Marketing and Branding Tips Archives - Page 2 of 2

Category: Marketing and Branding Tips

Take quality pics with your iPhone

No matter your business, images on social media, your website, and other touchpoints really tell your brand story.

There are more than 95 million photos and videos that are uploaded to Instagram alone each day. Your images need to break through the noise and be as top notch as your business.

The benefits of using a smartphone to create visual content are the cost savings, quick-to-post content, and not needing the expertise to shoot/focus/edit with a DSLR and clunky software. (But keep in mind, there’s a time and place to invest in your business and hire a pro.)

These are my favourite tips, tricks and tools for taking quality pics with your smartphone.

*Scroll to the bottom of this page to watch the video*

1. Lighting is key

A key mistake people make is taking images with poorly balanced lighting. This casts shadows and makes image editing — even with a stock filter — challenging. It will also make parts of the photo hard to see. This is a real bummer for products, clothing or real estate, where key selling features need to shine.

Here’s how to mitigate this in different scenarios:

Outdoor: Never shoot in broad daylight. Instead, shoot in a shady spot, just after sunset, or on a cloudy day.
Indoor: Use a ring light or shoot in a well-lit room that doesn’t have direct sunlight. Face towards the light source so that you’re getting light evenly on you or the product.
Product shots: Place products next to a window. Ring lights can work here but often reflect on products with any metal or glass.

2. Lifestyle shots should be natural

No matter what you’re promoting, lifestyle shots are so, so, so important. I love storytelling, and a photo is the perfect way to show the audience the value of your product in a snap second. Be sure to keep lifestyle shots natural so they don’t look like cheesy stock photos you found in a quick Google search.

Pro tip: Shoot while moving so there’s a bit of energy to your image: walk, spin, sip, bite, laugh, ride.

3. Product shots should be thoughtful

Of course product shots should be clear and minimal on an ecommerce page, but when you’re shooting for your social channels be sure to add a little lustre and storytelling. (Duh, of course this is my advice!)

If you’re shooting a candle, place it somewhere your buyer would love to relax like a bubble bath. Shoot with a close up of the branding and a blurry background of the tub to emphasize the product and add some romance to the lifestyle.

When doing flatlays for social, add in some texture with still life or a piece of fabric. Layer in elements that tell the brand story, like a book and a towel alongside the sunglasses you’re selling.

4. Familiarize yourself with your smartphone’s features

Phone cameras keep getting better and better. As I said above, the main benefit to using your phone is that you can basically just point and shoot without worrying about focus on a DSLR.

Some features that I love for shooting on my own are:

Portrait mode: this is a great way to do a selfie with a small product, food and beverage, or accessory. You can tone down the level of blur in the background depending on your aesthetic.
Self timer: Alex only has so much patience, so this is a great way to snap pics when he’s working or I’m home alone.
Live photos: Combined with the self timer, this gives me the option of multiple images over 1.5 seconds so I can choose the best shot.

5. Get equipment that works for your needs

While you don’t need equipment, there are some key pieces you can buy to really level-up your pic game. This list below will cost you about the same as a two hour session with a pro photog — and you can use it for as long as you’d like.

Small ring light: great for selfies and Zoom calls.
Large ring light: great for selfies, filming, ¾ body shots, and products.
Desk-top tripod: great for taking with you for outdoor shoots, restaurants, fashion shoots.
Stand-alone tripod: bulkier but great for all of your tripod needs.
Plain white backdrop: amazing for fashion shoots.
Printed backdrops: awesome to keep your aesthetic consistent, and great to stories and videos.
Flat lays boards: these come in simple white and black to every print under the sun. You can by wood looking pieces, grass, sand, marble, you name it.

6. Shoot a variety of micro and macro images

Keep your feed and website interesting by shooting and posting a variety of images with different zooms. Post images that show details or branding, and then zoomed out lifestyle and more landscape images.

Just as headers and changing font sizes help a reader digest smaller pieces, a variety of image perspectives helps a viewer stay engaged.

7. Have a consistent post-production routine

At the end of the day, your images tell your brand story. Be sure to stay consistent with your brand feel from thinking up shoots to adding filters. Your audience and customer should have the same feelings from seeing you online, to chatting with you on the phone and to walking into your space. Colour, lighting, prints, and so many more aspects go into telling that story, so be as consistent as possible.

I hope this helped! Let me know in the YouTube comments section if there’s anything I can help you out with further.

SEO Checklist: Easy steps to searchable content and web traffic

SEO makes the world go round! Okay, not really. But it is SUPER important for attracting the right customers and traffic to your business. People open a new search tab to solve a problem, and you (yes, you!) can be there waiting with a solution. Today, I’m sharing the exact SEO blog checklist that I use when writing content for clients or my own personal blog.

The BW SEO blog checklist

Identify your focus keyword.

2. Choose three supporting keywords.

3. Include your keywords in the title, opening sentence, URL, and meta description.

4. Organize your topic into five paragraphs or sections:

Intro: Tell the reader what you’ll talk about and what they’ll learn by the end of the piece.
Point 1: Include a keyword and supporting keywords as often as possible.
Point 2: Throw in a stat or a quote.
Point 3: Get into detail and show your expertise.
Conclusion: Mirror the intro, while reiterating your learnings. Remember to add a CTA to connect back with you to learn more.

5. Hyperlink your content to internal links (other places on your site) and external links (to other sites) that support your points and increase your engagement.

6. For images, be sure to use a lightweight file that keeps load speeds moving along. And, be sure to add alt text to the backend of your images. This gives you another opportunity to plug those keywords and also helps Google index your content.

*Watch the video below for even more SEO insights!*

I use these simple steps to drive B2B acquisition in complex industries like tech and finance, with topics that are definitely not in my wheelhouse. But it’s also great for straight-to-consumer products or for other brands that want to be discovered through search. Copy and paste this SEO blog checklist into a word doc for your reference!

Need more help with your website SEO, or looking to outsource marketing copy? Let’s chat and come up with a personalized plan that works for you and/or your biz.

Thumbnail for "Are branding and marketing the same thing?" video

This is the difference between Branding and Marketing

Branding and marketing are often confused, but they are not the same.

Clients often asked why I specify branding and marketing. Others simply say they don’t need help with their marketing because they’ve had their brand developed by a creative agency.

Thinking branding and marketing are the same is a common mistake. But understanding their differences is simple. Here’s how you can keep them straight and ensure you’re being intentional and have a strategy for both.

*Scroll to the bottom of this page to watch the video*

What is branding?

Branding is the emotional, intangible things you feel about a brand. It’s the way Lululemon and Nike sell many of the same products, but when you think of each brand you have a different visceral feeling. You can associate each with the five senses. For example:

	Nike	Lululemon
Sight	Strong athletes, dark and bold colours, sharp angles	Light and airy spaces, open rooms, light flooring
Sound	The squeak of sneakers on the court, heavy breathing, a golf ball off a tee, a crowd cheering	The wind through trees, sound baths, running water
Smell	The gymnasium, chalk, sweating outdoors	Eucalyptus, the rubber of a yoga mat, the forest after it rains
Taste	Salty sweat, Gatorade	Fresh water, air
Touch	The firm flexing of a muscle, quick stops on the court	Stretching, flowing movements

They both sell gear for running, hiking, yoga, and athleisure. But they’ve diversified their brand to attract a different customer through how they make you feel and where you feel like you fit in.

This builds brand affinity through community and a sense of belonging.

What is marketing?

Marketing is your strategic approach to telling your story. These are the actual tasks and touchpoints that get your brand’s message out there.

Common examples of marketing initiatives include:

Social media
Digital advertising
Events
SEO blog content
Print materials

You can see how each of those requires tactical creation and execution. A good marketing plan allows you to track your success, generate leads, or provides another form of data to help you improve your efforts and drive business.

If you’d like help creating or fine-tuning your brand or marketing strategy, get in touch!