too big either -- this can slow down your page load speed.
   

9. Make sure your XML sitemap is up-to-date. An up-to-date site map means search engines can find your pages easier. Remember, Google ranks your pages, not your website.
   

10. Research your keywords before you start adding pages. Proper research will ensure you get the most out of your content and rank for the right terms.
    

11. Make sure your content is high quality. Google can easily recognize quality content, so don’t think you’ll be able to fool the algorithm by posting a high quantity of subpar articles. To rank well, you’ll want to write content that is conversational, informative, focused, clear, and easy to digest (tables and numbered lists help with this). And, don’t forget to link to reliable outbound sites.
    

12. Utilize a clear URL structure. Utilizing an SEO-friendly URL structure will help with the indexation process of your website. Your URL should be structured like this: http://domainname.com/subdirectory/filename.
    

13. Diversify your keyword strategy. Don’t just focus all your efforts on basickeywords -- target longtail keywords too. Although long-tail keywords are usually searched for less often than their shorter counterparts, they tend to bring in a high conversion rate because they are so specific.

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Hue & Tone: Your Greensboro Marketing Partner

Don't get stuck trying to figure out your entire marketing strategy yourself. Focus on what you do best, and let us do what we do best. Whether you're a new business or just in need of some fresh ideas, we can help you plan your marketing strategy from social media and SEO to print and radio advertising. Give us a call today to get started.

When researching a potential purchase or prospective partner organization, 78% of business to business (B2B) shoppers report seeking out case studies during their research. 

It’s hardly surprising. When you go shopping for a pair of pants online, there’s usually buyer reviews and customer snapshots available to help aide you in your purchasing decision. You can see if things are true to fit and what percent of verified customers would buy the item again. Case studies are like the business equivalent of that – they showcase outcomes of your work and convey your customer satisfaction. 

You can scream about how brilliant your brand is until you’re blue in the face, but at the end of the day, it’s the words of others that validate what you’re saying.

Keeping that starting stat of 78% in mind, think about all the potential new business you might be able to capture -- case studies can help seal the deal on referral business, as well as help pull new folks in off the street. 

Once you’ve identified a few past clients or projects you would like to highlight, it’s time to get the ball rolling. To help jumpstart your interview with your past customers we’ve put together a list of questions you can ask. These will help facilitate a useful conversation that should give you a few prime quotes to include in your case study:

 

Getting client feedback for a case study

1. How has our product/service helped your business?

Until businesses buy from you and experience your business for themselves, they’ll never truly know how much you can help them. So, let other businesses give them an insight into how you made their life easier. Chances are they’ll be able to see how your offerings would fit into their life as well. 

2. What was the tipping point to buying our product/service?

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. It’s not uncommon for businesses to do things a certain way because that’s “how they’ve always done it.” Long term, this can mean getting stuck in a serious rut – sometimes without evening realizing it. 

By asking past customers what made them choose you you’ll be able to get a better idea of how to sell to new customers. Pay close attention to the pain points that customers site – what problem did you fix for them? Chances are, this is the same pain point a new potential client might have. 

3. Which part(s) of our product/service do you find most valuable?

Get your clients to brag for you! It might even give you a new idea or angle to target in your marketing.

4. Would you recommend us to other businesses? And if so, why?

The all-important seal of approval. In a world where you’re constantly fighting for clients against your competition, shout about why other businesses opted for you over them.

5. If you had to describe our business in one sentence, what would it be?

Adding in a nice little one liner is a great way to get a short and snappy overview of your business. While questions one through four are all great questions, sometimes you just need something a little less lengthy.

If you’re lucky enough to get clients recommending you on camera, this one’s great for creating a to-the-point video compilation that brings the words of many together.

6. Do you think there’s any way we could improve our product/service?

This one’s not for your actual case study, but why not kill two birds with one stone and do a bit of market research while you’re at it? Use this question to find out where your gaps are, see if there are any trends emerging, and tweak your product or service accordingly.

What else to include in your case study

Now that you’ve got a handful of client testimonials, it’s time to put together your actual case study. There’s a few things you should include to give your client an accurate idea of the scope and effectiveness of your work:

• Give a little background around the client. If you need to keep it anonymous, no worries, just give an idea of the size of the company, industry, and a few of their products.

• Outline the goals they were looking to accomplish. What was your client or customer looking for when they came to you? Did you help them tailor their goals? What goals could you help them with – and what services should people go elsewhere for?

• Highlight the process, products, and services you used when working toward the client’s goal. This is your opportunity to emphasize the services you offer and show what sets you apart from the competition. Establish yourself as a subject expert by showing off what you know. You don’t have to give away your industry secrets, but showing you have a firm grasp on your field will help you build trust with a potential customer.

• Emphasize the outcomes. In conjunction with the client quotes you gathered, you’ll want to use hard numbers to prove your success. Personal relationships and client satisfaction are important – but when it comes to business, employees want to be able to show their higher-ups that you’ll be able to deliver on what you said. Facts and figures will help you drive home your pitch.

 

Distribute your new case studies

Now, it’s time to start capturing potential clients. If you’re taking the time to curate case studies, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting the most out of them. Once you’ve got a bank of case studies, you’re armed to hit every single marketing touchpoint.

You can spread the word about your case studies just about anywhere: 

• Test out pop-ups on your website with a case study download

• Create tailored landing pages with different case studies that appeal to different buyer personas

• Share them on social media

• Distribute them in your email newsletter

• Create videos or motion graphics using the information and quotes

• Still utilize a print newsletter? Share your case studies there!

• Arm your sales team with case studies to help them close the deal

• Link a favorite case study in your email signature

• Highlight them in PowerPoint presentations or lunch n’ learns

• Use them as a training tool for new employees

Whether it’s splattering an excerpt on social media or including a banner in your emails, don’t hide them away. Use your case studies to support your messages, and take every opportunity to get your potential clients to read them! 

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Hue & Tone Creative: Marketing in Greensboro, NC

Completely stumped when it comes to your B2B marketing? Case studies need a design overhaul? Or maybe you just need help distributing them? We can help with every step on the process. Want to see what we've done for our other clients? Take a look at our portfolio.

You want a brilliant website. We want you have to a brilliant website. But, to make that happen, there’s the small matter of distinguishing between what you think you want and what your business really needs.

Before we get going, here are a few quick facts for you. Did you know:

• 38% of people say they’d leave a website if its content/layout was unattractive?

• 94% of people gave poor web design as the reason for mistrusting or rejecting a website?

• 46% of mobile users face difficulties interacting with a web page?

If anyone who’s reading this post doubts the importance of a good website, hopefully we’ll be able to clear up any confusion!

Whether you’re looking for a brand spanking new website or a revamp of your existing site, here are five things we need to know before helping you embark on your web design or redesign.

1.  What's the purpose of your site?

There’s a reason we’ve started with this question: it’s probably the most important one. Why? Because your end goal will heavily determine your website’s look, feel, navigation and layout.

Is your aim to sell a product or a service? Or both? Are you B2B or B2C? Are your offerings low or high value? Or do you exist to ply people with knowledge and information? Are you on the web to raise awareness? Or are you after a personal portfolio? There are endless options. All we need know is which goal is applicable to you – and the more specific the goal the better.

2. Who's your target audience? 

Your audience and their persona also play a large part in engineering your website, and this is where collecting data comes in handy. Examples of persona information include

 

Need help building your audience personas?

We've got a blog for that. 

• Age bracket

• Employment status

• Living arrangements

• Education

• Hobbies and interests

• Salary

• Online behaviors

• Pain points

• Motivators

• Personality traits
  

All of these elements (and more) will influence how people interact with a website and what makes them tick, which is why it’s essential the behavior of your ideal end user is incorporated into your design.

3. What kind of content will you be using?

You can’t have design without words, right? So who’ll be writing those words: you or us? If it’s us, do you have tone of voice guidelines? 

And, do you plan on having a blog? Try and think of the long game for this one. Even if you don’t think you’re in the position to have one in the immediate future, is it in the pipeline? If so, it makes sense to factor it into the design stage from the get go.

4.  What kind of branding do you already have established?  

If this isn’t your first stab at a site, it’s likely you’ll already have some form of branding guidelines established – for both your on and offline brand elements. So, the question is, are there elements of that branding you’re adamant on keeping? And if so, why? We need to know the why to help us build a robust picture of how you want your brand to look.

What have you learned about your existing brand since you started using it? How are customers responding – good or bad? Knowing this will help us to make any necessary tweaks to your branding so you can reach your maximum potential. 

Bonus question: If we’re making tweaks to your branding on the website, do you also need help updating things like your emails, social media, brochures, and letterhead?

5.  Do you have any no-go's?

Whether it’s from an old website of yours, your competitors’, or the local store you buy your groceries from -- are there any color palettes, page layouts, fonts or image styles you absolutely do not like? If so, let us know! 

This’ll help us to build only the elements you like into our wireframes and reduce unnecessary back and forth. The end result? You get your polished, finished product as soon as possible!

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Hue & Tone: Your Greensboro Marketing Team

Know your website needs improvements, but not sure what they are? Need a fresh set of eyes on your content and design? Give us a call. We're here to help you with all your web and graphic design needs -- no matter how big or small.

Yes, we know you've heard it before. 

The last web designer you spoke to probably mentioned it 5 times in the last 5 minutes. 

They probably used words like “mobile responsiveness,” “optimizing for mobile,” “responsive design”… maybe they even threw in “MobileGeddon” for good measure. 

But, what is "mobile-friendly," why is there a need for it on your website, and why are web designers so obsessed with it? 

In this post, we'll cover just that. We’ll also give you 7 undeniable reasons why you need to invest in your website being mobile responsive.

But first, the basics.

What is a mobile-friendly website?

Let's illustrate the concept using a couple of images:

And, this illustration from Google:

See the difference?

One looks like a typical phone app and the other one will require a magnifying glass just to read the site title.

You'll notice the "mobile-friendly" one on the right has:

• Large, easy to read text

• Full screen, viewable images

• An intuitive page layout

• Easy to use navigation

When you’re on your phone, this is exactly what you would expect a good website to look like. A website optimized for mobile adjusts and displays properly on all smaller screens – not just phones, but tablets too.

Why is mobile-friendly website important?

In addition to elevating your user experience, we’ve got some hard numbers on why mobile compatibility is important. A few highlights:
 

1. In 2017, 52.64% of all traffic came from mobile devices.

2. By the end of 2018, it’s expected that traffic on mobile devices will make up 79% of global internet use.

3. Last year 50% of total eCommerce revenue came from mobile devices

4. 57% of internet users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile.

5. Nearly 8 in 10 customers would stop engaging with content that doesn’t display well on their device.

6. 88% of consumers who search for a type of business on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours.
   

It comes down to the fact that almost everyone uses their mobile device to browse, shop, and interact with businesses. Not having a mobile optimized site directly converts to losing potential customers.

If you are a business owner looking to make your mark in the digital ecosystem, we highly recommend that your website be mobile optimized. You don't want site visitors squinting to see what your website is all about.

Still not convinced? 

6 (more) reasons why you need a mobile responsive website

• Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in mobile search results. Back in 2015, Google made a change to the algorithm that allows websites optimized for mobile to rank better than those that aren’t optimized.

• Having a mobile friendly site is considered best practices today and it increases your credibility to comply with industry standards.

• 91% of mobile internet activity is spent on social media. You don’t want to waste your social media marketing dollars by sending people to a subpar or slow loading site.

• Good site design makes customers happy and saves them time. You always want to give your customers a good experience – and this means having an easy to navigate site. You can be guaranteed people won’t come back to your site if they can’t navigate it easily.

• A site that operates smoothly leads to people spending more time on your site.

• Mobile optimized sites are programmed to load more quickly – you no longer run the risk of people clicking away because your site loads slowly!
  

In 2018, making your site mobile friendly is no longer optional. It’s worth investing in revising or redesigning your website to make sure your site conforms to the industry standard of being mobile ready. If you don't, you risk losing potential customers, lowering the impact of your social and PPC ad campaigns, and alienating people who aren’t willing to put up with an inferior user experience.  

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Hue & Tone: Greensboro-BASED Marketing FIRM

Ready to get your site up to speed? We can hook you up. At Hue & Tone Creative, we believe good marketing can help you create a lasting impression on your customers. From site design to business card design -- we can help you with every piece of your marketing strategy.

A business’s ultimate success has grown increasingly reliant on its web presence; particularly its website. According to an April 2017 survey taken by Statista, 40 percent of internet users in the US stated that they purchased items online, several times per month. Retail e-commerce sales worldwide are expected to nearly double between 2016 and 2020. More people than ever are performing research online before journeying to a brick and mortar store to complete a purchase. With so many transactions occurring online, how can you be certain your website is performing up to par?

Most small business owners can at least determine how much traffic their website solicits. But this can be as beneficial as knowing how many people attended a party without actually talking to anyone. There’s so much more information available. So, if you haven’t already, it’s time to get analytical in 2018.

Conversion

This statistic tells you how successfully your website is completing your intended goal. For example, if you’re Pizza Hut and your website’s primary purpose is for a visitor to complete a purchase, then your conversion statistic will indicate the percentage of visitor’s doing just that. Maybe you’re a real estate company, and your conversion goal is to have web users complete a contact form; this statistic will give you those percentages.

Source Report

Again, most people are familiar with Traffic Acquisition Reports, which measure the amount of traffic your website is getting during any given period of time. But remember, we’re after much more; like, how did they find you in the first place? There’s an analytic for that. A Source Report can tell you if someone arrived at your site by way of a search engine like Yahoo, or a referring site like Pinterest which includes links that route users to a pin’s original site or page. It can even determine how many people typed your url directly into the address bar.

Medium Report

There is also a Medium Report which indicates whether the result was the product of organic search or unpaid search, a paid search result, or via a referring website. All of this information could help influence marketing decisions going forward and guide a strategy for capitalizing on the sources and mediums already generating much of your traffic.

Bounce Rates

This statistic can inform several website elements, because it tracks what happens once a visitor enters your online presence. Do users journey to another page within your site or do they leave it all together? If your bounce percentage is high, you can determine where visitors are landing, which may prompt insight into why they’re leaving. Essentially, this analytic provides valuable insight into what visitors like about your site and what they don’t. Moreover, it empowers you to customize and alter your website accordingly.

Pageviews

This statistic is self-explanatory. It measures how many views a specific page receives. If visitors are returning to the same page again and again, hypothetically, you can formulate content that may garner similar interest. It could also point to other contributing factors like design schemes that users prefer. Using this information to formulate a strategic response can ultimately assist in improving your overall conversion rate.

The world wide web will continue to change and grow to meet human demand and businesses must evolve to keep pace. With the new year, usher in a new marketing strategy with the help of web analytics. It will be the best resolution you’ve ever made.

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web marketing consultants  |  Greensboro, NC

Need help getting your website set up? Want a second set of eyes looking over your analytics? Hue & Tone Creative will take the stress out of marketing your business online. Check out our design portfolio to see clients we've helped in the past, and then give us a call to get your web presence ready for the new year.

The song, It’s so Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday was originally recorded for the 1975 film, Cooley High. It’s a real tear jerker and may make for fitting music as we bid farewell to design trends that can’t join us in the new year. Honestly, the list itself isn’t sad at all. It’s actually solid advice regarding 4 web design trends to leave in 2017.

Before we get to the list, let’s quickly discuss why this purge is so necessary. Two letters: UX. UX or User experience refers to a person’s feelings and impressions about using a particular product, system or service. In this case, your website. To keep this experience simple, logical and enjoyable, these 4 web designs must be left behind.

#1. Skeuomorphism

The design concept that merges our real-life perception or characteristics of an object with its digital equivalent. A good example of this is the original Instagram logo; a life-like image of a camera that has since changed to a simpler, semi-flat design. Flat and semi-flat designs have a minimalistic feel and seem to be preferred more widely by web audiences. For this we say adieu to skeuomorphism. 

#2. Hero Images as the whole Story

Hero images are large images that take the place of traditional banners and are generally overlaid with text. Don’t get me wrong, they look amazing. They are captivating, they are alluring and signal substance. The problem is, some websites are little more than these images with no accompanying meaningful content. Perfectly fine for a webpage used for contact information or a place to describe a single product. However, hero images are not enough to tell the whole story about a business and its products or services. Coca-Cola is a great example of how to use hero Images while still boasting a site full of relevant and substantive content. Easy to say arrivederci to hero images as the entire story.

#3. Tight Spacing

Sometimes, full breakups aren’t necessary. A little space goes a long way at rekindling a quenched flame. White space in particular, could vastly improve the look and feel of your website. This can be accomplished pretty easily. Sites that are text heavy can add space between lines and letters, enhancing readability. Similarly, those with lots of products to display should take a hint from Amazon.com which uses grid layout design. The online superstore has successfully employed this design to organize their many products. In either case, the user experience is upgraded. We can happily say adios to tight spacing. 

#4. Sliders and Carousels

These are not the same, but are similar design techniques. They each involve the movement of images in either a sliding or rotating fashion. Neither, according to a Nielsen Norman Group study, were found to be effective conversion tools. A point made many times over the years, but appears on this list due to an even greater downside. The designs could negatively impact your SEO or search engine optimization. While the use of sliders and carousels aren’t automatic SEO killers, the risk to your website’s ranking is real and may not be worth taking that chance. Either, enlist the help of a professional website builder or try something else. Videos are a great alternative to both these elements and may be a better way to tell your story. Let us say Gooday to sliders and carousels. 

Companies in the know wisely improve their websites to increase user satisfaction. This includes, but is not limited to the way the site appears on mobile or desktop devices, how easily and intuitively one can navigate the site, and the overall functionality and feel when engaging with the website. The 4 web design trends to leave behind, tend to interfere with these aims in one way or another. It may not be so hard to say goodbye after all.

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WEB DESIGN IN GREENSBORO AND BEYOND

Guilty of using all these things on your website? We can help pull you out of the past!
Hue & Tone Creative will help get your web presence up to speed. Be sure to check out our design portfolio to see clients we’ve helped in the past -- and then give us a call if you’d like us to build you a modern website that truly tells your story.

As another year comes to a close, it’s common to reflect upon our existence and the world at large. What’s the meaning of life, are we alone in the universe and what’s the difference between EPS, AI and PDF files? The first two questions are worth pondering, but in this marketing dimension, the latter inquiry is of much greater importance. Let’s take a closer look at these formats and hopefully solve at least one mystery of the world.
 

Encapsulated PostScript or EPS predates AI and PDF files. It and the other file formats can contain any combination of graphics, text and images. The different components comprising an EPS file are communicated in a programming language called PostScript that describes the objects in and the layout of a page. An EPS file internally contains this programming language which accounts for its main benefit: compatibility.

EPS has cross-platform compatibility which means it can be shared between Mac and PCs. While a EPS can be accessed on a Mac automatically, if in Windows, it requires graphic software like Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape and Corel Draw to open and edit this type of file. Also, if the file is print ready, meaning no changes need to be made, an EPS file can be sent directly to a PostScript printer without compatibility issues and to most imagesetters. It’s the original file format for complex designs and is still used by graphic designers and publishing professionals currently. However, it’s been gradually supplanted by AI and to a greater extent, PDF files. Here’s why:

AI or Adobe Illustrator Artwork files are vector based graphics contained in a single page. While AI files have many of the same attributes as EPS, AI is an application-native format. This means that it is designed to be understood by the software that created it. In this case, Adobe Illustrator. AI files can still be imported by other programs like Freehand or CorelDraw, but when doing so, it omits any Adobe Illustrator-specific content it doesn’t understand. Simply put, AI file formats function most optimally in Adobe Illustrator, because they were literally made for each other. Contrarily, EPS wasn’t created for any particular application. This file type is an exchange format where the intent is for it to be openable by multiple applications. Think tailored suit vs one-size-fits-all pant. While EPS is compatible with more applications than AI, the entirety of the information contained, doesn’t always translate into the chosen application. This problem led to the creation of the PDF.

PDF or Portable Document Format is described as the successor of EPS. The PDF was the first file format that enabled a document to be shared electronically while retaining its original formatting. No matter what application is used, you’re able to transfer electronic versions of these documents anywhere, and view and print them on any machine. It allows the exact presentation and exchange of documents, independent of software, hardware, or operating system. Unlike EPS, it translates exactly no matter what. And contrary to AI, it’s not limited by its application of origin.

The file type you use should depend on the project at hand, the tools in your box and you and your team’s preferences. EPS, AI and PDF files all have their unique advantages given the context and you may find yourself using each of these throughout your work.  While there are still larger life questions we all want answered, at least this one can be crossed off the list.

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CREATIVE EXPERTS IN THE TRIAD

Can't figure out your mess of files? Not sure what the printer is asking you for? No worries, we'll get your businesses branding back on the right track -- we specialize in branding and collateral design. Whether you need to refresh your existing brand or start from scratch, we've got your back. Contact us if you're ready to stop stressing about your visual identity.

If you loved iSpy as a kid, these eclectic flat lays are going to catch your eye...eye for detail that is! 

Flat lays not only make great Instagram posts, but they can also be great design inspiration. A stylized color scheme is part of what makes a good flat lay eye-catching social media gold... as opposed to just a pile of junk on a white background. 

We grabbed a few of our favorite flat lays from Twenty20 and let them inspire 6 unique color schemes! 

Sixties Citrus

This color story is looking to make a statement -- 60’s inspired citrus hues pair with a pop of electric strawberry for a modern look that will practically knock your go-go boots off!

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Fall Bazaar

An unexpected spin on fall, a muted rosewood hue pairs with a pink that packs a peppy punch. A pale olive and citron pull together this surprising style.

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Punchy Post-its

Earthy sage pairs with a bright salmon and a goldenrod yellow... these post-it notes inspired a color scheme almost good enough to eat! 

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Neon Stamp Collection

We pulled these punchy colors out of a dynamic stamp collection. If you’ve seen our logo you know we’re obsessed with citron – add a luscious grape color, a toned down teal, and a calming grey and you’ve got a girly, but fresh, color scheme.

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Colorful Cars

Whether you’re a racecar driver or an everyday commuter, we bet this color scheme really revs your engine!

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Beige Business

The most muted of the group, this flat lay takes business style to a new place. Soft lavender, navy, and pistachio green give these guys a serene look during a hectic day at their make-believe office.

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CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS IN GREENSBORO AND WINSTON-SALEM

Logo looking a little flat? Website lacking pop? We'll get your businesses branding on the right track -- we specialize in logo design, branding, and collateral development. Reach out if you're ready to make your brand stand out: hannah@hueandtonecreative.com or 336-365-8559.

When it comes to finding the right potential customers, utilizing the correct keywords in your paid search and web content will help you increase your leads.

While it can be tempting to just make educated guesses about the right keywords, it's crucial to take the time and research what will be most effective. But, before we highlight a few handy tools for keyword discovery, it's important to understand what that there's a few different type of keywords. 

 

Long-tail Keywords

One of the most effective types of keywords is a long-tail keyword. A long-tail keyword is a highly detailed phrase made up of three to four words. Although long-tail keywords are usually searched for less often than their shorter counterparts, they tend to bring in a high conversion rate because they are so specific.

For example, someone looking for "organic gluten-free birthday cakes" are more likely to find your bakery and place an order then someone who just typed in "buy cake" and just wants any old birthday cake that's available.

 

Local Keywords

Think about times when you’ve searched for services or businesses like hair salons, dentists, or a place for decent pizza. You’re automatically going to weed out a business that isn’t anywhere near you.

If you own a small business, it’s important to get the word out to your local clients through geo-targeting. Instead of only using keywords like “animal hospital,” get more specific with words like “animal hospital in Greensboro, NC.”

While local keywords often have lower search volume, they often have higher conversion rates. Long-tail local keywords will deliver even less traffic, but chances are these visitors are really serious about finding a business. For example, "animal hospital greensboro open 24-7" has a good chance of capturing someone looking for a midnight pet emergency. 

One word of warning? Don't shoot yourself in the foot by casting too wide of a net. Stick to the location of your brick and mortar store and a few surrounding counties -- don't try to capture the whole state or you'll just end up reducing your potential to rank for your actual location. 

Keyword Planner

One of the best ways to discover keywords is through the free Keyword Planner in Google AdWords. Using this tool, you can search through relevant phrases and terms related to your business and see how often they are searched through Google. The Keyword Planner also allows you to research historical statistics and predict the click rate of potential words before you add them into your AdWords plan.

Google Trends

Not utilizing Google AdWords? You can still give Google Trends a try. This is when it's time to make an educated guess about what you think your keywords would be. Start with things like your products or services and check the popularity of one or multiple keywords at a time by searching them on the site. You can narrow down the trends even further by searching in a specific region, state, or span of time.

For instance, the amount of people looking for “pumpkin patches” in Greensboro and Winston-Salem increased dramatically around September 24th of this year. Google Trends also provided some suggestions for related topics and search terms like “farm,” “maze,” and “pumpkin patch near me.” 

If you're looking to do something like holiday advertising or capture the back to school crowd, being able to track these types of trends can help you predict when your ads will be most effective. 

 

Moz Keyword Explorer

Moz Keyword Planner has a great analysis and keyword suggestion feature for marketers. If you’re on a budget, the site offers 20 free search queries every month, with the option to upgrade by purchasing the premium plan.

Another helpful feature of this tool is how it breaks down each search term by monthly volume, priority, difficulty, and organic CTR. This will help give you an idea of how competitive it will be to gain clicks -- and how much it will cost. 

keywords --> COntent

After you've done your keyword research, you're probably ready to get out there and buy some ads or bid on some keywords and start driving traffic to your site. But don't forget one of the most important ways that you can build authority -- through your blogging and site content! 

Make sure to write about topics you want to rank for and let your newly discovered keywords influence your blogging. As you might remember from this blog, Google knows what you're blogging about and they rank you accordingly, so don't fall into the trap of only paying for traffic. Strong, organic content can bring you some of the best traffic around! 

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Marketing and Social Media Experts in the Triad

Looking for to develop your brand? Hue & Tone is a creative graphic design agency specializing in logo design, web design, social media management, and more. Be sure to check out our portfolio to see clients we’ve helped in the past, or give us a call if you're ready to get started building your brand.

If you’re not familiar with HTML, making even small tweaks to your website or custom MailChimp template can be a struggle. HTML is a complicated language and you won’t become an expert overnight – however, you can master a few basics that will make it easier to tweak templates, build web pages, and control your online presence.

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive guide to HTML, but rather an introduction with some of the most basic tags you’ll need to customize your in-house marketing campaigns. 

What is HTML?

Let’s start with the most basic question – “what is HTML?”

Hypertext markup language (HTML) is a standardized system for tagging text files to achieve font, color, graphic, and hyperlink effects. You use specific tags to customize each element of a web page.

Check it out for yourself: Open up a well-designed site in Chrome, right click, and select "Inspect Element." You’ll be able to get a look behind-the-scenes at how the site was coded. 

HTML Elements

HTML elements are individual components of your webpage that are made up of a start tag <example> and an end tag </example >.

Here’s an example of what a simple HTML page might look like:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Page Title</title>
</head>
<body>

<h1>Sample heading</h1>
<p>A sample paragraph would go here.</p>

</body>
</html>

Note the <html> tag at the very top.

This element specifies the language the webpage or document is written in. Without this tag your computer won’t know how to process all the code that follows it. It’s important to realize that browsers do not display the HTML tags, but they use them to render the content of the page.

The Basics

<body>
The visible part of the HTML document is between <body> and </body>.

Your body tag is the first element content tag that you can open after you’ve opened your initial html tag.

<head>
This tag is one of the content elements that can be opened within your body tag. You can vary the size of your headings and subheadings by specifying whether you want <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, <h4>, <h5>, or <h6>.

<h1> defines the most important heading. <h6> defines the least important heading.

<p>
Used for formatting paragraphs of text. Just to be clear, the paragraph tag defaults to which ever style you already have assigned to your style sheet.

<a>
HTML links are defined with the <a> tag.

For example:
<a href="hueandtonecreative.com">You would put the text you want to be hyperlinked here. </a>

<img>
To incorporate an image into your page you’ll want to use an <img> tag -- the source file (src), alternative text (alt), width, and height can all be defined.

Example here:
<img src="hueandtonelogo.jpg" alt="hueandtonecreative.com" width="210" height="210">

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Always remember to close your tags. Anytime you open a tag <example> you should close it after you’ve defined all your content </example>. 

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Style Elements

<style>
Your style tags help you specify which colors and fonts are used for your headings, paragraphs, etc.

Here’s a few examples:

You could format size like this:

<h1 style="font-size:300%;">This is a heading</h1>
 

Color like this:

<h1 style="color:blue">This is where the text you want stylized goes. </h1>
 

Or both like this:

<h1 style="color:blue;"font-size:300%">This is where the text you want stylized goes.</h1>

Formatting Elements

Formatting assist with the aesthetics of your webpage, kind of like the style elements we mentioned earlier. The main difference between the two is that your formatting elements deal with text effects.

<b>
Used to make specific text bold.

<i>
Used for italicizing text.

<marked>
Highlights text.

<small>
Makes specific text smaller. 

Helpful Resources

Learning HTML isn’t the easiest task, so here are a few tools to help you become a pro in no time!

• Treehouse is an online coding school specializing in front end web development, JavaScript, IOS, and Python. Learn from over 1,000 video tutorials, quizzes, and coding challenges. There’s a free trial for first time users.

• Lynda is a digital learning library where you can learn skills for business, design, marketing, and web development.

• HTML Dog offers free online tutorials in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. There are specific tutorials for every level of learning: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

One last note…

Becoming proficient in HTML takes time and consistent practice, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t come easy to you! Be patient and try to set obtainable goals for yourself.

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Web and Graphic Design in Greensboro and beyond.

Clueless on how to build a website or create a logo? We’ve got you covered! Eye catching landing pages that help reel in leads to business cards that leave a lasting impression, Hue & Tone Creative is here for all of your marketing needs.

Successful marketing takes more than coming up with eye catching advertising schemes and posting frequently on social. It’s about making a genuine connection with your customers – and to do that, you have to know who your customers are!

Customer personas (also called buyer personas) are detailed representations of your customers’ demographics, likes, dislikes, traits, and buying behaviors. Keep in mind that these traits are not made up, you need to discover them through comprehensive research.

Digging into the data and discovering who frequents your business will help you develop more effective marketing materials, allow you to boost sales, and make you an all around more effective business owner. 

Whether you’re a brand new business or a company that’s been around for a while, understanding who your clients are and how they shop will go a long way in building a stronger business. 

Focus on the Good & Bad

While life would be easier if we only focused on the positives, being a business owner means taking in the whole picture. In order to have a strong and thorough understanding of your brand, you need to be familiar with both your strengths and weaknesses.

If you’ve had negative customer experiences in the past, reach out to those clients and learn how you can avoid it in the futures. Unfortunately, not everyone will be in love with your company, but you can still use their constructive feedback to pinpoint who you should be focusing your marketing efforts on and what you need to improve in the future.

Alternatively, if you have your top customers who are always liking your social posts, and praising your products, find out what they love about your company, how they prefer to shop, and what they expect from your brand.

Understanding your ideal customers and customers that aren’t interested in your company can help you pinpoint who you should target and who to avoid. 

Creating Your Personas

When it comes to building your personas, the more details you include, the better they become. Here are a few areas to focus on:

­­­

• Age

• Income

• Education level

• Location

• Occupation

• Goals

• Challenges

• Values

• Likes & Dislikes

• Favorite brands

• Hobbies

• How they discovered your brand

• Favorite social media accounts

• How often they shop

Your personas should provide a glimpse into who your customers are and how they think.

Now, let’s pretend that we own an organic juice bar. Here's what two of our personas might look like: 

From looking at the profiles of our two fictional customers, we’re able to better understand what they’re looking for in a brand. We also have a better idea of how they’d prefer to receive information.

When it comes to making personas of your own, don’t be afraid to reach out to people. Past customers and followers on social are the best ways to find information. Get creative by sending out email surveys, creating Facebook polls, or simply conducting phone interviews. Just be sure to offer an incentive for their feedback and time. Gift certificates, freebies, or discount codes all work well.

Now, get building those buyer profiles! Or, leave us a question below if you need more information.

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Graphic Design & Creative Marketing in Greensboro, NC

Need a second opinion on your current marketing strategy? We can help! Whether you need to spruce up your landing page or create a more engaging email campaign, Hue & Tone Creative can help your brand that extra touch it needs to stand out.

It’s no secret, strong branding is one of the keys to successful marketing. In fact, 69% of marketers insist that branded content is more compelling than advertising through mail or PR.

When it comes to newer businesses, understanding your own brand will help set you apart from your more seasoned competitors. If you’re totally new to branding or you're just trying to figure out who "you" are, grab a note pad and answer these five essential questions.

1.    What’s your brand story?

From years of hard work to happy accident, every company and product gets its start somewhere. How did your brand get its start? Is there a story that’s uniquely yours? Think of ways to share your humble beginnings and make your company memorable.

2.    Describe your ideal customer?

The most important aspect of opening a business is finding and keeping leads. Taking the time to thoroughly research your target customer will help keep your brand’s aesthetic, feel, and marketing strategies aligned with the wants and needs of your audience.

Because no two customers are alike, we recommend creating personas for three different shoppers. Make detailed lists describing their: age, profession, income, hobbies, where they live, likes, dislikes, etc.

3.    What 5 words describe your brand?

In the early stages of branding, you can never make too make lists! We suggest brainstorming as many words or adjectives that you can think of that define you.

When you can’t think of any more, look over the words you came up with and whittle down your list until only the 5 most meaningful words remain.

4.    What product or services do you want to be known for?

77% of people choose a product because of its brand name. Think about that statistic the next time you reach for a Post-It or a Band-aid!

Like Nike sneakers and Tazo tea, every successful business has a well-known product. When people hear the name of your brand, what will be the first thing they think of? 

It's important to define your signature product or services... before your customer defines it for you. 

5.    What brands do your customers love? 

This can include your direct competitors or brands that are completely unrelated to you. For example, if you’re opening an organic soy candle store, you may have customers that enjoy buying products from Whole Foods, Anthropologie, Etsy, or Earth Fare.

Check out what colors, words, and imagery they use to figure out where you'll fit in with your competition. 

Do you have more branding questions that we didn’t go over? Ask us in the comments!

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Marketing & Graphic Design in Greensboro, NC & Beyond

Gearing up for the launch of a new product or business? Don’t dive in without a little help from the creative experts. From business card design and logos, to social media marketing, Hue & Tone Creative can help you connect with your customers and creating a lasting impression.

Whether you’re designing a resumé for the job of your dreams, sending out invitations to a gala, or creating a sleek new business card, using the right fonts will help you grab someone's attention and accurately communicate your brand.
 

Google Fonts has 847 fonts to sort through, so we’ve rounded up some favorites for you to browse. And remember, all of these fonts are free and open source, so there’s no need to worry about potential licensing hiccups. You’re free to use the fonts for any project, whether it’s a personal blog or a commercial campaign.

Sans Serif

You can never have too many sans serif font options. These versatile fonts are great for logos, headlines, and graphics. 

Serif

Give Times New Roman a break and swap it for something more modern.

Slab Serif

Looking for a typeface that packs a punch? Try a slab serif.

 Want even more fonts? Keep the downloading going by syncing some of our favorites from Adobe Typekit.

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Professional Creative Services in Greensboro, NC

Don’t have an eye for design? We can give your brand the creative touch it needs. From email campaigns and logos to everything else in between, Hue & Tone Creative can help your brand stand out.