Daily Buzz: Develop a Visual Identity to Strengthen Your Brand

Standing out in a sea of content and raising brand awareness can be a challenge for organizations. To catch the eye of potential members or donors, put an emphasis on visuals, says Amy Balliett in Inc.  (opens in a new tab)

“Text-based content isn’t enough if you want to engage today’s audiences,” she says. “To truly thrive in a world that puts visual content first, you need to adopt a visual-first mindset.”

That means taking a new approach to your content marketing strategy. “If you write the text or messaging before planning what types of visual content you’ll be deploying, you’re not really putting visuals first. You should start planning every campaign by asking what types of content your audience is most likely to engage with, and on what platforms,” Balliett says.

As you develop your visual content, establish clear brand guidelines to follow. A consistent style across all platforms will give your organization a visual identity and help raise brand awareness. Balliett recommends developing a visual workbench: a collection of predesigned assets that you can reuse.

“Maybe you need a set of icons that represent your fundamental products or services. Or maybe there’s a stat that you share often because it proves the value of what you have to offer,” she says. “There’s no sense in redesigning an asset from scratch every time. Even if you did so, the different look and feel of each could actually prevent you from developing a more recognizable brand.”

Preparing Your Association for Cyberattacks

We check that our doors lock behind us and zip our bags in heavy crowds. So why aren’t we so good at making sure our online lives are just as secure? https://t.co/yUF42qLvt4  (opens in a new tab)

— Sidecar (@sidecarglobal) January 6, 2020  (opens in a new tab)

If you think cybersecurity is only a concern for large organizations, think again. According to CPO Magazine  (opens in a new tab), half of all cyberattacks are targeted at small businesses.

“Having a conversation about cybersecurity is imperative for any organization,” says Association Success’s Chelsea Brasted  (opens in a new tab). “There is no association that doesn’t have something a cybercriminal would be interested in having, or cutting you off from in exchange for a hefty ransom.”

To combat this, Brasted recommends discussing cybersecurity with all employees, not just the IT department. “Regardless of who gets involved in the conversation, those conversations are required in today’s digital, well-connected world,” she says.

Other Links of Note

Member orientation doesn’t have to be boring, says Tatiana Morand on the Wild Apricot blog  (opens in a new tab).

How can your organization stand out on LinkedIn? Optimize your company page, says Allie Decker on HubSpot  (opens in a new tab).

Experiencing content burnout? Christine Crandell offers four steps to turn your content strategy around, in CMSWire  (opens in a new tab).

(Olivier Le Moal/iStock/Getty Images Plus)