by Jay Sapiro | Jul 26, 2015 | Brand Development
When we first started working with associations on branding and developing branded material and media, we came up with an approach that many found (and still find) useful. It has helped our clients organize their thinking around the evaluation of their current branding efforts. It’s by no means a comprehensive approach to branding (that’d be a much longer and more detailed article), but it certainly is a good starting point . So, let me introduce you to Visuality’s C’s of branding: clarity, consistency, and commitment. I’ll break them down so that you get a better idea of how each applies to your organization’s branding endeavors… Clarity: Take a look at some of the branded material that your association puts out on a regular basis. Does your brand shine through? If you’re not sure how to evaluate that, think about brands like Harley Davidson, United Way of America, Apple and others. They are all very good examples of businesses and organizations that focus on providing great brand clarity on every piece of material or media. Consistency: All of your material should have a uniform look and feel to it. Are you using consistent brand language, graphics, etc.? Do you see the same typefaces on print material that you have on your Web properties? Is your logo/mark being used in accordance with your usage and standard guidelines? Commitment: This is more of an internal question aimed at leadership and others in charge of the branding process. Do you have a clear plan for your brand? Do you evaluate your brand and all related material on a regular basis? Without a solid...
by Chris Micklos | Jul 23, 2015 | Online Strategy, Content, Creatives
What’s that about not seeing the forest for the trees? When it comes to utilizing Web metrics for an association, advocacy group, or other member-based organization, the available options and interpretations can be confusing, intimidating, and downright overwhelming. The tangled web (no pun intended) of Web metrics readily available these days can make you think that you need a PhD in statistics or a whole team of cyber-analysts to interpret the data. In fact, that has led to a dispiriting trend. On one hand, there is a whole generation of consultants–especially social media “gurus”–who want you to believe that it is so confusing and unintelligible that you must pay them a hefty fee to interpret it and react to it for them. And on the other hand, there is a whole different breed of consultants–primarily agency types–who would have you believe that the glut of available data is so impossible to interpret and react to that you might as well ignore it…and instead take their word for it that their efforts are effective. A recent blog post at associationsnow.com only seems to perpetuate the mythology of the black forest of Web metrics: Don’t be intimated…or fooled. Your association Web metrics matter. While it can certainly be easy to get lost in the wash of available data or to get hung up on metrics that just don’t matter all that much (sex appeal and substance are NOT the same thing), the wonder of Web engagement, Web advocacy, and Web advertising is the ability to use real-time, relevant data to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of your efforts. This is not...
by Glenn Chung | Jul 23, 2015 | Online Strategy, Content, Creatives
The Martian is a major motion picture being released in October, 2015. It stars Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain, among other great actors in a stellar ensemble cast. Before that, The Martian became a New York Times best-selling novel for first-time author Andy Weir. And before that, The Martian was a self-published e-book on Amazon, listed at $0.99 because that is the lowest price Amazon allows authors to charge for their work. The funny thing is, at the same time the e-book was available on Amazon, it was also available FOR FREE on Andy Weir’s personal Web site. Free vs not free… you would think the free version would have been downloaded in bucketfuls, with the Amazon version languishing in obscurity. That’s not what happened. In actuality, the Amazon version of The Martian ended up being paid for and downloaded at a rate ten times higher than the free version of the same e-book. Why? Simple, actually: people just found it easier to get to the Amazon book. A simple search of “The Martian” and a couple of clicks led to Amazon, who in turn made it very easy to pay for and get the e-book. The value of ease of access and ease of acquisition swamped out the $0.99 cost of the e-book. This most likely would have been the case had the e-book been $1.99, or even $2.99. As I thought about this story, the lessons for membership-based organizations were not lost on me. Members, like anyone else, value their time and guard it jealously. In particular, members interact with online properties – from news organizations, shopping sites, and your...
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