In 2017, a revolutionary non-profit called MORTAR decided to ditch the curriculum they were licensing for their 14-week startup accelerator. Together, we created a new book called MORTAR MASTERS.
Identity & Communication System
Icon System
Curriculum
Glossary
Well-Loved Book
Activation strategy is a marketing strategy meant to build awareness of a brand by directly motivating or interacting with customers to build notoriety. This strategy is used by engaging with the target audience directly, by offering unique experiences, encouraging the target audience to promote your products themselves, capitalizing on current trends, promising exclusivity, using current technology, partnering with influencers for social media campaigns, engaging the community or giving back to the community to make customers feel good about promoting your brand, and addressing customer concerns and objections directly.
ADA accessibility audit & implementation is an analysis of how accessible a website is to users with disabilities in accordance to standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The text of advertisements meant to get the attention of potential customers. Successful advertising is clear and concise. The text can be written or verbal messaging depending on the platform. Ad copy can be used in print campaigns, social media promotions, and TV or radio ads. It easily engages with the target audience with a compelling headline and encourages them to read on.
A brand’s advertising strategy is the method of creating messaging that targets potential customers.
API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of functions and procedures allowing the creation of applications that access the features or data of an operating system, application, or other service. An API is a computing interface which defines interactions between multiple software intermediaries. It defines the kinds of calls or requests that can be made, how to make them, the data formats that should be used, the conventions to follow, etc. It can also provide extension mechanisms so that users can extend existing functionality in various ways and to varying degrees. An API (Application Programming Interface) can be entirely custom, specific to a component, or it can be designed based on an industry-standard to ensure interoperability. Through information hiding, APIs enable modular programming, which allows users to use the interface independently of the implementation.
Blue Ocean Strategy was developed by professors W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne. It is the method of creating an entirely new area of the market in order to be the first and/or only company and have no competitors. Red oceans are all of the industries that currently exist today. While blue ocean strategy carves its own path, it also means there aren’t benchmarks from other companies.
Book Design is the art of using graphic elements of a book such as the cover, dust jacket, content and style. For example, part of a book’s overall design could include the style it which pages are number and the chapter headings.
More types of Book Design:
Graphic Novel
Memoir
Novel
Text Book
User Manual
You can learn more about book design by visiting our resources page to find trusted sources and examples.
When an organization is made up of a number of smaller brand entities, it utilizes a brand architecture strategy. This system organizes the structure of brands and helps consumers understand the master company as well as each of its extensions.
There are four types of companies that may fall into this category. The first is the branded house. This is used when its subsidiaries have a direct relationship with the master brand. For example, the master brand offers a broad range of services, while the services of each sub-brand are very specific. Each of the entities will be governed by the guidelines of the master brand, most likely, each carry the name of the master brand.
The second relationship is a house of brands. In this sector, the master brand serves as the parent company to a number of different smaller brands. Each sub-brand will have a different name and may even appeal to differing markets. The brands are recognized independently, and the parent company may not be made known to the consumer.
The third relationship is endorsing brands. Each of the sub-brands has independent brand strategies but benefit from the endorsement of the parent company. The sub-brands may appeal to different markets or regions, but use their association with the parent company to increase brand recognition.
The last brand relationship is hybrid brand architecture. This relationship combines strategies from the previous situations and is usually done so out of necessity. Each of the sub-brands operates independently but rely on resources from the master brand.
Each of these relationships requires differing marketing strategies and are determined on a case by case basis. Implementing this hierarchy of brands can be a valuable resource to determine the brand identity and increase brand awareness.
Brand assets are the logos, illustrations, colors, fonts, and photographs that comprise the parts of your brand toolkit.
The core values guiding a brand’s actions. Having these ethics known can help a brand connect with its target audience.
Brand beliefs are a key part of a brand’s Identity. Not only do they help in communication with consumers, but encourage like-minded talent to join your team. Having strong core values creates trust in consumers, and encourages them to engage with the brand.
A set of guidelines created to maintain consistent brand messaging. A brand book may contain logo use, imagery, color palette, and tone of voice. This guide creates a reference for decisions regarding the brand image.
Brand guidelines dictate both visual and written messaging for brand identity. This style guide includes various brand assets such as logos, fonts, color palette, and brand imagery. It also includes a mission statement, core values, and tone to communicate the brand voice. Brand guidelines provide a template to use when creating advertisements, product packaging, and other brand collateral.
Creating clear brand guidelines allow for consistent and efficient decision making. Thus, maintaining distinct positioning that drives brand recognition.
A brand launch is the process of introducing a brand to the public. A successful launch takes into consideration the target audience, competition, brand messaging, and goals.
The target audience is who will be most likely to encounter the brand launch. Depending on the brand, some target audiences are quite broad. For example, a new brand could be targeting people between the ages of 30-40. However, sometimes a brand targets a very specific group. For example, people between the ages of 30-40 who are in the market for a new phone, that will be attending a specific event. Identifying the target audience is crucial in developing a launch strategy that reaches brand goals.
It is crucial for consumers to understand a brand’s position in the market, doing so could be the reason they choose your brand over the competition. A launch strategy should outline the ways other brands in the industry have launched, what was successful about them, and dictate why your brand is a cut above.
Consistent brand messaging ensures a brand is understandable to the target audience. This is both the visual and language aspects of the brand’s identity.
Lastly, it is important to set measurable goals. Whether a launch is to drive shares on social media or purchases in a store, setting metrics provides information on what was successful and areas that need to be improved.
Positioning is the corner of the market a brand occupies. A brand positioning strategy is the tools used to communicate this to the target audience. Some of the ways brand positioning is developed are through naming, the visual identity, and analysis of the competition.
The most important aspect of brand positioning is the target audience. Naming and visual identity cannot be determined without first understanding who the target audience is. In markets where there are many different options, brand positioning also helps to understand why a brand is better than the competition.
Take a look at the wine aisle of your local grocery store. The bottles that sell have developed a brand strategy to make sure that the target market picks up their bottle. The brand experience for a top-shelf bottle of wine is going to be entirely different than a reasonably priced bottle. The top-shelf bottle may appeal more to an older audience with a sophisticated french name and soft color palette. While the bottom shelf wine will have a catchier name and might have bolder graphics. Someone who might not know a lot about wine will be more likely to reach for it on a shelf of many options.
A tool that provides the basic foundation of a company’s values to develop consistent brand messaging.
A brand pyramid consists of 5 tiers:
These answers to these questions provide clues for creating a successful brand strategy.
More precisely defining the message of your brand and what specifically you want to communicate about it to customers. Brand refinement can mean an entirely new brand relaunch, or changing subtle communications to better serve customers.
A brand story is an emotional narrative that depicts a brand’s ideals and values. Creating a brand story drives recognition in consumers, and may even change the way that brand makes them feel. The narrative provokes an emotional response in the target audience, then positions themselves as a company that shares in those views.
Telling a compelling story is only half the battle. Understanding the target audience is crucial to ensure the message will be received with the intended purpose.
Great brand strategy is the process of understanding where a brand has been, it’s current market position, and it’s long term goals. From it, we can achieve future goals based on a deep understanding of how its products or services solve problems for customers and what moves those customers to make decisions.
A comprehensive strategy process begins with project management to establish KPAs, ROI, and clearly define objectives. Research begins with an internal audit, moves to understand your position with direct and indirect competition. We analyze your communications, brand identity, marketing plan, in addition to customer service byways of the customer journey.
Click on any of these links to learn more about the different types of brand strategy:
Brand Architecture Strategy
Brand Launch Strategy
Brand Positioning Strategy
Brand Pyramid
Branding Identity Services
Full Brand Identity System
Mission / Vision / Values
Naming
Branded stationery refers to any printed material containing your logo and/or using your brand guidelines. Letterhead and coordinated envelopes are just the tip of the iceberg when thinking about stationery. Notebooks, thank you cards, menus, labels, and any other printed emphemera could be a key part of your brand strategy, delighting your customers and making you proud to market your business.
Richly textured papers, hand-applied details, and beautifully coordinated colors help to increase your brand’s messaging in and out of the office. BS LLC is constantly on the lookout for new print methods, paper mills, and stationery innovations to bring your brand to life.
From special one-off productions to large scale undertakings, our team of production partners can deliver your branded stationery needs. BS LLC considers your budget and brand strategy when designing branded stationery so that every piece you choose to produce has an important role to play.
A process in which a brand becomes realized in naming, logo, and design that is recognizable to the public. Branding is an essential part of starting a business. It dictates a brand’s position in the industry and shows consumers what sets them apart from the rest. Creating a consistent brand experience is crucial for creating trust in both consumers and employees, it allows a brand to control the way people perceive them.
Brand identity is the elements that make a brand recognizable to the public. These elements include logo, color palette, and design. Branding identity services are the process that makes a brand come to life. A creative agency works closely with the brand to create consistent brand messaging across these assets. Thus, creating a brand identity that the brand is passionate about, and one that resonates with the target audience.
Business & innovation strategy is a forward thinking plan of action to break into a market and achieve a desired goal or outcome.
Learn more about the types of business & innovation strategy in related FAQ articles here:
Blue Ocean Strategy
Disruptive Innovation Strategy
Job Theory
New Market Penetration Strategy
New Product Launch Strategy
Process Mapping
Project Management Strategy
A small printed document that provides identification for a person or company. A business card may include a person’s name, company name, a logo, tagline, or other useful information. It is usually the size of a credit card, designed to fit squarely in a potential client’s wallet for future use.
Campaign strategy is a marketing strategy meant to get customers to think about a brand in a certain way or in relation to an action that gives the brand an identity in the eyes of the public. Campaign strategy is a plan to achieve an objective, usually of a large-scale, over an extended period of time. It usually coordinates many activities and uses of resources involving multiple organizations. A campaign plan could also have subordinate objectives or intermediate milestones and is often broken down by phases. They often begin with an assessment of the situation to put the plan in context. Campaign plans are often created in business marketing, political campaigning and military campaigning.
Citation research & implementation is research finding instances of a company’s website being cited and how it can be used to improve a website’s SEO.
Brand collateral is any asset that is created to promote a brand. This includes digital assets like websites, printed material like business cards, or promotional materials like t-shirts or pens. These elements are what makes a brand recognizable to the public.
Collateral design encompasses anything produced for use in your business that contains your brand identity or is used for marketing purposes. This can include digital assets like websites, printed material like business cards, or promotional materials like t-shirts or pens.
To learn about collateral design, visit our other FAQ pages:
Business Cards
Packaging Design
Posters & Billboards
Signage
Stationery
SWAG
The BS LLC team is an expert production partner for your branded collateral needs. If you select collateral production in your service agreement, our team of Project Managers will utilize one of our hand-selected production partners to create one of a kind branded collateral that not only looks beautiful but serves to enhance your brand strategy in a deliberate and meaningful way.
The set of primary, secondary and possibly tertiary colors that are used in your brand identity. The brand guidelines will govern when, how, and how much each color is used. The brand colors can be seen in the logo, imagery, and collateral designed for a brand.
A brand’s plan to reach customers by utilizing different forms of communication, also known as public relations. The key elements to a communication strategy are what you’re trying to say, who you’re trying to say it to, and how you’re going to deliver it.
The process of analyzing competitors in the industry. Competitive landscape research ensures a brand will be unique and forges its path in the market. It can also provide important industry insights through understanding what other brands are doing well and areas they can improve.
Content Delivery Network implementation is having a website placed on a server geographically located closer to the intended customer base for faster access. CDN is short for content delivery network, is a network of proxy servers and data centers. They provide high availability and speed performance by distributing the service geographically relative to end users. CDNs serve as a means for alleviating the performance bottlenecks of the internet; CDNs serve a large portion of the internet content today, including text, graphics & scripts, media files, software, documents, applications, live streaming media, on-demand streaming media, and social media sites. CDNs are a layer in the internet ecosystem – content owners such as media companies and e-commerce vendors pay CDN operators to deliver their content to their end users. In turn, a CDN pays internet service providers, carriers, and network operators for hosting its servers in their data centers.
CDN is an umbrella term spanning different types of content delivery services: video streaming, software downloads, web and mobile content acceleration, licensed/managed CDN, transparent caching, and services to measure CDN performance, load balancing, Multi CDN switching and analytics and cloud intelligence. CDN vendors may cross over into other industries like security, with DDoS protection and web application firewalls (WAF), and WAN optimization.
The process of writing content used in marketing and advertising to increase brand awareness and create a memorable brand voice. Copywriting brings the design of a branded campaign to life and invites a call to action response in the target audience. It is used in email marketing, web launches, social media, and more.
See our other FAQs for more examples of copywriting:
Advertising Copy
Brand Story
Ghost Writing
Product Descriptions
Sales Scripts
Speech Writing
Tagline
Website Copy
A semi-close up photograph of a person for professional use. A corporate headshot can be for personal use on resumes. It can also be used to showcase employees and humanize a brand’s social media or website.
Corporate social responsibility is a business model that requires corporations to make positive contributions to society. Many companies choose an environmental or social cause to focus their efforts on. They may take part in volunteering, charitable, or philanthropic methods to an organization of choice.
A creative brief is needed before any project kicks off. This document lays out the strategy for creating anything used in your brand toolkit or brand collateral. It helps both the client and the creative agency understand project goals and stay on track throughout the process.
Photography that is created for artistic purposes. Creative photography is more imaginative and goes beyond that of a traditional photo.
CRM automation is software developed for the system of managing a company’s customer relations. CRM is short for Customer Relationship Management, and CRM automation is the process of automating sales and customer service functions to help teams track and manage their engagement efforts with current and future customers. It also enables sales teams to save time, nurture leads, and convert faster by automating tedious sales processes. Automating the CRM allows sales teams to automate redundant prospecting and customer management tasks which are otherwise time-consuming. These tasks involve day-to-day activities such as data entry, contact updates, follow-up contacts, communication details and notes, calendar management, & lead and opportunity updates.
A website developed to-order for a particular brand or company. This is different from a modular website that has limited options on how customizable the design elements of a website can be. The process for building a custom website starts with determining the website’s needs, such as add-ons and plugins. The next step is to identify the brand elements and how they will incorporated into the custom website.
Customer interviews provide insight to the effectiveness of a business’s current methods and ways they could improve. Qualitative research is a more personable form of research. Instead of a predetermined survey, its conversational nature can lead to discovering feedback that may not have received otherwise.
A tool to define who the target customer is for marketing purposes. Not only do customer profiles provide you with key information about the customer, but the customers are able to give feedback on your product or service. A customer persona is the fictitious voice of the customer to keep in mind when designing for a brand.
Customer Relation Management system development is the development of a system of managing a brand’s interaction with current and potential customers in order to improve business relationships.
Quantitative research uses customer surveys to provide measurable statistics. Thus, an objective form of research focused on gathering hard facts. This data can then be analyzed to represent the larger population on a given subject.
A remote storage of files and data changed on a daily basis. All files and folders that have changed during a day are backed up based on the files’ modify date. The archive attribute is neither used nor cleared. If you want to back up all files and folders that change during the day without affecting a backup schedule, use a daily backup.
Unlike art, the purpose of design is to solve problems. Design achieves its goals by understanding an intended future state and using a set of tools to achieve its goals. The tools available to design are visual communication & graphic (logos, artwork, typography, & color), user experience (how you navigate a product or experience), environmental design (the look and feel of the space around you), and material (substrates & more).
You can think of design as a cultivated experience for the five senses. In that way, a restaurant is one of our cultures’ great expressions of design, marrying touch, taste, visual, environmental, material, and more.
Design helps its creators and consumers think differently. It opens up clearer paths of communication. It reduces waste & improves productivity. Good design makes you feel better by way of simplicity, understanding, and beauty.
There are many different specialties within the field and can range from micro-details to environmental experiences. Some such fields are: fashion design, interior design, UX/UI design, photography, graphic design, product design, web design, material design, the list goes on. Each of these sub-specialties can support the creation of a new brand.
Rhinegeist BreweryThis is a compiled list of definitions for design, branding, & marketing commonly used in the design industry.
Click through for more information on any topic:
Branding
Brand Assets
Brand Guidelines
Brand Beliefs
Brand Book
Brand Refinement
CMYK
Collateral
Collateral Production
Color Palette
Creative Brief
Design
File Extension Formats
Font
Glyph
Graphic Design
Logo
Pantone
RGB
Typography
Wordmark
Disaster response is the decisions and statements made by a company to try to reduce harm from or fix a mistake or other disaster caused by that company. Disaster response and disaster mitigation is a sub-category of Public Relations. The practice dovetails with reactive marketing techniques.
The community and local or federal government are involved in dealing with emergencies/disasters that have widespread impact, the company or corporation will be concerned with the assets of a business and its ongoing operation. Companies must prepare by creating and keeping plans updated for sustainability during and after disasters. Organizational leadership should create and drive the plan, with human resource playing a key role in the personnel organizational preparedness of the plan. HR planning is crucial to disaster response plans. The organization invested in workforce planning to anticipate worker skills and competencies, so HR should also anticipate how changes due to disaster response will affect those plans. Part of the planning process should outline resources, information on how employees may be deployed into other areas of the workforce should certain workgroups not have the adequate staffing due to illness, death or travel restrictions. The workforce planning component should also identify training needs so that the staff is adequately prepared to take on additional duties in emergencies.
A method of entering the market at a low price with a new and innovative method and/or product that changes traditional methods then moving up the market and eliminating competitors.
Disruption is made possible with the advent of new technologies and lean business models that can outstrip the integrated business models of sustaining innovation.
Domain is the URL or website address you type into a search bar. This identification string defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control within the Internet. Domain names are used in various networking contexts and for application-specific naming and addressing purposes. In general, a domain name identifies a network domain, or it represents an Internet Protocol (IP) resource, such as a personal computer used to access the Internet, a server computer hosting a website, or the web site itself or any other service communicated via the Internet.
Domain acquisition is the purchase and procurement of a domain name usually done through a website like domain.com or GoDaddy. As you build your company, you will need to acquire a domain name for your site, which is the string of characters visitors will type into the browser or find in the search engine results page. Your domain will play an important role in the success of your website. Your domain will be responsible for creating a first impression and opinion with new users. It will be the first impression of a brand identity that clients or customers will encounter, and the most important piece of information for them to remember. Your domain also has a massive impact on your site rankings in online searches. Choosing a relevant domain name can aid your search engine optimization strategy as well.
Email marketing is an excellent way to drive sales and encourage brand engagement. Email campaign software seamlessly communicates with customers in large quantities. However, it does more than send emails.
One of the more popular platforms used is Mailchimp. It offers customizable marketing campaigns using built-in design tools. Within the email, customers can access links, forward to friends, and sign up for other content offered by the brand. Using an email marketing platform allows the ability to track these metrics, and understand how they fare in a customer’s inbox.
The management of the relationship between the employer and their employees within a company. Proper management of employee relations encourages company morale. Not only that, but part of a company’s public image is how employees feel about the workplace.
Encrypted backups is a secure storage of files and data sent to an off-site server or e-vault. This is a way to keep your information from being damaged or lost in the event of a security breach
Environmental photography showcases our natural surroundings. This style of photo captures both interior and exterior landscapes. It focuses on everything from parks to a new restaurant as our eyes would naturally see them.
External process audit is an analysis of how an external environment shapes a company’s marketing strategies. An external process audit determines the purpose, objectives, and scope of processes that affect a marketing strategy.
File extension formats are the letters at the end of a file name that designate what type of file it is and what program to open and edit the file within.
A few examples of file extension formats are:
.ai = Adobe Illustrator. This file can be used by people who need “vector files” to create ads or branded material. This means that the image can be resized without altering the design.
.svg = Another vector file by a different company.
.pdf = document that can be translated across multiple types of applications or platforms, a common type of file extension formats.
.gif = for images, especially animated images like the bull image in BS LLC’s email footers
.png = for images, similar to .gif but cannot be animated. Image has a transparent background for us on websites
.jpeg = Photo file that can be shared easily
.eps = a vector file to be used on websites
A font is a graphical representation of text that may include a different typeface, point size, weight, color, or design. Below is an example of the Arial fonts including light, medium, bold.
A full brand identity system is an assemblage of assets that build and communicate the identity of a company. The various elements may change depending on the needs of a brand. However, the brand identity system almost always includes the following:
Ghost writing occurs when an author pays someone to create various works for them without credit. For a fee, these writers create speeches, journalistic work, website copy, and other texts. One might hire someone to ghostwrite for them if they have an idea, but need a professional writer’s expertise to execute it.
An image or symbol that can be your main logo or a part of your brand. Glyphs are used to create easily identifiable brands. For example, Starbucks uses a glyph for their main logo. However, a glyph can be only part of the composition like Target and Mastercard.
An analysis by Google as to how accessible a website is to users with disabilities. BS LLC uses Google Lighthouse to test the accessibility of a website. Lighthouse is an open-source, automated tool for improving the quality of web pages. You can run it against any web page, public or requiring authentication. It has audits for performance, accessibility, progressive web apps, SEO and more.
Google Analytics implementation is utilizing information found through Google Analytics to improve website traffic. Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic, currently as a platform inside the Google Marketing Platform brand. Google Analytics implementation is improving website traffic by using the data provided which can target new audiences and even be used in advertising.
Google Analytics is used to track website activity such as session duration, pages per session, bounce rate etc. of individuals using the site, along with the information on the source of the traffic. It can be integrated with Google Ads and other advertising software, with which users can create and review online campaigns by tracking landing page quality and conversions and goals. Goals might include sales, lead generation, viewing a specific page, or downloading a particular file. Google Analytics’ approach is to show high-level, dashboard-type data for the casual user, and more in-depth data further into the report set. Google Analytics analysis can identify poorly performing pages with techniques such as funnel visualization, where visitors came from (referrers), how long they stayed on the website and their geographical position. It also provides more advanced features, including custom visitor segmentation. Google Analytics e-commerce reporting can track sales activity and performance. The e-commerce reports shows a site’s transactions, revenue, and many other commerce-related metrics.
A file storage service owned and operated by Google. All of Google Drive’s storage lives in a cloud which is easily accessible from any device connected to the internet, or through Google Drive’s app.
Graphic design is the creation of visual assets. A graphic designer uses tools such as typography, color, photography, and illustration to convey a concept. When creating the visual identity for a brand, the designer may employ many different visual methods. Design services can include website design, environmental graphics, print design, motion design, and more.
Cincy NiceA graphic novel is a long-form work of comic art. It is a combination of two words. The word graphic, meaning sequential illustrations do the storytelling. Paired with the word novel, the comic is split into chapters and provides complete storytelling and development of characters, similar to a traditional book.
It is distinguished from the comic book, which is generally a short-form periodical. The content of both formats are similar in style. However, instead of releasing parts of a story with each edition, graphic novels tell the story from start to finish.
Using visual works to aid in storytelling reach broad audiences, and can be understood by different age groups. Many of the comic giants, like Marvel and DC comics release graphic novels. Though other genres can benefit from the style used by these popular publishing hubs. The use of graphic storytelling is commonly seen in political cartoons, adult literature, and children’s storybooks.
Hosting and domains provides the technological support to own and make changes on a website owned by a business or individual. Web hosting is a service that allows organizations and individuals to post a website or web page onto the Internet. A web host, or web hosting service provider, is a business that provides the technologies and services needed for the website or webpage to be viewed on the Internet. Websites are hosted, or stored, on special computers called servers. Hosting and domains are typically spoken about in conjunction with each other.
Domain is the URL or website address you type into a search bar.
To learn more visit these related FAQ pages:
Content Delivery Network Implementation
Domain Acquisition
SSL Implementation and Management
Internal process audit is an analysis of how effective a company’s resources and processes are in the execution of marketing strategies. The internal processes are reviewed and updated or redundancies are targeted to streamline processes.
IoT Roadmap is a company’s blueprint of tools and strategies to be successful with the IoT (Internet of Things) environment. The Internet of things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects—“things”—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the Internet.
To build an IoT roadmap, all layers of the IoT technology stack—device hardware, device software, communications, cloud platform, and cloud applications—need to work together. As the need to efficiently connect billions of physical devices around the world rapidly increases, the IoT landscape remains fragmented regarding technologies. IoT connectivity must be flexible and agile, to meet the network performance required for a wide variety of evolving IoT use cases, applications, and device types.
A strategy meant to target customers’ idea that they need a product or service in order to fulfill a job that they think needs to be done.
Keyword research is a type of SEO-research to find related search terms in order to increase website traffic. Keyword research is a practice search engine optimization professionals use to find and research search terms that users enter into search engines when looking for products, services or general information. Search engine optimization professionals first do keyword research, and then align web pages with these keywords to achieve better rankings in search engines. Once they find a niche keyword, they expand on it to find similar keywords.
A series of planned activities by a company meant to communicate to the public on a local scale. A local campaign reaches a narrow group of people, usually directed at the target audience. While you will obtain fewer impressions overall, the chances of the targeted consumer engaging with the product or service is higher.
Local SEO is SEO research limited to a specific (usually local) physical area. Local search engine optimization is similar to national search engine optimization in that it is also a process affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine’s unpaid results (SERP- search engine results page) often referred to as “natural”, “organic“, or “earned” results. In general, the higher ranked on the search results page and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine’s users; these visitors can then be converted into customers.
Local SEO, however, differs in that it is focused on optimizing a business’ online presence so that its web pages will be displayed by search engines when users enter local searches for its products or services. Ranking for local search involves a similar process to general search engine optimization but includes some specific elements to rank a business for local search.
A logo is the composition of an image or glyph with the brand name. The use of a logo allows consumers to quickly identify your company or product. For example, Mastercard’s orange and yellow circles.
Research that investigates current and past trends in a given market in order to provide an overview of that market. Identifying changes in the industry ensures a brand is meeting consumer needs and excelling in sales metrics.
Marketing and sales materials are any form of collateral that is created to communicate with customers. The purpose of these documents is to persuade future customers to purchase a product or service. This can include digital assets like websites, printed material like business cards, or promotional materials like t-shirts or pens.
Marketing Strategy is the overall forward-thinking plan for attracting customers, gaining new business, and gaining a competitive advantage in your market.
To learn about types of marketing strategy click here:
Advertising Strategy
Campaign Strategy
Communications Strategy
Marketing & Sales Materials
Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy
Activation Strategy
A nonfiction record written using the author’s personal experiences. A memoir is a biographical account, however, it focuses on a specific event or period in the author’s life. Thus, a more narrow perspective than other nonfiction works in this category.
The key differentiation between a memoir and an autobiography is the telling of events as the author recalls them. While still regarded as fact, a memoir has more flexibility. The author’s thoughts and feelings are just as important to the story as the events themselves.
A memoir is structured similar to that of a novel. A memoirs breadth can be as broad as an entire period, or as narrow as a specific encounter, there is no length requirement. However, it utilizes the techniques of novel storytelling to further enforce the narrative. Character development, point of view, style, and setting are all important qualities.
To understand the essence of a brand, it is important to know their mission, vision, and values. The mission is what drives a company. It’s what they’re doing now in order to achieve their goals in the future. The vision is what those goals are. Where should the brand be in five years? Ten years? Meanwhile, the values are what the company stands for throughout the process – their ethics and morals as a brand.
A modular website is a type of website building platform that uses basic building blocks to create something new, examples are SquareSpace or Wix. These are easy to manage solutions, as opposed to a custom website, but have limitations that custom websites do not. They can be built by an average consumer and typically does not require the help of a web developer. Modular websites are built in small sections of design elements that be customized in a limited way in how they appear on each website.
A marketing strategy that integrates multiple marketing platforms to reach customers. A multi-channel marketing strategy creates consistent messaging across websites, social media, email marketing, and more.
Central to the brand identity, naming is how a brand is recognized by the public. Creating a name that is unique to a brand, is not already trademarked by competitors, and evokes the brand ethos is no easy feat.
A great name is central to the brand’s core values, provides context to a brand’s position in the industry, and is memorable to the target audience. To create a recognizable brand, the name should be easily spelled and spoken by the target audience. It is important to note the target audience because naming a children’s toy will be vastly different from a laboratory.
Later, this can be visualized in a logo to further drive brand recognition.
A series of planned activities by a company meant to communicate to the public on a national scale. These activities can include marketing strategy, advertising, and public relations. A National campaign reaches a broad group of people, so it is generally more expensive than a local campaign. While the number of impressions will be very high, the proportion of people engaging with the brand will be significantly smaller than a local campaign.
Neighborhood relations is the relationship between a company and the community in which it operates and/or resides. Instead of mass-media campaigns, this marketing tactic relies on word of mouth and loyalty with local customers.
The strategy of selling and/or marketing a product in a market that already exists in order to gain a higher market share.
Marketing strategy to properly launch a new product into the market by a company.
By definition, a novel is fictional storytelling of considerable length – no less than 40,000 words. This is a broad definition by design, it can include everything from romance to historical fiction. There are, however, some qualifications a book must meet to be considered a novel.
It must be written in prose, meaning the text mimics natural speech. Generally, a novel is centered around the human experience. Thus, it should showcase the development of its characters. Like most written literature, it should have a setting, themes, and a strong plot.
On-page SEO is the optimization of individual web pages with individual source codes. On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing individual web pages in order to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. On-page refers to both the content and HTML source code of a page that can be optimized, as opposed to off-page SEO which refers to links and other external signals.
Organic search, also known as natural search, refers to unpaid search results. In contrast to paid search results (pay-per-click advertising), organic search results are based on the user’s search query as typed into the search box.
When you see organic search traffic in Google Analytics, it’s referring to the traffic that’s come to your site through unpaid search results on search engines such as Google, Yahoo, or Bing. Organic traffic in Google Analytics can be found under the Acquisition section.
The art of designing packing material for a product. Packaging design includes the visual impression it will have on the consumer, as well as the structure to protect or contain the product. A packaging designer will take into consideration the target audience, the material use, the brand identity, and more when creating the design.
Founded by Lawrence Herbert in 1963, Pantone is a standardized color matching system developed for use in the print and textile industries. When developing a brand’s color palette, you’ll see the Pantone description for each hue. A Pantone color code will look like this: PANTONE 387 C.
Photography is the creation of photographed images for a company to use, either on their website, on promotional materials, to educate customers, to advertise a product, and to design the product itself.
From stunning product shots to interior design and architectural photography to lifestyle and event shoots, BS LLC has refined the craft of image-making into a process that begins with goals and final placement and works backward to styling and shooting, including shot selection, final editing or retouching as necessary.
Below are types of photography used commonly by design and brand firms:
Corporate Headshots
Creative Photography
Environmental Photography
Product Photography
Platform indexing is a collection of information found in SEO research. This is also known as web or internet indexing. Platform indexing comprises methods for indexing the contents of a website. Individual websites may use a back-of-the-book index, while search engines usually use keywords and metadata to provide a more useful vocabulary for Internet or onsite searching. Back-of-the-book-style web indexes may be called “web site A-Z indexes”. This interface differs from browsing through layers of hierarchical categories (taxonomy) which are not alphabetical, but are also found on some web sites. Metadata web indexing involves assigning keywords or phrases to web pages or web sites within a metadata tag field, so that the web page or web site can be retrieved with a search engine that is customized to search the keywords field. This method is commonly used by search engine indexing.
Posters & billboards are temporary graphic promotional material meant to be seen in public spaces. Posters are usually made from paper and are smaller in size. Billboards are large outdoor versions of posters that generally last longer and are usually put up along roadways. Billboards can be both digital and print documents depending on the format.
Powerpoint is a Microsoft program meant to design and present slides that come together to make a presentation. Powerpoint was originally designed to provide visuals for group presentations within business organizations, but has come to be very widely used in many other communication situations, both in business and beyond.
A strategy for a company to best communicate with the public. Depending on the brand’s needs, a PR strategy can be a long-term road map or be developed with an end date in mind. When developing goals for the long haul, it is important to note that the strategy is constantly changing as the way that people receive their information changes.
A press release describes important announcements or news related to a brand. This information will be sent to news organizations to be published if the publication sees fit. Press releases draw attention to achievements and create buzz around the brand.
An analysis of the process making a product and how well that process matched the original plans of production.
Process development is the creation and implementation of an organizational process. Process development means all process development items are templated, audited, and efficiencies are created. Developers may find areas for improvement and bugs, as well as other issues or improvements. Process can be defined as: Proven, Repeatable, Owner-driven, Compatible, Executable, Sustainable, and Successful.
Process mapping is the visualization of business processes, usually through different kinds of multicolored charts. It is a visual tool that allows you to set objectives and ensure they are being met.
Product & experience audit is a way to pinpoint areas that need work on a digital product, showing the aspects of a site or app that aren’t working for users and halting conversions. A product & experience audit uses methods and processes to expand an existing situation, and offer recommendations for improvements and enhancements. A UX audit should let you know how to make it easier for users to use your site, app, or software. A product audit inspects a final product to determine how effectively it fills its intended function. An experience audit assesses customer satisfaction and experiences with a given brand.
This copy drives sales by providing information about the features of a product. Compelling product descriptions maintain brand messaging and keep the target audience in mind.
Commercial photography meant to capture the essence and image of a product. Successful product shots are consistent with the brand messaging and appeal to the target audience. It could be what drives the sale of your product over a competitor.
Production management is the internal company process of organization in the development of a company’s product. Production management bridges the gap between clients and UX, content strategy, design, and development team. The people included in the product management process is varied; company leadership, technical support and the client to name a few. The process involves research, analysis, reports and presentations.
Public Relations (PR) information here.
Listed are some of the many ways that public relations are used:
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Disaster Response
Employee Relations
Local Campaign
National Campaign
Neighborhood Relations
PR Strategy
Press Release
1628 LTD.We have compiled a list of recommended browsers for maximum compatibility online:
Desktop
Google Chrome 84+
Mozilla Firefox 73+
Apple Safari 13+
Mobile
Google Chrome 83+
Apple Safari 13+
Why does my website look different on different browsers?
How the browser interprets the page, your OS (operating system), and your display resolution could all affect how websites’s look on the browsers you are using. For more information, click here.
Why you shouldn’t be using Internet Explorer:
CVE-2019-1367 | Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability
Internet Explorer Incompatible With Everything
Internet Explorer Virus Can Take Over Your Entire PC
Microsoft has discovered a new IE vulnerability that can take over your entire PC, which is a big reason for not using it as your recommended browsers.
According to the statement from Microsoft:
“A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that the scripting engine handles objects in memory in Internet Explorer. The vulnerability could corrupt memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could take control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.
In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit the vulnerability through IE and then convince a user to view the website, for example, by sending an email. The security update addresses the vulnerability by modifying how the scripting engine handles objects in memory.“
Research and strategy are data driven ways to determine the best approach to improving the design, marketing, and strategy for a growing brand.
Listed below are the types of ways that research & strategy can aid a business’ competitive advantage:
Competitive Landscape
Content Relation Management (CRM) System Development
CRM Automation
Customer Interviews (Qualitative Research)
Customer Profiles and Persona
Customer Surveys (Quantitative Research)
External Process Audit
Internal Process Audit
Market Trends Analysis
Process Audit
Process Development
Product / Experience Audit
Production Management
Website Security Audit
The RGB color model combines red, green, and blue light to create a broad spectrum of colors. This color model is primarily used in web design and can produce more vibrant colors than the CMYK color model.
Sales pipeline development is the game plan used by a sales and/or marketing team to manage potential clients into becoming steadfast customers. Sales pipeline development refers to all of the activities a sales organization performs in order to manage potential clients and encourage them to become loyal customers.
Sales process audit is an internal analysis of a company’s sales process in order to determine the efficiency of methods being used. An audit determines what works and what doesn’t so a company can begin sales process optimization.
Sales process optimization is the process of analyzing a company’s practices and the market it is in so that the company may better improve its outreach and sales process.
Sales scripts are used when making proposals to prospective clients. It is a prewritten set of talking points used by company representatives in sales to have a cohesive pitch. It can consist of a fully planned speech or a bulleted list.
Sales Strategy is a plan that outlines how a business will approach selling their products or services, such as auditing current processes, and coming up with templates and automations. Ideally these strategies provide clear insights for the sales team to develop leads.
Listed are key ways that sales strategy is used:
Sales Pipeline Development
Sales Process Audit
Sales Process Optimization
Sales Templates & Automation
Website Lead-Generation Audit
Website Lead-Generation Implementation
Sales templates & automation are resources a company can use to standardize, automate, and streamline the sales process.
Security is a secure website that has a web application firewall activated to prevent attacks and hacks. It also follows website security best practices and has no configuration issues or known vulnerabilities.
BS LLC offers services for websites which is a pass-through cost to you. This is also an annual charge to make sure that your website is running with the latest technology and can rebuff attacks from hackers. Unfortunately, website hacks happen even if you can’t imagine your company being a target!
Besides thwarting possible attacks, this also allows us to reinstate your website back to its correct form quickly in the case of a hack, without the headache of re-coding and rebuilding things. We offer security in order to be a one-stop-shop for our clients when it comes to website hosting and building.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of increasing the quality and quantity of website traffic by increasing the visibility of a website or a web page to users of a web search engine using organic (unpaid) searches.
Optimizing a website may involve editing its content, adding content, modifying HTML, and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines
As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, the computer programmed algorithms which dictate search engine behavior, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines, and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience. SEO is performed because a website will receive more visitors from a search engine the higher the website ranks in the search engine results page (SERP). These visitors can then be converted into customers.[4]
SEO differs from local search engine optimization in that the latter is focused on optimizing a business’ online presence so that its web pages will be displayed by search engines when a user enters a local search for its products or services. The former instead is more focused on national or international searches.
For additional information please visit these pages:
Citation Research & Implementation
Google Analytics Implementation
Keyword Research
Local SEO
On-Page SEO
Platform Indexing
SEO Audit
SEO Audit is an analysis of a company’s website’s web traffic. This is a full analysis of all the factors that affect website’s visibility in search engines. This standard method gives a complete insight into any website, overall traffic and individual pages. Website audit is completed solely for marketing purposes.
The full website audit starts from a general analysis of a website aimed at revealing the actions needed to improve search engine optimization (SEO). Many tools offer recommendations on how to raise the website rankings in search that can include on page and off page SEO such as broken links, duplicate meta descriptions and titles, HTML validation, website statistics, error pages, indexed pages and site speed. Site audit is applicable for all online businesses and improves different aspects of the websites.
SERP is short for the search engine results page. Search engine results pages (SERP) are the pages displayed by search engines in response to a query by a user. The main component of the SERP is the listing of results that are returned by the search engine in response to a keyword query.
Signage is external branding with graphics about a company that provides information such as brand markers, wayfinding, or other messaging.
Social media post templates or graphics and/or images are used to post and promote a company through social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and others. Social media post templates or graphics can be utilized by a company to be used as a starting point for social media posts.
Writing for public announcements and public statements for someone else to deliver. Speech writing can also include the creation of supportive materials for a presentation. A successful speechwriter understands the audience and caters to their dialect.
SSL certificates are small data files that digitally bind a cryptographic key to an organization’s details. When installed on a web server, it activates the padlock and the https protocol and allows secure connections from a web server to a browser. A domain name, server name or hostname.
SSL implementation and management handles small data files that digitally bind a cryptographic key to an organization’s details. SSL, which stands for “secure sockets layer”, is a protocol for providing a secure connection between devices via the internet. SSL uses a cryptographic system that uses two keys to encrypt data − a public key known to everyone and a private key known only to the recipient of the message.
ArkMalibuStrategy is a set of tactics employed to achieve a goal. The goals can be economic or cultural. Typically, business strategy is made up of many goals, to which, strategic paths or roadmaps are built. Goals are defined by understanding the external market opportunity, the internal culture, as well as the resources, processes, and profit formula. Strategy identifies if these tools are sufficient to reach the goals or if additional resources are necessary for their attainment.
Branded merchandise given away by a company for free that is meant to promote a company and entice future customers. Common SWAG items include t-shirts, water bottles, and stationary.
A tagline is part of a brand’s identity. This slogan creates a memorable impression on consumers and further drives recognition. A tagline should be a succinct phrase that conveys brand messaging.
Technology Audit is an analysis of a company’s technological infrastructure. An information technology audit, or information systems audit, is an examination of the management controls within an information technology (IT) infrastructure. The evaluation of obtained evidence determines if the information systems are safeguarding assets, maintaining data integrity, and operating effectively to achieve the organization’s goals or objectives. These reviews may be performed in conjunction with a financial statement audit, internal audit, or other form of attestation engagement. IT audits are also known as automated data processing audits (ADP audits) and computer audits.
Technology consolidation is the reduction and unification of a company’s technologies to increase efficiency. Technology consolidation, at its core, is the simplification of the technology environment. There are many new technologies with niche and effective uses. Companies have acquired them, trying to understand and take advantage of new technology trends. However, due to the lack of appropriate resources and skills, many organizations have been accumulating duplicate technology capability.
Technology stack research & suggestions is research and suggestions into what collections of technology and software would benefit a company. This can lead to efficient technology consolidation to identify the purpose and use of the technology stack of a company.
Technology strategy is the plan and objectives to use technology for improvement, including the applications and improvement of current technology use. The strategy is usually in conjunction with a company’s overall business strategy.
Learn about types of technology strategy here:
IoT Roadmap
Technology Audit
Technology Consolidation
Technology Stack Research & Suggestions
Template design is the design of files meant as starting points for other documents such as forms and letters. Templates are outlines that are meant to be a design that can used more than once.
Below are types of template design that can be used:
Email Campaign Platform
Powerpoint
Social Media Post Templates or Graphics
A textbook provides educational material for users in an easily understandable format. It is often a lengthy document so it can be split into sections to create a modular way of learning. Today, most textbooks will have a digital version, or may not be used in print form at all.
Typography represents both the visual and technical aspects of choosing the right font for your brand. Typefaces are designed by Typographers. Fonts are the different versions of the Typeface family. It’s more than just what looks good. The right typeface will reflect the brand messaging. Usually, multiple fonts will be chosen that work in a cohesive system to create hierarchy depending on their use. The designer will also gauge the target audience when selecting the font, taking into consideration who will be reading it.
User experience design & wireframe is a type of process design meant to make a website more usable and a more meaningful experience for the customer, and the wireframe is the basic blueprint design of a website.
A user manual is a guide or short instructional booklet on how to properly use something. User guides are generally written for non-technical people, to solve a technical problem.
Web services is the connection between devices over the internet or server listening for requests at a port over a network, serving web documents (HTML/JSON/XML/images) and web applications services, which serve in solving specific domain problems over the internet. A web service technology such as HTTP is used for transferring machine-readable file formats such as XML and JSON.
Put simply, website copy provides information for consumers. However, it does much more.
The first facet is the customer experience. While the visuals may catch a consumer’s eye, copywriting is designed to promote longevity in the customer relationship. Website copy creates call-to-action moments throughout the user experience. It urges them to buy a product, to visit in person, or share the information with others.
Before a consumer engages with a brand, they will most likely research them. Successful website copy improves search results. Written content allows a brand to be recognized in Google searches which drives users to the website. This is developed in SEO strategy but is important for website content as well.
Website design is the design and maintenance of a company website and its interface and graphic design elements. Web design encompasses different skills and styles for production & maintenance of websites. Different areas of web design include graphic design, UX & UI design, copywriting, and search engine optimization. The term web design is typically used to describe the design process from the front-end (client) design of a website.
Website flat files are static designs of a proposed website design. Before being hard coded into interactive designs, a flat-file database is a database stored in a file called a flat file. Records follow a uniform format, and there are no structures for indexing or recognizing relationships between records. The file is simple. A website flat files can be a plain text file, or a binary file. Relationships can be inferred from the data in the database, but the database format itself does not make those relationships explicit. The term has generally implied a small database, but very large databases can also be flat.
Website health check is a complete diagnostic check-up of a website. A website health check involves checking for updates, updating security, creating backups, testing website speed and performance, and improving search engine optimization.
Web hosting is a service that allows organizations and individuals to post a website or web page onto the Internet. A web host, or web hosting service provider, is a business that provides the technologies and services needed for the website or webpage to be viewed on the Internet. Websites are hosted, or stored, on special computers called servers.
Website lead-generation audit is an analysis of how effectively a company’s website turns visitors into customers. A lead generation website helps site visitors while gathering information about them for your company. It’s more than just a digital brochure; it’s an experience that educates and nurtures prospects.
Website lead-generation implementation is the implementation of tactics to turn visitors of a company’s website into customers. A lead generation website helps site visitors while gathering information about them for your company. It’s more than just a digital brochure; it’s an experience that educates and nurtures prospects.
Find in-depth articles on website security & accessibility information here:
Website Health Check
Daily Backups
Encrypted Backups
Google Accessibility Audit & Implementation
ADA Accessibility Audit & Implementation
Domain Acquisition
Content Delivery Network Implementation
Website security audit is an assessment of a given website’s security features and that website’s vulnerability to potential attacks. A website security audit is a process that assesses your web system; including core, extensions, themes, and other infrastructure for vulnerabilities. A thorough web security audit typically involves static & dynamic code analysis, business logic error testing, and configuration tests.
Websites are the digital tool that an audience can use to learn about a company, find new clients, share projects and updates, and provide a source for information.
Listed a few types of websites and purposes for each:
Custom Website
Hosting & Domains
Modular Website
User Experience Design & Wireframe
Website Design
Website Production & Development
Website Services
BS LLC is the company started by Ben and Sebastien, specializing in Brand Strategy and Business Strategy.
The CMYK process is a method of printing color by using four inks—cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. This can also be called ‘four color printing’ or ‘full color printing’ as the four primary inks can create a full color spectrum. Most printed material is created using this color model.
A text-only visual treatment serving as the logo for a brand. Wordmark logos can be seen in major companies such as Coca-Cola and FedEx. It can be part of a logo, brand, and brand asset.
Zero click search is when you type a company or service into any search engine (Google, Bing, Yahoo) and the search engine delivers the information you need without visiting that company or services website.
KW Flooring
Empower Manufacturing
Ripple Wine Bar
Wodka Bar
Historic West Fourth