Power of Colour in Branding

A brand’s logo and visual identity will comprise a number of visual cues, such as shapes, symbols, number, and words. But the number one visual component that people remember most is colour.

When it comes to branding, the power of colour is both emotional and practical. On an emotional level, colour can affect how consumers feel when they look at a brand, while on a practical level it can help a brand stand out in the crowd.

Whether you’re a designer or a business owner, it’s helpful to know colour meanings and symbolism so you can make informed decisions. If you choose a colour meaning ‘tranquility’ for your extreme sports brand, you might be sending the wrong message.

01. Red – danger, passion, excitement, energy

02. Orange – fresh, youthful, creative, adventurous

03. Yellow – optimistic, cheerful, playful, happy

04. Green – natural, vitality, prestige, wealth

05. Blue – communicative, trustworthy, calming, depressed

06. Purple – royalty, majesty, spiritual, mysterious

07. Brown – organic, wholesome, simple, honest

08. Pink – feminine, sentimental, romantic, exciting

09. Black – sophisticated, formal, luxurious, sorrowful

10. White – purity, simplicity, innocence, minimalism

Some handy tools from Canva that will help you find which colours look good together, which colours match your images and colour pallete ideas that are guaranteed to look good together

Colour Wheel

Colour Palette Generator

Colour Palette Ideas

Absolute Creative work with entrepreneurs just like you, designing beautiful responsive websites, increasing your brands visibility, producing your marketing materials, and much more besides. Call us for a chat on 01707 386 107 today, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and we’ll get back to you right away.

June 8, 2019 / No Comments /

5 things you should NEVER do when you Create Print Advertising

Some people have been known to say print advertising is dead… but here at Absolute Creative we know that’s definitely not the case. We still design and create highly successful print ads for businesses all over the UK. However, if you want your ads to be successful, there are certain things you should do, and certain things you should never do if you want your print advertising to work. We don’t like telling anyone what to do, so this blog focuses on those print ad no-no’s – pay attention and you won’t make the same mistake many others have, and still do.

1. Don’t use a wishy-washy headline. Just like a blog post, newspaper article, or magazine feature, the headline is the first thing your reader will see – and it’s very likely to be the one thing that makes them decide whether or not to read the rest of the ad. You need a headline with impact, or your whole ad will be wasted

2. Don’t use too much copy. If your ad is ‘word heavy’ it will put people off and they won’t bother with it. Yes, you’ve probably got a lot to say, but less is often more so keep your sentences short and snappy, and focus on the important stuff – the benefits to your customer

3. It’s not all about you. We like talking about ourselves, don’t we? And we’re excited about our new ‘thing’ we’re selling. Nobody else cares though – sad but true – so don’t lay it on too thick about all the fantastic features and focus on how it’s going to solve a problem for the reader. That’s what sells.

4. Don’t be confusing. If you have 2 or 3 things to sell, make 2 or 3 ads. DON’T attempt to get them all in the one ad to save money, you’ll just confuse the customer and they won’t buy any of them. Make one good ad for each product, and focus on the main benefit of each.

5. Don’t make them guess what to do next. A strong call to action is important, so make sure your ad lets them know what they have to do next to either buy, call for info, learn more, book, or whatever it is you want them to do. Say it clearly and make it very visible or you’ll miss out on sales.

Do you need print advertising? We are Absolute Creative, an award-winning design agency, and we can help. We’re based in Hertfordshire but our customers come from all across the UK because we create print ads for you that work. Call us today on 01707 386 107, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk to learn more about what we can do for your business.

May 27, 2019 / No Comments /

Where do I find the best images for my website and flyers?

When you start a new business, and even when you’ve been in business for a while, you’ll need some high-quality images. These will be for your website, flyers, product brochures, and other marketing materials. Many business owners get these images from stock image sites, of which there are many online. For a reasonably low cost, you’ll usually be able to find some decent images that suit your needs. However, they’re images that are not unique to your business and your marketing, so you may see them elsewhere – and so might your customers. A good example of this is the online customer service image of an attractive young lady in a headset – you know the one we mean – she’s ready to take your call and solve your problems with a click of your mouse.

So, the main issue with stock images is that they’re not really authentic. They can be kind of boring, and they don’t truly represent your business, do they? Wouldn’t it be better to have real images of real people – the people who work for you, and who your clients (if you run a local business) may know by sight? Imagine if instead of stock photographs you could have images of your own products, your sales team, your customer service team, your business premises, your projects, you, the dog…

That sounds better, doesn’t it?

Don’t be tempted to take them yourself though. Yes, your new Huawei phone may have a great camera, but we all know it’s not just the camera that takes the photographs. Using a good professional photographer for your marketing images will be a sound investment in your business. There’d be no more generic stock pics you can find anywhere on the web – just your own portfolio of quality bespoke images. Your website and marketing materials would be truly unique, authentic, and represent your business as it really is.

If you need a photographer, a website or marketing materials for your business, we can help you. We’re Absolute Creative, an award-winning design agency based in Hertfordshire. We work with businesses like yours all over the UK, designing websites, flyers, brochures, and other marketing materials including vehicle graphics. We always make sure your business stands out from the crowd. Call us today on 01707 386 107, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and let’s chat.

May 18, 2019 / No Comments /

What should I Blog about?

That’s a great question really. You’ve started your business, had your website built, and you want to engage your audience. Or perhaps you’re starting a personal blog and you’d like to get some followers? Or maybe you’re wanting to start blogging so you can eventually monetise your blog?

Whatever the reason, you’ll have to decide what content you’re going to add to it. The question is, how will you know what to write? Will people like it? Is it what they want to be reading? It can be worrying. Nobody wants to spend hours on end writing stuff nobody reads after all. So, you’ll have to give something of value if you’re going to lure them in and make them fans. Below are some suggestions for you.

1. If it’s a blog for your business, it’s quite straightforward. Simply tell your target market what you’re up to. Blog about your new products, but do make sure it’s not all about you. They’ll want to hear what the product will do for them. What problem will it solve? How will it make them feel? Also, share your expertise. Give some information away. Your audience will appreciate it if you give them some of your tips – and if they don’t end up buying your product or service, chances are they’ll spread the word about you anyhow. Plus ‘How To’ headlines are always good for searches. If you’re not sure what they want to know, why not ask them? Do a poll on Facebook or something similar. And don’t forget to keep it relevant. Google likes relevance.

2. If you’ve set up a blog and you don’t have a traditional business, then what was your reason for setting it up. Was it to get lots of subscribers so you could eventually monetise it? That’s great, but you’ll need some sort of strategy to get those subscribers – it can’t just be a ‘spray and pray’ approach. Do you have a niche? You’ll need one, so what are you good at? Check out other popular blogs and see what they write about. Sometimes, the smaller the niche, the more of an ‘expert’ name you can make for yourself. Some popular niches are Health, Diet, Parenting, Veganism, Making Money, Saving Money, and Decorating, but if you have a passion, whatever it is, there’ll be others with the same interests who’ll be interested in hearing your take on the subject. Tell them your story – how you got into whatever it is you’re blogging about. Give them help and advice. Be their friend. Write like you’re speaking to them, and don’t come across like a text book because they won’t relate to you.

Blogging regularly with relevant, useful content helps you build a fan base and shows you to be an authority in your field. If you’d like to start a blog, you’ll need a great website people can easily find in Google searches. Absolute Creative work with entrepreneurs just like you, designing beautiful responsive websites, increasing your brands visibility, producing your marketing materials, and much more besides. Call us for a chat on 01707 386 107 today, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and we’ll get back to you right away.

May 7, 2019 / No Comments /

Boosting your Facebook Posts to Get Results

If your business has its own Facebook page – and it should – you’ve probably seen the ‘boost this post’ feature several times. If you’ve not yet used it, you might want to give it a try. ‘Boosting’, means paying a fee to Facebook to get your post in front of a wider audience than usual – and that can be a good thing if you do it right, especially since organic reach has dropped over the years. And with boosting, there’s no need to get involved in the Facebook Ad Manager, which can be confusing. You can boost your post right from your Facebook page.

Raising awareness

Boosting is great if you’re starting out with Facebook advertising, and want to increase your number of followers, and raise awareness of your business, or your products and services so you can reach more of your target market. You can also boost an event you’re putting on, so you can sell more tickets and get more ‘bums on seats’.

What do you want?

Before you start you need to decide what your objective is. You may want to get more likes and engagement on your page, or use the post to get people to message you. To get started, choose the post you want to boost, and click the blue ‘boost’ button. You’ll get a choice of objectives, so click on the one you want and choose the audience you want to boost it to. You’ll be able to pick various demographics – you already know your target market, so target people who look like your customers. Now set a budget, and how long you want to run the ad for, check everything, and you’re good to go.

How did it go?

When your ad has been running for a while, you can check your ‘insights’ and see how it performed and how your audience responded. If it didn’t do as well as you’d hoped, try changing the demographics slightly, or increasing spend or reducing reach. If your budget is too low, it puts you at a disadvantage if others are spending much more. Trying a few different ads and testing which work best is always a good idea.

We are Absolute Creative, an innovative, award-winning web design and digital marketing agency based in Hertfordshire. We work with businesses like yours all over the UK, designing beautiful responsive websites, creating recognisable branding, and running social media campaigns. If you need help with that, get in touch on 01707 386107

April 20, 2019 / No Comments /

How to create engaging blog headlines every time you write

Sometimes writing a great headline for your blog post is as difficult, or more difficult, than writing the actual blog post itself. You have something to say to your readers, but you know the headline is the one thing that will make them want to read it. Old school ad man, David Ogilvy, said ‘On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy’. He was talking about newspaper ads, but in today’s online world blogs are no different – and without a great headline that makes the reader want to read on, your blog post will be wasted.

Don’t worry though, once you know how, writing blog headlines that capture the attention isn’t as hard as you think. There are proven formulas that have been used for years – although technology and the things we use and do have changed over the years, people haven’t – and we can use that to our advantage. Below are two of the most successful headline formulas of all time.

How To…

Probably the best way to capture people’s attention is with a ‘How To’ headline. I’ve used it above, and I’ll keep on using it for as long as I write – because it works. People are inquisitive. They want to know how to do things, so ‘How to’ is a great way to start. Then follow it up with a couple of benefits – remember Dale Carnegie and his bestseller ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’?

Other examples are…

How to lose weight fast without starving yourself

How to get a new mortgage that saves you money every month

How to make more money without quitting your job

How to leave the job you hate and make money from home

You get the idea…

People love lists…

‘List Headlines’ get people’s attention nearly as much as a ‘How To’ headline. If your blog promotes you as an expert, your audience will love to see an email informing them of your just published ‘list headline’ blog post. They’ll be excited to read what the list is promising them. Examples of list headlines could be…

The top 5 ways to make money online

7 fool proof ways to get clear skin

6 secret habits of the super-rich

20 things everyone must do before they die

And of course, there are many others so find the ones that suit your business.

Blogging helps you build an audience and establish yourself as an expert in your field. If you’d like to start a blog, you’ll need a great website people can easily find. At Absolute Creative we work with people like you, designing beautiful responsive websites, increasing brand visibility, producing marketing materials, and much more besides. Call us for a chat on 01707 386107 today, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and we’ll get back to you right away.

April 12, 2019 / No Comments /

How often should I blog?

If you’ve already got a blog on your website, that’s great. Blogging is good for your business for several reasons, (if you didn’t read our earlier post about why you should blog, you can read it here). But the question that’s often asked is, how often should I write a new blog post? There are lots of answers to that, depending on the type of blog you have, what you aim to get from it, and how much time you have available to write. It can also depend on whether you’re a one-man band, or whether you have staff or freelancers that can write posts for you.

The largest blog in the world is the Huffington Post, which publishes 2000 or more posts per day according to this 2013 article. Of course, that’s not the rule, that’s the exception – but you should always aim to blog regularly, and make the content relevant and interesting.

Blogging Daily

This works for some people, and it’s a great way to become a disciplined writer. Some blogs warrant daily posts – current affairs or gossip, for example, may need posts daily, or even several times a day to keep up the interest of readers. High frequency blogging can be good to attract more readers to your blog, especially in the early days. However, for most bloggers these days, daily posting, or multiple daily posting isn’t really necessary.

Blogging 1-2 times a week

Daily blogging will usually mean short, sharp posts, whereas blogging once or twice a week gives you more time to write more compelling, in-depth posts. These may well get more engagement from readers in the way of comments (as long as they’re interesting), and of course if you’re not writing again for a few days, you’ll have more time to engage and build trust with your readers.

Relevant Content

While there may not be any hard and fast rule when it comes to blogging frequency, it’s important to make sure your blog content is relevant and informative. This will help your website in terms of SEO, and keep your readership engaged. If your posts aren’t based on what’s happening on that particular day, you can write several when you’re in the mood, then schedule them for posting at a later date.

We are Absolute Creative, an innovative, award-winning digital marketing and design agency based in Hertfordshire. We work with businesses like yours everywhere, designing and building their websites and blogs, creating their marketing materials, and helping them with all their digital marketing needs. Call us today on 01707 386107, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and let’s see how we can assist you.

April 3, 2019 / No Comments /

3 Digital Marketing Methods You Need for your Business

Digital Marketing has been around for a while and it’s here to stay. But what is it? Well top internet marketer Neil Patel says ‘Digital marketing is any form of marketing products or services that involves electronic devices’ and that’s a pretty easy definition to understand. When you’re new in business, or even an old hand, some of the newer tools and marketing methods available may be hard to get to grips with – and at times overwhelming. Don’t despair though. Rather than trying to do it all yourself there are professionals you can turn to take care of it, allowing you to focus on those things you do the best. Here are 3 digital marketing methods worth spending your money on in 2019

1. Email Marketing

Although some people think email is dead, the truth is email marketing can still bring you in a good ROI. It allows you specifically target those who are interested in your product or service by using a simple landing page that offers something of perceived value with an opt-in link (don’t be spamming people). It’s not too expensive, and as your opt-in list builds it gives you the opportunity to offer more products to your growing fans. An email campaign won’t break the bank, even if you outsource it to a specialist digital marketing agency.

2. Social Media

Many people say they don’t fully understand it, but nearly every successful business knows they need to have a social media presence these days. Social media accounts are free to set up, will increase your exposure, and allow you to build a fan base for your business. Those who like what you do, relate to your brand, and enjoy how it makes them feel will probably buy your stuff. It can be time consuming though, especially if you don’t really know what you’re doing. If you’re planning a social media campaign, don’t spread yourself too thin across the platforms. Spend time finding the platform your target market uses and devote your time to that. If you’re running paid ads, set a budget or your money can go fast! Better still, get an expert to help.

3. Search Engine Optimisation

The most beautiful website in the world won’t promote your business or sell your stuff if nobody can find it. You need to be near the top in the search engines for your specific keywords if you want online sales. That’s a fact, but you already know it because you’ve searched Google for things in the past and you didn’t go past the first two pages either, did you? So, spending some of your marketing budget on SEO is a must. There are things you can do yourself, but as you’ve probably heard Google changes things all the time, so again using an expert may be the best way forward.

We are Absolute Creative, an innovative, award winning digital marketing and design agency based in Hertfordshire. We work with businesses everywhere, helping them with their digital marketing needs. Call us today on 01707 386 107, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and let’s see how we can assist you with all your future digital marketing requirements.

March 25, 2019 / No Comments /

3 Top Tips to Get the Most from Your Flyer Advertising!

Whether you’re attending a trade show, promoting an event, letting people know about your special offer, or launching your brand-new local business, flyers are a great way to do it. However, there are some top tips you should know before you start designing and handing out your own flyers. Without these you may just be wasting your cash.

1. Don’t waste the headline!

As with any advertising copy, the headline is the most important bit of the ad. Without a headline that grabs the readers attention, they won’t go on to read the rest of your flyer. It doesn’t matter how pretty it is, or how lovely your logo looks, or how proud you are of your business name – they don’t care about any of that. The reader wants to know if you can solve their problem, so that’s what your headline should be telling them.

2. Tell them what to do!

You need to take the hand of your reader and show them what they need to do. That means including at least one call to action, and maybe more depending on how much copy there is. Different people have different personality types. Some like lots of info and plenty of details, while others are more decisive and willing to take risks. You may have your big headline at the top ‘We’ll make your lawn look amazing all summer, giving you the time to do the things you really want to do’ with a call to action right underneath ‘call right now to learn more and get 15% off for the whole season’. Under that you can write the details – who you are, what you do for people, all the benefits your service provides, some testimonials – then repeat the call to action again at the bottom for those who like all the info before they make a decision.

3. Design and use two different flyers

This may seem like extra expense, but getting two different flyers designed and printed so you can test one against the other makes perfect business sense. This has been done since direct mail ads were invented – check the old advertising greats such as David Ogilvy and John Caples and you’ll see it’s the testing that made them successful. It’s still done on the internet by the successful marketers, and you should do it too. Knowing what makes your customers buy will be worth a fortune to you in the future.

If you’re looking to have some flyers designed, we can help you. We are Absolute Creative, an award-winning design agency based in Hertfordshire but working with businesses like yours all over the UK. We design and print flyers that capture attention and make your business stand out. Just so you know, we also design websites, vehicle graphics, and a whole lot more. Call us today on 01707 386 107, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and we’ll create some flyers you’ll be proud to hand out.

March 18, 2019 / No Comments /

5 Things You Must Always Do with Your Business Card

Everyone in business has a business card, right? After your domain name its probably the first marketing tool you bought when you started your business. However, as you probably know from the ones you’ve been given by other people at networking meetings, they are often fast-tracked to the bin when we get home or back to the office. That’s a shame – we’ve spent money on them after all – so what can we do to make our next business card as effective as possible and not instant bin fodder?

1. Get them in matt finish

Why? I hear you ask. Well the answer is a simple one and not what you might be thinking. The most successful networker this blog writer knows ALWAYS writes something on his card before he passes it to a potential client or referral partner. It’s often just ‘thank you’ with his name, but it’s a nice gesture and it not only makes people remember him, it encourages people to keep the card. Why matt though? Well if you’ve ever tried to write in biro on a gloss card you’ll know!

2. Make sure they show your branding

Start with your logo, then use that to create consistent designs across all your marketing materials. Unless you have a background in design, don’t try and save a few quid by doing it yourself or using a cheap online site. You’ll only regret it later. Find a good professional graphic design company, tell them about your business, your goals, your vision and values, and pay them that little bit extra to do what they do best. Then you can use their designs to promote what you do best.

3. Use both sides

Blank space on one side of a business card is a missed opportunity. For the pennies extra it costs you to have both sides printed it’s a no-brainer. You could have some of your services on there, your mission statement, or a product image. If you need to book appointments (solicitor, hairdresser for example) you can utilise the back as an appointment card.

4. Don’t overdo it

Keep the card simple(ish) by not adding too much text. Tell people what they need to know – your name, telephone, email address – show your logo and tagline, but making it too busy can mean it’s difficult to read and possibly off putting for the recipient. The same goes for colours too. Think of how you want to be perceived by others.

5. Make it memorable

This is where design skills come in again. There are so many design & print options available now, making your card stand out has never been easier. We’ve seen cards in the shape of pigs, bottles, and cars, cards with cut-outs, pop-ups, and a myriad of textures. As mentioned before, don’t go overboard. It’s great to be different, but you don’t want to be tacky. Think of your target market too – if you’re an eco-friendly business you may want to go with a card made from recycled materials.

If you need business cards, we can help – whether it’s for a new business, an existing business, or a re-brand. We are Absolute Creative, an innovative, award winning design agency based in Hertfordshire. We work with businesses like yours everywhere in the UK, creating business cards that make our clients stand out from the crowd. We can do a whole lot more than that of course, so why not call us today on 01707 386 107, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and let’s discuss your new and improved business card design.

March 12, 2019 / No Comments /

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