Does design really impact how your brand is perceived? We break down how this ‘hidden’ visual language of design can be used to influence in branding.

Across the globe we have witnessed a plethora of brands hit impressive targets in terms of sustainability. Despite clear leeway opening up between these brands and those left behind, an opportunity presents itself for reinvention.

In my first article on 'Burnout' I said: “If a tree falls in the woods and doesn’t get a flurry of retweets, did it even?” It’s a good question that could be called facetious, depending on how seriously you take social media.

While there may be stories of some brands named in eureka moments, there is a methodical process you can follow so you don’t have to rely on random inspiration. We break down what goes into naming a brand.

As a global pandemic sweeps large parts of our world, one could be forgiven for not having their new marketing strategy or business pivot plan at the top of their agenda. We are collectively experiencing some form of anxiety to one degree or another, with our systems on constant, low-level 'limbic alert'.

Social media has been a phenomenon. Before Facebook’s founding in 2004 there was the likes of Bebo, Faceparty, and MySpace. However, the last ten years have seen a huge spike in both users of social media and reasons for using it.

'How to prepare your brand for the next stage of growth': Many of us have tried a digital detox for ourselves: whether we’re trying to get back to nature, not ignore our families, or just step away from the phone for more than an hour! It is often far harder than we think, no matter how many influencers go on about it - ironically, on social media.

Your brand identity is how customers perceive you. A simple way to look at it, is to view your brand as a person. Someone unique, with their own beliefs, values, look and feel. Your brand identity is what sets you apart from others. So, it’s important to have this down pat. Here, Carie Barkhuizen, founder of Seymour PR, shares her top tips for building brand identity quick-smart.

A science-backed checklist for startups who want their marketing to get noticed.

Startups shouldn’t try and be liked - Instead, they must strive to be noticed and remembered  – that’s any new businesses biggest marketing challenge. Why is that?

Every leader has a distinctive emotional signature, which they imprint on every person they meet. That emotional signature is one of the most powerful tools of motivation. How you make other people feel will determine how motivated they are, and that will determine how well your team performs.

Congratulations! You are officially moving from the status of startup to scaleup. It’s a big move that brings lots of opportunities, and you have managed it because you have been successful. What that success looks like will be different for different companies. For some, it’s because of sales: either a few big global sales, or in other cases, huge numbers of small scale sales. For others, it will be because you’ve landed investment. In some parts of the world, grants allow a startup to accelerate their growth and really anchor themselves in the market.

With the UK currently home to more than 5.9 million SMEs, the likelihood of reaching success for any small business owner depends largely upon their ability to make their company stand out from the crowd. Differentiating your brand from others can be a challenge in any industry, but with the right knowledge and mindset it can be achieved.

You’ve dreamt it. You’ve started it. Now comes the hard part: talking about it. Whether you’re revolutionising banking or taking on healthcare, words are a big part of growing your business. They get investors excited. Bring recruits up to speed. And convince customers to give you a try.

Nigel Botterill’s entrepreneurial journey began in much the same way as many others. The Founder and CEO of The Entrepreneurs Circle, a company whose mantra is to educate, motivate, help and inspire business owners to achieve more than they ever thought possible, was following a classic corporate path and had forged a very successful career with Barclays, who he joined at 16.

The startup landscape is notoriously difficult to navigate. The numbers speak for themselves – 60% of startups will fail in the first three years of launching. Whether it’s because their core proposition is unworkable and fails to fulfill a market need, or the fact they simply haven’t built the right team, there are a variety of reasons that could lead to a company ultimately closing its doors.

We’ve all wondered how to crack the world of Twitter. How much should I tweet? Am I tweeting too much? What time should I tweet to get the most engagement? If you’ve ever been curious about how tech giants like Elon Musk Jeff Benzos compare on Twitter, then you’re in the right place.

Building a website is about more than just an online page that shows who you are in today’s society, it is part of your brand identity, and imperative to your company or business. Wix really understand that, it’s not just putting some text and images onto a page and sharing your website with people. It’s something that reflects your business which is a part of you, and that’s why it includes a number of features that help you take your website further.

Companies have been marketing their business in weird and wonderful ways for centuries, but, in 2019, what is the best way to draw in, and retain a solid customer base through strategic marketing. When you think of Nike, you think of ‘Just Do It’, when you think of McDonalds, you think of ‘I’m Loving It’.

John Armstrong co-created Custom Planet with his friend Andrew Dark in 2008, while they were both at university. The company has since grown to become one of the UK's leading printwear specialists. Here, he gives his expert tips for startups wanting to create their own merchandise for a podcast.

This guest post comes from Caroline Macdonald, CEO and founder of OggaDoon, the guerrilla comms business. If you have no idea what tone of voice is, head to Twitter and scroll through Innocent Drinks’ feed. Then come back here. Done it? Great.