During 2020 we saw an increase in newly opened small businesses locally and nationally. Many people found themselves out of work and recent business closures created openings in the market. This pushed some people to follow their passion, become their own boss, and start their own business. Starting a business comes with many obstacles, but there are plenty of people to help connect all the dots.
 
One of our strengths at Berry Digital Solutions is helping new businesses understand and start their marketing efforts. Marketing is a huge part of business, no matter the industry. It goes far beyond just a logo, website, printed collateral, running ads, etc. Before a new business can even begin the processes of marketing, there are certain foundations that must be laid.
 
Branding
Before a brand can be recognizable to others, it needs to be developed by the business owners to reflect what they are trying to achieve. Branding not only includes everything from colors, logo, uniforms, website and all other visual collateral, but also is the way a business talk to customers, their management style, and even how they speak on social media. All of these pieces will help when trying to complete each of the next steps.
 
Market
Learning the intended market is the first step to successfully targeting it. What size the market is, what local competition there is, the range of prices in the market, and any other defining characteristics help create an entire picture of the market each business will be trying to capture. Learning this information will help define keywords in online advertising, learn the appropriate places to spend a marketing budget, and set attainable goals for business.
 
Choosing Marketing Avenues
Once the market is defined, it is time to figure out where they spend their time. Learning what social media platforms, websites, publications, and types of entertainment an audience uses is a good first step when building a successful marketing plan. Not all audiences are found on all platforms and marketing too broadly can waste precious time and resources.
 
​Settings Goals and Budgets
When creating content, it is good to have an initial budget. Be prepared to spend more during the initial startup phase and then spending between three and five percent of annual turnover on marketing moving forward. As content begins to be created and shared it is good to find a way to track if the marketing efforts put in place are working. Goals that are set should be attainable, specific, and time-based. Once the goals are set make sure they are shared with anyone on the team that can help make them happen.
 
We hope this brief list of marketing basics can help new businesses obtain their goals. We are here to help every new business learn more about marketing and how it can help them grow. Feel free to reach out for a consultation at: www.berrydigitalsolutions.com/contact-us.html

​By Chelsea Bray: Elle A. Design

We all know that color plays a big role in the way people perceive a brand, whether they realize it or not. Color, and the psychology behind it, have been used for many years as a way to get people to do certain things, shop certain places, eat certain foods and more. Let’s talk about the ways color does the talking for you and what it is saying. We will also show some color combos and how pairings of colors can even further relay the message.
 
1. Blue
Blue is often seen as a peaceful, calm, stable and trustworthy color. This color often reminds people of the sea or the sky. Be careful though because it can also remind people of sadness and coldness. If your brand uses a lighter shade of blue, it can signify innocence and openness. Darker shades of blue often represent professionalism and make people feel like the brand is mature and trustworthy. This color is often a background player and is best paired with a bright attention-grabbing color.
 
2. Red
Red is one of the most intense and captivating colors. It drives action and captures attention. It is often associated with excitement, passion, danger, action, and energy. It can provoke strong emotions both positive and negative, so it needs to be used carefully. On a website it is often used as a call to action getting people to click a button, notice a sale, or just learn more about a product. Using the color red is one of the fastest ways to grab attention!
 
3. Yellow
Yellow is closely associated with sunshine. It gives people the feeling of happiness, optimism, positivity, and warmth. Using the color yellow within your core brand colors is a great way to show that interacting with your business is going to be a positive experience for the consumer. This bright, vibrant color grabs attention in a way that red fails to. People are drawn to its positivity and it can impact the way people interact with your brand. It is one of the easiest colors to visibly see and is the first color infants respond to!
 
4. Orange
Orange is another amazing attention attracting color. It often gives the feeling of creativity, adventure, enthusiasm, and success. While not as commanding as red, it is still used often as a call to action color on websites. The energy that orange creates gets people excited about your brand and gets their curiosity flowing. It has also been shown to stimulate appetite which makes it a great brand color for restaurants!
 
5. Green
Green is very connected to nature. It gives people the thought of growth, health, nature, and serenity. Often used within brands that are connected to nature or health in some way, green is a great color to ground people with. It makes them feel like they are connected to nature and that your brand is as well. The only negative connection people make with green is a sense of greed or envy, so be mindful when choosing the correct shade for your business.
 
No matter what color you choose to go with it is also important to have secondary and background colors that pair well together. Your main color will be the color that effects customers most directly, but you can use these ideas about color theory to pair elements together and use color to your advantage. There is so much more to learn about colors and how they are used in marketing, but we hope this gives you a good starting point when thinking about branding your business.

"You have thousands of people at your fingertips. And business networking within your community or your brand is a way to reach so many more you may not have reached before."

Here are a few benefits of business networking on social media: