Get to Higher Ground: The Power of Branding Your Organization

The importance of finding Higher Ground has been recognized for over 2,000 years in military strategy. Reaching the high ground offered an elevated vantage point, enabling surveillance of the surrounding landscape. It provided protection from enemy fire, and allowed leaders to prepare troops for what was to come, giving them a clear strategic advantage.

The daily struggle of endless hand-to-hand combat on lower terrain wore down soldiers and limited their perspective, diminishing their ability to see their opponent and the ground that had been taken.

Read More
Makano-web
Creating Social Media Strategy with Heart

Creating a successful and engaging social media presence requires careful planning, consistent effort, and a deep understanding of your target audience. It is important to develop your goals, know your audience and buyer personas, develop a well-rounded and intentional content strategy, use analytics and tools effectively, and to, most of all, be authentic and human in your branding.

One of the issues we have seen a lot of lately, especially with the use of accessible graphics programs like Canva and Adobe Express, is creative assets that are outstanding, and information that is timely and relevant to a consumer, but content that sometimes fails to inspire and build traction with audiences.

Read More
Makano-web
Let’s Give our Young Creatives the Tools that will Go the Distance

I am pulling for you, Adobe Express. Although not a perfect company, I have a deep loyalty to Adobe and a huge appreciation for their innovation, the way they listen to their designers, and how they make creative software accessible to the masses. Adobe has been around for 40 years and has consistently delivered, revolutionizing the landscape of marketing and storytelling. Adobe Express is their answer to the Canva rage, a graphics software company used for social media graphics, presentations, posters, videos and the like. For non-profits and businesses who have very basic needs, Canva is a great start. It makes it possible for companies to do a wealth of basic communications and graphics projects without having to learn more complex programs.

Read More
Makano-web
Why Company Culture is Critical for your Marketing Strategy

When considering your marketing strategy, it is very tempting to rush the process along, grabbing for the low-hanging fruit of social media and Google Ads, and throwing marketing dollars toward slick ad campaigns. But one of the most important things you can do for your team, your organization and your customers is to slow down and invest in telling the story of your company and your values. It will give all your communication and marketing messages more effectiveness, traction, and depth. It helps you remember who you are as an organization and will ultimately help you connect to your customers at their “why” instead of at their short-term immediate need. Building your company culture and story intentionally will solidify deep relationships with clients who share your values and create an engaged and motivated workforce around you.

Read More
Makano-web
Communication in the time of COVID-19

These are unprecedented times with human suffering greater than many of us have ever seen, and the waves of impact leave no one untouched. One of the most important things we can do is to mobilize the resources we have while still taking good care of ourselves, and create new pathways to offer our customers and community. In times like these, there are also important opportunities to lead, to innovate, and to use our imagination to create timely solutions to meet the current need.

Read More
Makano-webHome Page
Level Up Your Marketing

Clients often assume that a fancy website is going to solve more of their business problems than it will. Good marketing tools (like a website) are powerful, but they won’t fix a set of problems that afflict businesses across all industries. Those problems include business leaders’ limited beliefs about what is possible, unrealistic views about what the world really needs from them, and inability to see their potential to serve and succeed. Most people are far too hard on themselves, and underestimate the good they bring to the world.

Sometimes businesses need an outside voice to believe in their vision or help simplify their message to bring the best results. All businesses get to points when it is a time for change. As you serve your clients, your community, and your team, growth (and refinement) become necessary – a change in focus and tools to help you get to higher ground in your business. Together we can create a plan to help your business get to the next place.

Read More
Makano-web