Eric Masi / TORQUE

Brand design is the unconscious marketing tool. Think about it - you meet someone well dress with a distinct flair for color and style. You immediately register that this is someone unique, with a new perspective. You get curious and you definitely remember them. Brand design works the same way - it's a sense of style and flair for a company or organization. It speaks volumes on an unconscious level - telling people your brand is high-end, every-man or exotic. So much can be said through color, icon, typography and even size. The design can be crafted to convey cost, culture, demographic, gender or even social values. A good designer can guide you in these choices to help make the unconscious a conscious choice. Then you get work on voice.

There are so many classes, programs and practices to overcoming the fear of public speaking. I don't have anything unique to add, but rather want to share a perspective. Find what's personal and passionate for you. Let your heart carry you through the fear. I also don't advocate full memorization. That works if you have the time and discipline. But there is the risk of being robotic and not present for your audience. Know your material well and be clear on what you want to cover and in what sequence. Then let it flow. Allow for slips, humor, the unexpected reaction and a unexpected comment. Be human - share more naturally. People feel the difference. They will connect with you more than if you read/recite a perfectly memorized speech.

A good social media blog post - one that stands out - needs to raise an eyebrow, create question and spark a slightly pondering brow. Start with a contrarian, evocative or paradoxical headline or statement. "Most People Working From Home Online Are Losing Their Peripheral Vision!" Once you have someone's attention, you can bring them in further with facts AND opinions. Have a point of view. Reporting things in a purely factual way is being done on thousands of sites. Then, lastly, use pictures. Since the time of the cave-person, we have communicated with pictures. Post photos, an infographic, an illustration. All the data shows that blog posts with images help people remember and stay with content 5-10X times the posts that are pure text.

High quality web content comes from multiple places. First it needs to be succinct. People have 20 seconds to read at best when browsing online (unless they're deep researchers). Second, it has to be fresh, creative, opinion or perspective driven. We don't need more straight up data and we don't need another Wikipedia. Third, have fun and use compelling language. Make it worth reading even if it's a fact based block of content. Forth, present it well visually - add icons, varied type with bold sections, paragraph breaks and imagery. Our eyes need to be visually stimulated with variey. A huge field of text at the same point size, same color in a monotonous column will tire the eyes. Do these things and you'll be well ahead of the game.

Authenticity gets thrown around a lot these days. Is it a gimmick? Is it definable? Is it a trend? No...and yes. Authenticity starts with being personal. Tap your own experience, share your own story and speak candidly, using your own opinion. People want "realness" and a perspective that doesn't feel canned or strategic. I find my more personal posts and blog articles get the most response. Instagram, Facebook and even LinkedIn have reported that personal posts with personal photos get more engagement. It's hard to not sell, promote, brag, list a service or grab a factoid or data point to fulfill content. You can still post all of the above...but then add a sense of the personal. Try it...authenticity is an experiment.