Branding and Good Websites.

What is a Brand?

With any business, website, blog, charity, school, event whatever you need a brand. What is a brand?  A brand is a uniformed approach to the way you present yourself and your company/charity. It is something that makes you stand out from all the other people you’re competing with in this increasingly competitive world. It gives people subtle clues as to who they are dealing with, what they can expect, who you are and what you stand for. Good website and business branding is easy to recognise, eye catching and clear. Normally you keep the colours you use consistent, maybe picking a dark colour and a light contrasting colour that work well together. The whole of your branding basically revolves around these two colours so pick wisely! Personal branding (the way you dress yourself, style your hair, the way you walk, the way you talk etc is equally important but not relevant here ;)    ).

A brand ~ your shop front
A brand is much more than simply what your website looks like, it is basically your shop-front which is open twenty-four seven through your website, through your leafleting, through your staff uniform, your product labels, everything that your company or charity does contributes to your branding. How you talk to people, how you engage with them, your company/charity core values, what quality service you provide all adds to your branding. If you take a big fast food chain, you don’t expect the same level of service that you would do if you went for afternoon tea to The Ritz or the Savoy Hotel in London. This is to do with the branding. The Ritz brands themselves as being good quality, having high levels of service, nice surroundings, you pay to say you’ve been to The Ritz for afternoon tea!

 In a fast food chain you pay low prices because you’re expected to eat your burger as quickly as possible, tidy up after yourself and the only thing that really counts towards service is when they tell you to have a nice day, and that is only when they remember to do so! But the branding allows you to realise that you’re not to expect great quality service, and that if your burger is a) hot, b) cooked through c) edible then they’ve done their job successfully. Some companies are proud to be cheap(ish) and offer basic standards. Places like Travelodge and Premier Inn offer a fairly basic but cheap service, and are happy to tell everyone that this is the case. This is their unique selling point. They’ve taken everything back to basics and provided you with whatever you need for a good night’s sleep but at a reasonable cost, without the extra frills you would expect in a better standard of accommodation. They’re very clear in the branding that this is what you can expect and attracts a particular type of customer. (Me!)

Brand Match
Branding also needs to be matched to the person you’re aiming the website at, so for teenagers and young people bright and informal works well, where as with older people a more formal but still friendly tone applies.  This applies to both the colour scheme and general look and feel of it to the logos, photos and language used. It can help to picture who your website is aimed at, (give the person a name, sex, age, occupation and then imagine you’re talking to that person.)

Pitch it Just Right
The language used on websites also need to be pitched at the right level, so if your target market is a university graduate, you would probably phrase things differently than if you were pitching it to people from set 6 of Educating Yorkshire.. If you’re doing a serious website with academic papers, you are naturally going to aim for a more stuffy, serious feel than if you’re doing a website for your local Youth Club.

Men knit too

Also think about the gender of your audience. Does your branding appeal to both men and women alike if your target market is mixed genders? Very girly branding can be off putting to men, in the same way as a manly feel can put off women! Obviously if you’re writing something aimed at just men or just women, you can be a little bit more gender biased with your branding and website design. Ideally both sexes need to feel welcome, remember : men knit too. Women do mechanics! (not like that, pervert)

Get the brightness right
If your website is very content (text) based, consider having it with a light or white background with black writing as it can be tiring to the eyes after a while (if you don’t believe me, go try reading something on a black background with white text for an hour or two.) White text on on dark backgrounds works best on Power Point presentations, where as dark text on light backgrounds works better on websites.

 Give it to them straight

Your main page needs to scream ‘this is what we aim to do, this is how we’re doing it, this is someone who has really benefited from our product /service, you can trust us!’ 

Charities / not-for-profits need to prove that they can be trusted, but are approachable and well informed. Not too scary, or people will be too afraid to contact people. Their aims and goals should be clearly stated, so that everyone knows what they’re offering, when/where/how they can access the services, who to call to discuss any problems and to know that they are in safe hands, that confidentiality rules are going to be adhered to etc. If you can refer yourself to a charity or for a particular service, this should be clearly stated, as often you find that you have to get your GP to refer you or you have to make an appointment. Nothing worse than finally plucking up courage to go to someone only to find that you’re not able to refer yourself! 

It also really helps if you have plenty of content. People sometimes want an answer without having to ring up, or read a story of someone who had been in this particular situation and got through it, but without feeling that they will be steered towards a particular choice. They need to feel that you’re providing them with a safe space to come to their own conclusions about what is right for them, and give them the confidence to believe that whatever decision they came to is the right one for them.

Companies who offer services/ products still need to have strong ethical foundations, they too need to prove that they care about you the customer and that they know that you will deliver good quality value for money products in a reasonable time scale.

If you’re selling something make sure it is obvious from the main page what it is that you’re selling and why we should buy from you, rather than heading down to the local supermarket where chances are they’ll be able to find a similar object. What makes your product special? What special features does it have? Is it handmade, does it solve a particular problem? What reassurances can we give you to make you understand that we can be trusted, and that it is ‘safe’ to shop with you?

 Shout your good points from the roof tops

If you have specific qualities like your products are hand made, made from good quality materials, have eye catching or designer properties, solve a particularly tricky problem then highlight it. Don’t hide the fact that you're selling good quality, hand made, eye catching, problem solving products ! Shout it from the roof tops. Also state why we can trust you. We know we can trust big companies because they have specific policies in place, but how do we know we can trust you? We get the impression we can trust you if you tell us you’ve had this person telling you how much difference you’ve already made, if your website has correct spellings and the text on it is meaningful.

Testimonials are vital. If anyone tells you you do something well or you’ve really gone the extra mile and they’ve told you you have, get their permission and sing it from the roof tops. Put it on a testimonials bit on your website, preferably the main page.

Look at your website/business from the outside. Imagine that you had only just found your company/charity (as a customer/client). What kinds of things are you likely to want to ask? Write a list and then answer each question on your website. When you look at your main page, what do you see? What kinds of subtle information do you glean from your text, images, logos etc? I find I wouldn’t trust a site with a high number of spelling mistakes, or where vital images are missing. Worse when you have links to pages that go nowhere, or go nowhere useful. My personal bugbear  are pages that read ‘under construction’. If it’s not ready for people to look at it, don’t publish it!

What do you do that will make a difference to me?  <<<<THIS IS THE KEY QUESTION>>>>>> (Offer a listening ear, a space away from problems, a time saving device, a heap of money saving or time saving tips, an item that will brighten my day, something that will last twice as long as the cheap alternative from the supermarket etc?) It needs to be clear what you can do to make a difference to me that makes it worthwhile me bothering to get out of my pyjamas, off the sofa, and to your office/shop/stall and to fight the moths coming out of my wallet and actually buy something from you, or take you up on some service you’re offering.

Have a useful strap line. This is a simple sentence that summarises what you’re doing, is a bit catchy and gives the reader some idea what you’re doing and entices them to buy/come to you. If it’s vague there really isn’t any point having it. Say you were selling cookies, (no not the mini word document, the edible kind) You might say something like ‘ Home made all butter chocolate chip cookies just like Granny used to make’ This works well, and entices you to buy (mouth watering now? Thought so).

Having a good, easy to use layout is vital, people should be able to find the information they need easily without having to dig down to the bottom level of the navigation system simply to find out your telephone number and when you’re open for business. It helps getting someone who has no idea about your particular organization to take a look through and find out relevant information (you can ask them to look for specific things and see how quickly they find it. It is useful to repeat this a number of times with different people, as some people are more internet savvy than others. What appears obvious to you, might not be to anyone else! Also ask someone who DOES know about whatever your organization or company does for feedback, you might have missed something that they can think of.

Use Social Media Right
If you use social media, (Like Facebook or Twitter) this is a great way of keeping in contact with clients and customers and attracting new clients and customers by word of erm click... But make sure that you keep your branding in line with your website, and keep the things you post relevant to your products and services. Don’t allow any automatic news feeds to fill your feed up on a daily basis with rubbish. This can have a negative effect on your branding and your business. Use social media for telling people about the services you offer, the products you have just got in, any special offers or promotions you might have, or something you’re particularly proud of, or something good someone said. Or teach the people something, like how to do something, or offer a snippet of advice or information.

Make life as easy as possible for your clients/customers. They don’t have time to dig for anything, they get easily bored so give them something to do (something to click on to get to where they want to be is a good idea). Make it possible to browse all your products in a category in one click if possible, so that they can see what you’re offering. If something is a specific size, state it clearly, so you’re not having to look somewhere else to find out what it is. If they can buy something make it as easy as possible for them to buy it. State your package and postage prices clearly so that there are no hidden surprises for people at the end.

Always give more value than they’re expecting and see the products and services you offer as adding value to your clients/ customers lives.

Good luck.

Best Ever recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese

Do you have a 'go to' dish that you knock up when feathers are ruffled, when you want a little comfort or to be soothed from the inside? I have. It's Spaghetti Bolognese. (Some people spell it 'Bolognaise'). I must have made Spag Bol a thousand times over the years. The beauty of it is that I don't really have a recipe for it, it was something that I watched one of my mothers friends make about 30 years ago, and I stood, totally transfixed as she chopped and stirred. It tends to come out slightly differently every time which is fabulous.

What I tend to do is get about 500-750g of minced beef, the best quality that I can find, butchers is best, if not get some from the butchers counter of a good supermarket. I peel and finely chop an onion, or two depending on how big the onions are, and how lazy I am feeling. This goes in a large based pan with some olive oil, about a tablespoonful I guess, I never measure it, simply splash a little into the pan until it looks about right.

 This goes over a medium heat, and the onions are added. If I have a leek that needs using it, I might peel, finely slice and rinse this and add it to the onions. I add a couple of peeled, crushed garlic cloves, and stir it all until the onions have started to go golden brown. If they look like they are going very brown or black the pan is too high and needs turning down a bit. You might need to remove the pan from the heat for a couple of minutes to let everything cool down.

 If you have mushrooms to hand you could wipe and slice some of these, and add them to the onion mix. Once everything is looking nice and golden ish you can add the mince. The idea is to get rid of any signs of pink and simply brown the meat. This seals in the flavour and stops it drying out. Once the meat is brown, add a large tin of chopped tomatoes, a glass of wine (whatever colour you have to hand, it doesn't really make much difference) Pour yourself a large glass whilst you're there if you want (and if you're not on any medication that contraindicates this and you're over 18! ) *Cheers*

Add a sprinkling of herbs (Italian herbs are a great idea because you don't have to buy lots of individual pots of herbs) If you use fresh herbs, use more. If you use dried herbs use less, and if you're going to put your bolognaise into the slow cooker, use sparingly as the slow cooker locks in the flavour. If you have a stock cube (beef preferably although vegetable will do) you can add this now too. Add a little boiling water if you think you need it. If it is looking a little bit watery, you can stir in a sprinkling of gravy granules (stop it! I am allowed to do this, it saves so much faffing about!)

At this point you can either leave it bubbling over a low heat for about 15- 20 mins, more if you have time or you can transfer it into the slow cooker and leave it bubbling on low for the rest of the day. If time is not on your side you can leave it on high for a couple of hours or so. As long as it's cooked through it will be fine.

Just before you need it, In a separate pan put plenty of boiling water, a little salt and some dried or fresh spaghetti. I tend to snap it in half, because I am far too lazy to bother to try to bend it in the pan. Dried spaghetti takes about 5-15 minutes depending what it says on the pack (read it carefully and do what it says!) Fresh spaghetti tends to be quicker, so again do what it says on the pack.

Drain the pasta well, spoon over the bolognaise sauce and serve with lashings of garlic bread, some freshly ground black pepper, a green salad and some grated parmesan.

If you find that you have too much mince, don't panic. Simply cool, pop into a bowl and refrigerate overnight or put it in a freezer bag and pop it in the freezer. When you want to use it you can defrost it, and add a tin of tomatoes, and/ or a jar of red pesto, and if you like a little chilli. This can be served with rice or  pasta or stirred into cooked pasta with a sprinkling of cheese chucked on the top and then popped in the oven to make a tasty pasta bake. It can also be used as a basis for lasagne (by adding the tin of tomatoes). Yum. I tend to intentionally make too much of any mince beef recipe and have a bag or two in the freezer for those emergency moments when you really haven't energy to conjure up something new, yet want to feed the family something hot and tasty and filling.


To make Garlic Bread:
If you fancy making your own garlic bread, simply get a french stick, a pack of butter, some parsley (dried will do) and 2-3 cloves of garlic (to taste) When I was a student we had this thing, It's not how many cloves of garlic you use that count's its how many days later you can still taste the garlic!

We used to simply crush the garlic, soften the butter and mix together with a little dried parsley. How you prefer your garlic bread to be determines whether you cut individual slices and butter the slices with your garlic butter, or whether you prefer to slice into your baguette, not quite slicing all the way through it, and then wrap loosely in tin foil before popping into a hottish oven for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it ,because everyone's oven cooks at different rates, so it might take more time or less time in your oven.

Ps. In our house, the person who cooks gets out of washing up, which is why I became a really good cook because I HATE WASHING UP!

As a child, were you told 'I want never gets'? I was, frequently. I guess my mum wanted me to ask for things nicely, but I got into the habit of thinking that I really couldn't have what I want. Over the years it became a bit of a mindset. I thought that there was no point asking for anything as I thought that 'I want never gets'. I know now that it is ok to want things, as long it's something that I really want and can picture having it and that it is in line with my highest good and that no one gets hurt in the process.

If saying 'I want' still feels uncomfortable, it can help to replace the word want with the word have. I 'want a new car' becomes 'I have a new car'. This helps because your subconscious can't tell the difference between what you think you have and what you actually have. It also stops you from pushing what you truly desire away from you.

More is well... More....

Do you eat breakfast? For years I've shied away from the idea, after reading an advert for a particular brand of cereal aimed at the slimming market. It stated that you should have half a grapefruit, a small glass of fruit juice and a black coffee, along with a tiny portion of this particular cereal, in order for you to be nice and slim and not gain weight. Some switch flicked over in my brain at that point, and I made a connection ~ eat breakfast and be fat, don't eat breakfast, or only eat a tiny breakfast and stay slim. How wrong I was...It got to the stage where I was only having a coffee for breakfast (made with milk, if that counts) then after a while, not even that. By 10am I was starving and reaching for the biscuits, the treats, you name it, I wanted it. But as it wasn't a 'meal' I couldn't get fat, right?  It wouldn't occur to me to go to the shops in the car without adding petrol first, but yet I was expecting my body to work it's magic on either nothing, a mug of coffee, or a tiny tiny portion of cereal and half a grapefruit.
Recently however we've tried a new idea. To have breakfast sat at the table, with fruit juice and a pot of tea, and either cereals, croissants, pain au chocolat, something cooked, porridge or toast. Making a proper occasion of it, and boy does it feel better? Suddenly instead of being hungry and cranky all morning, I feel energized and not wanting to eat anything until lunch. Result.
They say in fact you should make breakfast your main meal, so you can utilize the calories properly and this of course would make sense, maybe in time I will work towards that. After all it's early days yet. It would make perfect sense not to over fill your digestive system with calories at the exact point in the day when you're doing your least physical activity.

Having breakfast is also a good way of getting a few portions of fruit down everyone. A glass of juice, that's a portion, a banana sliced up and added to cereal is another. So that's two portions ticked off before you even leave the house for the day.

Looking beyond the veneer

It's amazing how things come to you when you're busy doing something else. Like hanging out the washing, or mowing the lawn. I was hanging out the washing earlier when I realized over the years I have missed so many opportunities mainly due to insecurities taking over, or thinking things that you believe to be true, only when you stop and take a closer look you realize that it's just another story you've been telling yourself.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the drama of what we think that we stick to the stories we've created rather than looking at the cold hard facts. 

You might feel unloved, but is it actually true? Are you? For years I felt not only unloved but unlovable. Not because I had any hard evidence of the fact, just what I felt deep down inside. The problem with feeling like something is true, is that we tend to then act as if it is true too. So for years I acted like I was unloved and unlovable! It became a habit, a way of life. I looked out actively for any tiny indication I could find that this was true. All the time I was looking for proof that I was unloved and unlovable. A double whammy. Anything that would indicate that actually the opposite was true would send me running in the opposite direction, if I brought myself to acknowledge this at all in the first place. 

I felt unworthy if someone so much as bought me a coffee. Why would they bother? I am unlovable, so buying a coffee for me doesn't fit! Is the person mad? What do they want in return? Something far more valuable?

Why? You might ask. I have no idea why. It seemed a good idea at the time. It seemed to make sense, to me at least. What purpose did it serve? In some bizarre way, it kept me safe. I didn't have to do anything that other people did, because I wasn't loved, I wasn't lovable enough. I guess this is a natural extension of the idea of not being good enough. It also seemed that whilst I wasn't loved, or lovable, I wasn't good enough either. It felt like I was constantly being compared to a couple of younger girls in my area, they were good enough because they were able to do things that I couldn't do. I realise now that it wasn't so much that I wasn't good enough, more that I was being encouraged to be the best I could be. But I took it to mean that nothing I did was ever good enough. That because I wasn't good enough, I therefore couldn't be loved either. In order to be loved, you have to be lovable, and I wasn't that either, or so I told myself. I never once saw myself as being in any way adequate. I shrugged off compliments, and lapped up anyone who told me I was stupid, because it fitted in with my beliefs. So relationships naturally didn't really work for me. It must be incredibly hard being with someone who cannot see their own goodness. Who feels that they are not worthy of good things. Who feels that they cannot be loved or lovable because they don't feel it in their hearts. Who actively look out for and pounce on any behaviour that could possibly back up the theory that I am not good enough, worthy enough, or lovable. In the end it seemed safer to be on my own. Finally I didn't have to spend days looking for clues to prove what I had been telling myself all along. I had my proof. Or so I thought.

Can I change the habit of a lifetime? Can I truly believe that I am loved and lovable? 

What does Abundance mean to you?

Abundance can mean a variety of things, from having financial wealth, to having your needs met with ease. It can mean having plenty of time to enjoy your family, friends and hobbies, it can mean having available to you the resources you need to live life without too much struggle.

How abundant are you? Are you able to do the things you want to do in life, or do you have to pick between doing some of the things you love and covering the essentials? Do you have a support network available to catch you if you fall, with no expectant agenda? Is it safe for you to receive without you having to 'give' something back to the other person there and then? Have you people around you who love you just because you're you, without you having to edit yourself out the whole time? Are you in a job that you love? Do you have all that you need to live your life authentically? Do you feel confident to say what is truly on your mind without fear of being judged? Can you give to charities and fundraising events without leaving yourself short at the end of the month? If so you are truly abundant.

Choose, Believe, Receive ~A Beginners Guide to Cosmic Ordering.

The new moon is the ideal time to manifest ( or bring new) things into your life, to form new friendships, cultivate old friendships, start new courses and projects and generally make more of your life.

You can bring new things into your life by visualizing clearly what you want. This bit is important. You need to focus only on what it is that you DO want. Let go of any images of what you don't want. If you know exactly what it is that you do want, you've got a much greater chance of getting it. Also if you know exactly what you want, you will be able to recognize it as such if you saw it in a shop, and you will be able to communicate to someone else what it is that you want. Cosmic Ordering is a bit like getting someone else to do your shopping for you. 

Imagine you sent someone to the shop to buy  you 'something'. They are going to come back with any random thing (or give up and come back empty handed because they have no idea what it is that you want)  However, if you tell them that you want say, Jaffa Cakes, chances are the person will come back with Jaffa cakes, or if they're out of stock , they might come back with something similar, like chocolate biscuits or a sponge cake, or something else that will do instead of jaffa cakes. But if you'd sent them to get 'something' they'd struggle. The universe is a bit similar to this. The universe might be able to send you a new job, house, relationship or car, but only if you're clear that this is what you want and you can imagine yourself with it.

If you find that you want a new job, relationship, house or car, but you don't believe truly in your heart that you should have one, or even  that it's possible to get a new relationship, etc, then you're going to give the universe signals similar to 'please get me jaffa cakes, erm no don't, oh yes do, erm maybe I shouldn't have jaffa cakes...' Very annoying. Either you want them, or you don't! Make your mind up! You CAN have what you want, don't let the age old ego problem get in the way. It doesn't matter WHO you are , you can have what you want, you just have to BELIEVE you can have it.

Once you've got to the point where actually you've decided what you want, you believe you can get it, then you must get ready to receive it. Receiving your order might come in the form of someone giving what you want as a gift, it could be that you happen to be in the right shop at the right time and find the exact thing you're looking for. It could be that you get a strong inclination to go somewhere new, or a  chance meeting with a stranger who either is the exact person you're looking for or who has connections with the person who can help you with your quest. 

Whatever you do, go out there and try to meet it half way, don't expect that it will simply drift to you, now you've got a focus, go and seek it out. Go and check some job vacancies online or ask your friends if they know of any jobs going that you might be suitable for, if you're trying to manifest a new job. Or if you're looking for love try either joining an online dating agency, asking around your friends if they have any single friends they could introduce you to, if you're looking for a new car, go check out the deals at the local car garage, get yourself a copy of Auto Trader or similar magazine. If you're looking for a new house, give your old house a good clean and declutter, go visit some Estate Agencies, see what is out there. 

Don't forget when you do get it to say thank you. Just like when you send your nieces and nephews a present, you like to get a nice 'Thank you' ~ The universe too likes to be thanked for the things it gives you. 

Repeat the process with whatever you'd like the universe to give you!

The 5 year Time Machine

In 5 years time, you'll look back and think
 'What was I  worrying about?'

What were you doing 5 years ago? Where were you? Who were you living with? How did you feel? Compared to now, how were you doing? What were the things that really mattered to you? If you looked back at a diary or journal entry for this time 5 years ago, what kind of things were worrying you? What did you fear?

Now, 5 years on, are they still worrying you? Did any of the things you were worrying about 5 years ago actually happen? If they did happen, what was the outcome? Was it as bad as you feared, much better than you thought it would be or worse? I bet that either you can't remember what was worrying you 5 years ago, or that most of the things that were worrying you didn't happen, or worked out far better than you'd planned.

 Can you remember that far back? I have some memories of this time period, I was going through a big change in my life at that time, and shortly after made some dramatic moves in my personal life, which changed the way the rest of these 5 years panned out. However the things I was worrying about then worked out better than I had planned or simply didn't happen at all. There are a few things that I would have changed, given half the chance but on the whole things worked out pretty well.

Scroll on 5 years. What are you expecting to happen in the next 5 years? What do you fear, what do you dream of happening? What do you think might happen? What worries you? Is there anything that currently keeps you awake at night? Is there anywhere you'd like to visit? Write it down in your journal or diary, or just in a notebook, make sure you make note of the date and time, so that you can look back and see what you were worried about. Chances are when you read your diary or journal back in 5 years time you will be thinking 'What? Who? Did I worry about that?' It will all work out for the best in the end. Have faith. Start visualizing a great future and each day take a few steps towards your fabulous future.

Starting a journal (or adding to it regularly if you already have one) is a great idea. It gives you the opportunity to literally see what you were thinking about on any given day. It is a great way to get things off your chest, making you think straighter and to stop worrying about things, as you've written them down.
Once you've written your worries and fears down you could consider what you would say to the other person should you be asked to give advice on the subject. Often this reveals plenty of wisdom, as we all know deep down what the answer to our problems is, we just need to dig deep enough to find it.

Goal of the day

Time to get your serious face on, and go set a goal for today! GO! 

What is your goal for today? Just one simple thing you'd like to get done before your head crashes onto your pillow later? It could be something big, like deciding a big life decision, it could be making a phone call, that could either secure you a new contract, a date, or a job offer. It could be to thoroughly tidy up a room and offer for sale any items you no  longer need. It could be simply spending time with those you love, or going for a run or a long walk with the dog. It could be simply to do nothing. It might be to finish off reading that book that you borrowed from a friend months ago, that has been sitting on your shelf ever since.

Write down your goal on a piece of paper or post-it sticker. 

Decide when you're going to get it done by (a time) 

Go do it! 

Let me know what your goal was, how well you got on and what tomorrows goal is going to be!