If your company was a colour, what would it be?

This is the question posed to one of the guest speakers at the local Chamber networking breakfast I attended last week and it reminded me of a subject I posted at the beginning of the year.

The post was prompted by Pantone's prediction for the colour of the year, which was chosen for it's ability to  'transport us to an exciting tropical paradise, while offering a sense of protection and healing in stressful times'.  Inspired by water and sky, Turquoise is believed to be a protective talisman, a colour of faith and truth.

Colours play a big part in how we are portrayed by sending a specific message to the people who view them. According to various research studies, it might be wise to consider the psychology of colour when designing not only your marketing materials, but also your brand itself.

Red - danger, excitement, passion, speed, strength - stimulates to action
Blue - trust and reliability - apparently the most popular colour used for branding
Green - nature, fresh, cool, growth, abundance - represents firmness and serenity
Purple -  royal, spiritual, dignified - the colour of wealth
White -  pure, clean, youthful - gives an impression of professionalism
Black - sophisticated, elegant, mysterious - used a lot in photography collateral
Silver prestige, cold, scientific - think expensive cars!

So, what colour is your company?

Online Marketing – making sure it’s a two-way communication

Internet savvy business owners are communicating with their customers in a very different way, utilising a myriad of different forums such as Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Foursquare. Email Marketing still plays a very important role in any marketing strategy and works well for those businesses who rely on this form of communication to relay information, offers and events - but it has to be a two-way street!
Most email marketing software allows you to see if people are reading and clicking your links, but how do you know if your readers are truly engaged?   
There’s a number of things you can do to make sure your customers have a reason to respond.    

• Ensure your content is related to your audience.

• Target the right people and be genuine – make them feel you have their interests in mind.
• Raise questions – ask a question at the end of each article to get them thinking to propel a response.
• Make sure to include a link to make it easy for your customer to respond.
• Use Q & A – add a ‘question-of-the-week’ where you publish answers to questions you’ve been asked by your customers. If readers see others asking and getting a response, they’ll be more likely to ask their own.
• If you’re using Social Media resources such as Facebook LinkedIn and Twitter, include links to your profile and ask people to join in the conversation there.
• Ask for feedback – a simple survey link perhaps or an email link, this makes sure you know what your customers expect and want.
• Make sure you respond to any comments or feedback in a timely manner – even a simple ‘Thank You’ within 48 hours – taking longer could result in a lost opportunity.

What other things do you do in your newsletters to get your readers to respond?