Google is Judging Your Website’s User Experience, Plus 8 Ways to Be Successful Right Now Gratitude & Reflections As the water on our lakes turns from liquid to frozen here in Wisconsin, it’s a good time to step back and look at what’s been accomplished as well as what’s next. Like you, we are spending time thinking about our plans …

Most companies want great press. When the media loves a non-profit or business, it’s as if all the lights just came on. This takes time and effort though. Many of the organizations you read about, see on television or hear about on the radio have been intentional about their public relations efforts. This isn’t a chance encounter with the other …

3 Digital Assets Every Company Needs Does your company have the basics covered when it comes to the digital world we live in? Lights, Camera, Action! Show, Don’t tell. How often are you asked for a headshot? Have you noticed that more companies have welcome videos on their home pages? Our fast-paced digital world means that people will watch and see before …

CRACKING THE BRAND CODE: PART 3 Can a BRAND have an Identity crisis? Absolutely! Just as the terms BRAND and LOGO are often confused, the expression “IDENTITY System” can also be mistaken for the LOGO.  The Brand Identity, however, has a very different job from the LOGO but relies on its help as a key player. Sometimes referred to as the “Visual Identity”, the IDENTITY system is a means to communicate the brand through graphics, imagery, colors, fonts, …

CRACKING THE BRAND CODE: PART 2 So, what is a LOGO if it isn’t a BRAND? Last week, I shared in Cracking the Brand Code: Part 1 that the terms “brand” and “logo” are not the same, but that a BRAND actually includes the LOGO, along with the IDENTITY, as part of its system. You may recall this graphic depicting how they form a whole, the BRAND system. …

CRACKING THE BRAND CODE: PART 1 What is a BRAND? Is it different from a LOGO? What is a business IDENTITY? Most people would say a logo, identity, and brand are all the same. While a logo and identity are part of the brand, they only play limited roles in telling of the story. Consider an egg to help illustrate this relationship. While not especially …

From June 9th through the 11th, the largest ever virtual gathering of U.S. small business owners will be happening on Capitol Hill. Over 2,100 business owners will advocate for policies to help their businesses succeed, an effort more crucial now with the current economic crisis caused by COVID-19. We’re all alumni of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. I …

The slow migration to reawakening our marketing plans and sales strategies calls for new thinking, new tactics, and new ways to address unique concerns in order to execute effectively. American Marketing Association chapters in Iowa, Madison, and Milwaukee have assembled a strong panel of speakers and specialists to help you come out of COVID and tackle the new marketing and sales challenges that lie ahead! …

According to an Edelman report released today, while business saw a 4-point uptick in trust to 62 percent, the pandemic has exposed several areas of deep concern: Half of the people believe business is doing poorly, mediocre, or completely failing at putting people before profits, only 43 percent believe that companies are protecting their employees sufficiently from Covid-19,  and 46 percent do …