Your 10-Step Branding Checklist | Issue 3, May 2023

Marketing vs. Branding: Do You Know the Difference?

If these terms make your head spin, you’re not alone! We hear it from clients all the time—they know branding and marketing are both important, but they aren’t exactly sure how to differentiate the two.

Last month, Meld CEO Melinda Pradarelli gave a presentation during the Business Startup Speaker Series at MERGE Iowa City. Her session, Branding 101, went deep into marketing and branding to address many of the misconceptions.

Melinda shared a 10-step Branding Checklist. While it’s geared toward startups, the checklist is also great for existing companies or organizations looking to better define their brand.

• Focus on Your Personal Story and Your Product: When you capture your story and combine it with your product, you have the start of a unique brand.
• Set a Brand Voice: Write down the words that come to mind when you think about your business, and choose three that best describe the vibe you want your business to have.
• Decide on a Company Name: Consider how easy it is to spell and remember, if it has room for expansion, if it’s available, and how it fits with your brand voice.
• Write Your Brand Promise: Your brand promise is crafted to hold your organization accountable for delivering a consistent customer experience. Your ability to keep your promise ultimately determines the health of your brand.
• Create a Mood Board: Pinterest is a great resource—choose 20-40 images that capture how your brand looks and feels.
• Find Your Colors: Find inspiration from your mood board and make sure your top competitors aren’t using the same colors.
• Design Your Logo: You can find quality designers on Upwork or Fiver (or work with an agency like Meld)!
• Choose Your Fonts: Your ideal font will depend on function, context, and other factors, including whether they match your personality and voice.
• Put It All Together: Present everything you’ve worked on so you can see it holistically and assess if it works.
• Be Consistent: Make sure your consumers see the same brand consistently so they can begin forming a brain peg.

Meld Takes Home a Bullish Trophy at the Stock Market Challenge

Last month, Meld CEO Melinda Pradarelli and CFO Ellen Hallin took home the coveted bull trophy at the Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa Stock Market Challenge. The annual Stock Market Challenge is Junior Achievement’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Melinda serves on the board of JA’s Eastern Iowa Chapter.

Melinda and Ellen, along with teammates Mike and Angie Bails, traded their way to the top to win first place for highest portfolio! Could stock trading become one of Meld’s newest service offerings?

Can a Marketing Agency Help Solve a Cold Case?

In the early morning hours of October 26, 1996, Iowa City native Laura Van Wyhe was found dead on the side of a Missouri highway. More than two decades later, the case still remains unsolved.

In 2021, Laura’s childhood friend Anne Champion, an Iowa native and prominent New York City attorney, selected Meld to be the lead marketing agency in her quest to solve the cold case. Meld provided public relations, social media, web, and marketing services. We also worked to maximize awareness by aligning audiences with those listening to the national podcast, Bonaparte, featuring Laura’s story.

Earlier this month, Meld CEO Melinda Pradarelli was featured in an article in the Corridor Business Journal detailing Meld’s involvement in the case.

Read more about the case and the results of our work.

Does Your Brand Need a Little 'Spring Cleaning?'

Now that it’s spring, you’ve probably taken some time to straighten up your home. But what about your brand? If it’s been a while since you’ve explored the nooks and crannies of your brand, now’s the time!

Ready to roll up your sleeves and dive in? We’ve created a list of 7 things you can do to make your brand shine all year long.

5 Quick Reads

We’ve scoured the web for this month’s top quick reads so you don’t have to. Here’s the latest news in the digital marketing world.

• 7 Content Writing Trends in 2023
• Twitter Blue Subscribers Now Have a 10,000 Character Limit (Plus, Text Formatting!)
• 8 Google Ranking Factors That Will Affect Your Website in 2023
• Top 10 Digital Marketing Trends Written By ChatGPT
• Using Social Media Demographics to Inform Your 2023 Strategy