In this age of online engagement, these two little words have never been more important. Rather than launching campaigns, business owners now work to spark conversations with their customers.
However quickly the tools and strategies may change, these two little words will always add value. Be sure to include them in your next conversation.
by Rebecca Cochran
Lately, when I talk with business owners, I often sense a fear of getting started in today’s marketing arena. Due to the myriad of choices available today, both entrepreneurs and owners of established companies are confused and uncertain as how best to spend their limited marketing dollars.
Today, effective marketing is more about brains than it is about budget. Here are my 4 quick pointers for getting started today:
My best advice? Have no fear — just get started.
by Rebecca Cochran
by Rebecca Cochran
What is it about blue? I’ve been aware for quite some time that I naturally gravitate to the color blue. According to an article* I read late last year, half of the people on earth list blue as their favorite color. Granted, much has been written about color theory.
When I was at the North Carolina Museum of Art again over the weekend, I made an intentional visit to Ellsworth Kelly’s Blue Panel. Each time I visit that painting, I try to view it from a new perspective. The work, a purely abstract blue panel, dramatically captured my attention during my first visit to the Museum’s new West Building in 2010.
As I continued my museum visit this time, I challenged myself to become hyper aware of what initially draws me to a work of visual art. Usually, it is color that catches my eye first – and oftentimes, the color is blue. Blue Dancer, sculpted of bronze with a blue patina by the Ukrainian-born avant-garde artist, Alexander Archipenko, is another of my favorites.
Wending my way through all the galleries, I notice that blue regularly lures me into a painting. The incredible blue sky above Georgia O’Keeffe’s Cebolla Church draws me in every time. I notice the sky first. Then, I am drawn in further to her unusual rendering of the church itself.
The cool, dappled, blue light is what first lures me into Renoir’s double portrait, The Daughters of Durand-Ruel (on temporary loan here from the Chrysler Museum of Art). I recently enjoyed the biopic, Renoir, so this work has a current appeal for me. Blue was its initial draw, however.
The same thing happens when I shop for clothing or home goods. Blue draws me to an item first. Then, I notice shape and texture.
As a designer, rather than simply using blue to be agreeable (blue is everybody’s favorite color, after all), I’m going to consciously work to use blue to lure others in. Blue can be a conscious element of a call to action in advertising. A blue button can be used to lure people to purchase online. (Blue links are blue for a reason, after all.) And, I think I’ll make certain to wear blue whenever I have an important presentation to make.
What are your thoughts? What are some other ways we can capitalize on the lure of blue?
Cochran Creative Group 