Google Me, But Wait! Delete Unwanted Information Before Launching

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Hey Labelers, we know you’re excited to launch your new brand, so are we! But we must ask when was the last time you googled yourself? What do people see when they search for you and your business? Is it good or is it bad? Either way, we are going to give you all the tools you need to do a personal and professional google scrub! Let’s get you polished and ready to launch!

 

 

Google Me, Baby
The first step is to do a basic google search of your full name and also your business name. Click on every link that mentions you and/or your business and thoroughly review what has been published. If you are launching a brand new business, this may ONLY apply to your personal name. Did MySpace pop up? Spokeo? PeopleFinder?

Delete Me
Myspace, Sis? Why is there still a MySpace account for you? Delete that account! Spokeo and PeopleFinder are common websites that you may find your personal information readily available to all who want it! We’re talking email addresses, mailing addresses, family members, phone numbers, sometimes your employers and the list goes on. Scary, right? Here’s how to remove it!

Here you will find a detailed link on how to get your personal information deleted from Spokeo. If you’re willing to pay a little coin, here are a few resources that will help you! Every website will be different. Be sure to search for their FAQ’s! Please always do your research before signing up or paying for services!

Lastly, be patient. Having personal information removed from specific websites won’t happen overnight, so it’s important to start NOW. It could take up to 30 days for your request to be completed. More importantly, keep any sent email requests and logged calls all in writing. We don’t think it will get to a place where you need it, but it never hurts to keep a record of your requests to have personal information removed.

 

 

Polished
Yes! Now you’re squeaky clean and ready to launch! When Creative Label is pitching 3you and/or your business, we want to make sure you are being represented in the best possible light. Are you ready to get you and/or your business seen by the masses? Click the link in our bio!

 

 

 

Speaking Up on Controversial Topics

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Hey labelers, we think it’s time for you all to SPEAK up. This week, we’re bringing light to the importance of brand safety in terms of how to communicate content and responses correctly during these controversial times. 

 

This concept is becoming very important in not only the Public Relations face of your company but also influences how your company pursues Marketing, Branding and Digital Strategies. Creative direction, campaigns and product launches have a lot of different creative elements that go into communicating the overall public perspective of the brand.

 

What is Brand Safety? 

 

The importance of correct brand responsiveness and the call to action in relevant situations we are being faced with during these times. Brand Safety includes everyday responses to controversial comments and mentions regarding COVID-19 and the BLM Movement, making it an urgent time for companies to act upon this concept. Informing your consumer on brand safety (more here) is important because it allows the consumer to feel comfortable with their purchase making decision when interacting with your product.

Silence vs. Outspoken Action

 

 

 

 

If your brand is silent, you are allowing your customers to assume the natural position of the brand–  and that’s never good! People are wanting to see the brand’s core values and are often associating their purchase making decisions with that. 

 

When you stand for what you believe is predominantly right, regardless of the controversial topic, you are standing behind the values of your brand. The term, “All press is good press” directly applies here because as long as you stand true to your values, the reaction is going to benefit you through:

 

  • Increase in sales
  • Increase in activity and engagement 
  • Opportunity for more social impact.

 

When you control the narrative and speak out on controversial topics, more people are likely to engage with comments and stand in support, therefore allowing for greater social impact and resulting in higher sales.

 

Speaking Up Correctly

 

 

While you are encouraged to speak out, it is MOST important to make sure your messaging is clear, compassionate and considerate. 

 

Some of the most out-of-the-box brands have messages that are safely communicated and slightly monetized upon. It’s possible to speak out against something in a tasteful way. Goop does an amazing job of directing their communication and content for very controversial topics with other collaborators/speakers on the subject. When doing so, they are controlling their narrative, educating and monetizing while keeping it tasteful and respectable. Some other great examples of companies that do this well are featured here.

 

 

However, we have seen this get out of hand when the message ignores major methods of communication, sensitivity and understanding. 

 

A local example of this would be Arizona Foothills Magazine and how one person’s early spoken opinion affected the perception of their entire company. After the incident had been brought some serious attention online, AZ Foothills released an apology a few days later explaining the situation.

 

In addition, Anthropology had some initial challenges with their responsiveness during the BLM movement but cleared the air with this post. While it focused on the perspective of standing as an ally, they didn’t outright say “Black Lives Matter” or use the suggested hashtag to enhance the channel for education on the matter. 

 

The above examples are great insights on what can go wrong even when you do speak out, but incorrectly and how this can affect your business.

How to Use TikTok for Your Brand

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Okay Labelers, we know this is the article you have all been waiting for. Let’s talk about TikTok; the app that has taken the social media world by storm.  

 

Many influencers are on the TikTok bandwagon. Rehearsing, memorizing, and performing dances have become a new wave. Especially in the time of quarantine and social distancing!

 

So what’s all the talk about? How can your brand benefit from a TtikTtok account? Is it worth the hype? Or is it just another fad that will fade out over time? Don’t worry, we are here with all the answers for you! 

 

First, let’s talk about the pros of joining TikTok. 

 

It’s the Hot New Thing for Brand Presence

We talked a bit about increasing brand presence on this app before, and it’s clear why. TikTok is currently the most downloaded iPhone app and is still growing fast, surpassing 500 million monthly users. Although the TikTok demographic leans more towards Gen Z, there’s no doubt that the app is racking up viewers. 

 

It’s Easy and Affordable

With today’s restrictions, businesses have limited resources when it comes to creating branded content. Another benefit of this app is that it offers accessibility, efficiency, and simplicity. Hootsuite notes in some ways, the platform mimics a bite-sized version of YouTube, because videos range between five and sixty seconds. This type of snack-sized content allows you and your brand to put out quick and easy content, making it an ideal app for simple advertising and promotion. TikTok also requires minimal, if any, editing. When budget is concerned, we can’t highlight how valuable it is to set up your phone and produce a video within minutes. 

 

It’s All About that Money 

Imagine making money just by live-streaming. TikTok allows you to do just that! The app offers its users the option of live streaming for tips from their viewers. Yes, we said TIPS! This live stream option not only enables you to promote your brand, sponsors, or partnerships but is also a great way for you to engage with your followers. 

 

Selling on TikTok is another monetary benefit. Through this app, you can easily see your merchandise and promote it however you want to. TikTok gives you full control over what you’re selling, whether it be a physical product or your brand itself. 

 

The app also allows you to use their links from other platforms to cross-promote, similar to the way that you can promote a website link in your Instagram bio. Pretty simple, right?

 

So, with all this in mind, we think using the TikTok app is a bit of a no-brainer. If you’re looking for a new platform to promote your brand, TikTok is free and easy to do so. We know new apps can be intimidating, but we promise it’s easy to use. It looks to us like TikTok has a promising future. What are your thoughts? 

Still not sure if TikTok is the right platform for your brand? Send us an email at info@itscreativelabel.com, to have a consultation with us today!

Half Way Through The Year, Top Brand Mistakes and Lessons Learned 

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It’s halfway through the year, and we’ve already seen so many brands F up. We learn from the actions we take but we also learn from other brand’s mistakes. Today, we’re going to share with you some of the top mistakes so far in 2019, and how to prevent the same from happening to you. Take note people, we’ve compiled a quick list of four main areas we’ve found are so important and sometimes overlooked. 

Have a sounding board 

It’d be so awesome if every idea you have is ready to go. Truth is, while you may have some great ideas, they’re often a diamond in the rough. Having a team of people who can help refine a concept is a gamechanger. It’s also a major plus in the event that maybe you’re unintentionally presenting things in a way that could be offensive to people. Having extra sets of eyes and expertise, helps you avoid that.


Crazy example here. Dominos Russia launched a campaign offering 100 free pizzas for 100 years to customers who got their logo tattooed on their skin. After they started getting thousands of submissions, they started putting up restrictions and a cap to how many winners there would be. Ouch! Maybe if they had run the idea through more people with expertise in this area they could’ve avoided this embarrassing move.

Have a diverse group of people in the creative room 

 

It’s 2019 and, thankfully, diversity is taking over conversations on and offline. After all, you don’t want to make careless mistakes like H&M did when they released their controversial “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle” children’s hoodie that they ended up having to take down. It’s things like these that having a team that’s diverse can help you avoid overlooking due to simply being unaware of issues that affect other groups of people.

Make an effort to be in tune, be empathetic to issues that may not impact you but impact other people

 

Emotional intelligence is key to being a great leader and a great brand. Truth is, it’s never about you. It’s about what you can do for others. In January 2018, Estee Lauder launched a new foundation line called Double Wear Nude Water Fresh Makeup SPF25. Although over 30 shades of product were released, over 80% of the shades were geared toward lighter-skinned women. It’s usually a challenge for women of color to find a brand that even offers options for darker skin, even harder to have enough options.

Because of this, it’s so crucial that you’re genuinely making an effort to be empathetic to other people’s issues even if they don’t directly impact you. You may only be aware of a few challenges but if you open up to more groups of people, you’ll discover there are far more opportunities to step in and help people through better products and services.

Learn How To Respond Quick Quick Quick 

 

Earlier this year, we watched Kim K start a Twitter rampage between all of the top fast-food chains. If you are unfamiliar with the showdown below is how it went down. But if you’re a more visual person, check this out. 

So what did Jack In The Box do to annoy Kim K? Funnily enough, nothing related to an actual order being wrong or poor customer service. This prompted a ton of people to get, understandably, curious about what in the world happened. 

Kim said the issue was “not about me or a wrong order. Nobody recognized me and it’s something that I observed that affected other customers at this particular location that was concerning.”

Shortly after, Jack In The Box responded and resolved the serious situation

The company tweeted. “Hi Kim, we are unable to DM you, please send us a DM with how we can get in touch with your team & someone will reach out immediately.” After this, it looks like things were taken care of since Kardashian tweeted “Thank you @JackBox for the quick response and handling the situation!” 

We’re curious now. We really hope you found this article helpful. In the comments below, let us know which tip here you connected the most with!

 

Girlboss Professional Network: LinkedIn-Like Platform for Ambitious Women

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If you listen to our podcast, you’ve heard us talking about the new LinkedIn-Like platform created for women by women. Girlboss is a popular community created by Nasty Gal founder, Sophia Amoruso.

Throughout the last couple of years, the brand has been on a constant mission to bring new things to the community. With the creation of the professional network, their team hopes it will help connect female entrepreneurs, creatives, and freelancers with other like-minded women. Here are some ways that the Girlboss professional network works and is revolutionizing social media for ambitious women.

Prominent Female Leaders Will Host “Ask Me Anything” Sessions

Notable women such as Arianna Huffington, Beth Comstock, and Bozoma St. John are just a few examples of big names that will lead Q&A sessions. All members on the Girlboss platform will be able to interact and leave questions for the session host.

Professionalism & Sense of Self Are Elegantly Combined

Don’t you just hate those stuffy uptight vibes you get from other networking platforms? Girlbossmembers will be able to customize their profiles to not just share what they do but also capture who they are in order to bring in the important element of personality. There’s also a fun fill-in-the-blank bio and horoscope reading to create a more casual feel.

There’s a Heavy Emphasis on Meaningful Connections

In order to ensure every connection request is meaningful, members can only send one connection request daily. This encourages people to clearly state their intentions as well as truly reflect on who they want to surround themselves with as they nurture new relationships.

Membership Is Free To Ensure Accessibility

Usually, it’s women who can’t afford to join members-only clubs. So in order to make sure that career-minded women everywhere can access opportunities, the platform is free to join in an effort to truly carve out community.

Having the opportunity to show up on another platform is amazing and the fact that it’s all women makes it even better to fully embrace #WomenSupportingWomen and #CommunityOverCompetition. We love seeing like-minded women come together and help one another step into their power! 

Are you going to be joining the community? If so, just click here to join and let us know what you think in the comments below!

 

5 Tips for Building a Powerful & Aligned Brand

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Hey there! If you’re here, chances are you’re looking for help with your brand. We see you! And we’re here to help. It gets a little crazy when trying to build and keep up a consistent brand identity. We know this. For those of you who are like, “umm what’s a consistent brand identity?” Put simply, your brand identity is what helps set the foundation for your company’s unique personality. This begins with establishing your position in the market to attract your dream clients.

 

For many small to mid-sized business owners, it can be extremely challenging to set clear brand guidelines. That being said, we’re going to help you get started today with some of our core principles when setting up guidelines for our clients. You may be a small or mid-sized company, but that doesn’t mean you have to visually look like one. When it comes to branding, you always want it to look like you have a team behind you. 

 

Do An Audit of your Target Market

Do you know who your competitors are? What makes them successful in the digital space? If not, it’s time to start digging deeper. Your goal here is to start identifying a highly narrowed down set of competitors. Avoid looking at a broad spectrum where you might be factoring in info about vastly different customer segments. In order to select the right competitors to analyze, consider factors such as your price point and the types of clients you want to attract that might.

 

Answer Key Questions About Your Brand

If you aren’t creating a persona around what your brand looks and sounds like, that’s a huge reason why you probably feel totally lost. For starters, here are some questions you should start asking yourself about your brand.

 

  1. What kind of problems are you solving? 
  2. If your company was a person, who would it be and why? 
  3. What are some key values, emotions, or attributes you want to convey across your branding? 

 

With these answers, you can begin layout out some basic framework around the voice and type of content you create around your brand.

 

Create Processes for Your Team


What good is it to have all the visual & brand voice guidelines if your team is clueless? You want to make sure that you have a clear set of guidelines for employees to refer to no matter what department they’re in.

For example, some things you can consider when setting this up are as follows:

  • Who is the decision maker for each kind of project?
  • What does the workflow look like for some of your most common products or services rendered?
  • What are the company’s objectives that should always be strived for?

 

By setting these up, you’re not only creating an efficient system for work but also helping your team be much more autonomous. Yay to less emails for every tiny detail!

 

Set Up Your Brand’s Manifesto

 

This is your brand’s declaration of beliefs. Knowing this creates a bridge in helping you develop that crucial emotional connection with your potential customers. A clear manifesto will help you and your team align every message, campaign, and interaction with the customer with your trying to attract. Let’s take Redbull for example. Redbull puts out ads that embody pushing life to the limit as an example of what the beverage stands for. This limit pushing feeling speaks to their target audience on an emotional level and is memorable. This emotional connection, in turn, impacts its target consumer’s purchase making decisions. And purchase making decision mean $$$$. 

 

Hire Help

Unless you have an in-house team of creatives ranging from designers to copywriters that can guide you, we suggest hiring help. Your brand’s identity is not something you want to be cheaply done, DIY, or rushed through–because people can tell. The foundation of your brand will be seen and felt for its entire lifespan. That’s a warning. Handle with care. 

 

Here at Creative Label, we work with an amazingly talented team of industry experts that’ll make for a seamless process. Whether you need partial branding work such as just a logo or a full suite of branding, we’ve got you covered. Just send us an email at info@itscreativelabel.com to get started!

The Fundamentals of Brand Design

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Truth is, business is as much about perception as it is about reality. In this age of technology and social media, we have more opportunity than ever to take control of our brand perception. We’ve all experienced the power of branding, now it’s time to take that power and apply it to your business. In this blog, we’re breaking brand design down to the fundamentals. Use these simple tips and tools and you’ll be well on your way to a beautiful brand.

Here are the first things you need:

Color Palette:

Find 2-5 complimentary colors that represent your brand. Remember, different colors communicate different things so be sure to choose colors that will represent your brand and attract your dream client.

Font Family:

Then you’ll need 2 fonts–one primary and one supplementary. You can find tons of different fonts online and license them

for a very reasonable price.

Free font sites we love:

Dafont

Google Fonts

Behance

At least one of these two elements should be involved in everything

you do—your logo, your website, your social media your advertisements. The goal is for your brand to be instantly

recognizable so that when people see your content, they know that it’s you even without even reading your brand name.

Now, if you are not a designer, photographer or web designer, we now highly suggest that you take your color palette and font family choices and enlist the help of a professional. Content is KING, we can’t stress that enough. It is worth it to invest in quality professional work when creating the building blocks of your brand.

However, there are some really great tools that you can use to create beautiful professional looking work on your own if you have the time and patience to put into it.

For Graphic Design:

Canva

For Web Design:

Wix

Squarespace

For Photography:

An introductory DSLR

An iPhone 10 or equivalent camera phone for photos

Now once you’ve got the building blocks of your branding decided and created, you can start to implement them into your social media and web strategy. Be sure to stick to your color scheme and font family, post only quality photos and implement your logo into your content often.

That’s really all there is to it, people! Be consistent. And before you know it, you’ll have beautiful content that represents your beautiful business.

At Creative Label, this is what our days consist of. We’re constantly creating beautiful branded content for our clients because we know that it takes a lot of time and effort to do it yourself. Lets face it, you have your business to concentrate on, so let us do what we do best. If you need help, we are here for you. Send us an email at info@itscreativelabel.com. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Attract your Dream Client

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We all have that one girlfriend who is always complaining about the types of guys that she attracts–
and the complaints are usually warranted–rude, shallow, dumb, cheap–you name it. Let’s just say they aren’t hubby material. Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” At some point you gotta look in the mirror and say, what can I do differently to attract someone better?
The same story can be told for business. Sure, having clients is great, but if you are attracting the wrong client for your business, you’re in store for a very rocky road–and not the delicious ice cream kind. A lot of businesses make the mistake of tailoring their brand to the customer they currently have as opposed to the customer that they want. Follow these 3 steps to dump the dud and start attracting your dream client.

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3 Things to Look for When Partnering with an Influencer

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So your business is interested in partnering with an influencer! You’ve seen brands who do it, you believe that it can be a powerful tool, but when you start looking into applying the strategy to your own business, things start getting complicated. We get it, influencer marketing is a relatively new field and it can be tough to know what to look for when looking for the perfect influencer for your brand. Despite its ability to be a very profitable marketing strategy, influencer marketing can also be a waste of investment if you are not working with the right people. Be sure to look for these 3 things when choosing an influencer to partner with.

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IGTV is Here!

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This week Instagram rolled out it’s brand new IGTV platform and, needless to say, we are excited about it! Similar to YouTube, IGTV hosts long form videos up to an hour in length. This new capability provides a unique opportunity to reach your followers in a deeper way. Check out Creative Label’s first IGTV video to find out how!

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