Friday Five: Typefaces, Gen C, and +1s

Each Friday I collect the most useful, interesting, and inspiring articles for entrepreneurs I’ve come across in the previous week. This week’s compilation features some frequent topics (branding, social media) and some that we should be talking about more (what goes into our decision of how to make money). I’m curious to read your thoughts in the comments.

 

1. A Non-Designer’s Guide to Typefaces and Layout

I’ve always admire those who have a knack for art and design. Goodness knows I appreciate beauty and the clarity that high quality design can instill in a project; creating it just doesn’t come easily to me. Thankfully, Adam Dachis (@adachis) of Lifehacker put together an intro to design guide for those of us who never took a proper art class.

{Before we jump into the specifics, the most important thing you need to know when making any design choices is why. Ask yourself this: “what is my goal?” All elements of design are able to invoke different emotions in the viewer and affect them in various ways. While adhering to general principals is good when you’re getting started, you want to based your design choices on the impact you want them to have. That requires knowing what that impact will be.}

 

2. We’re Meant for More than Selling and Making Money

Charlie Gilkey (@CharlieGilkey) is wise and brave and honest and inspiring. He has a knack for acknowledging the benefits of the status quo–and then inspiring you to make a leap to something greater anyway. As entrepreneurs, we have to think about making money. But as human beings, we have to think about our values and how we live those every day in our lives. Gilkey is a master at challenging us to find that intersection. 

{If you think there’s no point in incorporating your values into your ventures, you’ll find the reflections cumbersome and in the way of your ability to do business. There are plenty of people out there who don’t share my approach and they’ll be happy to take your attention and money.}

 

3. Reaching the Continually Connected: Marketing to Gen C

As a former college admissions advisor, I’ve spent a lot of time connecting with teens and working to understand where they’re coming from. (I learned I’m much better at connecting with adults, hence the career shift.) Anna Banks not only manages to grasp the younger set’s P.O.V., she makes incredibly astute predictions about what their (digital) worlds will look like in just a few years–and offers valuable advice to those interested in marketing to Gen C.

{This generation will push even farther the principles we are just starting to master to connect with Millennials. This group turns 18 in just 4 years.  Will you be ready to reach them? Some things to consider:

Forget Facebook. Well maybe not completely, time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: To reach this audience, you’ll need to go beyond the “social staples”. The social landscape is fracturing (again), and now that Mom is there “friending” them, teens will look to other platforms to connect. Tumbler. Pinterest. Path. These may or may not be the right ones for your target; the key is to do your homework to find where they are most active — and continue to monitor because it will change and evolve.}

 

4. 21 Powerful Strategies to Build Your Brand

I’ve been a big fan of Annemarie Cross (@AnnemarieCoach) for a while now. In fact, she recently interviewed me for her Ambitious Entrepreneur Show–stay tuned for the release date. Annemarie has built a thriving career advising small business owners on branding and marketing, and in this article she rounds up twenty-one snippets of valuable advice you can start implementing in your business today. 

{Every comment, post and interaction you have online and offline continues to exude your brand’s voice and can have an impact on your reputation in either a positive or a negative way:

• Actions speak louder than words. Are you maintaining your brand’s voice in what you do by walking the talk?
• Want your brand to become irresistible? Continue sharing valuable info specific to your niche’s needs to keep them coming back.}
   

5. How to Create Google+ Posts That Get Read, +1ed, and Re-Shared

In this article, Mark Traphagen (@marktraphagen) not only makes a great case for using Google+ strategically in your business (Seriously–if you don’t do this already, it’s time to start.), he also gives specific pointers for helping you make the most of your efforts. I’ve seen an increase in Google+ usage  in the last few months, and as more entrepreneurs start to take advantage of this latest tool, I think the service will only grow more popular. Now’s a great time to jump in and learn how to make it work for you. 

{Google+ has a significant effect on Google search. The most important place for you to be found is in search. Why? People using search are in “intention mode.” They have an itch, and they are looking to scratch it. If your product or service is in front of them when they have that itch, they are more likely to use you to scratch it. That means you should take advantage of every available means to get found in search. G+ public posts get indexed by Google search, and they have proven power to rank for keywords significant to your business.}

 

If you found these articles useful, please share them with other small business owners and entrepreneurs. I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments, and, as always, let me know if you’ve written a piece you think would be a good Friday Five feature.