No matter how it is spelled, COLOR -USA, or COLOUR -CDN, we all know that colour spells interest on our websites.

Think of well-known brands, Google without it’s colourful Google. Or  Coca-Cola without its beautiful red.

Do you know which colors to use that will appeal to your audience? What does the color on your site say about you?

I have learned new ideas from an amazing article all about these questions and a lot more on color.

I was inspired to write my own article about this subject after reading the really well-written article by the Executive Director of Weller Smith Design, LeAnna Weller Smith. Brand Colour Confidence – How to build the Perfect Blog Colour Palette

Another article How to Choose Styled Stock Photos For Your Brand I found very enlightening as well. Great for using with Pinterest and Instagram. Using stock photos to enhance your brand using creative cropping, and strategic white space. Both are listed at the end of this article.

In this article we are talking about COLOUR  (Canadian’s spell it this way) Do you LOVE working with color as much as I do? (ex – art school student) You love it but …it’s tricky. When it comes to designing both DIY people and professionals can struggle with it.

Doing research for this article, I looked at the colour wheel, (art school basics ) primary, secondary, tertiary not to mention tones, tints, and shades. The color charts are crazy.

Your Own Style, as Well As the Audience YOU, Want to Attract

You want to attract your target audience of course but don’t forget to take into consideration your own style and aesthetics.  So I am picking my own colors for my brand as I write this article. I needed help in updating my current color palette, that can be tweaked as I continue to define my brand.

To Start
We start with words as they give some insight into what to search for when it comes to your feelings and colors.

1/   What Is It That Your Brand Colours Say About YOU?
Even before you think about color. Put together a list of words that resonate with you and your business.
I want others to see me and my brand as ………. Pick 3 – 5 words

In the article mentioned you will see “The Color Inspiration Kit” that has a list of words. I am choosing these words for my example:  Attractive, Business-like and  Creative as well as the colors I want to use.

2/  DO YOUR RESEARCH
Take your word list to Pinterest. Start your word search.
An example of brand-specific words: Romantic, Retro, Vibrant, etc. Or search a specific color. Just to see what other colors are paired with them. This is very interesting. I searched on Retro Hip, turquoise, purple, pink, white and black.

Turquoise – Down-to-earth Family oriented Small-town Honest Sincere Real Cheerful Sentimental Friendly

Pink  – Daring Trendy Exciting Spirited Cool Imaginative Up-to-date- Independent Contemporary

Lime Green – Reliable Hard working Secure Intelligent Technical Successful Leader Confident.

I started a private Pinterest board and started collecting images I liked.You will see a pattern immerge making it easier to pull colors for your business branding.  Board is now NON-Secret for others to see.

My  Pinterest Mood Board (click either below to visit)

Steps to Build Your Colour Palette

1/  Narrow your research images.
Pick out 5 or 6 and go to your favorite design program. I use Canva, PicMonkey, and FotoJet… If the online tool of your choice does not come with a color picker install one on your browser.  That way you can pull the color and the hex code from it. A video about this.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJRFKcP-8AM

2 /   Begin to build your color palette with the different images you saved. When you are picking colors on a screen it will take trial and error picking the best colors. You will have to experiment a little, I know I did.Eventually,  it will all come together.

3 /  Narrowing down your colors, ending up with 5-6 for your colors brand palette. You can download a template for your 6 colors.  Use the template to use with the downloaded colors that you can choose. Just upload them to your favorite editing tool. My favorite for this type of work,  Canva has a color palette you might like. Try it here.

My colors of choice

4 /  Time to put it all together
Start to put your colors together with your brand photos, your fonts, and your messaging. Pick images that include your brand colors or have a beautiful neutral palette that will go with your colors by using photos with your brand colors from
your palette.

How to Choose Colors for Your Brand.

The Colour Inspiration kit is a free – optin for a couple of downloads to help define your own perfect color palette with this article > – How to build the Perfect Blog Colour Palette. And article > How to Choose Styled Stock Photos For Your Brand.

These were the very best articles I could find on Colour for your website. I will be using this color know how soon on my site as well as my social platforms. I hope you will as well.

About Kathryn Maclean http://www.facebook.com/marketingofflineonline
A certified Social Media Campaign specialist using Facebook, Twitter Pinterest and Google +. Affiliate Network Marketing using resources such as PAC Power Affiliate Club – PAC Welcome Coordinator.

Business re-branding? Do you want more of the right people benefiting from your content?

How to do so? Perhaps a re-brand is in order?

Do your unique strengths stand out in your present website/blog?  Does your copy need tweaking? Does the welcome page state quickly what the site is about? I am re-branding my site at the moment.

• •  I am changing my site to an image with flowers (target market is women) and the text: Marketing Offline Online Businesses
  •  Connecting your business to the net with effective brand strategy creation 

If you have a strong brand your business will grow faster. So do you even know what makes up a strong brand?

Your Branding

I would say that it is the overall identity of your business, which includes how it makes people feel as well as the usual logo, fonts, colours and theme. When your brand stands out you can charge premium prices. This helps to eliminate the competition. I wrote another article about this….

For more on furthering your business brand

3 Strategies to Follow

1. Ideal Client
2. Surveys
3. Be Exceptional

Your Ideal Client

What is your vibration or feeling that your message gives? Are you attracting the wrong people?

If you find that the people you attract are only interested in something for free, they would not be your ideal client, would they? Are you putting out a product to sell them? You should know your dream customer better than your competitors do. Attract who you want to serve.

1. Demographics, age, income, family etc
2. Her wants, passions, and interests
3. Where do these ladies hang out?

I have 2 different types of avatars

One is the new person to blogging and the other is the people who have started their business and need help with direction, strategies, and systems.

Have your avatar in mind when you create your content. Ask yourself  -will they love this content? The more you craft your content, be it free or paid,  make it something that they will like. Your money will be made by your services and products accordingly.

Surveys (Survey monkey is a free service)

• Ask questions in Facebook groups
• In your own Facebook group
• Online forums

Clients who are just like you. You know what you want so someone like you will like similar things.

Make the survey questions short. No one wants to answer 10 questions, especially if they don’t know you. Only 1 – 3 questions is a perfect limit. You can also use them in your email list. Use a subject line  like: 3 quick questions to help me give you better content on blogging

1. What freebies would you like?
2. Ask what is your biggest struggle with blogging?
3. How would you describe your situation in your business right now?

Be Exceptional at What You Do

There are going to be people who just don’t get you. They don’t like your style or your content doesn’t resonate with them. Focus on your strengths. What are you good at? Become exceptional at that!

There are going to be people who just don’t get you. They don’t like your style or your content doesn’t resonate with them. Focus on your strengths. What are you good at? Become exceptional at that!

I love  Steve Martin’s quote ” Be so good they can’t ignore you”

Leverage, what makes you different?

I got a lovely compliment from a client the other day. She said “thanks for listening to me rattle on”. I said – I think a coach should have that skill, listening intently.  I clearly communicated that I think It’s super important to understand where your client is coming from. You want to attract people who truly resonate with you. People who trust you to guide them and get results that they have asked for.  Showing your expertise in the area that they are interested in builds that know like and trust factor.

It has taken me many years of trial and error in my businesses offline and online to learn marketing. Many many courses that I have paid for.  If it was easy everyone would be a ” business entrepreneur” but the rewards are so worth it. I enjoy helping people succeed. It was my main objective when I started over 10 years ago to have women earn a living on the internet for their families.

If you would like a 15 min free chat about what I can help you with concerning your business please go to my about me page and book a time. Looking forward to meeting you.

About Kathryn Maclean http://www.facebook.com/marketingofflineonline
A certified Social Media Campaign Specialist using Facebook, Twitter Pinterest and Google +. Affiliate Network Marketing using resources such as PAC Power Affiliate Club – PAC Welcome Coordinator.

What you don’t know about Pinterest can be holding back your website/blog traffic. It’s free traffic too. I like free,  I bet you do too!

Did you know that more than 90% of pins come from websites? Yes, not from Pinterest Profiles. The pins last a long time. Weeks, months, even years in some cases. Great for Business!

People go to Pinterest for  “visual discovery” as consumers. Pinterest is NOT a social platform Per se, instead think of it as a visual discovery engine, with the same potential power and exposure as Google.

 I have included a free training tutorial with this article.

Of course, you need to start off with a good foundation for your business. You are crystal clear on your niche and your goals for your business.  You have a brand and good content going already. This will ensure that your traffic is targeted and you can engage your ideal clients that come to visit your website. They should be completely enthusiastic about your great content and be compelled to sign up for your email list. You want them on your email list so you can reach out to them and have them get to know you. It’s that old like, know and trust value. You want to be very very clear on the purpose of your business site so they can see immediately the benefits you offer.

Pinterest Facts

The image-bookmarking anomaly that is Pinterest has user engagement levels have gone through the roof. “In Jan 2015 they had 176  million registered users”  85% of total users are Female. No surprise!
Pinterest has  “surpassed 100 million monthly active members  Sept 2015 .”

Pinterest offers a unique opportunity to leverage your visual content, gain customers while growing your targeted reach and improving your organic results.  The great traffic you get from Pinterest is directly proportional to the number of Pins you post. So because of this fact, I use a third party tool to post my pins for my boards.  I am an enthusiastic user of Tailwind.

Tailwind: ( Free or Paid, Google Chrome browser plugin )  Once a week my next step is to head over to the Tailwind site to schedule my Pinterest posts for my Pinterest boards. Pinterest is a great source of traffic, and pinning content is the best way to help people there find you on your website.

One of my boards has all of my blog posts pinned weekly. This image of my email  is from Pinterest.

Posting attractive pins that resonate with your audience is critical to your success on Pinterest. The accompanying text description that you place with each image helps you to be found.

Showing a Pin it button on or beside your product reminds visitors that that image is pinnable, prompting the visitor to pin it driving viral reach, which is a powerful social recommendation. You can also add a widget to display your board or combination of boards.

Pin Descriptions

Having a detailed description of your products make it easy for people to pin from your site  Your description forms the pin’s description on Pinterest, as well as that image’s keywords for results in the search engines. Include the context for which your pin is intended. Add brand information, pricing, and the product description to all of your pins. Add additional keywords to help with discovery.

How you show your products is of the most importance on Pinterest

Consumers will pin images of products, food, places, and activities they love. Making these beautiful product photos is essential. Many of the successful brands on Pinterest have started to employ these types of images that are most attractive to pinners on their sites. I am re–branding my website and social media accounts along with my Pinterest pins soon.  An example of what my pins will look like. Templates for Canva from Bluchik. Click to visit site (Affiliate link)

From Tailwind  ( < my affiliate link) a very good free tutorial with videos on Pinterest  < by Kate Aul

• Verifying your site
• Business Account
• Rich Pins
• Setting up your Profile
• Personal to Business
• Rich Pins Extra data for Ap pins
• Common questions on Boards

Questions on the course

3 page pdf on keywords

50 to 75 boards active  -exception seasonal

Titles – specific use keywords

Add more boards? Have a viral pin that sends traffic to your site? – Use that and make a board on that.

Delete a board?

Group boards

The owner allows your pins there  in the same Niche only – a best practice idea. This   Increases eyes on your sites. If it is not relevant to my niche? No -not a good ideal.

How many contributors? Not more than 150 as  more and more pins can easily be marked as spam, so you get marked as a spammer too. The speed of the feed is slower with 800 pinners!.
Mobile – the most recent is pinned first
Handout pdf Group Board Evaluation Guide
Group Board Tracker
Secret board trick  -Move toggle  to yes and the board moves to secret at the bottom. That way you don’t loose any visitors but they don’t see the board.

Review your boards on a regular basis

Look for more Group Boards to part of. Look at group boards of pinners in your niche and request an invite.  Request and invite to this Pinterest collaborative Boards Facebook Group to search for group boards in your niche  You can look for open boards here.  

Pinterest is different from other social media sites. Consumers there are looking to discover new products, brands, and make a purchase if they really love something. You want engaged ideal clients showing up to your website, being completely wowed by your content and signing up for your email list. Pinterest will send them there.

New Article of mine added on Pinterest Go here.

To learn more on enhancing your success on Pinterest,  request a chat, I would love to talk to you about  Pinterest. See my “contact or about me page”  to do so. My business Account  follow me on Pinterest

About Kathryn Maclean http://www.facebook.com/marketingofflineonline
A certified Social Media Campaign Specialist using Facebook, Twitter Pinterest and Google +. Affiliate Network Marketing using resources such as PAC Power Affiliate Club – PAC Welcome Coordinator.

Brand Development is tricky.

You are developing a digital marketing strategy and a brand identity. Just how you go about doing this for your business, will be unique or exclusive, to only you.

Why is this so? Because a brand is YOU before your business. You are an individual with many facets to your personality,  and you bring these talents to your business. It’s your business’s identity (both online and offline.) I have come to understand that if a business does not make sure that it’s brand online looks good, you are wasting your money on internet marketing, which also is part of brand development.

My marketing website has gone through a few changes in just a short time. I have changed things, added new pages, purchased a new theme to add new life to my brand.This article contains what I have found about incorporating my personality with my site and brand development of my business for the future.

You may be interested in making some changes yourself to your blog.  Here are the steps I will be taking and also recommending to my clients.

Website/Blog

Most businesses will already have a website. Does it really project your own personality? I don’t really believe that mine does, yet!  So what can I improve on?

Go here -Click for the rest of the article on PAC  a blogging community.

All of this, the digital marketing and the branding components are combined into a business plan which includes specific steps for promotion and monetization which brings growth and success for your brand development for your business.

About Kathryn Maclean http://www.facebook.com/marketingofflineonline
A certified Social Media Campaign specialist using Facebook, Twitter Pinterest and Google +. Affiliate Network Marketing using resources such as PAC Power Affiliate Club – PAC Welcome Coordinator.

Branding is a very important aspect of your Business

Branding yourself before your business is the positive experience your customers have with YOU,  first and then your company. Your company’s brand represents your market identity …… who you are, what you do,  the important quality you provide,  adding up to your reputation for trustworthiness.That “know like and trust” ( NEW Facebook Group for Women – see below)

 “Most people suck at marketing. Why? Because they’re too focused on the big picture.

And I get it – the dream is what drives you. You see it all the time, marketers, who want to see using the tactics that have traditionally worked for them. “  – Gary Vaynerchuk

When you think of the word ” Brand”, it likely brings to mind something about ownership. Right?

You want to attract the right type of clients or customers to your business. You want to stand out and have a message that resonates with your ideal client, right? Of course.

• “Online you must also project your own uniqueness and show heart to stand out and be a winner, ”  Gary Vaynerchuk

So how do you go about showing  “your own voice”?

You want to speak from the heart and represent the authentic you. Not your company, it is YOU that people will be attracted to. The message that will resonate with your ideal client should have that WOW factor as mentioned before with Gary.

• “The bottom line is what if you want to be a better marketer, you need to put in the work, or you’re going to get left in the dust by those who do. It means downloading whatever new ap is exploding the market and taking the time to really understand it.”  – Gary Vaynerchuk

You want your ideal customer to feel as though you are talking directly to them

And the only way to do so is by being VERY SPECIFIC on how you want your brand to feel. This is the message that resonates with your ideal client. What they feel about YOU is branding.

This evokes the feelings and emotions that your ideal client wants to feel and it hits on your ideal client’s deepest desires. So what do you need online to achieve all of this?

“Sometimes, it even means dedicating a few years to learn a new skill. You become successful by being willing to put in the work and then executing on it”. So how do you go about showing your own voice?Your website, your hub that everything is directed to from your social media online. Offline it is the website URL that is on your business cards and advertising media and the fact that you meet a prospective client face to face.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

Branding Your Site
The objectives that a good brand will achieve are:

• Is Your message clearly delivered?
• What about your credibility and that of your company?
• What connects with your target prospects emotionally?
• What motivates the buyer to buy?
• Your Website/Blog – your home for reaching your buyers.

I recommend a WordPress.org hosted Website with a blog, on your own domain name.

Also an autoresponder. I recommend   CONVERT KIT the best in customer support. Made by bloggers for bloggers. It’s your business, so treat it like your professional business.

Your Content

It can be a landing page, blog, social media posts, to find a specific solution to a problem or need, the average person visits a site once,  too many times.With the content installed, we then tried different themes. Some themes are Premiere themes with better design and have their own support. Also, free WordPress themes. Add some pictures and the site is up. But…and that’s a BIG But…

The message, what you are saying to them, must strike an emotional cord. Are you leaving them feeling that  WOW! A person that understands and truly identify with them? Or do they just disappear never to return? That won’t happen if they join your email list.

Your message is NOW, What defines you? Is this what people are looking for? You can help them with their problem. You must build the foundation of your business, if you skip this and start with only the strategies that are not tied to your brand or message, you will end up chasing the techniques, which will not support your business in the long run.

Objectives
1. What is your main objective?

( it can only be one at a time )
* More Money
* More Exposure
* More Traffic

There are steps that go with each of these choices: Choose only one objective and I will create a solid campaign around your choice. Next, we determine, after some stats comparisons, ROI and evaluation. Your plan of action. Mapped out on your own business mind map. Rinse and repeat or switch gears to attack a different objective.

Example –More Traffic
Define what “Traffic” means for this campaign.
(Clicks to a site/Landing Pages, Social Community Building, Seats at an Event, etc)

What ACTION do you want to take?
(Optin to a List, Make a Purchase, Attend an Event/Promo ( Live or Virtual) Get a Coupon/Redeem Promo, Join a Community, Share – Tell a Friend.

What will happen once you have taken the action?
(Follow up with email marketing campaigns, SMS text messages, phone calls mailings, etc)

AN EXCELLENT BOOK  on Brand  Click link to read more

Go from concept to completion -then evaluate the results.
“How the customer views the Brand is in fact what the Brand is.” –
Brand: It Ain’t the Logo* (*It’s What People Think of You)

— Ted Matthews, Andris Pone

You have a business and your goal is building a tribe of people who are able, willing and ready to buy from you or are willing to introduce you to their audience because they know like and trust you. KLT.

 Discovery Call

I offer a 15 min chat to learn more about you and your business. We can see if we would be a good fit for each other. \

See my “About me” page for more on this. First 15 mins are free. I look forward to chatting with you.

READ MORE Business Re-branding

Kathryn R. Maclean http://marketingofflineonline.net/about-me/ A long time blogger with WordPress /domains & hosting. A Social Media Campaign specialist using Facebook, Twitter Pinterest, and Google + & Instagram. Affiliate & Network Marketer using resources as Expert Author & Welcome Coordinator for the Power Affiliate Club.