Tag: small business

business management

Office Wellness

Genean

The start of a brand-new year is upon us. Many of us are starting the year off with renewed goals of health and wellness. This is not just about losing a few pounds, hitting the gym a little more or watching what you eat. This includes overall well-being and that involves those who you work closely with. Your employees and co-workers. 

So, what can leaders like you do to support your co-workers? Here are four ways you can make 2023 the healthiest year yet for your team.

  • Create a “people first” work environment. Work-life balance, that’s all we hear about these days. Well, there is a reason why. People are realizing that the past workaholic culture of the United States just isn’t sustainable. Hustle culture is being replaced by a work culture that respects and nourishes its employees. So make sure you are evolving along with an evolving work culture. How? Offering flexibility and compassion whenever possible can help reduce work-related stress. Realize that your team has family and friends that are important outside of work.
  • Ask how your team members are doing. When was the last time you actually inquired about an employee’s well-being? Physical and emotional. Setting up a time to check in and discuss how you can support them will help each person feel seen and cared for. Make sure to carve out time beyond your regular working meetings. Even a short conversation can make a big difference. 
  • Encourage teamwork. Research shows that collaborative problem-solving leads to better outcomes. People are more likely to take calculated risks that lead to innovation if they have the support of a team behind them. Working in a team encourages personal growth, increases job satisfaction, and reduces stress. It’s the foundation on which successful businesses are built. 
  • Recognize and celebrate wins! Recognition is an important driver of psychological wellness. Taking the time to recognize good work will make your people feel appreciated. This also incentivizes employees to continue to work hard and reinforces the impact of all they do. Doing so builds camaraderie, acts as an incentive for the next round of work and reinforces the teamwork you’ve already built. A little bit goes a long way. 
  • As more research and evidence are released surrounding the links between mental health and happiness and productivity in the workplace, it’s important to ensure you’re actively cultivating a space and culture where employees are motivated to come to work get the job done.

Interested in what we do at Life By Design Virtual Solutions? Reach out here www.lifebydesignvs.com to talk to one of our trained freelancers. 

business management, businessbuildingstrategies, organizational behavior

Organize Your Business Life

Genean

Happy 2023 everyone! Have you made your new year’s resolutions? If one of them is to be more organized in your business life this post is for you!  Here are some ideas so you can be successful at keeping your resolution this year!

First of all, identify what needs to be more organized. Is it your home office? Or your company office? Do you need to organize your computer files or physical files? Or how about all of the above? I thought so…

Second, divide and conquer. Go around and write down a list of everything you need to organize. If it’s a large project, like organizing your entire home office, break it down into smaller workable parts. Crossing off things on your to-do list will be immensely satisfying. 

Third, use the magic of calendar blocking. By setting aside a specific time for decluttering and organizing, you’re more likely to focus on actions that will help you get organized. You’ll stop expending energy trying to figure out when is the best time to declutter because you’ll already have made space in your schedule for doing it.  Read all about how and why calendar blocking is a must for small business owners here.

Fourth, digitize your filing system. This can be a big project, one that you may want to outsource to a virtual assistant, but it’s the right move in the long run. You are going to want to digitize all your receipts, tax documents, and business-related paperwork. No more sorting and sifting through piles of paper for you! Digitizing your files will save you time, which will free you up to focus on more important things, like upscaling your business!

Fifth, develop a system for staying organized. Identify problem areas and work on ways to keep them in check. The previous idea is a great way to keep paperwork organized. Is your office space cluttered? Ask yourself why that is. Maybe you don’t have enough space to put things. Brainstorm why it’s not organized and what the solution could be. Maybe you need a bigger desk or a bookshelf? The solution to staying organized is there, you just need to identify it. 

And lastly, everything needs to have its place. One thing that often prevents business owners from staying organized is simply not having a clear and thought-out location for every item they need to run their business. Just knowing where to go for a certain item and where a certain item belongs goes a long way toward your new year’s resolution to start the year with a clean slate. Having a place for everything is the backbone of an organized business.

I hope all these ideas will help you to reach your new year’s resolution. And if the task is just too big, or you want to invest in a time saving virtual assistant. Reach out, we would be happy to help https://lifebydesignvs.com/.

business management, businessbuildingstrategies

Why You Should Systemize Your Networking Strategy

Genean

Ah, networking…it’s that time of year again.

Love it or hate it, developing relationships with other people in your industry plays an important part in scaling your business. 

The holiday season is a BIG networking time for you and your business. It’s a time when you attend holiday parties and socialize outside of the office with your friends, peers, and colleagues. So take this opportunity to strategize and systemize your networking. 

Why is networking important for your business, big or small?

Networking allows you to:

  • Connect with others in your industry and form relationships with potential new partners.
  • Find new customers and clients.
  • Open yourself to bigger and better opportunities.

But the art of networking can be a tough chestnut to crack. 

Those of us who are more introverted can find networking challenging and exhausting and honestly downright anxiety-inducing (me!) And even the most Type A person in the room can find that winging it at networking events doesn’t produce the same results every time. The bottom line is, playing it by ear is not an effective way to network!

So, how do you win at networking?

By using systems! 

If you want to learn why you must systemize your business read my previous blog here.  What do I mean by systems? Systems are the procedures you have in place to keep your business running. Think of it as standard operating procedures you give yourself and your employees as checklists so you/they can implement it, even without training.

Systems should be set up for the activities that you use to run your business. This includes networking! If any activity is required to get things done in your business, it should have a system. 

By turning your networking efforts into a repeatable process, you can connect with more people authentically.  A system will help you focus on building relationships. 

When you already have a system for determining which networking events to visit, how to prepare beforehand, and when to follow up, all you have to think about is the person in front of you. You want a systemized strategy for networking so you can have a structure that allows you to be fully present in those relationships.

Consistency is the key to systems.

When you’re prepared and you have a process in place, you can provide the same, practiced experience every time. And the presentation is important in making a good impression, especially when it comes to business. 

Make sure your team follows the systems in place. This is important for consistency. Getting your team to follow systems can come with some pain points, read my previous blog here to learn best practices for getting your team to consistently follow systems. 

Not everybody feels comfortable networking, so the more you practice this systemized approach to networking, the more comfortable you’ll feel with networking overall. Just like practicing your big pitch or big speech until you are comfortable with it, it’s the same idea. 

So get out there! Do your thing! And don’t drink too much Champagne. Happy Networking and Happy Holidays from the team at Life By Design Virtual Solutions. 

business management

Tips For Staying Productive At Work During the Holiday Season

Genean

“How do I stay focused on work during the holidays?”

 

If you are working from home, this adds an extra challenge, posing the question:

 

“How can I stay home and stay focused at work?”

 

Even though it is one of the most wonderful times of the year, the holidays can be a productivity killer. So how can you balance celebrating the season while keeping productivity high? Here are 5 tips on how to stay productive during the busy holiday season. 

Plan

Make a to-do list of your priorities, estimate the time it will take you to finish each assignment, block time in your calendar for these assignments, and then start your work. Stick with your plan, it will help you stay on the right track. 

Don’t over commit

Saying “yes” to all requests while at work during the holidays only sets you up for failure –  given that you’re probably having trouble concentrating in the first place.

So, be selective with what you take on – list all your work, and decide what are your most important and most urgent tasks and goals for this time period. You don’t have to do everything that comes your way. 

While you may enjoy being the social planner and party decorator. The right way to embrace the holidays is not by fully surrendering to the preparation of festivities, the partying and decoration. Let someone else take the lead. 

You can still be helpful and participate in the celebrations, but remember that your time is valuable too. Especially if you will have to face specific end-of-year deadlines, the holiday spirit can easily be replaced by anxiety when deadlines loom.

Ask your loved ones to respect your work hours

Working while your loved ones are planning festive get-togethers means you’re bound to get caught in at least some of the logistical problems. To make sure you get quality work done, you’ll need to explain that you won’t be able to help your loved ones as much as you would like. Be clear on the times of day you won’t be able to answer their calls and requests – and instruct them how to reach you if there’s an absolute emergency.

Avoid multitasking

The number one biggest distractor during the festive season? Personal holiday errands. So don’t bring them to work. While you are at work, or during your work hours (those of you who work from home.) don’t shop, organize parties or do travel planning. Keep it work related.

Be flexible

Can you start your day earlier sometimes? That way you can leave earlier to run holiday related errands or bake cookies for your kids school holiday party. 

Can you take a few days off? If you have a couple of vacation days left, use them to do some holiday shopping and spend some quality time with your family and friends. This way, you’ll feel at least a little bit refreshed and recharged when you go back to the office, and thus more likely to focus on work in a productive manner.

Staying focused on work during the holidays isn’t  impossible – it just takes some planning and discipline. If you follow these tips, you’ll be certain to have both enough focus for your work and enough time to take in at least some of the holiday spirit.

Happy holidays everyone and share this post with your friends and family who might benefit from these holiday tips! 

 

business management

Lead Generation Tasks You Can Delegate To A Virtual Assistant

Genean

First of all, what is a lead?

A lead is someone who is interested in your product, service, or business. A person shows interest by submitting personal information to get a freebie, signs up for a trial, or subscribes to your content. This person is a lead. 

There are two types of leads, outbound leads and inbound leads, and both are important for growing your business. 

An outbound lead is someone who doesn’t know about your business yet, but you want them to know about it. The best way to get people to know about your business is to reach out to those potential customers, interest them in your product/services, and explain what you do and how you can help them. This is where a virtual assistant (VA) comes in. You can delegate some outbound lead generation tasks to VA’s!

4 Outbound lead generation tasks you can delegate.

  1. Cold calling- When hiring a VA for cold calling, make sure they are well versed in your business or industry. Give them a script and tight parameters to ensure they have the tools they need to do the job well. 
  2. Cold emailing- Any VA should have experience writing emails and setting up campaigns. This is a great task to outsource to your VA. Just make sure they are on brand and in your voice. 
  3. Social selling- Social selling allows your business to zero in on business prospects on social media and build rapport with a network of potential leads. Done right, social selling could potentially replace the dreaded practice of cold calling.
  4. Data collection- This is an easy one. Once you have reached out to a potential customer, you will collect information about them, such as their contact information. Have your VA compile all the data for your leads into an organized spreadsheet for future use. 

Alternatively, inbound leads come to you through your social media, website, or blog. They find you through SEO keywords or even word of mouth.  

Managing inbound leads is time consuming. Getting people’s attention, especially on the internet, is very competitive. In order to attract clients, you need to understand what a potential consumer needs or what their pain points are. You have to study that, write copy and make graphics that portray their needs and how you are the business that offers a solution! And ultimately, get them to you with a CTA! Phew. 

These things take up a lot of time–time that you could be spending on other tasks, like developing your product or expanding your team.

6 Inbound lead generation tasks your VA can handle for you.

  1. Content creation- Definitely hire a VA for this. Content creation is time- consuming, but ultimately, not terribly difficult. Allow your VA access to your previous content, logos, and brand kits. Have them create content with your voice. This content can be used on all social media platforms, marketing campaigns, blogs etc. 
  2. Social media management- Many businesses will offload the entirety of their social media to a VA. This VA can create content, come up with a social media strategy, schedule out social media to a variety of platforms, and engage with your customer base, so you don’t have to!
  3. Email marketing- Hire a VA to help you with creating and sending email campaigns.
  4. Basic SEO– Many VA’s are well versed in SEO, which is important to consider in our social media driven marketing world, and take advantage of their skills.
  5. Basic marketing research- You most likely don’t have time to research potential leads and your competition. A VA is a perfect person to spend the hours needed nurturing leads and seeing what your competition is doing. What is working for them and what isn’t? Your VA can help you find out. 
  6. Graphic design- There are a variety of software options available now for graphic design that don’t require a bachelor’s degree in graphic design to navigate. A VA can create and edit graphics for you to use in various areas of your marketing. 

In conclusion, businesses should have inbound and outbound lead generation as part of their sales and marketing efforts. It’s a process that begins with generating awareness about your product or service and ends with converting leads into customers, which involves dozens of smaller activities that you simply have no time for.

That’s why many businesses delegate their inbound and outbound lead generation to a VA. It’s more efficient and cost-effective to hire someone to fill your sales pipeline with interested leads. 

And when you have a VA to help you with generating leads, they can also help with other tasks, like social media management and email campaigns.

Think about it this way: would you rather spend hours trying to generate leads yourself or use that time to work on high-level tasks that only you can do? If you want to focus on growing your business, then lead generation is best left to a virtual assistant. 

Are you interested in learning more about our virtual assistant services at Life By Design Virtual Solutions? Check out our website here https://lifebydesignvs.com/. Let us do the busy work, so you can get back to doing what you love. 

photo of people near wooden table
business management

How To Get Your Team On-Board With Your Systems

Genean

If you have read our previous blog,  Why You Must Have Systems In Place, you know how important they are for your business to continue functioning while you deal with life outside of your day-to-day business operations. And you know, life will happen whether you want it to or not. 

So, what do I mean by “systems?” Systems are the procedures you have in place to keep your business running. Think of it as standard operating procedures (SOPs) you give your employees as checklists so they can implement them, even without training.

You implemented these systems or hired someone (hello! Hire a VA to help!) into your business for better functionality so that you don’t have to be the only person to run your business. But there can still be problems. 

Businesses can experience a few pain points surrounding SOPs.

  1. You don’t have systems in place in the first place! Go back and read the blog mentioned above. 
  2. Your employees aren’t following your systems because they don’t want to.
  3. Your systems are so out of date, your staff doesn’t use them because they are no longer effective or efficient. 

So what can you do to ensure that your staff follows the systems you put into place?

First of all, make sure YOU are using these systems. As a leader, you must commit and lead by example. It trickles downhill!

Secondly, make sure the information for your system’s processes is accessible! Where can your staff find your system’s processes? Are you using a specific software? Do they have log-in capabilities? And does your staff understand all your system’s processes and procedures that you put into place? Are you sure?

Thirdly, if you are implementing new systems for your business make sure that your entire team is involved in the roll-out. 

How do you do that?

  1. Collaborate. Work together to problem solve. Use your team’s expertise, skills, and workflow knowledge to fine-tune your systems. 
  1. Train. Make sure the whole team is available for group training sessions. This might be a great time for some team-building fun as well.
  2. Survey. This is an efficient way to collect honest feedback, opinions, and responses from employees. 
  1. Revise. Use what you learned from surveying your employees to improve your systems and make necessary changes.
  1. Clarify. Make sure everyone is on the same page and answer any system questions your team may have. 

How do you keep your team engaged in following the systems you put into place?

  1. Use your processes and procedures in the daily management of your company.
  1. Regularly review your processes. 
  1. Accountability. This is not only pointing out when someone is not doing their job correctly but also rewarding them when they are. Make sure your consequences and rewards are clear and consistent.

Using these strategies together will ensure that your team follows the systems that you have in place and will continue to do so in the future. 

One of the services we at Life By Design Virtual Solutions offer is to help create and implement systems in your organization. If you are interested in learning more about systems/SOP please reach out to us at https://lifebydesignvs.com/.

business management, businessbuildingstrategies

Top 3 Reasons to Hire a Social Media Virtual Assistant

Genean

Social media for a business is no longer a side job or an afterthought. Social media is a mega marketing tool that people can’t ignore. Why? Because there are over 4.62 Billion social media users today on average, people spend 2 hours and 27 minutes on social media EVERY DAY.

So, what is a social media virtual assistant? A social media virtual assistant refers to a contract worker who works remotely. They have the requisite skills, training, and knowledge to drive and guide your brand’s social media tasks. Tasks include managing the social media handles and scheduling posts, researching trends, posting quality content, and engaging your user base.

Here are three reasons you should outsource your company’s social media to a virtual assistant.  

  1. They help reduce costs. Since a virtual assistant is a contract worker, you save by not having them as W-2 employees. There is no overhead like benefits and insurance. You also don’t have to train them since they specialize in specific skill sets and experience. They work remotely, so there is no supplying office equipment for them. You pay them hourly only for the work done. And you can leverage improved business efficiency by delegating everything social media-related to the assistant while you focus on getting new customers, retaining the existing ones, and driving profits.
  1. They can engage your target market organically. Your social media pages need to stay active and have a consistent dialogue running. You are not trying to promote your brand in a sales-y, irritating way. You are trying to have fulfilled conversations with real customers. It’s about being relevant to the user’s everyday life and driving authentic interactions that promote the brand to have an emotional and more intimate connection with the customer (as opposed to having a purely transactional one). This is where the role of a dedicated social media assistant starts. They can respond to each post in real-time and boost engagement rates through the roof.
  1. They can develop a strategy. Posting a series of random social media posts will not fly for your social media campaigns to be effective. You need to move ahead strategically, keeping in mind your business goals, social media goals, user needs, and demands. Social media is constantly changing, and your social media virtual assistant will be well-versed incurrent trends. A strategically aligned social media strategy can have big payoffs. However, it requires plenty of time, effort, and commitment – which you can do by hiring a seasoned social media virtual assistant.

Hiring a social media virtual assistant will make your social media strategy more organized, goal-focused, customer-centric, and results-driven. It will provide a massive ROI in the long run. 

Ready to take your social media to the next level?
Hire a virtual assistant today.  https://lifebydesignvs.com/

business management

4 Successful Customer Loyalty Programs For Your Business

Genean

So what are customer loyalty programs?

A customer loyalty program is a system where a business offers rewards to its customers who make frequent purchases. From a business perspective, it’s a strategy used to encourage customers to repeatedly buy from your business as it is generally understood that it costs a company much more to try and attract new customers rather than retain existing ones. 

There are lots of different types of customer loyalty programs, like refer-a-friend programs that offer customers a discount if their friend signs up or makes a purchase, reward points programs, VIP programs, and programs that provide free perks.

Besides keeping loyal customers happy, what are some of the other benefits of implementing loyalty programs?

  • Improving customer retention.
  • Encouraging repeat business.
  • Increasing customer lifetime value.
  • Building stronger relationships with your customers.
  • Increasing customer satisfaction. 
  • Standing out from your competitors.
  • Boosting revenue.

Let’s look at 4 types of loyalty programs that you can consider for your business. 

  1. Customer loyalty points programs

Points programs are wildly popular. I guarantee you have some sort of frequent buyer punch card or more likely an app that keeps track of purchases for a business. The more you spend at a business the more points you earn that you can redeem for discounts, free products/services, or free shipping

This type of loyalty program is so popular because it rewards repeat purchases. Just make sure that the freebies are actually attainable. You don’t want to put off your loyal customers with unattainable rewards. 

  1. Subscription programs

A subscription program often gives customers a discount compared to one-off purchases or offers exclusive products, content, or services that aren’t available to non-subscribers. This is how you build loyalty and repeat purchases. 

If your business sells a product or service that is consumable (think food, beverage, toiletries, or monthly e-services, like email clean-out or social media posting) then this might be a good option for you. 

Subscribers can benefit from discounts, special promotions, a first look at new products, and VIP programs that offer even more freebies. This type of program will encourage long-term customer retention. 

  1. “Make a Difference” programs

These types of programs don’t offer money-saving discounts or rewards, but instead, their purchases go towards donations to specific causes. These help your customers feel that their purchases are making a difference in the world. For example, for every x amount you spend with a company they plant a tree. Or perhaps your purchases are directly related to offsetting the carbon footprint of shipping. You could also, have a percentage of your purchases go to a nonprofit organization that aligns with your mission. These programs are a wonderful way to give back to the world and retain customer loyalty. 

  1. Refer-a-friend customer loyalty programs

Refer-a-friend loyalty programs are exactly that: They reward customers for referring friends, family, or colleagues, giving them discounts or special offers.

These programs are a great way to build trust with potential customers, especially for e-commerce/online companies that don’t have a brick-and-mortar store for customers to visit and check out the product before they buy. Most consumers trust brands that are recommended to them by friends and family. 

*Here at Life By Design Virtual Solutions we give current clients 10% off their next invoice (up to $500) if someone they refer gets started as a new client.

Which loyalty program would work best for your company? Need help setting it up? Reach out to us at https://lifebydesignvs.com/ we’d love to help.

business management, businessbuildingstrategies

Entrepreneurs, Don’t Make These Mistakes!

Genean

Mistakes are fine to make, it’s how you learn and grow. But you don’t have to make ALL of the mistakes do you? Especially if someone has made the mistake before you. You can learn from others who have paved the way. 

Here are 7 common mistakes other entrepreneurs have made, so you don’t have to. 

Mistake #1: Making your hiring decisions solely based on cost.

Avoid trying to hire purely based on how much money you can save on compensation. If you want the best candidates, you’ll need to budget for them. Otherwise, you may find yourself facing higher turnover for the role. We all know that high turnover costs a lot more money than just hiring the best candidate in the first place. 

Take a look at what your hiring practices are like. Are they attracting solid candidates the first time around, or is it creating a costly problem in the long-term for your business? Don’t know? That means it’s time to sit down and run the numbers. 

Employees require an investment, not just in time, but also compensation. As the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.”

Mistake #2: Being too cheap!

There is a difference between being frugal and being cheap. Frugal is not spending unnecessary funds on things that don’t deliver value to your customer or help improve your company somehow. Being cheap, on the other hand, is not spending money when it would otherwise benefit your customers, your employees or your company.

Don’t get stuck on absolute numbers, you can still be frugal while financially supporting your company for growth and success! Understand your goals, and pursue them without fear.

Mistake #3: Forgetting the competition (you do not have the one and only biz like yours!)

We no longer live in a world where you have the one and only unique business/start-up/million dollar idea! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. There’s just too much competition to ignore that reality. 

Competitors are simply a way to get a clearer view of the customer, their pain points and solutions. The easiest way you can understand customers before you do anything, before you even know exactly what you are going to build/create or the specific problem you are going to solve, is to research competitors.

Adapting ideas from competition can be helpful for your business when you’re looking to gain traction on a new product. It can help you create something truly amazing!

Mistake #4: Expecting immediate results!

We live in an instant gratification world. There is no denying that, and not all instant gratification is bad. There’s nothing wrong with wanting or needing things, experiences, or products in a quick, efficient manner. But, it’s important to balance our desires with a realistic sense of timing and patience. 

Expecting immediate results might cause you to feel demotivated when your efforts don’t yield overnight success. This might deter you from working further towards the goal and cause you to abandon projects mid-way.

It’s easy to get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results for your hard work. 

Don’t obsess over results. Instead, focus on doing your bit daily and sticking to your goals by starting small, showing up each day, improving a little every day! Don’t obsess over results. They will come. 

Mistake #5: Not polishing your skills.

No matter what industry you are in, everyone needs to continue to learn, grow, upskill, and generally polish your skills to help you be a better entrepreneur. Let’s quickly look at a few good examples. 

Finance: You don’t need to be a CPA. If you have an accountant to handle all the number crunching, that’s great, but don’t use them as a crutch to keep you from really understanding where your money’s going. It’s in your best interest to keep an eye on your overall financial situation.

Sales: If you run a business, you’re in sales, even if you don’t feel like you are. Every time you talk about your business, or negotiate with a vendor or recruit, you are using sales skills.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to keep your skills sharp, even if it’s not necessarily your speciality. 

Mistake #6: Not being adaptable.

Customers are fickle. Yet another challenge for entrepreneurs, the constantly changing customer wants and needs. Meeting customer needs while adapting to changes is one of the most important keys to obtaining and maintaining success. Continuous improvements are necessary as it keeps you changing, innovating and moving in the right direction, UP!

Mistake #7: Thinking you have to do it all.

Entrepreneurs often make this mistake. They take on all of the tasks of starting off and running their business and quickly find themselves in burnout mode. Crashing and burning will not help you achieve your goals. Be open to hiring outside help like a virtual assistant and setting systems in place so when life happens (and it will) your business won’t collapse if you need to step away for a bit. 

There you have it! Learn from those before you and don’t make these same mistakes. Reach out to our team of skilled professional virtual assistants if you need any help with achieving your business goals. Check out our team at www.lifebydesignvs.com

business management

How to Build a Killer Brand Kit For Successful Marketing!

Genean

What is a brand? In its simplest form, it’s how a person views a company with their eyes closed. It consists of a style, colors, and logos of a company. It is its identity. 

What is the difference between a brand kit and a brand guide? Functionality. 

A brand kit is something that your company would share outside of your organization. For example, you would share your brand kit if you were outsourcing some of your tasks to a virtual assistant or agency. If your company was included at an event, you would share your brand kit so the event has your logo and color scheme. 

A brand guide is all the things that are in a brand kit, just a little more in depth. Your guide will include information about when and how to implement brand colors, language, fonts, and graphical elements important to your brand. It is typically an internal guide for marketing your company. 

For this article both the brand kit and brand guide will be used interchangeably, since they serve the same purpose. 

So why is killer branding important to a company or organization?

  1.  Customer Recognition

The right branding increases brand awareness, and when people know you, they’re more likely to buy from you. Having uniquely memorable branding means one-time customers could turn into life-time customers.

  1. Improved Customer Loyalty

Familiarity is comforting, and customers will buy what they know and what makes them comfortable. Time and again.

  1. Easily Roll Out New Products, Events, and Services

Having your branding guide in place means that half the concept is already done. Your new idea for a service or product or book is ready to be plugged into the style that you have curated. 

  1. Attract Influencers

This is a sign of the times. Influencers are an undeniable part of business marketing strategy. People who have a large online presence are incredibly influential and businesses small and large are utilizing this marketing tool. The more recognizable your brand is, the more likely you are to tap into this market tool.

So what are the essential elements of a killer brand kit?

  1. A Color Palette (with Hex codes!)

Colors are a CRUCIAL part of brand identity. A signature color palette can skyrocket a brand’s recognition. I’m sure you can think of a few examples of a signature palette immediately (The Golden Arches, anyone?).

  1. Logos

So, so important. Designing a logo may seem simple enough, but there are quite a few aspects that need to be considered. Simple is just fine, as with black and white (think Gucci, Louis Vuitton). Abstract (Nike) or just a simple picture (Apple) works well too. It all depends on what your brand identity is and what sort of message you want to send to your target audience.

  1. Font

Number one rule, it’s got to be readable! The rule of thumb is to use two fonts that complement each other well—although it’s not totally uncommon to have three. Play with different combinations!

Outside of the benefits to marketing, implementing a brand kit and brand guide is simply a more organized and easier way to carry out your branding. It will keep all of your team members and contract workers on the same page.

 A solid brand kit will help you keep the visual components of your brand in one place, thus maintaining consistency on all your channels, whether it’s your LinkedIn profile, website, or flyer.

Even when projects are handled by different people, such as a virtual assistant outside of your company, your communications will have the essential feel of your brand that makes you unique. This will cut down on editing time, endlessly searching for the right logo, verifying fonts, all of which save you time and money. 

Are you ready to build your brand kit? Or do you want the help of a professional virtual assistant? We are here to help you.